Don't eat margarine

Camille doing tummy time in her blessing dress (the same dress Dana wore, the dress her grandma made 29 years ago).  I've been attacking this reflux problem very actively and naturally, and I THINK I have it under control, now.  But I keep thinking that, and then she phases back into it, so I'm waiting to make sure it's all good for several weeks, before I tell you about our experience.  But this is remarkable, because my other kids would never be on their tummies like this without crying.

My next door neighbor from Nigeria came over to show me how to do a back carry with an ordinary blanket.  That's what they all do there.  Camille was asleep almost instantly when put on my back.  It's so much easier to do things where I need to bend over (cleaning, etc.) with her on my back than front.  I definitely need more practice getting her on there.  Jason was pretty excited about it.  Being straight from Nigeria, he exclaimed, "This is legit!"

Now on to my post, which has nothing to do with those first pictures.  I guess I just feel like blogging right now. 


Someday I might stop changing my mind so much and once and for all decide what I think about food, and what I believe is really healthy.  And when that day comes, I will tell you all, because I know I have a few of you foody-nerd friends out there, and you actually are interested :)  But in the mean time, I'll just say I'm starting to really become a real-foodist, more than I was in the past.  The way God made food is trump, well over vitamin-fortified "healthy" food.  Anyway, so I wanted to get this word out there, immediately because everyone should know what margarine is made out of.  According to the FDA, to lower Jason's cholesterol, he should be eating margarine fortified with plant sterols and stenols.  Well, here's how margarine is made (any margarine, not just the fortified kind):


"Hydrogenation: This is the process that turns polyunsaturates, normally liquid at room temperature, into fats that are solid at room temperature - margarine and shortening.  To produce them, manufacturers begin with the cheapest oils - soy, corn, cottonseed or canola, already rancid from the extraction process - and mix them with tiny metal particles - usually nickel oxide.  The oil with its nickel catalyst is them subjected to hydrogen gas in a high-pressure, high-temperature reactor.  Next, the soap-like emulsifiers and starch are squeezed into the mixture to give it a better consistency; the oil is yet again subjected to high temperatures when it is steam-cleaned.  This removes its unpleasant odor.  Margarine's natural color, an unappetizing grey, is removed by bleach.  Dyes and strong flavors must then be added to make it resemble butter.  Finally, the mixture is compressed and packaged in blocks or tubs and sold as a health food."  Nourishing Traditions p. 14.  


And partially hydrogenated is worse, as we have all been told.  But we've only been told to eat the stuff w/o trans fat.  Well, there it is, as described above.  Seriously?  I've been back and forth on the margarine thing for a while, mostly because I was scared for Jason's cholesterol.  But no longer.  I'm just wishing I'd read this process before.  I grew up on margarine andI never want to put that stuff in my body again. 


Everyone should know this.  Pass it on.  

My favorite thing

Babywearing.  It's the concept that a baby wants to be carried, not put in a stroller or toted in a car seat.  It is how people have been carrying babies forever, how women could still be productive and find food, build shelter, while caring for their young.  It is said to regulate baby's breathing, build security, and (I testify on this last one) give you the convenience of a hands-free carry.



Maybe you already know about this, but for some reason I didn't.  The first time I was introduced to this concept, was when I was in NY with some friends.  We were living in NJ and had taken the train up to the city for some shopping.  I was with two girl friends and Dana.  I brought our nice Phil & Teds stroller, and Jessica and Courtney helped me lift it onto the train, up the stairs, etc.  So no big deal, right, when there's 3 women and 1 baby!  Dana was 4 months old at the time, and I slipped inside a little fabric shop to nurse her.  A woman came in carrying her sleeping 2 1/2 year old son on her back.  I suppose she thought babywearing would be right up my ally, since there I was breastfeeding in (sort of) public.  She said to me, "You know, if you get a carrier, you don't need to lug a big stroller around with you everywhere you go." I thought that was cool, she was running her errands around New York City, and her son was sleeping away.  So I asked about her carrier, she said the name and I asked again, because it was unfamiliar to me.  She said, "It really doesn't matter what kind of carrier, there are lots of different kinds."  That was our conversation.  She never said the term "babywearing" and I didn't really find out exactly what it was until a few months later. 

