Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in six months...my rings fit again!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I'm pleased to announce
Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in six months...my rings fit again!
Stuff we love: Rescue Sleep Remedy
I'll be the first one to admit that the philosophy behind the Bach Flower Essences sounds pretty wacky to me. Unnamed substances distilled from flowers used to balance complex emotional problems? Kind of farfetched even for people like us. But when we tried them ourselves about a year ago, we were particularly pleased with the results of Rescue Sleep, which we found calming and sleep-enhancing.
So it's only natural (at least for us) that when we found ourselves with a restless, fussy baby, we gave a couple of squirts to her. It stopped her crying, anyway, as she tasted it with a funny and amazed look on her face. It didn't knock her flat out or anything, but within minutes, she was calmer, and then--asleep. Over the past few months, we've repeated the process a number of times a week and always been really impressed with the results. Even with her teething pain, we've actually found it to be more effective in calming her down than Hyland's Teething Tablets, a homeopathic remedy lots of parents rave about.
It could be the flower essences, or it could be the 27% alcohol solution they're preserved in (grape brandy, to be exact--and brandy is a time-honored remedy for teething babies). Either way, I'm not arguing with success. The bottle runs around $8-10 and lasted us over a year with occasional use; the next one will probably only last about half that long or less, since we're using it more often with Eden. Still, probably not much more expensive than something like Children's Tylenol, and we don't like the idea of giving our baby drugs unless absolutely necessary (and that stance finds more support every day). We get it at Whole Foods, but you can also order it online. Amazon has it for under $8 with free shipping! And right now, Mambo Sprouts is offering a $2 off coupon. Effective, natural, and a coupon to boot--what more do you need to know?
So it's only natural (at least for us) that when we found ourselves with a restless, fussy baby, we gave a couple of squirts to her. It stopped her crying, anyway, as she tasted it with a funny and amazed look on her face. It didn't knock her flat out or anything, but within minutes, she was calmer, and then--asleep. Over the past few months, we've repeated the process a number of times a week and always been really impressed with the results. Even with her teething pain, we've actually found it to be more effective in calming her down than Hyland's Teething Tablets, a homeopathic remedy lots of parents rave about.
It could be the flower essences, or it could be the 27% alcohol solution they're preserved in (grape brandy, to be exact--and brandy is a time-honored remedy for teething babies). Either way, I'm not arguing with success. The bottle runs around $8-10 and lasted us over a year with occasional use; the next one will probably only last about half that long or less, since we're using it more often with Eden. Still, probably not much more expensive than something like Children's Tylenol, and we don't like the idea of giving our baby drugs unless absolutely necessary (and that stance finds more support every day). We get it at Whole Foods, but you can also order it online. Amazon has it for under $8 with free shipping! And right now, Mambo Sprouts is offering a $2 off coupon. Effective, natural, and a coupon to boot--what more do you need to know?
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Krill oil: My cure for baby eczema
A number of weeks ago, to my dismay, Eden started developing rough, red patches of eczema on her arms and legs. Having struggled with various bouts of itchy scaly skin throughout my life, I had hoped she would be spared. Alas, she apparently was not. I rubbed coconut oil on it in vain--while it might have kept it a little softer, the angry pink outlines were still there.
It wasn't until a bottle of Omega-3 krill oil capsules arrived in the mail from my mom that I had an epiphany. I'd taken either fish oil or cod liver oil pills throughout the pregnancy, and had continued doing so since Eden was born. However, I get them through my mom, who is some kind of vitamin dealer, and I had run out and was waiting for her to send more. It wasn't until I started up again that I realized that the period during which I'd run out was exactly when Eden had developed her skin trouble. I hardly dared to hope that taking them again would rectify the problem, but it did! Within about a week after starting up again, her patches of eczema were all totally gone, and so far they haven't recurred. I'm convinced that was what did the trick, since it was the only thing about our diet and lifestyle that changed--both when she flared up and when it went away. Below you can see the difference:
The great thing about breastfeeding is that I don't have to try to figure out how to get her to take fish oil--just take it myself. But when she strikes out on her own, foodwise, you can bet that I'll be sure to figure out a way to do so.
It wasn't until a bottle of Omega-3 krill oil capsules arrived in the mail from my mom that I had an epiphany. I'd taken either fish oil or cod liver oil pills throughout the pregnancy, and had continued doing so since Eden was born. However, I get them through my mom, who is some kind of vitamin dealer, and I had run out and was waiting for her to send more. It wasn't until I started up again that I realized that the period during which I'd run out was exactly when Eden had developed her skin trouble. I hardly dared to hope that taking them again would rectify the problem, but it did! Within about a week after starting up again, her patches of eczema were all totally gone, and so far they haven't recurred. I'm convinced that was what did the trick, since it was the only thing about our diet and lifestyle that changed--both when she flared up and when it went away. Below you can see the difference:
The great thing about breastfeeding is that I don't have to try to figure out how to get her to take fish oil--just take it myself. But when she strikes out on her own, foodwise, you can bet that I'll be sure to figure out a way to do so.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Natural remedies for breastfeeding first aid
Michele at Frugal Granola has a great post up about how to create a natural Breastfeeding First Aid kit and her experiences with clogged milk ducts. I am crossing my fingers and feeling fortunate that I haven't had to deal with these yet, but based on the experiences of other nurses I work with (we don't exactly get predictable--or even regular--breaks sometimes), I know it's probably only a matter of time, and so I've bookmarked this excellent resource! I love Michele's blog because it lives up to its name: affordable, natural solutions to all kinds of issues in family life.
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