I’m reading here and there, including CDC, but it’s like they take for granted that everyone in the States knows when is the flu season, and fail to tell.
When is the flu season? Is it really that bad, especially for babies?
Can you avoid catching the flu by staying at home always? (in case of the baby)?
The flu season is the same for all States?
I’m Puerto Rican, lived in Singapore after getting married and I’m not really familiar with the flu season in the US.
It varies, depending in part on how severe the flu is that year, where it starts, and where you live. Your pediatrician will be able to give you more detailed information for your particular area–how many cases he/she sees, that sort of thing. It moves sort of like a wave across the country, so one state may not have many cases while another one is heavily into the season.
Some flu viruses are more severe than others. Babies, due to their weaker immune systems, are more likely to get more sick from it; ditto pregnant mothers.
You do reduce the likelihood of getting the flu by limiting contact with other people, but you can’t make that perfect. Leaving aside anything else, you have to leave your home sometime, as does, presumably, your husband. The best way to avoid the flu is to get the shot for it (assuming that it’s effective in a given year; the problem can be that flu vaccines have to be made in advance, so it’s a best-educated-guess scenario of which of the varieties of flu will be predominant at a given time. Last year was a perfect example of how this can be problematic, though some years before have gone far, far better.), wash your hands well, and do your best to stay away from sick people.
One thing I will say: the fact that you’re a SAHM does make it less likely that your son will get it, for the simple reason that he’s not in daycare. This is not knocking daycares or working moms at all! It’s a case of sick kids go to daycares/aren’t terribly good about hygiene (covering their noses/mouth when coughing, for example, or washing their hands after), and thus daycares and schools are good breeding grounds for germs. So, for that matter, are offices and other work environments. In the US, we place such a heavy emphasis on workplace productivity that people will go to work sick, and even if they try their best to cover sneezes/coughs and wash their hands, will probably infect coworkers. That you can be at your most contagious before you feel your worst doesn’t help the situation.
In short:
–Use common sense. Talk to your pediatrician, see what he or she suggests. In DD’s case, her ped suggested not bringing her to church for the first month of her life because the flu was still quite prevalent in our area, and it was a bad strain that year. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after going somewhere. Have your DH wash his hands when he gets home from work and before he plays with your son.
–If your DH gets it, try to isolate as much as possible. You and your son might still get it, but perhaps not, especially if you catch it early. Set up a “sick room,” don’t go in there more than you have to, and wash your hands after leaving it. Use antiviral cleaners on hard surfaces like doorknobs, and wash sheets, blankets, etc that have come in contact with the sick person in hot water and detergent.
–It is entirely reasonable to not let sick people into your home. My friends and I make it perfectly clear when scheduling/discussing a playdate if one kid has a symptom of some kind, and leave it up to the other parents whether to still make the date or reschedule. One kid has a mild cough, no other symptoms, no fever? Sure, we’ll still get together, as long as there isn’t a newborn in the mix. If a kid has a fever/stomach symptoms/more severe stuff, then that kid doesn’t come, and the mom of that kid has no issue with that. That’s what reasonable people do.
–At the same time, try not to worry too much. Flu season can last 4-6 months; it’s not feasible for you or your son never to leave your house during that time frame, and if anything, it would be more likely to do you harm to be so isolated than to get the flu.