I had a Baby Bjorn when Levi was a baby.  I hardly ever used it.  It was very uncomfortable.  I suppose it would be considered babywearing to use one of those, but they are so uncomfortable, I don't know if anyone uses them enough to be called that :)  I found this website that gives more information than you will ever want to know, but is so very helpful.  When Dana was 8 mo old I was considering doing babywearing (it's much easier to start with a newborn, though) but was so overwhelmed with the information on this site, I gave it up.  Who has hours to spend researching which type of carrier to use?  There are SOOOOO many (and why everyone only has a bjorn, is beyond me :).  But the idea is there is no one right carrier.  It really depends on what your needs are.  I chose a stretchy wrap for a few reasons: reflux baby, back problems/comfort, and cost effectiveness.  But even within stretchy wraps, there are so many options.  I went with the standard Moby Wrap, which is even for sale at Target, so definitely getting popular.  I probably would have gone with the Sleepy Wrap, which is the same cheap price, but I found the Moby at the consignment shop. In a few months I'll probably get a woven wrap.  It all depends on your needs.

Anyway, I am so so glad I put in a few hours to find a carrier that is right for me, and to actually go through with babywearing.  I think I tell Jason every night how much I love it.  I get stuff done (and get to snuggle with her at the same time, and kiss the top of her little head), Camille's reflux is soothed (YES, she does have reflux, and I WILL do a post about our experience later), my back doesn't hurt, even after wearing her for hours, and guess what?  We still have only 1 car, our little economy car, and all 3 5 pt harnesses fit in the back seat.  But we can't get the infant carrier out, it's so squished.  But who cares!  I take her out of it and put her in the wrap anyway.  And when we go to the store, I don't have to take up a huge portion of the cart to put in a car seat. Speaking of shopping, the only time I ever wished I formula fed in the past was when I was walking around the grocery store and the baby was crying, and I had to check out prematurely so I could get to the car and have a place to sit and nurse.  Well, when I went into Walmart a couple weeks ago, Camille woke up hungry just on our way into the store.  I just pulled up my shirt, and nursed her while I walked around the store, and I promise no one could even tell.  How awesome.

The only draw back I have come across so far is she wakes up a little when I get her in and out of the car seat.  But she'll get used to it, and she always goes right back to sleep.  Also, if clothes shopping, I suppose I will have to find a place to lay her down to try on the clothes.  Maybe I'll bring a bouncer?  Just thought I'd pass along the good news.

Camille's Birth

The other day I typed up a great big post about the birth and home birth.  And somehow it got deleted.  So I'm very sorry, but since I also have a stack of days-old emails to go through, you'll get the shortened version (actually, that's probably what you want anyway).

Jason sure had me fooled.  The baby is a girl, and we named her Camille.  We had a beautiful home birth, and I loved, loved, loved it.  It was fast (a little too fast at just over 2 hours), and easy. 

 

I had a little 24 hour flu bug when I gave birth (though I didn't realize it until hours later).  I was chilling while in labor.  So while most women might be stripping, I ran to the closet and grabbed a sweater, and had Jason warm up the rice pad for me.

 

The kids were speechless when the woke up in the morning, and there was a new baby in the house.  

Camille is a name I've loved forever.  Very popular when I was growing up, but I don't think she'll run into too many her age.

The kids love having a new sister.  The transition has been much easier than I anticipated, though I had my mom here and my MIL here for a while, so I've only been on my own about a day :)  I'm sure our first trip with me and 3 kids to the grocery store will be exciting. 

And as far as home birth goes, all I can say is, I'm not crazy.  And I'm not a risk-taker (in fact, Dana is still rear-facing in her carseat!).   I stopped telling people I was home birthing because I got tired of people being scared for me.  It doesn't surprise me.  I know exactly what they are thinking, because it is exactly what I thought until I actually read something about it.  It seems really unsafe.  I'm not trying to convince everyone to home birth.  But I do think if women took the time to read about it, and know their birth options, many more women would choose to do it.  It started with me contemplating a natural birth.  I felt a little sad I had birthed 2 babies and didn't know what childbirth was like.  I felt like I was missing out on a huge part of being a woman, of what women have been experiencing for thousands of years, of a huge part of mortality.  And I wondered if it would help the baby to not be refluxy (I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this later).  So I started reading just about natural childbirth.  First, I discovered my OB was wrong: There are advantages to a natural birth.  Big advantages.  Health advantages.  Risk advantages. 

