It’s been a while since I have posted, as I’ve been very busy on something I will discuss at a later time. However, I wanted to talk about how nervous we all are about the H1N1 flu. Alexandra was to have started preschool this year, but all of her doctors warned us against it until she was able to get her H1N1 flu shot. Her pediatrician was supposed to have had it over the weekend; however, their shipment has still not arrived. The good news is that we were able to get it at the Government Center on Saturday, but not before we had a bit of a scare.
Alexandra goes a couple of times a week to a woman who provides daycare in her home. I dropped her off on Friday morning and had my day planned out. Unfortunately, an hour later I received a call saying that the sister of one of her daycare kids was diagnosed with H1N1, but the the boy’s pediatrician had said it was okay for him to come to daycare. If you have a child with a congenital heart defect or other immune system compromising illness, you are fully aware that this little boy could be a carrier and pass it on to your child. Therefore, I got in my car and picked Alexandra up right away. It totally ruined my plans for the day, but I know I did the best thing to prevent her from getting sick. I’m not naive enough to believe that I can always protect her; however, I can certainly take all precautions when I know there could be a serious issue.
As I stated earlier, she has now had her H1N1 shot, but she will need a second dose in a month. We are hoping we can keep her well until then but are a little relieved now that she has had at least the first dose.
I would be interested to hear how other families are coping with the H1N1 or regular flu this year, especially as it relates to child care and work schedules.