Filed under: Uncategorized
A question came up today from one of the members in the parenting/breastfeeding group that I belong to. Upon responding, I realized I needed to put that information here.
Thrush is such a huge obstacle when it comes to breastfeeding. One of the moms in my parenting group actually gave up nursing because of it (though she diligently pumped and fed her baby breastmilk for six months, bless her heart!). Thrush can be very painful, and sometimes you can’t even tell that you have it. For example, one of the symptoms is pink nipples (which doesn’t help much if your nipples are normally pink!). Here is a list of symptoms from Dr Jay Gordon’s website:
I’ll add that the nipples can get white “flakes” on them, looking like dead skin cells that won’t come off.
I had noticed in my son that his lips looked like they had a whitish translucent film on the inner side of them. I didn’t really think much of it, it was pretty faint. It wasn’t until it got worse and he also developed patches inside his cheeks that I realized what it was. The very first symptom was nipple pain, though. Nursing hurt, which I originally attributed to latch problems. After I noticed the thrush, I realized it was probably the thrush that was making it hurt so bad!
I diligently searched the web for a natural remedy. The remedies I found were gentian violet, Nystatin (this is an anti-fungal drug), and grapefruit seed extract (GSE). I couldn’t find the GSE at first, so we got a prescription for Nystatin. Nystatin is a gentle drug and it goes right through the baby’s digestive tract without being absorbed into the bloodstream, so it is very safe. It is squirted into the cheeks of the baby. It can also be used on your nipples. But most brands are made with sugar, and sugar feeds yeast. My son’s thrush actually got worse after I gave him this. I was going to try gentian violet next, but then I read of an Australian study that linked over-use of gentian violet to mouth cancer. It’s very powerful, and will probably work, but I don’t recommend it as a first option. It also stains purple. I tried vinegar on my nipples (a home remedy) but that just irritated it, and Clortrimazole anti-fungal cream (recommended by my baby’s doctor) which furthur irritated it and didn’t work. Plus, I didn’t like the idea of my baby nursing from a nipple coated in that stuff.
So, I looked again for the GSE and found it at a supermarket that is stocked with natural remedies. It’s not very expensive, and works great as a natural antiseptic, so it’s good to have on hand, anyway. Basically, to use it for thrush, you put 10-20 drops (depending on resistence of the thrush) into one ounce of distilled water and apply it to the nipple. I only had to apply it once or twice a day, but if your thrush is really bad you may have to do it more. It worked quickly and effectively for me. I also let my nipples dry out completely after each feeding (at night I would leave them uncovered). Go braless if possible. Get some sunlight on your breasts (sunlight kills yeasts and other germs). For more information on treating with GSE see this article by Dr Jay Gordon.
To prevent recurrence (yeast is very stubborn) go braless when possible, and always let your nipples dry as much as possible after a feeding. Eating a healthy diet with probiotics and low in sugar and processed foods may help, too. Avoid unneccessary antibiotics. The friendly bacteria in your body helps keep yeast in check.
For more tips on treating thrush, see Dr Sears website. Try not to let the yeast get out of hand. If any yeast infection is allowed to worsen excessively, it can cause serious problems. If the treatment you try doesn’t work, please try another. See a health care professional if your thrush (or other yeast infection) does not clear up.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Hello Readers,
Sorry there isn’t much on my blog yet. I keep thinking of stuff to put on here, but I have been so busy “being pregnant.” Pregnancy has been an incredible journey for me, and I can’t wait to share all the stuff I’ve learned. But for now, my mind is very dedicated to the upcoming birth of my child.
Hopefully, after I get settled into life with my new baby, I will get on board filling this blog with lots of useful information and links. It’s amazing the info you can find out there, if you just look hard enough. There are some real treasures of knowledge that somehow just slip by unnoticed by the general public. It’s sad, but true. My goal is to collect these treasures and put them here for others to access. Soon, I hope. 
My step-sister Holly is in town for the week, with her 3 month-old Arora who is using elimination communication with her mommy. We were at my parent’s house today, enjoying a family BBQ, and little Arora started getting fussy. Holly said, “Oh, I think she has to go potty,” and took her to the bathroom. I was eager to see the potty action, so I was excited later in the day when Holly invited me to watch. She held little Arora in a safe, comfy position over the toilet and said “Pssss.” It took her a minute to go, but I could tell she was thinking about it! She did a little pee and poo in the toilet and was all done! Mommy Holly wiped her and put her back in her clean diaper. Arora was a little pro and seemed appreciative of her mommy’s help.
Filed under: Infant Care | Tags: diaper free, elimination communication, natural infant hygiene
The official term is “Elimination Communication,” or “EC” for short. The first time I heard of it, I knew it was for me, but most people are intimidated by the idea, thinking it will be too difficult or time consuming. Those who do it, however, say it’s totally doable, and only takes as much time as changing a diaper.
So what, exactly, is involved in EC? The idea is based on the theory that babies do not enjoy sitting in their own waste and will attempt to communicate this displeasure, usually by crying. They are also born with bladder control and can actually go on command if they need to go. This means that you can take your baby to the bathroom, cue her to go in the potty, and she will! She’ll be so happy that she didn’t have to go in her diaper.