Then I discovered there are advantages to home birth.  

And then I discovered it is just as safe to home birth if:

1. You are low risk

2.  You are within 30 min. of a hospital

3. You have a qualified birth attendant.

Whoah!  I know what you're thinking: "How could that be?  What about if something happens?  What about my sister/friend/coworker who...?  What about how they had to administer ____ to me?"  I'd love to answer these questions, but I'm tired.  If you're curious, look it up.  I spent probably 60 hours researching the topic before I felt comfortable going ahead with it.  I read the pro-side of home birth, and the con-side of home birth, because one thing I've really learned is in health, there are 2 sides to every story, and everyone has a different opinion.  I found this book extremely enlightening. And this movie is a good surface summary of the obstetrics vs midwifery models of birth, though I'll warn you, you see nipples and it says the F word.  I loved watching the natural births in it, though. 

So here's to every woman having the safest best birth for them.  I love childbirth.  It really is amazing.  I really feel so much luckier than men. 

Clarification and Making Progress

Okay, so I know I've had that terribly grumpy/depressing blog post up for too long.  I appreciate all of your responses and encouragement.  We are making progress.  I did buy raw milk, and am making kefir, which I believe will help.  I have seen some natural health practitioners, and am hoping to make progress with my kids there.  And sometime our sourdough starter should be coming in the mail...

I would just like to clarify that I don't think that doctors are bad.  I don't think that western medicine is bad.  I do believe that the FDA and Big Pharma aren't as concerned about people's overall health as most people think they are.  I do believe that politics and money have a lot to do with what goes on in those departments.  But I also believe that western medicine has and does save lots of lives.  Antibiotics were a wonderful discovery. However, I think that kids don't need them for every ear infection, and that antibiotics are way over used.  I like how greensmoothiegirl (I know, the ultimate authority.  Ha ha.  But I just got her book for Christmas, and I love it, actually) says antibiotics should be more of a once or twice in a lifetime event. Similarly I believe that vaccines are the hallmark discovery of modern medicine, and are very important to the health of society. But I also don't think vaccines are as harmless as most main-stream people believe, and they should be cleaned up and "greenified" before being given to infants.  I currently do not follow the vaccine schedule for my kids.  But I do believe in vaccinating.  I would also never dare go without medical insurance.

Anyway, for those of you whose dads or husbands are doctors, I'd like to say I believe most doctors are upright, honest people.  I think they do what they have been taught, some of which, I think is necessary.  I just don't think that western medicine has all the answers.  I think largely the corruption that exists is up higher in the system (Big Pharma, FDA, CDC, etc.), which decides the curriculum for the medical schools.  I've read some natural health beliefs on fluoride, and a some people make the argument that your dentist has a conflict of interest, because if you have perfectly healthy teeth, you won't need dental work done.  I honestly, at this point, haven't read enough about fluoride to decide what I think about it, yet.  But I do know my dad, a dentist, believes in it, and he doesn't tell his patients to use it so he can get more business.  He's one of the most honest people I know.  Definitely in most situations, if there is corruption, it's up higher on the totem pole. I guess I've just felt lately that I trusted in western medicine too completely before, and never considered other options.  I think it's wise to realize that Drs only know what they have been taught, and they haven't been taught in natural healing, which I believe also should have its place in society.

That said, I think anytime there's a large amount of money at stake, there can be corruption.  There is corruption also in the natural health world, I'm sure (I've seen that a little as well).  I guess my eyes have opened up to other possibilities lately, and I only wish I'd realized them before.  I appreciate those people who have introduced me to some aspects of holistic healing.  Put holistic healing an natural health with western medicine, and I think we all have the possibility of long and healthy lives.  That's all.  Bye.

