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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The "C" word...

No mom wants to admit that their baby might have the dreaded c word...colic.  I knew Genevieve cried and screamed a lot.  It was awful.  I was always nervous when people would come over because who wants to be the lady with the crying baby?  Going out in public...next to impossible.  I would pray that she would be asleep or that I would be somewhere that I could breastfeed her constantly.

She would also cry and scream when she had to poop.  It would also take her a long time to poop, usually a couple of hours from the first grunt and sign of discomfort.  We called her pediatrician and were told that it is completely normal.  We were also told that babies cry and it would pass.

She also started having a skin issue.  It looked like a chemical burn to me.  There were dry, raised, rough patches on her arms and her legs.  It wasn't eczema and it looked awful.

She also would not nap during the day.  I was lucky to get 2 fifteen minute stretches and I had to be holding her.

Since I was having a hard time emotionally post-partum, I went to my mom's house for a couple of weeks.  Chris was working overnight shifts as well as still serving, so he wasn't around much to help.  While at my mom's house, she confirmed that Genevieve's crying and screaming wasn't normal at all.

I started researching like crazy.  Everything I read pointed to colic.  My question though was what exactly is colic?  Colic is really just a term that is given to babies who cry when there is no other medical diagnosis.  Basically colic is just like IBS or fibromyalgia...there is something wrong, but no one really knows what.

While doing research, I came across several studies that said there was a 95% success rate in reduction of fussiness in colicky babies by using probiotics vs only a 7% success while using gas drops.  95% sure seemed like a good number to me!

Okay, now I need to research probiotics.  I came to the conclusion that it needed to have 3 strains: L. Reuteri, lactobacilius, and bifidobacterium.

Chiropractor treatment was mentioned as well, so I scheduled an appointment with the chiropractor who was able to get me into labor since she specializes with infants and children.

I started the probiotics on a Tuesday and noticed an improvement the next day.  You could no longer feel bubbles of gas moving around in her tummy.  You could no longer hear the bubbles either.

She went in for her chiropractor appointment on Thursday.  Dr. S examined her and asked me if she had trouble moving her bowels because she had some locked vertebrae in her lower thoracic upper lumber region.  Dr. S also did some neck adjustments which was supposed to help with reflux.  The doctor then did a muscle test on Genevieve.  Genevieve sat on my lap while I held out my right arm.  Dr. S. had me hold my arm strong while she pushed down while pushing on various spots on Genevieve.  She determined that there was an issue with Genevieve's immune system, particularly in regards to bacteria.  She gave me a homeopathic to take for 5 days.  (I breastfeed so the homeopathic would go through the breast milk to her alcohol free.)

Genevieve actually pooped and fell asleep before we left the chiropractors office.  She took 2 three hour naps that day and slept well that night.

I am happy to report that Genevieve no longer cries and screams during all waking hours.  She still cries, but is easy to calm 99% of the time.  She also naps during the day.  Typically she takes 3 two hour naps, but not all the time.  She sleeps at night from 10 pm to 6 am, eats, and is back asleep until about 8 am.  For a breastfed baby, this is awesome!  She no longer has "silent reflux."  Silent reflux is where you can hear stuff coming up after a feeding but the baby doesn't throw up.  She no longer arches her back during and after feedings.  Also, her skin issue cleared up a week after I started the homeopathic.

Here is a link to an article that kind of sums everything up: http://www.healthychild.com/digestive-problems/treating-reflux-and-colic-in-babies/

One of the things I am now wondering about is the use of antibiotics during labor and birth and the incidence of colic.  I ended up having an emergency c-section (read about that below if you are interested) and was given a lot of antibiotics via IV b/c I was showing signs of infection after having my water broken for 36+ hours before delivery.

Also, I wanted to avoid using Zantac because there are a lot of potential negative side effects when used on young infants.  I would have put her on it if nothing else worked, but I wanted to try alternatives first.  I also had to eliminate dairy from my diet.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Baby Stuff Reviews

Okay, this will probably end up being a long post.  I have debated about how to organize this, but I have decided on reviewing items by category.

Items will be rated on a scale from 1-10.  1 being absolutely useless and 10 being I can't imagine having a baby without said item.

Also, I am by no means an expert.  These are just my opinions from the first 11 weeks of being a mom.  : )

Breastfeeding Supplies:
*Milk Maids Reusable Nursing Pads: 9
I have the OBV (organic bamboo velour) luxury ones and I love them.  These are great because they are large (5 inches in diameter I believe) and are made with a step down process.  They are also PUL backed, so you don't have to worry about leaking.  They are super soft (a good thing) and they don't get cold when wet (another good thing).  I put the link to the FB page b/c these are super hard to find.  She will announce where and when she is stocking on FB.

*Bamboobies Reusable Nursing Pads: 9
I love that these are made of bamboo, backed with PUL, and are thin.  The heart shape also makes them less visible under clothes.

*Green Sprouts Organic Reusable Nursing Pads: 2
These are very, very thick, scratchy, and get cold when wet.  Also, they aren't PUL backed, so you they will leak.  They are so thick that there is no way you can wear them under a shirt without them being completely obvious.  Just skip these.

*Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads:3
I don't care for disposable products like these.  I actually only used them once and just didn't care for the itchy papery feel.  Definitely go with the reusable product.  Also, the disposable pads have chemicals in them (similar to those in disposable diapers) that I didn't want on me or going in baby's mouth.

*Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump:9
I am thankful that I had a breast pump before G arrived.  However, I strongly advise on sterilizing and knowing how to use your pump before your child arrives.  Some people advise on not opening the pump until you know you are going to successfully breastfeed.  Let me tell you, when you are so engorged that your child can't latch and it takes 3 hours to get him/her latched on, you will wish you had that pump ready to go!  The Ameda PY works well and I like that it is a closed system. A closed system means that no milk goes through the membranes, so this is one that is actually safe to buy used.  It works just as well as the Medela, but costs half as much.

*Boobs: 10.  Haha!  Just kidding, but, they are super important for breastfeeding.

*Ameda Hydrogel Pads: 10
Hopefully you won't need these.  However, I was given very bad BFing advice in the hospital and ended up with cracked, bleeding, blistered nipples.  They were going to give these to me in the hospital, but were actually out.  I had to drive to Babies R Us the day after I got home from the hospital to buy these.  However, they were a life saver!!!  They allowed me to heal.  They may seem pricey, but they lasted 5 or 6 days for me and allowed me to continue breastfeeding.  The $16 these cost is a lot cheaper than having to switch to formula!

*My Brest Friend Pillow: 4
I got this pillow b/c everything I read about nursing pillows said this one is recommended by lactation consultants.  Honestly, I discovered I didn't need a nursing pillow.  I have a short waist and the nursing pillows were putting her up too high.  If I needed one in the beginning, I would have chosen this one.  It is nice that it is nice and firm which makes it easier to properly place a newborn to latch.

*Boppy: 6
The only reason I rated this higher than the Brest Friend Pillow is that it has other uses.  It is great for propping up G or during tummy time.  I do use it for "lazy" nursing (meaning I want to be hands-free).

Bottles:
I am not going to say much here other than have several different kinds and don't open more than 1 at a time so you can return them.  I now have several bottles that G won't take and I can't return them.  She has decided she only likes the $9 per bottle Tommee Tippee bottles.  We have one and that is plenty for now.

Baby Containers:
*Graco Lauren Crib: 6
G hasn't slept in her crib yet, but this crib seems like it will do the trick.  We got it in white and some of the paint seems to be wearing away.  Kind of like the wood wasn't primed before painting.

*Fisher Price Snug-a-bunny swing: 10
Love this!  It plugs into the wall (a big plus!), plays music & nature sounds, has a mobile with a mirror, and has 3 different seat positions.  This is how I get G to sleep if she is fighting it (which happens a lot)!

*Fisher Price Snug-a-bunny bouncer: 8
This is definitely nice to have, but not a necessity.  It moves around the house with us and it is a nice place to put G while I am cooking, eating, or taking a shower.  It has vibration, music, and nature sounds.  G loves to look up at the little birds too.

*Fisher Price Rock n Play Sleeper: 10
This is another life saver!!!  Our friends got this for G and I don't think it was even on my registry.  Many nights G will sleep in this and she takes a lot of naps in it as well.  She is also content to hang out in it while I fold laundry, do dishes, etc.  The nice thing about this is that it folds compactly and is easy to take with me if I am going out of town.

*Graco Pack n' Play with Newborn Napper: 9
G slept in the newborn napper for about the first 6 weeks.  The vibration and music feature on the napper and bassinet are great.  The light also comes in handy.  The changing table was great for in the beginning for middle of the night changes.  We had to stop using the changing table when she reached 11 lbs because it started to lean.  I like that the vibration thingy works on the bassinet part too.

*Uppababy Vista Stroller: 10
I feel like this is the BMW of strollers.  I love that it has a bassinet included (we even have a stand for it so we can use it in the living room).  It rides smoothly and the front wheels lock so you can jog occasionally with it without worry.  It has a regular seat too which can face you or away.  We also purchased the car seat adapter, so our car seat fits with no problem.

*Graco Snugride 35 in Logan: 8
I love everything about this except the fact that it is hot.  I don't know if other car seats are better or not with this though.

Baby Carriers:
*Beco Butterfly II:10
I don't know if I could survive without this!  It is great to use during shopping, cleaning, walking, whatever.  What I really like about this carrier is that it is easy to do a back carry with a younger child.  G falls asleep in this thing all the time!

*Boba: 8
I don't use this one much yet as G is still a little too small for it.  It will be great when she is older though.  I like that it has stirrups so that her feet won't dangle when she gets older.

*Moby wrap:  4
I just didn't care for this because it was soooo hot!  G and I would both be super sweaty within minutes.  If I had had the Beco when she was first born, I would have just used that with the newborn insert and been just fine.

Clothing:
Seriously, you will probably get a lot of clothes if you are having a baby shower.  We had a lot of NB sized clothes, but G was only able to wear them for maybe 2 weeks before she outgrew them.

