Showing posts with label mom stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mom stuff. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, January 3, 2008
benefits of having a fever
Understanding Fevers
Back in 1980, a prominent pediatrician named Barton Schmitt coined the term "fever phobia" to describe the understandable desire of many parents to bring down fevers in their children as quickly as possible. Although almost a quarter-century has passed since Schmitt's phrase caught on, fever phobia is still alive and well.
A recent study in the journal Pediatrics shows that 91 percent of parents surveyed thought that a fever can cause harmful effects, with 56 percent of caregivers very worried about the potential harm of fevers for their own children. And 89 percent of parents reached for such fever reducers as acetaminophen and ibuprofen before temperatures reached 102 degrees.
Why should any of this matter? Because it is often not necessary -- and may not even be wise -- to be too quick to rush for the medicine cabinet when your child has a fever. "Nothing bad is going to happen if you don't treat the fever," says Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). She's also author of Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year (Windsor Peak, 2003).
A fever, not surprisingly, indicates that your child is fighting off some kind of infection, such as a simple cold, the flu, or an ear infection. It is not an illness in itself. In fact, a fever may do some good. A study published in the February 2004 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that children who ran a fever during their first year were less likely to develop allergies later in childhood than children who did not have fever.
More importantly, according to the AAP, a fever can help your child's body fight off infection. Many illness-causing microbes do best at the body's normal temperature. A fever raises the temperature beyond which certain microbes need to reproduce. A fever also kicks your child's immune system into high gear, spurring the rapid production of bug-clobbering white blood cells. A small but growing body of research shows that letting a fever run its course may reduce the length and severity of such illnesses as colds and flu.
As for the concern among parents that fevers can have harmful effects, these instances are very rare. The brain has an internal regulatory mechanism that prevents fevers caused by infections from getting higher than 105 or 106 degrees. Body temperature must get above 108 degrees to cause damage. Temperatures this high are caused only by exceptional circumstances, such as central nervous system disorders or heatstroke.
Additional Facts About Fevers
Fevers need to be treated only if they are causing discomfort (and usually a fever has to be above 102 or 103 degrees before making a child uncomfortable).
Treating a fever usually doesn't bring the body temperature back to normal -- just down 2 or 3 degrees.
Only 4 percent of children have fever seizures -- marked by a momentary loss of consciousness, eyes rolling back, shaking, twitching, or stiffening -- and when seizures do occur they cause no permanent harm.
How your child looks is more important than the exact reading on the thermometer.
Even if you decide not to treat a fever, it is a good idea to keep track of it. It can give your doctor useful information when making a diagnosis, explains Dr. Joan Shook, director of the emergency room at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. The pattern of the fever can tell doctors when the illness is naturally running its course or when something more serious may be going on.
Making Little Ones More Comfortable
As parents know, higher fevers can be uncomfortable for kids and no one wants to see her child suffer. Fortunately, most kids don't feel the ill effects of fever until it gets above 102 or 103. Under those circumstances, using acetaminophen or ibuprofen is a good way to ease the ache of being sick, says Dr. Gary Kelsberg, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Washington.
If you give medications to your feverish kids, make sure you follow the dose instructions to the letter. Research has shown that many parents administer anti-fever drugs too frequently and in too high doses. "Choose the dose that matches your child's current weight, and use the dropper that came with the package," says Brown. "Different formulations of fever medications come in different strengths, so the dropper for one bottle of medicine might not be right for another bottle."
The exact dosage is important because acetaminophen can cause liver damage and ibuprofen kidney damage, even in relatively small overdoses, because of the size of children's bodies. Never give aspirin to children or adolescents with fevers -- the combination of aspirin and a viral infection may lead to Reye's syndrome, a rare yet potentially fatal liver disorder. After age 18, this risk virtually disappears.
If you want to try old-fashioned home remedies, provide cool drinks, place a fan near your child's bed to keep the air circulating, and use the old stand-by, a lukewarm (not cool) sponge bath. Above all, remember that most healing of all home remedies -- plenty of hugs and kisses.