Overwhelmed and a bash on the medical field

Here is a really long post that unless you're bored, I'm sure you won't want to read.  But I need to get some stuff off my chest (it'll make me feel better, I promise), so I'm posting it anyway:

I am having a baby in a couple of months.  I don't know what I'm going to do.  Really.  I am very excited to have a baby, and how blessed I am to be able to have them.  But I'm also overwhelmed with my life.  I know all babies are an adjustment.  But babies with reflux are oh, so much more (some of you know what I'm talking about).  Levi, as a baby cried all the time.  ALL the time.  He would sleep only in my arms, so we slept in the recliner together for months.  I got out of my PJ's probably 2x a week, and I got a bath maybe every other day, but my bath was always less than 5 min, because he'd wake up screaming.  I estimate he cried 18 hours a day, every day, until he was 3 mo. old.  I called the pediatrician over and over, and his (ignorant) nurse told me to relax and give him gripe water.  "It's just colic" she'd say.  Ha.  I went in after hours a couple times when things seemed really bad, and the Dr. didn't seem to know anything.  At his 2 mo check, I told the Dr. when Levi nursed he'd break away screaming all the time.  That's the first time I'd heard anyone suggest reflux.  So they started on the mild meds, and by the time we got the heavy meds (Prevacid) going, and his esophagus healed, and he stopped crying , he was 3 mo old.  He turned into an angel baby.

Seemed like an easy fix.  I could deal with that.  Prevacid is expensive, but what a world of difference.  So, when Dana came along, and started showing reflux signs, I took her in immediately, and demanded the meds.  The nurse (different nurse, but equally ignorant) told me reflux doesn't start until 6 mo old.  Whatever.  Not to be cocky, but I think I know more about a lot of health issues than do most nurses :)  I read a lot, you see.  Anyway, I demanded an appointment with the Dr., and he willingly let us get the medicine.  Dana's reflux, I'm pretty sure was even worse than Levi's, though I never let her get to that point of un-medicated pain, so she didn't cry nearly as much.  But she had to sleep in her carseat until she was 4 mo old, even on a heavy dose of prevacid.  If I laid her down flat, she wake up within 3 min - and I could hear her first "urp" up something, swallow it again, and she'd cry and be awake.  It was obvious it wasn't just that she was "used" to her sleeping habits.  It was definitely heartburn.  Oh, and I even had to elevate her carseat even more than regular, or she'd urp herself awake.  Dana still had colic in the evenings (a mystery as well, but only 3 hours a night instead of 18 hours a day.  But still, poor baby in pain).  Levi was on prevacid until 6 mo, and seemed to have no further trouble.  Dana was 8 mo.

Does reflux get worse with each kid?  So I've been pretty worried about Dana lately.  She has anxiety.  I'm not sure from what, but she's fine when we go places, but at home, she's extremely anxious.  Making dinner around here is a joke.  I break so many dishes because I'm cooking with one hand and Dana in the other.  It's hard.  She cries whenever I put her down, even if I've been holding her for an hour.  I kept thinking she'd grow out of it, but she's 19 mo old, the baby's almost here, and if anything it's worse.  What am I going to do?  Really, what am I going to do?  She does sleep through the night (since 14 mo old - I know, I'm ready for some judgmental thoughts from you all, but really, I've read the books, did what they said, and it didn't work).  She takes a nap.  And she plays with her brother.  But she's clingy and anxious too much of the time where I don't know what a newborn on top of that will do to her or to me.  Then, as I was investigating the cause of the unending anxiety, I started noticing her silently urping inside.  Does she still have reflux?  Maybe that's why she's anxious. 

At her well check recently the Dr. actually brought up the reflux again before I told him some of the things I'd noticed.  And the dark circles under her eyes (and Levi's) are most likely a food allergy.  Great.

Is it all related?  I'm seriously losing faith in the medical field.  WHY do so many babies have reflux?  Has God really put so many tiny infants on the earth for thousands of years with severe heartburn and no way to treat it until the 20th century when prevacid was invented?  Makes no sense.  Isn't infantile reflux going UP?  It is, which is, I'm sure why these ignorant older nurses, and the older Dr's don't even know about infant reflux.

So what's causing it?  I've been reading around for months trying to figure out what to do for our next babe.  Prevacid was, of course, my back-up.  But what do I read?  Prevacid may be causing food intollerances.  Prevacid diminishes the acids in the stomach, so they are still refluxing, but it doesn't burn.  Well, acids are needed for digestion.  Uh oh.  See where I'm going with this?

