When my son took man flu too far

Winter.....is there really anything good about it? Other countries get by without having winters like us so is there really any need? As far as I'm concerned its full of dull illness fueled days in.

If you follow me on Instagram then you may know that I lost the most recent battle of Mum v's Germs. We have all had colds but the smallest family member decided to take man flu to a whole new level.

Jacob had a cold but took a drastic turn for the worst which resulted in an ambulance ride and a weeks retreat in the NHS's finest accommodation. Since Jacob was born he has had no end of poking and prodding. This was no exception.

As always my strong unfazed instinct kicked in. Cool, calm and collected. So much so I sent my husband home whilst we sat in a&e. There was no point us both being tired. Everyone was amazed by how unwell he was but how chilled out he was with it. He had his moments though. Stood outside the treatment room alone whilst Jacob screamed at his lumbar puncture. "He's fine.....I'm fine," I tell myself.

"home after a weeks spa retreat"

The days passed and it was clear that Jacob was not fine. We were staying. This is not my first unplanned prolonged stay in a hospital. It's my fifth. Fourth because of my children. One was my own drunken fault.

Each time I have had a hospital visit I have had the support of my dear husband. But as it happens he's not good with a list. He tends to go off the list and in the process forget things I actually asked for. But its fine...I'm fine! I didn't need the paracetamol anyway (I can laugh about it now).

Its times like this that I think I really should make an emergency bag. Full of essentials and clothes. Or better still a tidy wardrobe with clothes that don't have holes in and easy to pick up outfits. A foolproof system. A hospital really isn't the place to be trying out new pattern clashing outfits.

I know it isn't a fashion show but when you are constantly told "I recognise you" or "I know you" and the halls are crawling with people you or your family know. I just don't want to look like I've been dragged through the hedges. I know I know it should be the least of my worries. It was but on reflection, I could be more prepared for these occasions. Not that I ever want it to happen again!

So back to Master "Mann" flu. After many tests, many Dr's and many diagnoses they finally decided to tell us what was wrong. Bronchiolitis and suspected sepsis. So my poor baby had been knocked out by ultimately a cold. If any of the boys feel sorry for themselves again I will remind them of what Jacob went through. Do you need to be fed by tube? Do you need oxygen? If the answers are no then you are well enough to go about your day.

As with all delightful hospital wards, the struggle of sleep is very real. I was challenged with getting an upset baby to sleep and keeping him asleep. A challenge not for the faint-hearted. Lots of rocking and frankly little sleep for me.

Anyway, all is well we are home after a weeks spa retreat as the Dr described it. After telling myself all week....He's fine and I'm fine. The day after coming out I wasn't fine and the tears came. A sense of overwhelming relief and outlay of emotions.

Now time to get back to normal. Easier said than done. Jacob now refuses his dummy. As good a time as any to get rid of it but now we are back to square one and trying to get him to self-settle. He was great at this even without the dummy before. Now he just wants to be rocked to sleep.

Part of me is saying "awww but he was so unwell, it takes time. Give him cuddles". The other half "he's not poorly anymore he needs to learn. It's for the greater good!". I decide to let him cry it out. He's not hurt so I let it happen. He's testing out every cry in his repertoire. A really cute one almost gets me. Nope stay strong. He has been through a trauma so I am giving him time.

Now I'm on edge he will catch this bug again. I'm looking at the germ carrier Mikey and thinking would it be acceptable not to send him back to nursery until winter is over?!? Can I install antibacterial gel in every room? Can I demand the nursery installs them? Can I demand all the children wear masks? Probably not.....

I'm just going to have to put this one down as a bad week. Thankful he is OK though and I will never tell Jacob to shush ever again even if I am only joking. I will appreciate Michael in all his craziness and I will remember how missed we were in the family home. Since writing this I've already broken these promises. Mikey's craziness is cute but tiring and Jacob talks a lot so a little shush now and again is just our relationship. Mum in a thankful Mann's world.

I would like to just say a big thank you to all my family for their support during this rough week. Thank you to Phil for holding it together and thank you to our friends and everyone for their best wishes and support.

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