Stomach bug anyone?

WE FELL foul, and I mean foul, this week to a nasty stomach bug that has been doing the rounds. Firstly Tetra's baby E was ill on Friday night, then Tetra herself on Saturday night, then me on Sunday evening.

The last person in this particular strain is herself and she was hit hard today. At first I wasn't sure if she was pulling my leg, well she is seriously avoiding the S word (sssstudyding), but she was actually very sick.

She went back to bed and much as I didn't really want to I headed into work. It's a tough one for parents working, your child being sick is one of the biggest worries you have.

While I feel supported in work now and know if I need time off I will get it, it hasn't always been the case. In some cases far from it.

Fortunately for Tetra she is at a stage in her career with particular gravitas that when she went back to work in January she was able to tell them in no uncertain terms that the first few months would see her stretched.

And she has been. Poor wee E has caught everything, pretty typical for a child starting a creche. While we know eventually E's immune system will be all the better for it, the worry, stress and panic this has caused Tetra has been huge. Not to mention the distress of seeing your wee baby lethargic and not themselves or the distress to them.

She told me one thing that happened this week that made my blood boil. This week she had a call from the creche saying baby E had developed a rash all over her body and they were rushing her to a doctor.

In the middle of a meeting Tetra was distraught. She left and as she was on her way the creche phoned to say everything was okay, baby E was fine.

When Tetra picked up Baby E they told her the doctor said snottily 'well where IS the mother?'

'Excuse me, missus doctor, she is at work earning money to pay the €40 to pay you, not to mention the mortgage, bills, etc etc. And is currently attempting to cross town to get to her child.'

How dare anyone come out with nonsense like this, are they living in the same city as I am? Or maybe do they have so much money that money isn't a worry.

Obviously this woman didn't have children. If she did, as she was obviously working herself, she would realise that much as you want or try you can't always be at your child's side when you need or indeed want to. If someone wants to invent a starship Enterprise transporter work away, it would have certainly helped Tetra cross town in a split second.

Much as parents would like to change it, we cannot help or choose when illness strikes and sometimes it does when we are at work and away from our babies.

In conclusion, Baby E is fine, the rash went nearly as quickly as it arrived, and my baby is now tucked up in bed again after managing to eat and hopefully keep down some soup.

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