There’s a thing about being sick. I generally feel guilty when I’m sick, like I should just shove it off and keep going. But when I got home last night from the gym, after spending the entire day feeling a bit cruddy, I thought “uh oh.” It was a mix of dread and panic – oh I hope I’m not getting sick.

At first I thought I was just worn out, but when I realized I wasn’t hungry at all (had lunch but no dinner) it began to get concerning. After I hit the bath (my immediate answer to not feeling great) and realized how cold I was as I got into bed (at 7pm) I decided it might be time to take this a little more seriously. I dug out the thermometer and was sad to see 99.7 on the read.

Now, being sick in the past has always just been “eh, that sucks” – but being sick while pregnant is a whole new terrifying adventure. After all, I’m suddenly housing someone else in this body, so I can’t be careless about things she has no control over. 

Here’s what NOT to do – Google “low grade fever while pregnant.” And I knew that it would be all the worst case scenarios, but I also wanted to see what ALL the other symptoms were so I could rule out “spontaneous explosion of your baby, self, pets, and home.”

The general feeling I got, after talking to my own recently pregnant friends (my actual Google lately) and listening to myself, was that if I could take some Tylenol (one of the few things I’m allowed to have) and the fever broke by morning without getting worse, I’d probably be fine. So I took some meds and slept off and on two hours at a time most of the night. By 3am, the fever had broken but I was beat. 

Most of today I’ve spent watching Netflix and being useless, still not hungry with a bit of an upset tummy. My dear friend brought me Gatorade (Frost, the flavor of hangover champions), ginger ale, and saltines. But late this afternoon, I was unhappy to see the fever was back. 

Begrudgingly, I called my doctor and left a message and then got in touch with my GP. The general consensus was that I’d probably picked up norovirus which was going around and to keep up with the fluids and Tylenol and if I still felt bad tomorrow to call back. The best piece of advice I got was “Your body will protect her and make you feel shitty.” These are the kind of people I need in my life.

Being a theoretical single mom doesn’t make me nervous most of the time, but at times like these, when I couldn’t possibly drive myself safely to the doctor, I am glad to have a crew of people who I know I could call on for help. I also know that this new feeling of panic is going to be old hat for me soon enough, as having a baby is generally one bout of panic after another. 

I’m grateful to my crew, my Better Than Google Moms, my doctor (GP and OB), my mom, and everyone else who is willing to pitch in. Thanks in advance. I’ll probably be calling.