Cabin Fever

I will tell you from experience, do not let your fear of germs or your fear of people being near your baby make you a prisoner in your own home.  Once again, another plan mapped out; no one was allowed to come see the baby for 2 weeks.  I wasn’t going to take him out for at least 3 months, because my baby wasn’t going to be exposed to the outside world.  Even CJ’s pediatrician got in on it.  I asked about going out and she looked at me like I was crazy.  You know, like parent saying “where do you think you are going”.  She said, “Well if you are going to the store, go early when there aren’t as many people there”.  Like that was the only place I could go being a new mom.  This was confirmation that I was doing the right thing by keeping everyone away.  Well after a month and recovery from my Maternity Blues, I got into another funk.  I felt trapped in this strange world.  I didn’t feel like myself which is an energetic, outdoors girl.  It felt like the world was closing in on me, like I was suffocating.  I mean I did not leave the house and I was losing it.  My anxiety began to rear its ugly head like “is this my life”.  Then I had an epiphany, I remembered when my amazing mother came over and forced me to take a walk with her outside and how freeing and refreshing it felt.  So that is what I began to do, take walks.  Just a simple 10 minute walk around the block (baby in stroller), felt so good and fresh.  I didn’t feel I was compromising my rule because no one was around and I covered up my munchkin like Fort Knox.  Eventually I went a step further and remembered how much I loved to just drive around with my husband B.C. (since my son’s name starts with a “C” that works both ways) and look at architecture, people walking around, etc.  So I decided to grab my diaper bag, baby and head off for a car ride.  Oh that was my favorite because it reminded of the cool city in which I live.  I breastfed so his food was readily available and I would stop through a drive thru if I got hungry.  Since my Cabin Fever never got extreme enough for me to break my “rules”, those two things were a great compromise.  Of course, there are people who will take their child out anywhere right out the gate (you know to which gate I am referring) and good for them for being fearless, but all you out there like me find a compromise because Cabin Fever is no day at the park.  Oh and a side note, if I am blessed to have another, I will keep my rules and just start my outdoor fun earlier.  My son didn’t have a single sniffle until we started him at Gymboree and at 9 months he caught a bad cold from one of his classmates.  Good Luck!!!