Moms often come across warnings of common dangers to our children, but rarely do we see statistics on what kinds of injuries mothers commonly suffer. Now, I am not researching official records of reported injuries, my list is purely anecdotal.
1. Failing to fully clear a babygate and crashing down face first, possibly spraining a wrist. I was never really into sports, so I haven't much experience with being thrown to the ground, tackled, or otherwise finding myself prostrate and in pain. But at least twice I have tripped mid-gate-hurdling and crashed down, so violently that I lay there a good minute getting over the pain and gathering strength to get up again. Unfortunately, there are no teammates to take a knee while waiting to see if I'm ok, no spectators to clap politely when I do finally walk away from it. Then again, I am usually glad no one sees me do stuff like this.
2. Being bitten shockingly hard while clearing a choking hazard from your toddler's mouth. You know the feeling, those tiny little new baby teeth chomping down on your knuckle so tightly you can't help crying out. Sometimes it's even difficult to open the baby's jaw, and when you finally do you gaze in pain at the very deep impressions left on your finger, while the baby's smiles at her little game. Makes me marvel at how resiliant fingers are.
3. Burns from the oven. This has got to be a common one. It may not be ideal. but sometimes you've got to put things in or take things out of the oven while keeping a toddler away with one foot. So you only halfway open the oven door to slide in the baking sheet at an angle, brushing your hand or wrist againt the oven roof, or rack, or door. Ouch.
4. Mystery bruises. Ever step out of the shower and notice bruises on your hip or shin or arm that you don't remember getting? My husband thinks I'm crazy when I say I don't know where they came from, but moms are often so busy rushing, hauling, carrying, and thinking of what to make for dinner at the same time we don't even notice getting injured.
5. Repetitive back strain. This must, by far, be the most universal and endemic kind of injury mothers suffer. It starts during pregnancy, when your abs are stretched and spread til they are useless, and continues through various stresses and posture contortions, like lying on only your left side for 4 months, carrying laundry with a 1 year old on your hip, or nursing a baby while working on the computer.
So, moms, any of these strike a chord with you? Have I forgotten some other common injuries? We moms forget our injuries easily, seems we are always focused on our kids injuries. It may be a pain to be a mom sometimes, but when you've got a preschooler to sympathetically kiss you boo-boos and make it better, there's nothing sweeter.