*Carters Side Snap Shirts: 10
I found the side snap shirts to be much easier in the beginning than onesies.  G didn't like onesies going over her head and the shirts rubbed her umbilical stump less than the onesies.  Buy the Carters over the Gerber ones.  The Gerber ones shrink and won't last as long.

*Towels: We were given a few of the special baby hooded ones.  They are nice but not necessary.

*Mittens: Another thing I got because I was told I needed them.  G never had a mitten on her for one day.  She didn't scratch herself once either.  They are actually not great for motor development.

*Socks:  Ditto mittens.  I *think* she wore socks once or twice.  She is a hot baby and doesn't really need or want them.

*Hats: Ditto mittens and socks.  G hates hats with a passion.  In the hospital they kept putting hats on her and she would start screaming.  I would remove the hat and then they would come in and put it on while they were checking on her.  Screaming would commence.  It was a fun cycle, let me tell you!

*Sleeping attire: In the beginning, I loved the gowns with elastic at the bottom.  They made all of those middle of the night diaper changes much easier.  There is no way I could master those crazy snapped ones at 3 am.  We then switched to footed sleepers which were nice.  I definitely recommend zippers over snaps (see previous comment about snaps).  Now she sleeps in a long-sleeved onesie with a halo sleep sack.

*Aden and Anais blankets: 9
Make sure to get the expensive "boutique" ones, not the ones from Target or BRU.  The boutique ones are 47" x 47" and are more stretchy and soft than the other ones.  I got one of the boutique ones free from a cloth diaper order that I did on Black Friday.  G doesn't throw up or leak out of her diapers (yay for cloth!), so one of these blankets has been enough.  I would love to have more but I am cheap.  Keep an eye on www.babysteals.com, because these come out all the time.  It isn't as good of a deal as it seems though because of shipping.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Types of Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapering can be very overwhelming at first.  There are so many different types and brands out there.  I spent a lot of time researching cloth diapers, so I hope my research can help someone else.  I am going to explain the different types of diapers and the pros and cons of each (in my opinion).  G is only 9 weeks old, so please keep that in mind.

Let me also explain that a lot of diaper brands make different types of diapers.  One example is Bumgenius: there is an AIO as well as a pocket.  Grovia has an AIO and an AI2.

All in Ones (AIO):  These diapers can have either an aplix or snap closure.  The soaker (absorbent part) is usually sewn in or sometimes snaps in.  Common AIOs are Bumgenius (BG) AIO and Grovia AIO.

Pros: Easy to use.  Go on just like a disposable.  Typically trim.  Don't take up too much space in the diaper bag.

Cons:  Expensive.  (This can be cut down though if you buy used like I did.)  Typically take a long time to dry.  (I line dry, so this isn't a huge issue.  Also, some AIOs such as Grovia have an extra snap in soaker to cut down on drying time.)  Not always stay dry.  (Organic cotton is not stay dry and feels wet to the touch.  If your LO is sensitive to this, just add a fleece liner.)  Also, organic materials tend to stain easily.  However, if you put the diapers in the sun like I do, stains aren't an issue.

All in Two (AI2)/Hybrid: As the name implies, this diaper is a combination of diapers.  Popular examples of AI2/Hybrids include Grovia shell w/ snap in soaker and Best Bottoms.

Pros: Typically dry fast.  (The Grovia soaker takes forever to dry though!)  Can take up less room in the diaper bag.  Flexible.  Can be trim (Best Bottom).

Cons: Entire diaper will need to be washed after a poop.  (Kind of eliminates the point of an AI2 in my book.)  Poo can leak.  Can be bulky (i.e. Grovia).

Prefolds:  These are the "old school" cloth diapers.  The middle of the diaper has extra absorbency where LO needs it.  You then fold the diaper, use a snappi or a diaper pin to close it, and put a waterproof cover on top.  You can also just trifold the prefold (fold it in thirds) and place it in the cover.  I don't personally do this b/c I don't have a lot of covers and if LO poops in this situation, the cover will more than likely need to be washed.

Pros: Inexpensive!  This is the cheapest option for cloth diapering.  If CDing a NB, you can get 3 dozen prefolds and 4-6 covers for under $100.  Dry fast.  Customizable-fold the prefold however it works best for LO.  Very absorbent.  Contains poo well (if folded correctly.)

Cons: Probably the most difficult to use.  We used these right away and didn't find them difficult, but yes, they are the most difficult to use.  Super bulky!  DD does not like the bulk because she can't pull her legs up how she likes.

Fitteds: These diapers are shaped like disposable diapers and have an aplix or a snap closure.  Some fitteds don't have a closure and need to be snappied or pinned.  Popular fitteds are Kissaluvs, Thirsties, & Happy Heinys.

Pros: Pretty much bullet proof on leaks.  Some can be customized for absorbency by adding an insert.  Easy to use.  I like to use WAHM types without a cover at home to give her butt some air out time.

Cons: Can be a pain on wiggly babies - you have to put on the diaper and then the cover.  Can take a long time to dry.  Some can get crunchy with wear.  (If this happens, do a soak in ecover fabric softener.  Just make sure to take out any PUL items before doing this!)

Hopefully this helps!  If there are ever any questions, feel free to ask and I will answer as best as I possibly can.