In the pantry today, I discovered a forgotten batch of organic black beans left by Nick after his visit this summer and decided to invent a black bean soup worthy of the cold weather and the warm fire. Truthfully, pregnancy suits my home-loving soul. And the weather offers us added excuses for refusing to venture out into our mall-laced world. And then there is the stomach flu which keeps appearing and disappearing. Nothing serious, of course... just that tummyache which magically disappears when the clock strikes 24 hours.
In fact, I can't remember the last year in which the stomach bug did not pay a visit to our family. In the meantime, I've become well enough acquainted with this harmless but disruptive sickness to have advice to share with friends.
- When the first person in your family gets sick, start giving everyone powder acidophilus (available for kids at Manna Grocery or a local health food store). So far, I did this with Max and Micah. Max's bout with the tummy bug was fairly mild, while Micah has yet to meet the tummy bug up close and personal. Adding it to milk is easiest.
- Popsicles, popsicles, popsicles. Don't buy natural fruit popsicles though, as the natural acidity of fruit is not tummy-friendly.
- Little sips and little bits at a time. Trying to drink large amounts of anything will only stimulate the gag reflex.
- Don't eat dairy. This includes yogurt.
- Rent lots of good movies and borrow some good books to share. While tummy bugs are usually uncomfortable, they generally aren't so bad that you can't enjoy the company of others or entertainment.
- Rest. The upside to the tummy bug? I got more relaxation time during that one day than I have in the entire past month.
Caveat- When Max and I lived in Virginia, he contracted rotavirus at his daycare facility. It was horrible. We had to go to the ER for IV fluids two nights in a row. Every single drop of Pedialyte came back up. When he started crying without tears, I knew he needed fluids right away, so we went to the hospital. Thankfully, he never became badly dehydrated. But rotavirus lasted for a week. Unlike the usual calicivirus responsible for most tummy bugs, rotavirus sticks around and wreaks havoc for longer periods of time. That is why the risk of dehydration is so great.
Rotavirus is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea among children 3 to 15 months old and the most common cause of diarrhea in children under the age of 5 years. Symptoms of rotavirus infection appear 1 to 2 days after exposure. Rotavirus typically causes vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 to 8 days, along with fever and abdominal pain. Rotavirus can also infect adults who are in close contact with infected children, but the symptoms in adults are milder. In the United States, rotavirus infections are most common from November to April. If your child attends daycare or church nursery, the chances of contracting rotavirus are MUCH greater, especially given shared snack times, diaper changing stations, and toys. The good news is that contracting the virus helps develop immunity and reduce symptoms of future infections.











