Scrunchy Momma
One big change that I've made since having Kenneth is trying to be much more aware about what we put in and around our bodies; whether that be food, medicine, cleaning products, etc. I will admit that I did a lot of research about things when I was pregnant, and holistic methods were not on the research list. But I have spent the past few months reading, researching, and asking all kinds of questions to anyone that will listen and give me an answer.
The first thing I started with was researching Tylenol. Tylenol is an easy fix, right? Shots, teething, fevers...give them a dose of tylenol and they'll be just fine. At least that was my pediatricians recommendation. Upon doing some research I discovered that studies have shown Tylenol to be ineffective for treating pain and should really just be labeled as a fever reducer. I also found that the number of overdoses in infants a year is astounding...something like 450 infant deaths each year. And lastly, fevers. If your child has a fever it means their body is doing what it's supposed to do and fighting off an infection. If you give them Tylenol you are essentially keeping their body from doing it's job and inhibiting it from naturally fighting off the infection. Now obviously nobody wants their baby to be uncomfortable, but there are many natural ways to keep baby comfy and allow their body to fight off whatever is attacking it. Lukewarm baths, cool washcloths, skin to skin, and lots of nursing are things that I have found effective. As a new mom I was worried any time Kenneth had a fever, but I've found this fever chart helpful in calming my nerves. *Note that is does say this only applies if there are no other unusual symptoms.* I have also been trying more natural remedies to keep myself healthy, especially with the cold winter months coming. I have started taking a daily probiotic and elderberry syrup. I am stocking up my "medicine" cabinet with essential oils and colloidal silver instead of mucinex and nyquil. There is so much interesting information out there that it can be a little overwhelming knowing what to try and what's going to work, so I've been asking for suggestions and going from there.
Next up on the list was diapers. Kenneth had extremely dry skin/ chaffing due to disposable diapers. I had tried every type of cream and ointment with no avail. It didn't seem to bother her at all, but looked horrible and honestly couldn't have been comfortable for her. I started researching cloth diapers and made the decision to switch. I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER. I absolutely love cloth diapers and may have developed a new addiction to them. Not only is her butt %100 better, my wallet is also happier. Yes, there is an initial start up cost to doing cloth, but I've found so many on facebook b/s/t sites that I've hardly had to buy any new. I've also switched over to using cloth wipes while at home, which is also a money saver! I know my big reasoning for not wanting to do cloth in the beginning was "ughhh, it's going to be so much extra work!" I can assure you that it's really not. I do maybe an extra 3 loads of laundry a week and if I had more diapers I could probably get away with only doing 2! I'd also like to note that Kenneth has not had a single blowout since switching to cloth when she used to have at least 3-5 a week.
Now onto sleep. I'm not even sure I remember what sleep is, but I'll take a stab at it. Kenneth has never been what people would call a "good" sleeper. She consistently wakes up every 2 hours at night to nurse and will fall back asleep. I've accepted this and expect it every night, so imagine the unpleasant surprise I encountered when she started waking every 30-45 minutes ALL NIGHT LONG. I was ready to try anything; so I did. I took her to see Dr. Treva Rademaker at Aligned Modern Wellness to see if chiropractic care could help us as all. We started going twice a week for a few weeks and I truly believe it helps Kenneth. Babies do so much growing in their first year of life and things get pulled, tight and uncomfortable for them. I also started going for my back problems and am happy with the results so far. I also started looking into crystals and stones and decided to try some of those (because again, desperate times, people) and I don't know if it's coincidence or what, but she definitely sleeps better since I put them under her sheet. I went to Free Spirit Crystals and the woman working there was extremely helpful. I picked out some amethyst, rose quartz, white howlite, and one other stone I can't remember the name of. I put them all in a little satchel, said a quick prayer to the sleep gods and stuck them under her sheet near where her head goes when I put her int he crib.