When to Seek Help
There are times when a fever, sometimes in combination with other symptoms, should send you hightailing it to a doctor or emergency room. These include:
A rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater in an infant less than 6 weeks old. "Young babies are at more risk for certain serious bacterial infections, and fever is an indication of these," says pediatrician Ari Brown.
A fever of more than five days duration.
High fever accompanied by lethargy -- your child is limp and unresponsive, won't make eye contact, or generally just looks and acts really sick.
High fever accompanied by any of the symptoms of meningitis: an unusual skin rash, severe headache, aversion to light, confusion, stiff or painful neck.
Constant, inconsolable crying.
Originally published in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, November 2004.
Back in 1980, a prominent pediatrician named Barton Schmitt coined the term "fever phobia" to describe the understandable desire of many parents to bring down fevers in their children as quickly as possible. Although almost a quarter-century has passed since Schmitt's phrase caught on, fever phobia is still alive and well.
A recent study in the journal Pediatrics shows that 91 percent of parents surveyed thought that a fever can cause harmful effects, with 56 percent of caregivers very worried about the potential harm of fevers for their own children. And 89 percent of parents reached for such fever reducers as acetaminophen and ibuprofen before temperatures reached 102 degrees.
Why should any of this matter? Because it is often not necessary -- and may not even be wise -- to be too quick to rush for the medicine cabinet when your child has a fever. "Nothing bad is going to happen if you don't treat the fever," says Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). She's also author of Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year (Windsor Peak, 2003).
A fever, not surprisingly, indicates that your child is fighting off some kind of infection, such as a simple cold, the flu, or an ear infection. It is not an illness in itself. In fact, a fever may do some good. A study published in the February 2004 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that children who ran a fever during their first year were less likely to develop allergies later in childhood than children who did not have fever.
More importantly, according to the AAP, a fever can help your child's body fight off infection. Many illness-causing microbes do best at the body's normal temperature. A fever raises the temperature beyond which certain microbes need to reproduce. A fever also kicks your child's immune system into high gear, spurring the rapid production of bug-clobbering white blood cells. A small but growing body of research shows that letting a fever run its course may reduce the length and severity of such illnesses as colds and flu.
As for the concern among parents that fevers can have harmful effects, these instances are very rare. The brain has an internal regulatory mechanism that prevents fevers caused by infections from getting higher than 105 or 106 degrees. Body temperature must get above 108 degrees to cause damage. Temperatures this high are caused only by exceptional circumstances, such as central nervous system disorders or heatstroke.
Additional Facts About Fevers
Fevers need to be treated only if they are causing discomfort (and usually a fever has to be above 102 or 103 degrees before making a child uncomfortable).
Treating a fever usually doesn't bring the body temperature back to normal -- just down 2 or 3 degrees.
Only 4 percent of children have fever seizures -- marked by a momentary loss of consciousness, eyes rolling back, shaking, twitching, or stiffening -- and when seizures do occur they cause no permanent harm.
How your child looks is more important than the exact reading on the thermometer.
Even if you decide not to treat a fever, it is a good idea to keep track of it. It can give your doctor useful information when making a diagnosis, explains Dr. Joan Shook, director of the emergency room at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. The pattern of the fever can tell doctors when the illness is naturally running its course or when something more serious may be going on.
Making Little Ones More Comfortable
As parents know, higher fevers can be uncomfortable for kids and no one wants to see her child suffer. Fortunately, most kids don't feel the ill effects of fever until it gets above 102 or 103. Under those circumstances, using acetaminophen or ibuprofen is a good way to ease the ache of being sick, says Dr. Gary Kelsberg, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Washington.
If you give medications to your feverish kids, make sure you follow the dose instructions to the letter. Research has shown that many parents administer anti-fever drugs too frequently and in too high doses. "Choose the dose that matches your child's current weight, and use the dropper that came with the package," says Brown. "Different formulations of fever medications come in different strengths, so the dropper for one bottle of medicine might not be right for another bottle."
The exact dosage is important because acetaminophen can cause liver damage and ibuprofen kidney damage, even in relatively small overdoses, because of the size of children's bodies. Never give aspirin to children or adolescents with fevers -- the combination of aspirin and a viral infection may lead to Reye's syndrome, a rare yet potentially fatal liver disorder. After age 18, this risk virtually disappears.
