AP Baby

Here's how I lose points in my daughters playroom...

1) She's watching the Wiggles while I type this!
2) There is a TV in her playroom! (We are not in her playroom now, we are in the living room. The TV in there is for us all to play dance dance revolution on. Still!)
3) Tons of plastic monstrosities as far as the eye can see!
4) Books, books, and more books! Plus a bin full of books to rotate with the other books!
5) Alphabet puzzle!
6) I'm currently trying to bribe her through her pottying strike with M&Ms. She just had her first M&M installment and is now stomping her feet and saying MORE! Eeeks!
7) She had canned spaghettio's for lunch. NOT EVEN THE ORGANIC KIND. (With black beans, cheese, kale, and sweet potato puree. Still, though!)
8) Finally... the dreaded Black Crayon. Yes, there are black crayons everywhere!

Posted by JoAnna at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been trying really hard lately to be better about reducing the amount of trash at our curb each week. To that end, I've stepped up our efforts towards recycling and also am trying really hard to reuse things that I'd often throw away. I can't always do it; sometimes stuff still just goes out in the trash! But I am trying. Here is a photo of some of the stuff I'm reusing right now.

First, a Whole Food's reusable insulated bag. Excellent, I adore this bag because often with lil' miss in the car we wind up taking a while to get home. So not only is it reusable, but it keeps my stuff from going bad even if it takes a while to get home. On top of that a cloth diaper; this one is a fitted (needs a cover) from Dream-Eze.

Next, one of my most recent efforts; making a shoe box into a toy for Bella. I cut a slit into the side with a utility knife and gave her a stack of flash cards to practice putting into the slot. She loves this and plays with it all the time! It was divine inspiration because while she is very, very into shape-sorters right now, they frustrate her a lot. This is something a little simpler for her to play with that is kind of the same idea. I used tape on one side of the box to keep the lid on, and that way she can take the lid off and on too, to practice even more motor skills!

On top of the shoe box is a rice tub which is our new cough drop home.

To the left of that is a spaghetti sauce jar which is now housing a mix of nuts.

Peeping out from the back is a Robeez shoe bag which I'm now using to hold clothes for Bella's dollbaby.

To the left is another rice tub which is now holding tons of spare change, though you cannot see it.

On top of the spare change tub is a Foogo straw cup for Bella. LOVE this! Keeps her drinks cold, stainless steel, very little plastic.

Below that is a handmade pouch which I use to hold Bella's hair goods. (Back in the day, I would've just used a ziplock bag.) I didn't buy the pouch for this purpose; actually I wasn't sure what I got it for when I got it, but it works perfectly. I can keep her little brush and comb and all her hair stuff in one place!

Here's a close-up.

You can see a Sargento cheese bag lying flat; I couldn't get it to stand up! Anyways these are tough because I don't *think* you can recycle them. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) At least I don't think our area has facilities to recycle them. So this one is housing a bunch of thumbtacks and a few loose razor blades (for a utility knife) that had all been dangerously floating around our odds n' ends drawer. It's perfect because this bag is tougher than a ziplock bag and stuff doesn't poke through. It doesn't look very pretty, but who cares? It lives in a drawer!

What are some ways you are reusing things? I'm looking for ideas!

Posted by JoAnna at 03:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am new to Lush, but I adore it so far! I love that the company is so ethical and working so hard on being green. They try to keep packaging to a minimum, try to use as few preservatives as possible (their fresh face masks are available in stores only!), focus on natural ingredients and source their ingredients with ethical sources. No animal testing, no sweatshops, all fair labor and everything. I love that and I'm having a blast experimenting with their products! I cannot believe I didn't know about Lush for such a long time, as I am such a bath-a-holic!

Lots more Lush P&o*r%n after the jump!

Continue reading "My Lush Reviews... " »

Posted by JoAnna at 05:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First, I have to confess that my home is full of plastic monstrosities. I can't help it, and the truth is, the majority of them are for *my* sanity. Not only do I sometimes need something to really hold my daughters attention, but *I* get bored with her toys and find myself wanting new ones to play with.

Anyways, I am trying to get more natural toys, but sometimes I think the selection is just... well, not so great. Let's face it; a 14 month old baby is going to be much more attracted to something with bright colors and music than they are a sweetly natural wooden nesting rings set. At least, my toddler is!

But that was all before I found Etsy.

Etsy, etsy... I am so full of Etsy lust these days. I haven't bought that many things there yet, but it could be so dangerous! I did buy my daughter, who adores balls, a handmade (well, everything on Etsy is handmade) ball with a bell inside. It's gorgeous. Here's a photo.

How sweet is that!

And here is my little one exploring it...

If you're interested in purchasing a similar ball, check out the seller

Just browsing through their toys is a feast for the eyes and you will find yourself ODing on cuteness. I mean, check out the adorableness!

