Thread: (OT vent) What horrific timing!

So last night we figured out that DD has... pinworms. For those who don't know, pinworms are highly contagious and take much diligent work (weeks of cleaning) to get rid of. It's almost like head lice. I'm supposed to be doing like 15 extra loads of laundry a week for the next month. Except, you know, I'm probably going to be in labor and taking care of a newborn at some point in the next month. Plus, you're supposed to treat everyone in the family if one person has it, but pregnant women can't take the medicine. So right now I'm pretty sure we're not going to be able to eradicate it before the baby comes... which means unless we're very, very careful, he'll get them too. And, of course, we're expecting house guests - my mom is coming in a week and a half and MIL is coming in two and a half weeks. I hope neither of them winds up catching them!

I do have a plan to try to make things easier on me, and I talked with my midwifes about non-medicinal treatments (though they said that pinworms was one of the few ailments for which there are really not many effective natural remedies). So we'll do our best and muddle through, but... oh, why couldn't this have hit our house a month ago? Or three months from now? Why now, right before the baby is due??

OMG! No advice or anything, but lots and lots of !!!! Ugh. That is truly awful timing.

Yikes. I have never heard of pin worms??? I remember having lice as a kid and what a pain that was. Is there a way to wash all the bedding in the house, then leaving out only the bare minimum and putting the rest in garbage bags till you know that they are all gone? Maybe doing the same with clothes, stuffed animals, and anything else thats made of some sort of fabric? That may help cut back on the laundry? Is there anything you could put down ob your furniture once you treat them... Again, im not sure how pin worm transfers or infests...

As far as keeping the baby from getting it, i would just make sure that you keep his stuff separate as possible. Also, wash and bag up all your baby blankets, bedding, and clothes now. Pack whatever you want for the hospital in one plastic bag, and put it in your trunk sealed. Then, once hes home, take out just what you need for 3 days, or however often you need to do laundry. Again, i dont know how pin worm works... I just know that these things worked with lice. My sisters dogs got fleas 2 days before her scheduled c section. These things also helped with that... Along with the general bathing and cleaning, you have to do...

Hoping and praying that this is short lived, and that you can get rid of it before baby gets here... And if not, that he doesnt get it as well

Wow, that is definitely horrific timing! I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this extra stress as we finish the home stretch (((hugs)))

I am so sorry. I've never heard of pin worms either, but that sounds horrible. I hope you'll be able to get everything under control quickly.

I'm surprised so many of you BTDT moms have never heard of pinworms before! They're super common among young children, especially those in school. Some estimates are that over 10% of all school-aged children have them at any one time. It's also not unusual for mothers of infected children to be infected (though hopefully I'm not!!).

Pinworms are parasites that lives in your gut (yuck, I know). They're the most common parasitic infection in first world countries. It's very itchy, and when you scratch you get the eggs under your fingernails. The eggs are very tiny (you can't see them, though you can see the worms themselves when they come out to lay eggs) and they are light enough that they can be airborne. They can survive for weeks on surfaces. It's mostly a nuisance (it's not usually dangerous to your health), but it's still not something you want hanging around your house for ages.

Yikes! I remember them from when I was a kid, but it seemed like if one of us had them we just needed to take the medicine. I don't remember having to decontaminate the whole house! So sorry!!

oh no, i'm so sorry to hear this!!!!!!