If you want to try old-fashioned home remedies, provide cool drinks, place a fan near your child's bed to keep the air circulating, and use the old stand-by, a lukewarm (not cool) sponge bath. Above all, remember that most healing of all home remedies -- plenty of hugs and kisses.
When to Seek Help
There are times when a fever, sometimes in combination with other symptoms, should send you hightailing it to a doctor or emergency room. These include:
A rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater in an infant less than 6 weeks old. "Young babies are at more risk for certain serious bacterial infections, and fever is an indication of these," says pediatrician Ari Brown.
A fever of more than five days duration.
High fever accompanied by lethargy -- your child is limp and unresponsive, won't make eye contact, or generally just looks and acts really sick.
High fever accompanied by any of the symptoms of meningitis: an unusual skin rash, severe headache, aversion to light, confusion, stiff or painful neck.
Constant, inconsolable crying.
Originally published in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, November 2004.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
lesson learned
So I went tanning tonight.... you know so that I can feel like myself again and not this pale frumpy woman I have become. Turns out I need to ask better questions of my tanning facility.... and of myself. I go to Pink Coconut in Milton and although I should have checked with her to verify that it was appropriate to use a tingle lotion for my level of base tan (or rather lack of tan). Stupidly the only reason that I used the lotion so soon is because I had it left over from before I was pregnant and didn't want to drop 50 bucks on more when I already had some I could use.... stupid, stupid, stupid!
So now I am on fire and bright red... well, red on all the places I could reach.... luckily I covered the ta-tas since I am still breast feeding. Oh, that reminds me. I need to inform said workers at Pink Coconut to remind their customers not to use tingle products if they will be in contact with children. (Not to mention I'm still not too keen on their outlook on tanning and pregnancy.... my choice people, not yours)
Tingle Advisory When Handling Infants: As with all tingle products, extra care should be taken when handling children as the reddening effect could be transferred to skin even hours after use.
So anyways. I thought I was being all careful but about an hour went by and Hayden was fussing and needing to go to sleep.... so I nursed her. Again, no product or tanning exposure to the ladies.... yet of course she somehow got her little face in contact with my "tainted"skin.... and got a little red and freaked me out... so I immediately made Bobby take her as I ran to take a shower..... stupid, stupid, stupid..... lesson learned!
So now I am on fire and bright red... well, red on all the places I could reach.... luckily I covered the ta-tas since I am still breast feeding. Oh, that reminds me. I need to inform said workers at Pink Coconut to remind their customers not to use tingle products if they will be in contact with children. (Not to mention I'm still not too keen on their outlook on tanning and pregnancy.... my choice people, not yours)
Tingle Advisory When Handling Infants: As with all tingle products, extra care should be taken when handling children as the reddening effect could be transferred to skin even hours after use.
So anyways. I thought I was being all careful but about an hour went by and Hayden was fussing and needing to go to sleep.... so I nursed her. Again, no product or tanning exposure to the ladies.... yet of course she somehow got her little face in contact with my "tainted"skin.... and got a little red and freaked me out... so I immediately made Bobby take her as I ran to take a shower..... stupid, stupid, stupid..... lesson learned!
an oldie but a goodie
School bells or jail cells?
Posted: August 24, 2001
1:00 a.m. Eastern
Will it be school bells or jail cells for back-to-school this year? That all depends on an important decision you'll be making in the next few weeks and whether some public-health official decides to yank your child from school, stick them in a foster home and charge you with neglect if you make the wrong one.
Your crime?
You refuse to subject your child to an unnecessary medical treatment.
It has happened in Hillary's Village and will again if some officials repeat previous threats. Last fall, a school superintendent in Westfield, N.Y., threatened to take a 7th grader into state custody because her mom refused to have her immunized against Hepatitis B – a disease usually spread by drug users and the sexually promiscuous. The girl had a history of bad vaccine reactions, but the superintendent refused to grant a waiver. The story was repeated with 77 middle school children in Utica, N.Y. Television ads and school posters exhort us to "Be wise – Immunize." But some public health and school authorities are behaving as if educating kids is less important than forcing mandatory shots on students and their families.