I'm really excited to be able to help support work-at-home-moms and obtain some natural, safe toys in the process!
!

Posted by JoAnna at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm *furious.*

I really didn't feel this way at first, but now... I am so angry. I'm angry that my midwives didn't see a red flag when my baby had lost more weight by her two week checkup. I'm angry that they didn't say anything when, at 3 weeks I had to come in for problems with my stitches, and put her on the scale, she still hadn't gained. Or at my 6 week. Seriously... they NEVER said that her lack of weight gain was a concern, just kept advising me to give her hindmilk. Yeah? How about ANY milk?

I'm angry that my doctor didn't say anything either, and wound up recommending I take her to a frickin' energy healer instead of giving her some formula and getting her tested for metabolic disorders.

I'm angry that I had massive internal swelling at the site of my stitches, which responded to antibiotics, but my midwife had told me was "Just the way I am now," that it was normal, and that it might go down in six months. "You had a big baby," she said. IT IS AN INFECTION!

I'm angry that when I discussed it with her, she did not remember that I'd had stitches in my vaginal wall and did not believe me when I told her that I had. I'm angry that she made me trek all the way into her office again today to prove that the MASSIVE SWELLING which is presenting with sharp, shooting pains through my pelvis, wasn't just a yeast infection. I'm angry that she is trying to tell me now it is from bacterial vaginosis, when I first showed her this swelling weeks and weeks before she diagnosed me with vaginosis. (Which, apparently I do have NOW. But I did not have THEN.) I'm angry that even now, she maintains that this swelling is not related to any stitches I may have had post-birth. Right. The swelling just... yanno.. magically appeared. I can't believe that she would shrug her shoulders and say she just *doesn't know* how I got such an infection. It's not rocket science; infections happen when you sew people up and cut bits of them off! (Did I mention that they actually cut off a flap of skin from my vaginal wall when they were stitching me? Fun! She doesn't remember that! I DO!)

I'm angry that she claims to "trust birth" so much, but she doesn't trust at all my knowledge of my own body. I'm angry that I would come to her with something so clearly wrong with me, and she'd tell me this is my new normal, that nothing would ever be the same "down there," and that I shouldn't worry about it.

I am positively *furious* that all along with both of these things, I was concerned and kept raising my concerns, and kept getting brushed off. I'm angry at myself that I wasn't pushier, especially on behalf of my baby girl. I wish I'd gotten this infection dealt with sooner as I'm now actually concerned that it could effect my fertility. (Infection raging for the past 4 weeks!)

Now that I'm finally on some antibiotics that aren't making me horribly sick, and my baby is getting supplements and gaining weight... wtf am I supposed to do with all this anger?

(Bella has gained EIGHT OUNCES since Friday.)

Posted by JoAnna at 04:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SIDS scares me to death. I have a feeling most parents feel the same way. The idea that for no apparent reason, your wonderful little baby could just... stop breathing... is horrifying. Beyond horrifying. Honestly there are no words! (She says, looking down at her sleeping baby snug in her sling.)

So it really yanks my chain, personally, when I see people blaming this and that on SIDS and implying that those people who work to end SIDS are part of a conspiracy. Well, they may not *say* they are in a conspiracy but I'm not sure how else you could look at it. Much like my posts regarding mattress wrapping as a source of SIDS, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever connecting SIDS and vaccines. So if you are going to say that anything causes SIDS, and reputable SIDS organizations do not address that cause, then there is a conspiracy at work by default, right?

Though I never do understand the motivation. Usually anti-vaxers try to bring it back to money. SIDS organizations must be taking donations from Big Pharma who are buying their cooperation to kill babies so they can profit from selling a $20 vaccine. (No, Big Pharma is busy profiting from cholesterol meds and viagara. Not from vaccines, people!)

I'm not a doctor, and I am not a medical researcher. I am really good at googling stuff! I try to read reputable sources and I am good at evaluating sources to determine if they are reputable and reliable. (It's my background in journalism which makes me a stickler for a reliable source!) I simply don't believe that every SIDS organization in the world is conspiring to keep information from parents which could save babies lives. Thus, by default, there is no connection between SIDS and vaccines.

But ok, that is just the logical part for me. Let's be more evidence-based.

