Hey, it’s Ariel. Part of my heart has been to use this space as a place to share helpful tips that relate to anything health and family related… more than just the pregnancy, birth and early postpartum time. With that in mind, I want to share my family’s experience with Covid-19 and some of the things we felt helped our illness. I get asked a lot of questions regarding our symptoms and remedies so it’s easier to have everything in one place- especially since we have a wide range of family members so this can help normalize what it looks like in a breastfed infant vs. a young child. vs an adult. This does not replace medical advice, and as always, speak with your provider for treatment. What were our symptoms? Dad- Fever of 101, body aches, fatigue, slight sore throat, loss of taste and smell (which lasted approximately 2 weeks). Esther (age 6)- Off and on sore throat along with fever. On day 1 there was also an upset stomach along with a sore throat at dinner time. It was at this time that dad and E1 went to go get tested. 72 hour strep test was positive along with a positive Covid test. Acted normally in between 1-2 hour fever spikes on day 1&3. Elias (age 5) off and on fever on day 1 only. Acted normally. Mom- started symptoms on day 3. Fever (101), body aches, fatigue, slight sore throat, massive headache, dizziness, loss of taste and smell for roughly two weeks. Long term, lost a lot of hair 3 months after illness and while sense of taste came back there were some foods with unusual after taste. Elena (8months)- started symptoms on day 4. Fever (never above 102) and general fussiness for about 3 days. Prepare for Covid-19 like you would prepare to have a new baby. Stay at home, rest, hydrate, order in food and groceries, have loved ones drop off meals, consider using disposable plates and utensils so less time cleaning up a kitchen with limited energy stores, prepare ahead of time numbers of doctors/clinics, stock up on basic necessities ( reasonably, not all the toilet paper ;-). Whatever you can do to ease the mental and physical load. These are just some of the things I encourage the families I work with to prepare welcoming a new baby while physically and emotionally healing from birth. Somethings that may help along the way. We live in a perpetual sick society. Instead of addressing the root cause of things, we treat the symptom. We recognize there are major barriers to health and wellness for many communities, particularly BIPOC communities. Boosting and strengthening the immune system needs to be talked about more as well as identifying the things that weaken and lower the immune system and cause chronic illness. Sugar, alcohol, lack of sleep, caffeine, inflammation, stress can all weaken the immune system. Healthy diet and exercise are just some of the things that can help boost the immune system. Natural at Home Remedies The things suggested below, please consult your doctor. Remember these are just suggestions and may not work for everyone or every case. -Anti inflammatory diet- dairy free, gluten free and sugar free… avoiding processed foods as much as possible. These things can cause inflammation in your body and make it harder to fight illness. -Drink water. Cut down caffeine. -Brisk walks around house or yard 3x a day as physically able. -Increasing intake of healing foods such as ginger, lemon, hot pepper, garlic, oregano, onion. Making teas or bone broths can be a great way to consume these. -Increasing daily vitamins. My chiropractor put out this generic virus dosage chart that can be used for most viruses, including Covid-19. Check with your provider if these are right for you. -Add Zinc-it’s believed that Covid depletes zinc stores in body. -Liposomal -Glutathione- helps immune response in body. -N-Aceytal Cysteine (NAC) thins the mucus in your body along with other health benefits. –Oregano on feet with socks over them. -Diffusing, applying or cleaning with Thieves essential oil. -Enjoying a detox both. 1 cup epsom salt and 1 cup baking soda- and 10 drops of your favorite essential oil for aromatherapy. -lay/sleep on stomach