Maybe the motivation is big bucks from a 1993 federal "Immunization Initiative" that gives states more than $400 million in vaccine incentives and a $100 bounty for each child vaccinated with the shots the federal government decided are must-haves. So just how "wise" are you to immunize? How do you decide and what do you do if you defy the school rules?
Quackwatch warning: We'll say up front, once again, as we did in January in "Shots in the dark?" – vaccines can and do save lives. And we'll have to say it again later because too many have an "all or none" approach to the vaccine question. They seem to think that all vaccines are created equal and equally effective and therefore equally desirable.
As with all medicine, vaccines are not perfect. Some vaccinated people still come down with chickenpox despite the vaccination, although not as high a percentage as those who aren't immunized. All vaccines cause reactions, some good and some bad. The good and desired reaction results in immunity from the disease. But there's no absolute guarantee against a bad reaction, such as an allergic reaction or even death. In other words, there are always trade-offs.
Some vaccines are too risky for even the manufacturers. For example, the rotavirus vaccine, originally recommended by federal government officials, causes too many bowel obstructions and has been pulled from the market.
More than $1.1 billion in claims, averaging almost a million dollars each, has been paid out by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. All of these claims had to fit in the program's tight definitions and prove significant damage from one of the vaccines covered by the program.
Again, vaccines do prevent illness and save lives. What we're against is requiring such medical treatment as a prerequisite for going to school.
Most parents will likely find that the benefits of some of the standard vaccines, such as for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus, are worth the time, effort and risk involved. But many parents find some of the new vaccines, such as for Hepatitis B, to be too risky for their children. Other vaccines, such as for chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella have enough benefits and risks to require thoughtful consideration of the trade-offs, especially if your child isn't perfectly healthy when "shot day" arrives.
Your school may have sent you some forms about "free" vaccinations and outlined some of the benefits and risks. But, at the same time, they demand that children have their shots. Yet when challenged about the requirement, school and government officials use the very fact that they aren't doctors to slither out of liability. They shouldn't have it both ways. In the end, physicians are legally and ethically responsible for informing patients about the risks, and you as parents are the ultimate decision makers.
As we said above and are saying for the third time, "Vaccines can and do save lives."
Some people are willing to have as many vaccinations as possible because of the unpredictability and severity of possible disease. Others are more comfortable having as few vaccinations as possible because of the possible complications or because of religious objections.
So what's a parent to do when faced with those official school vaccination forms? First talk to your doctor to help you decide what is right for your child. As with many other decisions in medicine or in life, the value of each vaccine should be evaluated for that person. If you need help asking your doctor the right questions, we recommend National Vaccine Information Center's common sense guidelines.
So what do you do if you decide that a vaccination, such as Hepatitis B, isn't right for your child but the school requires it?
Despite the federal bounty programs, not all states have mandatory shot laws. Essentially all the other states have philosophical, medical or religious exemptions. Each state has different wording that may be required for an exemption or waiver request. Your state representative should be able to provide you with the laws for your state. The laws are also available online.
If a medical problem or medical history puts you or your child at greater risk for a bad vaccine reaction, a written statement from a medical professional may be required. If your application for waiver is based on philosophical or religious grounds, a written request describing your reasons in some detail should be sent to the officials demanding the shots.
If the information on vaccines you received was incomplete and you change your mind based on new information, the written consent you gave on the basis of incomplete information is invalid. For example, if you weren't told that the likelihood of a severe reaction from the Hepatitis B vaccine is three times greater than the likelihood that your child will contract the disease, you might well change your mind about the desirability of that vaccine.
Following your state's procedures will usually work. But if they don't, notarized letters by certified mail to your doctor, the local health department, and the vaccine manufacturer might be needed. You could inform them that you would consent to the shots if they will accept full responsibility for any bad reaction to the shots.
Yes, it takes a lot of work to get all the information you need to make a truly informed decision. And if you want a waiver, it may take some persistence. But don't let school scare tactics intimidate you into a vaccination decision that's not right for your family. You'll probably take some heat, but isn't your child worth it?
Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D., is a multiple award-winning writer who comments on medical-legal issues. Robert J. Cihak, M.D., is a former president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. Both doctors are Harvard-trained diagnostic radiologists.
vaccines in the news
| Nationwide Revolt Against Dangerous Vaccines Accelerates Growing number of parents opting out following Jenny McCarthy media blitz about link to autism |
| Paul Joseph Watson | | |
Concerned parents across the U.S. are leading a nationwide revolt against unnecessary, untested and dangerous vaccines as CDC records show a growing amount of religious exemptions on vaccine forms, following a media blitz by Jenny McCarthy in which she blamed a vaccine for causing her son's autism.
Far from the biased and prejudiced context in which the Associated Press headline framed it - 'Parents take a shot at lying on vaccine forms' - the move comes as a result of increased understanding and education about the dangers of vaccines.
Most recently, actress and model Jenny McCarthy's appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show and numerous other prime time TV programs has spurred women to seriously investigate the link between autism in babies and young children and vaccinations.
McCarthy's new book, Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism, is partly about her contention that her son's autism was caused primarily by a combined vaccination administered around the age of 18 months.
McCarthy discusses her book and the link between autism and vaccines on The View, ABC's flagship daytime show.
Increased sensitivity about immunization is also a consequence of the growing awareness of the fact that vaccines are not mandatory - a hoax played out by authorities across the U.S., most recently by Texas Governor Rick Perry in the case of the HPV vaccine.
In that instance, a media propaganda bandwagon aided in disseminating the myth that the untested and dangerous shot that has already been linked with devastating side-effects, which Perry and his cronies were bought off to peddle by Merck, had become "the law" despite the fact that Perry's executive order only "recommended" that parents give their kids the vaccine.
There is no law in America, aside from those applying to medical workers, that says you or your child has to take any vaccine whatsoever, no matter what any executive order, requirement, mandate or policy dictates, there is no situation where you can go to prison for refusing a government vaccine under the U.S. constitution and the law of the land.
The mass media drumbeat constantly conditions people to believe that if they don't take their shots they will be kicked out of school, arrested and thrown in jail. This trick will continue to hoodwink Americans into taking all manner of dangerous and untested vaccines, the number of which rises every year, until they realize that there is no law that forces them to take any vaccine.
Mercury is still being added to vaccines at completely unsafe levels considering the fact that it is a known neuro-toxin. A recent study undertaken by the University of Calgary unveiled concrete evidence that mercury ions alter the cell-membrane of developing neurons in babies and young children, directly contributing to autism (watch above).
Autism rates have exploded in the U.S. but researchers have noticed that there are no instances of the disease in the Amish community and virtually no cases reported in the third world.
Alex Jones discussion the dangers of vaccines and autism.
Vaccines and drugs that are not stringently tested and are instead foisted upon populations for the purposes of making obscene profits have a clear history of deadly consequences.
Consider the case of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, who deliberately dumped a vaccine that was known to be contaminated with AIDS virus on the European and Latin American market after it killed people in America. Thousands died from an action that the U.S. government allowed to happen through the FDA.
Peruse the plethora of examples where vaccines containing mercury, live HIV virus, live cancer and other horrors have wrought misery after victims were bullied into taking them by government mandates that they were deluded into thinking was the law.
The history alone, a legacy that led former director of the National Institute of Health Dr. James R. Shannon to state, "The only safe vaccine is one that is never used," implores us to educate others on the dangers of vaccines and ensure that similar executive orders such as Rick Perry's in Texas are not passed elsewhere in the country as a result of cynical greed driven lobbying and corporate crony payoffs.
Parents across the country are beginning to realize that the explosion in rates of childhood autism, ADHD and other illnesses are directly caused by the ever-increasing number of dangerous and untested vaccinations that overwhelm a child's immune system with deadly toxins and poisons like mercury.