"The studies showing no increased risk for SIDS with the DTP immunizations actually showed that fully immunized infants had a lower risk for SIDS. Although no study has yet explained this relationship, it is likely indirectly related to other risk factors like socioeconomic status (SES)-------babies fully immunized likely have good access to health care and higher SES than infants not up to date on immunizations, and may be more likely to be full term, etc." (In other words, healthy, well-cared for infants are less likely to die of SIDS.) ~ http://sids-network.org/experts/immunize.htm

"The study released in March 2003 confirmed that there is no evidence of a link between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and multiple vaccines given in infancy. Many parents have been reluctant to give their children the most common vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). Most American children get several vaccines during their first year of life, including MMR; some of the first questions about vaccine safety came from all Australian researcher in the 1980s who argued that MMR may cause autism. (For more on vaccination scares see "Anti-Vaccination Fever," page 21.) Marie McCormick, head of the committee that wrote the March report, said that "although the timing of infant vaccinations coincides with the period when SIDS is most likely to occur, parents should rest assured that the number and variety of childhood vaccines do not cause SIDS." From Skeptical Inquirer.

"Although previous studies have shown either no association between immunisation and SIDS or even a decreased risk of SIDS, adverse effects, including death, from immunisations continue to cause concern, especially when a new vaccine is introduced. METHODS: A large case control study with immunisation data on 307 SIDS cases and 971 controls. RESULTS: SIDS cases were immunised less frequently and later than controls. Furthermore there was no increased risk of SIDS in the 14 days following immunisation. There was no evidence to suggest the recently introduced hexavalent vaccines were associated with an increased risk of SIDS. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides further support that immunisations may reduce the risk of SIDS." From PubMed.

I could go on, but I think that's enough. The only place on the 'net where you can find "proof" that vaccines cause SIDS is on anti-vaccination websites. If there were really a link, don't you think that SIDS researchers and organizations would be shouting it from the rooftops to save any other baby from dying?

OK, I can't talk about this anymore. But I really hate people who exploit our fear of SIDS.

Posted by JoAnna at 02:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My pediatrician is anti-vax. Now how is that for irony? All the anti-vax crowd claim that anti-vax pediatricians don't exist, and yet I... a pro-vaxer... manage to find one. I really like her too. She is actually a family practice physician who I've been seeing for my own thyroid issues, and I was so glad when I first found out she takes baby patients. I saw her as the best of both worlds; an MD who also believes in a more holistics perspective of health, including diet and natural healing in her arsenal of remedies.

Now, I find myself in a quandry. I love that she comes from a more natural perspective. When my baby girl was not pooping for the first two weeks of her life (to clarify: she had many meconium poops the first week, then nothing for TEN DAYS! Yes, I was panicking!), she evaluated her overall health and told me not to worry... breastfed babies just do that sometimes. She was right. My baby is now pooping plenty! :) But I can't help thinking that a more traditional MD might have been more invasive and ordered dozens of tests and who knows what, based on the fact that B. was not doing what *most* babies do.

But, I want to vaccinate my baby. I believe after having done much research, that it is the best thing for her. (Though I am dreading the actual shots. So much!) When I went to my doc for our "pre-baby" interview, I asked her about vaccines, and she replied very very carefully. She said that she did not feel comfortable making the decision to vaccinate or not for a parent; that it was up to the parent to decide. Which is a great thing! But I replied, "Of course it is my decision! But I value your professional opinion as part of my decision-making process."

She told me that she does not carry vaccines in the office, that it is not cost-effective to do so. Apparently this is true even for doctors with much bigger practices. She then went on to comment on the Hep B vax and say that "It's not as if babies are having sex or using drugs." Well, no, my baby is not going to have sex or use drugs. But how are children giving each other Hep B?

"It is estimated that 18% of all persons with chronic HBV infection acquired their infections postnatally during early childhood. In some populations, childhood transmission was more important than perinatal transmission as a cause of chronic HBV infection before infant hepatitis B immunization was widely implemented." From immunize.org.

"Other primary means of HB infection include: child-to-child transmission (from children being in contact with one another in household settings), contaminated blood transfusions, unsterile needles and sexual activity." From Unicef.org

She went on to say that the last outbreak of measles occurred in the 80's amongst vaccinated children. This is absolutely not true. The last big outbreak of measles was amongst the non-vaccinating Amish. Apparently it was severe enough that it resulted in many Amish children getting vaccinated!

I can't help but wonder how a care provider could be so misinformed, when an easy google search turns up this information. She did give me a book by Randall Neustaedter called "The Vaccine Guide," before I left. The only thing I can figure is that sometimes people assume that if you read something in a book, and it has a footnote, it *must* be true. Unfortunately, in the case of the anti-vax world, those footnotes frequently are flawed when you trace them back. But who has the time to actually verify all the sources used by the anti-vaxers to make their point?

So anyways... Now I am in the position of needing to find a pediatrician who can vaccinate my babygirl. But I want the best of all possible worlds. I want an AP/NFL, pro-vaxing, evidence-based doctor who doesn't tell me to let my baby cry or feed her solids when she is too young or tell me to supplement my breastmilk with formula.

Really, is that too much to ask???

Posted by JoAnna at 02:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)