Of course, an infant isn’t expected to make it to the toilet every time. There will be “misses.” But even if you only practice occassionally, your baby will retain his “awareness” of needing to go, and won’t be forced to get used to sitting in a dirty diaper. When the baby is older and can go to the potty by himself, it will be a natural progression for him, and you will avoid the nasty control issues that many parents face when trying to potty train a 2 year old. Best of all, your child will go through his infancy with a cleaner, healthier bottom, and you will go through a lot fewer diapers.
I’m excited to practice EC with my baby after he is born. Today I got to talk to my sister Holly, who is doing EC with her newborn. She lives in Idaho so I haven’t been able to meet her little Arora yet, and today was the first time we got to talk about the Elimination Communication. Arora is 10 weeks old, and has been ECing since she was 3 weeks. Holly was skeptical at first, but one day she decided to just take her baby to the toilet. She cued her to go, and she went! Holly gained some courage and tried two more times that day, and Arora went each time. Both Holly and Arora love ECing. In fact, Arora screams every time she wets herself. Holly knows that if the baby is crying, she most likely is wet. Arora is even learning to communicate her need to go by yelping. Holly knows to run her to the bathroom when she makes this unique cry. She also takes her at predictable times, like when she wakes up or has just eaten. Holly even takes her to the toilet when she goes to church. She says it is so easy.
Resources:
A brief summary of EC can be found on Wikipedia.
Books: A few books have been written on Elimination Communication. The one Holly and I have read is called Diaper Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh. It’s an easy read and great if you are intimated by the idea of ECing your baby. Also, there is Diaper Free! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer, who actually coined the term “elimination communication.”
Websites: DiaperFreeBaby.org, The EC Store. You can find blogs and support groups by using a search engine with the term “elimination communication” or “diaper free baby.”
Even though I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, I highly recommend it. It’s good for your baby and it will save you the grief of toilet training a “diaper-trained” toddler.
Long ago I became concerned with the toxicity of household cleaners. Luckily, many “green cleaners” are on the market today. But did you know you can save money by cleaning with some common household items? One of these is vinegar. If vinegar is safe to consume, then it’s definitely safe to clean with. I personally don’t like the smell, but it washes away pretty easily. It kills bacteria, mold and other germs, unclogs drains, cuts grease, and even deordorizes. For 10 ways of using vinegar to clean your home, and other healthy home tips, visit Care2.com.
Filed under: Pregnancy & Childbirth | Tags: b-6, food adversion, morning sickness, unisom
We all know that eating right is essential to good health, and that eating right during pregnancy is essential to the health of the developing baby. But what do you do when suddenly your favorite vegetable makes you vomit, and all you can stomach is stuff like white bread, white rice, and cake? Suddenly you are having problems with constipation, which only makes you feel worse.
This is what happened to me. Eating right became more than a chore, it became an impossibility! I wasted so much food because every week I would have a new adversion. Things I could eat one week, made me gag the next. Here’s some advice: don’t buy too much of anything, and don’t be afraid to ask your significant other to run to the store to get whatever you feel like you can eat at that moment.
So what do you eat when everything makes you sick? Anything you can stomach. Try, try, try to eat the healthiest thing possible, but don’t beat up on yourself if your version of fruit is a fruit popsicle. Or if your well-balanced meal is none other than a nutrional shake that you gulp down real quick before zonking out again. If the only protein you can eat is a hot dog, then so be it. Perhaps you can look at a list of healthy food choices and something will pop out as palatable. Try, but don’t beat yourself up about it. Stress is not good for you or the baby.
When my morning sickness got so bad that I was throwing up multiple times a day, whether I ate anything or not, I had to go to the ER to get rehydrated. Please do this if you have to. It turned out that my misery was not only due to nausea, but heartburn also. It was an acid party in my stomach. That prescribed me two strong medications: famatodine for the heartburn, and phenergan for the nausea. I could not get by without either of those. So much for a drug-free pregnancy. The phenergan worked like a charm, but it made me so tired. I slept about 18 hours a day. When I was awake I was usually in bed. My tummy still hurt, but at least I wasn’t vomiting. I never felt “good” the entire time I was on phenergan.
Finally my midwife became concerned and wanted me off the phenergan. She prescribed Unisom and vitamin B-6. Half a tab of unisom and 50mg of B-6 morning and night, taken with food. I actually skipped the morning dose of Unisom, but did the rest. It worked. The nausea was kept at bay, but my energy shot way up. I actually have “good” days now. I now sleep about 10 hours a day, instead of 18, so I can actually do something with my day. I have the energy to cook again, and my appetite continues to improve. My morning sickness days are behind me.
Please leave a comment if you have any advice on dealing with morning sickness and food adversions.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I created this blog when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I was so gun-ho about having a perfect, healthy pregnancy, and subsequently raising the healthiest kid on the block. Well, morning sickness and food adversion caught me off-guard, and it’s been a struggle to get back on track to my “healthy pregnancy” plans. But every day I am doing better. So grateful to be feeling better, and a bit wiser, and I am ready to start this blog. Welcome to the Natural Mama Blog.
