Coronavirus: How Anxious Should We Be?
We snapped these photos a few weeks ago when Sadie and I had a date at the beautiful Beverly Hills Hotel. It was a couple of days before I went back to work from maternity leave and I remember feeling so nervous! At that point, I hadn't been away from Sadie for more than an hour or two here and there and I was trying to wrap my head around what our new normal might look like.
Looking back, it's crazy that at this point, coronavirus was not yet a household name and that so much has changed in just a few short weeks. Likewise, along with rounding up our outfit details today, I'm sharing some ways our family is protecting ourselves against this scary virus in case this info helps any other anxious mamas out there.
Today's OOTD
Over the past few weeks, I've been having a lot of fun going through my closet and doing a total refresh post-pregnancy. I've found myself keeping a lot of classic basics and neutrals to ultimately build a sort of "capsule collection" (more here). I love that it's so much easier to get dressed in the morning when all of my basics pair so well together.
As a busy mama of two, every minute counts big time!Today's look includes one of the only colorful striped shirts I ended up keeping in my wardrobe. I love its voluminous sleeves, softness and the fact that it is such a great look for work. I styled it with high-waisted vintage-style black jeans, classic loafers and an oversized headband.I've been really into headbands recently--especially post-fourth trimester.
Truth be told, my hair has been falling out in clumps as it did after my pregnancy with Naiya. Headbands help to hide some of the patches up front where this is predominately happening (not to mention they're also cute!).Sadie is wearing a maroon cotton organic onesie from one of our favorite companies, Love'd Baby. I bought a whole slew of these with Naiya and they're like the gift that keeps giving (seen here and here).
Coronavirus: How Anxious Should We Be?
As a new mom, coronavirus is giving me a lot of anxiety right now (as I know it is for everyone!). For the first time in most of our lifetimes, a brand new pandemic is sweeping the world and we simply don't have all of the answers.
Schools and businesses are closing, the stock market is taking a nose dive, the NBA just suspended its games until further notice and travel in and out of a number of countries has been halted.
But to what level should we all be freaking out?Depending on which sources we read, the jury is still out as to whether we should be buying out all the toilet paper, bidding on nearly extinct hand sanitizer and stocking up on canned goods.
That said, I'm personally here for it all because I don't feel like taking the chance!But one thing is for sure: coronavirus is affecting thousands upon thousands people around the world and that in itself is incredibly scary.
China has implemented the largest quarantine in human history, Italy is following suit and other countries are jumping aboard too.
Since there are a few things we can do to help protect ourselves--especially as mamas--along with today's outfit post, I figured I'd use this space to share more about them.
What We Can Do: Coronavirus
I am most certainly not a doctor but I've been reading up on coronavirus a lot over the past few weeks. Sharing some of the things I've learned below in case they help anyone!
The Symptoms:
Coronavirus may not present symptoms for 14-27 days. Since that's such a long time and there are not enough tests to go around, it's hard to tell if you or someone you know may be infected.
By the time you have symptoms--a fever and/or cough, it can oftentimes be too late.
Hand Washing
As we all know, it's extremely important to wash our hands constantly in order to protect ourselves to the best of our ability from this terrible virus.Naturally, this happens to be one of the hardest things to keep under control for kids. Naiya is constantly touching her face, kissing her sister and it's so hard to keep those hands clean!
To help, I've tried to inspire her to have fun washing her hands. We start by pulling up a stool to the sink, we lather up her hands with soap and we have her scrub away until she's done singing the happy birthday song.
Somehow, this is currently working for us and I'm so in.On top of this, we're using as many antibacterial gels throughout the day as we can. We're trying our best to teach Naiya not to touch her face--namely her eyes, nose and mouth but it's not easy!
Thankfully, I've heard that kids are not as badly affected by the virus so far so that's helping me to sleep slightly better at night.
Test Yourself
A big problem right now is that there are not enough coronavirus testing kits to go around and they're extremely expensive.In the meantime, one way to test yourself and your kids for the virus is to take a deep breath and hold it for more than 10 seconds. If you can successfully do so without coughing, anxiety or extra tightness in your chest, you generally do not have an infection.
If you cannot do this, call your physician instead of going into the office so that you don't get anyone else sick and tell them your symptoms. It's best to self-quarantine as not to risk the chance of getting anyone else sick.Something else I read today was that it's helpful to make sure your mouth and throat are always moist.
Drink plenty of water every 15 minutes because if the virus gets into your mouth, fluids can help to wash it down your esophagus and into your stomach.
Once in your stomach, the hydrochloric acid kills the germs! If you don't drink water regularly, the virus can enter the airways and get into your lungs--which can become extremely dangerous.
Likewise, I'm very conscious that Naiya needs to have her water bottle around her constantly. I've been infusing it with different fruits to add natural flavor to make sure she drinks enough!
What Are You And Your Family Doing To Stay Healthy?
How are you and your family feeling about coronavirus? Did you go out and create survival kits that could last you and your family two weeks? We haven't yet and feel like we're late to the party. Do you believe all of the hype or are you thinking (or at least hoping) that it's not as widespread or dangerous as it seems?
Tell me all the things in the comment section below and stay healthy!
Photography: Azusa Takano