The national revolt against dangerous vaccines is growing apace but it is likely to be countered by a PR backlash on behalf of pharmaceutical giants and the government in an attempt to scare parents into believing that all vaccinations are necessary and that it is against the law to block their child from receiving them. It is down to us to help educate parents about the lethal history of vaccinations and why their number should be drastically reduced, especially for infants and children.
Parents Face Fines, Jail Time for Failure to Immunize
School District Orders Parents to Appear in Court for Failure to Immunize
By CULLEN DIRNER
Nov. 14, 2007 —
A Maryland school district has ordered parents of more than 2,300 students to court Saturday for failure to immunize their children. The parents could face fines and jail time if they do not appear.
The students, in grades five through 10, will be required to report to court with their parents. While students can expect to be vaccinated before they leave the courthouse, parents will be lectured to by Circuit Court Judge Philip Nichols Jr. on the necessity of vaccination. Those who fail to appear face fines of $50 a day and up to 10 days in jail.
According to Prince George's County Schools spokesman John White, the students were required to receive two shots before Sept. 20: one for hepatitis B and the other for the chickenpox. Parents who did not meet the deadline for both shots were asked not to bring their children to school until they were immunized or provided proof of an immunization appointment.
White said students still continue to show up at school without having received the shots or providing proof of an appointment. The parents were also asked to sign a consent form allowing the schools to provide the necessary vaccinations, White said.
"This shows you how redundant our attempts have been. In many cases kids still have to come to school, and when they come to pick their child up, they are asked if they could sign the consent, and in some cases they don't sign it," said White.
According to Prince George's County Schools, neglecting to have a child vaccinated is not the norm. Out of 132,000 students in the county school system, 2,300 students have been tardy in meeting the immunization deadline. "The majority of parents have done the right thing," said White.
A Nationwide Survey of Vaccination
Despite discrepancies in state immunization laws, the nationwide vaccination rate is approximately 95 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, says that on the whole, "we're doing a very good job vaccinating children."
"We vaccinate infants and insist that children be vaccinated before they attend day care and kindergarten. So, by the time they enter kindergarten, more than 90 percent of the children are well-vaccinated against a whole spectrum of communicable diseases," said Schaffner.
According to Schaffner, the responsibility to vaccinate children lies on the shoulders of the parents.
"When we bring children into the world, responsibilities go with that. These parents have had ample opportunities. The vaccine is available. They could have organized to do this. So shame on them," he said.
Circuit Court Judge Philip Nichols Jr. was asked by the school board to send out the letters to the parents ordering them to court. With the help of the school district and the county health board, the Circuit Court gathered all the tools necessary to immunize all the children Saturday. The plan is to get the students back in school.
"They asked me to ask everybody who has a child who isn't going to school to explain to them how important it is to go to school," Nichols explained.
Nichols said that by working with the school board on this issue, he hopes it will teach the students lifelong lessons about the importance of staying in school and the importance of preventing bad habits -- the kind that would send them back to the courts -- from forming. "It is a lot of kids not going to school for something that is easy to fix," Nichols said.
more baby stuff i can't live without
Podee - HANDS FREE BOTTLE - I bought one of these a while back and after playing around with it I love it! There is another company that makes this same product but I haven't tried it. When I first tried using the Podee Hayden gave up sucking when the milk was ALMOST to the nipple. Once she had determined that there was no "prize" for sucking on this one she wasn't having it. I tried it again later and it worked great! It will leak if you hold the bottle portion upside down but for now it works good if I tuck it next to her in her car seat. The nipple itself doesn't seem to leak so far. I tried using another nipple I had lying around and it wouldn't keep the milk in the nipple. There must be some sort of one way type valve in this thing. Anyway, this thing works great and is a lifesaver for outings when I am by myself and can't hold the bottle for her in the backseat.
Digitsaver - Blocks the doors at home from closing on little fingers. I just saw an ad for this in the local Kids Directory and checked out the website. I might have to invest in one of these, or maybe several when Hayden starts roaming around.
Digitsaver - Blocks the doors at home from closing on little fingers. I just saw an ad for this in the local Kids Directory and checked out the website. I might have to invest in one of these, or maybe several when Hayden starts roaming around.
