Two sick toddlers and one newborn does not make a happy mama! Sometimes, I think that it’s the universe’s way of telling me, “Hahaha, supermamapreneur that!”

And this is when running a business from home and mothering is a mishmash of three situations which I call Icky, Sticky, and Tricky.

1. Icky – When They Are Sick

This always happens to me. The two times I had newborns and there was an older child around, the older child would get sick.

When Allegra was a week old, Kaius caught the dreaded Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD), which caused ulcers in his mouth and throat. However, even though HFMD tends not to be serious in children, it can be fatal to newborns. Luckily, Allegra didn’t catch HFMD but caught a mild flu. The poor thing had a fever, cough, and a stuffy nose when she was not even a month old.

When Alexa was born, both Kaius and Allegra caught a bug from school, which turned into bronchitis. They had to use a nebuliser for medication and were on antibiotics, and Alexa ended up with a stuffy nose.

In Chinese cultures, the “confinement month” refers to post-natal care that lasts between 28 and 40 days. Usually, the mother is encouraged to stay home to recover from the birth. At this time, a special diet is prepared and herbal medicines are brewed to regain the mother’s strength and vitality. I spent this confinement month with three kids at home and ferrying them to and from the house and the pediatrician.

On some days, I took Alexa for her routine newborn check-up; other days, just two kids; and on really great days, all three kids would have to go.

Imagine the bills – and the whining (from mama, too!).

2. Sticky – When Medication (And Puke) Ends Up Everywhere

I wish there was a magic formula to help kids understand that if they scream to avoid taking their medicines, they will keep coughing and puking – all over the floor. My carpet, sofa, their bed, my bed – puke everywhere!

Kaius is more than three years old, so he understands that he has to take his medicine to get better and the nebuliser is part of that process. He’s calm and takes what he needs to, without drama. Spunky Allegra, on the other hand, hated antibiotics and using the nebuliser. She would scream, shout, cry, and fight each time she had to take her medication. We’d usually have to carry her and let her watch TV for distraction.

Each medicine session would last 30 minutes and end with a pile of sobs covered in sticky medicine and me exhausted. The “fun” part? When you think you finally got her to swallow her medicine but she then chokes and sputters everything out. Which means you have to do it all over again.

But I also have to remind myself that she’s sick and not even two years old, so she’s allowed to be afraid, cranky, and difficult. Since my office is at home, my gem of an assistant had to go through all the pandemonium as well.

3. Tricky – When Everyone Wants Mummy

The trickiest part for me is when you know it wouldn’t help even if you could clone mummy; she won’t have the same smell as the real thing. I had a newborn to attend to and get breastmilk production going for. I had to deal with the aftermath of a birth and generally try to bounce back quickly. But then I had two older children who wanted to be near me because it made them feel better.

But because I couldn’t afford to get sick, I couldn’t spend too much time with them also. They had to settle for brief cuddles instead of dozing off in the same room as me and Alexa.

On top of that, there’s work. “Boss, I need your approval on this and that” or “What’s our marketing plan now?” questions. Having the baby earlier than expected always brings about planning nightmares for work. It also doesn’t help when, sometimes, it is difficult to focus on getting good ideas for marketing.

There isn’t a quick fix for this. Only taking it one day at a time; sometimes, one hour or just a minute at a time. When it’s all over, we celebrate by going shopping!

_{This post was first published on The Supermamapreneur and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author.} 

_{Image credit: Asian baby crying from Shutterstock}

_{Edited by Nedda Chaplin}

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