So I want to start at the basics.  How to PREVENT the reflux.  Is it the epidural, the pitocin, the abx during labor for GBS, the HepB vaccine, what I'm eating, environmental toxins, the hormones in cow's milk (we've actually largely been off dairy for almost a year around here for various reasons).  Man, I hope it's not wheat.  Do you know how hard it is to make major changes to your diet?  Especially your children's diets when others aren't supportive? There is reason to believe that any or all or a mixture of these things could be leading to the problem.  The information is overwhelming

All I do is study health.  I don't scrapbook, sew, decorate my house, etc.  All I want to do is find out what the heck is wrong with my kids so I can fix it.  First I study it out, find out everyone has a different opinion, no one really knows what is wrong with our health in America, try to figure out what I think, then find recipes I like, talk my family into liking them, and feel like a "mean" mom when I don't want my kids to eat certain things. 

Dr's are all about treating symptoms.  It's true.  At my kids' well checks, the Dr. said, "Did she have reflux as a baby?  I think she still has reflux.  Here, let me give you a prescription for prevacid."  Treating the symptoms.  When I inquired about the dark circles under their eyes he said it was most likely a food allergy, but "we don't usually do anything about it if that's the only symptom."  Okay, so ignore the fact that a body is reacting to a food, since it's (at the present time) not bugging them too much.  Makes no sense.  That could explain why everything else is going up, too.

In Jason's and my immediate families (parents and siblings alone) we have:

Autism
Type 1 Diabetes
Asthma
Allergies
MS
Lupus
Thyroid malfunction
Breast Cancer (caught in pre-cancer stage)

What else?  I can't remember.  But all of them are auto-immune, and all of them are drastically going up each year in this country.  Interesting.  So I don't really feel like ignoring symptoms, or treating symptoms, because it's probably contributing to increasing rates of everything else.  Why are food allergies out of control these days?  Makes no sense.  MAKES NO SENSE, FDA, DO YOU HEAR ME?

So now what?  I have 2 months.  Two months until the baby is here.  Oh, and we are probably buying a lot and building a house in a couple weeks.  And I have so much to get ready for the actual birth (I'll tell you later). I can't change a diet in 2 months.  Do I need to make sourdough bread, drink raw milk, ferment my veggies?  That takes time and work.  I wish I had no other responsibilities than figuring this stuff out.  Maybe herbals will help (I've been reading a lot about that, too for this problem).  But I realize this is the bottom of a huge funnel of possibilities.

And anyone who has a crappy diet and has angel babies, I am totally jealous of you, and probably resentful, too.  But I at least hope you appreciate it.  You must have good genes. 

Mom:  Do you know why babies are so small?
Levi: No.
Mom: So they can fit in their mommy's tummy.
Levi:  Couldn't Heavenly father just make babies in the dirt, and we could go digging for babies?

Halloween

I was going for the homemade look this year - not the find a pattern and sew something elaborate homemade, but the throw-together homemade.  Well, these were anything but thrown together.  It took so much work, and I think I was a big grump the whole week leading up to Halloween (why not be honest?). So many trips to the thrift store, the consignment shop, the fabric store.    My mom made Dana's skirt, and I did all the easy stuff like hot gluing foam circles on Levi's pants.  But I LOVED how they turned out.  Looks simple, right? 

We passed out Oriental Trading Co. toys instead of candy.  But my kids still got plenty of junk.  Dana's pretty strong-willed and I usually let her do whatever she wants.  While trick or treating at Jason's work she ate a full-sized Twix, and that was probably half of what she ate that hour.  She'd scream if I told her no (I know, I'm creating a monster).  So I just let her stuff her face.  I figured the candy she ate there was probably, weight-wise, the same as me eating 10 full-sized candy bars.  On the way home in the car she crashed (and she NEVER takes a second nap anymore).  We were a little afraid she was in a sugar coma.  But she woke up.  Since Halloween is over, I pooled the kids' candy, put the chocolatey stuff in some cookie-dough that I froze for future FHE treats, took all the colorful stuff and am saving it for gingerbread houses, and now there is a manageable amount of candy left.  Phew.  Why do we do this to ourselves/our kids anyway?  I don't know any mom that's excited about the amount of candy at Halloween, and somehow we all feel obligated to buy it.  Weird.  I do love Halloween, though.