Monday, November 12, 2007
hush little baby
Finally looked this up today.... I couldn't get past the looking glass :)
Hush, little baby, don't say a word
Mama's gonna buy you a mockin'bird
Hush, little baby, don't say a word
Mama's gonna buy you a mockin'bird
If that mockin'bird don't sing
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring
If that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass
If that looking glass gets broke
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat
If that billy goat don't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and mule
If that cart and mule turn over
Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover
If that dog named Rover won't bark
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart
If that Horse and Cart fall down,
Then you'll be the sweetest little baby in town
Friday, November 9, 2007
baby stuff i can't live without
Hayden went down about an hour ago but got up about 10 minutes ago, after feeding her she is back to lala land... well, sorta... I can hear her in there moving around but she must be keeping herself busy because she isn't freaking out. So since I can't really go to sleep yet I thought I would share some of the wonders that I have discovered on my new adventures of being a mom.
lily padz - washable, pretty much leak-proof nursing "pads". Love these!!!! I have 2 pairs that I cycle through, my original pair lasted about two months (they probably would have lasted longer but I didn't realize you really should let them air dry, instead I dried them with a towel). It's nice 'cause you don't have cotton pads all over the place and you don't have to pay for the disposable ones.... and best of all almost no leaks! Except occasionally when you get engorged, mine usually leak in the morning when I am waking up, but they have never leaked when I am out in public, yay!
Angel Care Sensor Pad Monitor - Ok, so I love the sensor, but I hate the monitor, too much static and buzzing. The sensor is a lifesaver, possibly literally. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a hoverer, checking every five seconds to see if she is still breathing. It does go off quite a bit when she gets herself tucked into the corner, so we generally just move her back to the middle of the crib where the monitor is under the mattress. I think you can adjust the sensor's sensitivity but it doesn't seem to disturb her when it goes off so for now its fine. Overall I think this product is great because it gives you a better window for action should you need it. When I tell people that I have this I often get grief because they assume I am overprotective. But if I can know that my kid isn't breathing 20 seconds into it, instead of 4 hours after it's too late.... what would you do?? And after hearing of my brothers' friend who lost his 3 year old daughter at 2 am when she got out of bed and choked on a popcorn kernel.... I will want to know when Hayden is up and wandering about as well.... isn't everything kids do these days supposed to be under adult supervision??
Fisher Price Ready2Wear Monitor - I use this instead of the one the angel care system comes with. I saw it in a magazine and liked that you can wear it, even in the week or two that I used the other monitor I found myself being out of earshot of either her or the two monitors I had spaced throughout the house. Being able to wear the monitor is great because you don't have to think about it and I can hear her waking up or beginning to fuss or whatever. I did think I lost it once.... silly me, it was on my arm :)
mesh breathable bumper pad - I got this because I read somewhere that you aren't supposed to use the regular bumper pads due to suffocation risk/sids. So what the heck is the point of buying the fancy bed sets when you aren't supposed to use the bumper pad, oh and you're not supposed to use a blanket either.... so save your money buy this and a few sheets and a couple mattress pads and be done with it :)
Itzbeen Baby Timer - I know you you might think this is stupid (my friends/family have teased me about this one), but it really helps me remember when I last did something... you really get perspective of how much time has passed when you keep track of it. It is especially helpful when one of us gets up in the middle of the night and feeds/changes, etc. I think it will be great for when I go back to work in a few weeks.
Baby Legs Legwarmers - These are great for when it's too hot for pants, and it is a great accessory, we get compliments all the time when she is wearing them. I think it will be nice when she gets bigger and starts crawling, got to protect those cute knees.
