Archive for June, 2013

Teething Ugh…

June 13, 2013 · Filed under Motherhood, Natural Remedies, Teething · Tagged , , ,

9 months after my Thor was born, now his body is deciding its time for teeth!

What did you do when your little one started teething? Were they uncomfortable? Were they irritable?

There are so many different things people do to keep their children comfortable during this time when they are so frustrated and annoyed with the itching going on under their gums. There are medications, oils, people freeze just about anything that their child will chew on to help with numbing…

We have silicone chew toys, one that vibrates even, but they don’t SOLVE anything. These toys are only a temporary solution until he gets tired of chewing on them.

Just like most moms, I can’t stand to see my kiddo in pain, so I went on a hunt! I knew I didn’t want to give him any medicine if I could help it, so checking on natural options was the plan.

I was considering purchasing a teething necklace for myself to wear with silicone beads first since I had seen them in a few boutiques around town. They are chunky, they are bright fun colors, and they get slobbered on. For me, that means I would have my kiddo’s spit dripping down my shirt all day, cause he does not stop chewing… EVER!

Finally when I was just going to purchase a silicone teaching necklace to hold him over, I came across a review for a Baltic Amber teething necklace. Off I went checking out reviews , watching videos on YouTube, all those things someone would want to do before making a purchase for their child.

Here’s what I found out…

The beads are really tree resin. They release an oil when heated by our bodies which is absorbed into our skin. The oil contains an acid that act like a natural swelling reducer, fever reducer, and pain reliever among other things. THEY ARE NOT FOR CHEWING!

The link below contains more info and also offers the best selection of both Baltic Amber and Hazelwood jewelry for both adults and babies. I suggest you read the info on this site if you are even a little curious about these products.

http://hazelaid.myshopify.com/pages/about-baltic-amber

To make my long story a tiny bit shorter, we went first thing yesterday to a boutique in town and purchased a strand of non polished Amber beads for my son to wear as he goes through this teething process. I’m hoping to see changes in him or at least a lack of discomfort within the next week or so. He’s such a happy kiddo that I’m not sure if I will be able to tell, but we will see! I will give updates as I remember.

If you are in the Twin Cities area of MN, I would advise you to stop into the boutique I grabbed his necklace from. It’s called Baby On Grand and has two locations. Website link below. I forgot my card when I went to pick up the necklace and the owner let me just take it and call with my card number when I got home. Talk about customer service and MN nice all wrapped up in one. Needless to say, I will be shopping there again!

http://www.babyongrand.com/

-Jord

QUICK UPDATE! OUR FIRST TOOTH CAME THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT AND THE SECOND ONE POKED THROUGH ON WEDNESDAY JULY 2ND!

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To epidural or not to epidural!

June 11, 2013 · Filed under Delivery, Labor, Pregnancy · Tagged , , ,

Please understand that I am NOT any sort of medical professional. This piece is strictly opinion and experience based.

I’m mainly writing this for pregnant women who are trying to decide weather or not to get an epidural when the time comes for the birth of their child.

You will come across women who are adamant about not getting an epidural and how it’s going to give your baby a bad start at life. There are women who have had epidurals and swear by them, along with women who have had one and say terrible things about their entire experience. I m not any of those women.

I have had one child. And although I had an entirely natural, vaginal birth, it is NOT for everyone! Also, even if you make it part of your birthing plan to either have or not have an epidural, that does not mean things will go as planned.

If you walk into the hospital in pain, with amniotic fluid dripping down your legs and fully dilated… Guess what? No epidural for you! They will throw you in a room and get you started pushing. On the other hand, if you aren’t progressing (in the dilation area) yet your contractions are only one minute apart, you might catch yourself praying for the medicine you swore to never take to get you through the 28 hours of labor ahead of you.

THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT!

In my opinion, you need to do what your body is telling you to do. Everyone has a point where the pain becomes overwhelming. That being said, I’ve never heard any woman say that every single one of their labor/births was exactly the same. Why do we think we have to plan every single aspect of every labor, then get upset if it doesn’t turn out as planned?

So long as your baby is healthy, and both parents are healthy, why not enjoy the beginning of your new babe’s life instead of making yourself sick worrying about this or that from labor. Squeeze that thing out, and snuggle it like crazy before they start walking and don’t want hugs anymore.

~Jord

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