TWO TRUTHS

TWO TRUTHS

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TWO TRUTHS
TWO TRUTHS
032: Sick & tired: The emotional, physical, and technical labor of managing winter illnesses

032: Sick & tired: The emotional, physical, and technical labor of managing winter illnesses

A guide for soothing body and mind on difficult days

Cassie Shortsleeve's avatar
Kelsey Haywood Lucas's avatar
Cassie Shortsleeve
and
Kelsey Haywood Lucas
Dec 01, 2023
∙ Paid
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TWO TRUTHS
TWO TRUTHS
032: Sick & tired: The emotional, physical, and technical labor of managing winter illnesses
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Photo by Lisa Sorgini

Welcome to the latest issue of Two Truths, a weekly newsletter and media brand that explores the duality of motherhood from two journalists, maternal health advocates, and mom friends: co-founders Cassie Shortsleeve and Kelsey Haywood Lucas. Two Truths is rooted in the healing and affirming therapeutic principle that two things can be true. As seen in The Skimm, Motherly, The Bump, Popsugar & more!


We come to you this week from the couch and the pediatrician’s office with winter colds knocking at our doors. It’s officially sick kid season — and we have the sleepless nights to prove it.

In thinking that you might be in a similar spot, too — as we know so many parents are right now — we’re sharing an updated version of one of our top issues, “Sick & tired: The emotional, physical, and technical labor of managing winter illnesses.”

Sick kids (and often, a sick you) present two types of issues: the pull-on-your-heartstrings kind and the logistical, shuffling-of-days kind. In this issue, we opine and advise on how to soothe both body and soul — so you can feel better faster.

The comfort you’ll find ahead:

  • Beautiful words that perfectly depict the beauty and horror of mothering sick bodies from writer Courtney Martin

  • Essential reading on caregiving from author Angela Garbes

  • The most common cause of stomach pain in kids — and how to remedy it

  • Why you may actually *not* want to try to stop that cough

  • Crucial updates on RSV in babies and toddlers, plus what to know if you’re pregnant

  • How to keep your newborn safe from illness over the holidays, and how to handle those tough convos with family members

  • A Q&A with pediatrician and mom Krupa Playforth, M.D. (aka @thepediatricianmom) on how to weather sick season — when you’re sick and when the kids are sick

  • An important reminder about mom guilt (and how to wave goodbye to it) from our friend and Chamber of Mothers co-founder Raena Boston of @theworkingmomtras


The full version of today’s newsletter is an exclusive for paid subscribers only. If you’d like to continue reading (and get more special perks), take advantage of our holiday sale to get our lowest-ever annual subscription pricing of just $3.33 per month! Already have a premium subscription? Give a mom friend the gift of Two Truths and she’ll be grateful all year long. Thank you for supporting our mission of informing and entertaining mothers while spreading awareness and increasing education around maternal mental health. Your paid subscription makes our work (done between naps, after bedtimes, and before school pickups!) possible.

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