Amongst the toilet paper crisis, PLEASE don't forget our children!

Kellie Eason RN, RM, IBCLC

Kellie is a Nurse, Midwife and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in private practice, with over 25 years experience.  
She has a special interest in providing personalised support for families with complex infant feeding issues as well as Gentle Sleep & Settling Solutions for Newborns to 3 Year Olds.   
Working collaboratively with holistic practitioners at Osteo 4 Kids & Adults in Preston, & Family Tree Health in Briar Hill, Melbourne, Kellie also supports families via in home & Skype/FaceTime Consultations.

Just wanted to share some insight with you all, in the hope that it will facilitate extra mindfulness when it comes to the emotional health of our children.

I have seen an increased number of children within my practice lately, whom are hyper vigilant, hyperaroused & sleeping poorly.

I know that this is an incredibly stressful time right now, but now we need to step up more than ever & create as much calm as we can around not only each other, but our children as well.

Children are incredibly sensitive beings, who rely on us for guidance and support.
When we are feeling stressed (and now more than ever), our children are feeling it too!

I encourage you all to take 5 minutes of your day and self reflect
What is most important RIGHT NOW?
How are you feeling?
How are you coping with this stress?
Are there better ways that you can cope with this stress?
​What can you do to reassure your babies and older children through this stressful time?

Some tips

• Be more mindful and have frequent self check-ins
• Remember to B R E A T H E
• Take regular belly breaths - breathe in through your nose for 4 counts and out for 6 counts, feeling the air go all the way down to your belly (breakfast, lunch & dinner are good times to make this a regular practice)
• Ask your children how they are feeling about what is going on around them
• Acknowledge that your child's feelings
• Acknowledge your own feelings
• Spend more time with your children - doing things that you enjoy doing together
• Apologise for any situations you feel could have been handled better & share it with your kids
• Toilet paper is not an essential item - there are always alternatives to toileting hygiene
• Offer help to others that you know need help as well - we all need each other more than ever right now
• Try at look at the positives - make the most of what you have, the time you have together and know that we are all in this together, you are not alone
• Remember that a lot of us are likely to test positive to COVID-19 - once you get it, you are likely to be immune from getting it again
• If you are infected with COVID-19 - 14 days isolation is all that you will need (it could be far more worse!)

Put some perspective into the situation, be informed AND know you are supported

• If you need to learn more about how to keep your family safe, check out www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/victorian-public-coronavirus-disease-covid-19
• Central Patient COVID-19 Triage Hotline –1800 020 080
  The national 24/7 hotline will be expanded to help triage people with respiratory symptoms and those who are concerned about contact with a possible COVID-19 case.
  Alternatively, potential COVID-19 patients can present in person to a GP clinic, a dedicated respiratory clinic or to a hospital ED if they call ahead.

Main things to consider with COVID-19
China had the first recorded case in December 2010 and within 8 weeks, COVID-19 has been contained

Our health system is putting excellent measures in place to help control and contain this virus
COVID-19 is one of millions of viruses that cause respiratory infections, and the most vulnerable to date, are the elderly and those who are immunocompromised, which is the minority of our population
Most of the recommended health measures are really common sense measures & should be practiced in our daily lives

• such as covering our mouths and noses with our elbows when we cough or sneeze
• washing our hands for 20 seconds after coughing, sneezing, going to the loo, before & after food prep
• immediately discarding used tissues

Now that COVID-19 is an issue, additional risk reduction measures are in place to:

• Ensure people in social gatherings & public places are not within close proximity
• Keeping people with symptoms (fever, sore throat, muscle aches, shortness of breath, plane travel within the last 4 weeks) away from presenting to health clinics
• Prevent this from worsening and claiming more lives 

Please keep safe and don't stop living your lives, because before you know it, this will be a blip on your radar!

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