There are a lot of things (mostly food) that I still need to work on, but this is a great start for me and my little family. It is important to be informed about your decisions no matter what they are, but especially when there is a little one that relies on you for everything. I am committing to making my home as chemical free as possible by the start of 2018 and will definitely share the journey with you all.
The first thing I started with was researching Tylenol. Tylenol is an easy fix, right? Shots, teething, fevers...give them a dose of tylenol and they'll be just fine. At least that was my pediatricians recommendation. Upon doing some research I discovered that studies have shown Tylenol to be ineffective for treating pain and should really just be labeled as a fever reducer. I also found that the number of overdoses in infants a year is astounding...something like 450 infant deaths each year. And lastly, fevers. If your child has a fever it means their body is doing what it's supposed to do and fighting off an infection. If you give them Tylenol you are essentially keeping their body from doing it's job and inhibiting it from naturally fighting off the infection. Now obviously nobody wants their baby to be uncomfortable, but there are many natural ways to keep baby comfy and allow their body to fight off whatever is attacking it. Lukewarm baths, cool washcloths, skin to skin, and lots of nursing are things that I have found effective. As a new mom I was worried any time Kenneth had a fever, but I've found this fever chart helpful in calming my nerves. *Note that is does say this only applies if there are no other unusual symptoms.* I have also been trying more natural remedies to keep myself healthy, especially with the cold winter months coming. I have started taking a daily probiotic and elderberry syrup. I am stocking up my "medicine" cabinet with essential oils and colloidal silver instead of mucinex and nyquil. There is so much interesting information out there that it can be a little overwhelming knowing what to try and what's going to work, so I've been asking for suggestions and going from there.
Next up on the list was diapers. Kenneth had extremely dry skin/ chaffing due to disposable diapers. I had tried every type of cream and ointment with no avail. It didn't seem to bother her at all, but looked horrible and honestly couldn't have been comfortable for her. I started researching cloth diapers and made the decision to switch. I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER. I absolutely love cloth diapers and may have developed a new addiction to them. Not only is her butt %100 better, my wallet is also happier. Yes, there is an initial start up cost to doing cloth, but I've found so many on facebook b/s/t sites that I've hardly had to buy any new. I've also switched over to using cloth wipes while at home, which is also a money saver! I know my big reasoning for not wanting to do cloth in the beginning was "ughhh, it's going to be so much extra work!" I can assure you that it's really not. I do maybe an extra 3 loads of laundry a week and if I had more diapers I could probably get away with only doing 2! I'd also like to note that Kenneth has not had a single blowout since switching to cloth when she used to have at least 3-5 a week.
Now onto sleep. I'm not even sure I remember what sleep is, but I'll take a stab at it. Kenneth has never been what people would call a "good" sleeper. She consistently wakes up every 2 hours at night to nurse and will fall back asleep. I've accepted this and expect it every night, so imagine the unpleasant surprise I encountered when she started waking every 30-45 minutes ALL NIGHT LONG. I was ready to try anything; so I did. I took her to see Dr. Treva Rademaker at Aligned Modern Wellness to see if chiropractic care could help us as all. We started going twice a week for a few weeks and I truly believe it helps Kenneth. Babies do so much growing in their first year of life and things get pulled, tight and uncomfortable for them. I also started going for my back problems and am happy with the results so far. I also started looking into crystals and stones and decided to try some of those (because again, desperate times, people) and I don't know if it's coincidence or what, but she definitely sleeps better since I put them under her sheet. I went to Free Spirit Crystals and the woman working there was extremely helpful. I picked out some amethyst, rose quartz, white howlite, and one other stone I can't remember the name of. I put them all in a little satchel, said a quick prayer to the sleep gods and stuck them under her sheet near where her head goes when I put her int he crib.There are a lot of things (mostly food) that I still need to work on, but this is a great start for me and my little family. It is important to be informed about your decisions no matter what they are, but especially when there is a little one that relies on you for everything. I am committing to making my home as chemical free as possible by the start of 2018 and will definitely share the journey with you all.
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