SA8 Solution - Luckily I belong to Quixtar and was already enjoying their laundry detergent. But now I am a TRUE believer!! If you can believe it there are no stains on Hayden's clothes, even the most gruesome blowouts and the outfit that got left in a plastic bag after camping.... all perfect no residue or smells!! Can you believe white-whites!! Don't worry even though I am saving a ton of money by not having to re-buy clothes, Nordstrom isn't going bankrupt because of me, not that they are, but I am contributing my share.... oh, yah and the GAP should be fine too :)
I'll add more things later, Hayden is sleeping for the night.... I think. So I am going to bed.
lily padz - washable, pretty much leak-proof nursing "pads". Love these!!!! I have 2 pairs that I cycle through, my original pair lasted about two months (they probably would have lasted longer but I didn't realize you really should let them air dry, instead I dried them with a towel). It's nice 'cause you don't have cotton pads all over the place and you don't have to pay for the disposable ones.... and best of all almost no leaks! Except occasionally when you get engorged, mine usually leak in the morning when I am waking up, but they have never leaked when I am out in public, yay!
Angel Care Sensor Pad Monitor - Ok, so I love the sensor, but I hate the monitor, too much static and buzzing. The sensor is a lifesaver, possibly literally. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a hoverer, checking every five seconds to see if she is still breathing. It does go off quite a bit when she gets herself tucked into the corner, so we generally just move her back to the middle of the crib where the monitor is under the mattress. I think you can adjust the sensor's sensitivity but it doesn't seem to disturb her when it goes off so for now its fine. Overall I think this product is great because it gives you a better window for action should you need it. When I tell people that I have this I often get grief because they assume I am overprotective. But if I can know that my kid isn't breathing 20 seconds into it, instead of 4 hours after it's too late.... what would you do?? And after hearing of my brothers' friend who lost his 3 year old daughter at 2 am when she got out of bed and choked on a popcorn kernel.... I will want to know when Hayden is up and wandering about as well.... isn't everything kids do these days supposed to be under adult supervision??
Fisher Price Ready2Wear Monitor - I use this instead of the one the angel care system comes with. I saw it in a magazine and liked that you can wear it, even in the week or two that I used the other monitor I found myself being out of earshot of either her or the two monitors I had spaced throughout the house. Being able to wear the monitor is great because you don't have to think about it and I can hear her waking up or beginning to fuss or whatever. I did think I lost it once.... silly me, it was on my arm :)
mesh breathable bumper pad - I got this because I read somewhere that you aren't supposed to use the regular bumper pads due to suffocation risk/sids. So what the heck is the point of buying the fancy bed sets when you aren't supposed to use the bumper pad, oh and you're not supposed to use a blanket either.... so save your money buy this and a few sheets and a couple mattress pads and be done with it :)
Itzbeen Baby Timer - I know you you might think this is stupid (my friends/family have teased me about this one), but it really helps me remember when I last did something... you really get perspective of how much time has passed when you keep track of it. It is especially helpful when one of us gets up in the middle of the night and feeds/changes, etc. I think it will be great for when I go back to work in a few weeks.
Baby Legs Legwarmers - These are great for when it's too hot for pants, and it is a great accessory, we get compliments all the time when she is wearing them. I think it will be nice when she gets bigger and starts crawling, got to protect those cute knees.
SA8 Solution - Luckily I belong to Quixtar and was already enjoying their laundry detergent. But now I am a TRUE believer!! If you can believe it there are no stains on Hayden's clothes, even the most gruesome blowouts and the outfit that got left in a plastic bag after camping.... all perfect no residue or smells!! Can you believe white-whites!! Don't worry even though I am saving a ton of money by not having to re-buy clothes, Nordstrom isn't going bankrupt because of me, not that they are, but I am contributing my share.... oh, yah and the GAP should be fine too :)
I'll add more things later, Hayden is sleeping for the night.... I think. So I am going to bed.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
why i question vaccinations
About half way through my pregnancy I discovered a reason to question vaccinations. While researching it not only did i realize that being a mother would not be an easy task, not that i had assumed it would be... but making any decision is hard, not knowing how the decision will effect your child... and the fear of making the "wrong" choice.
As a child, I was vaccinated like everybody else and never had any adverse reactions. However I know many people who weren't so fortunate. Like many other mothers and fathers I went to google and typed in vaccines here is some of what i found, I am not going to go into my beliefs only that I question them, your decisions are purely yours...
Why should you study vaccination?
Did you know 'bleeding' was practiced for over 1000 years before the public realized its worthless and harmful nature?
Do you know 89% of doctors get their 'information' about vaccination from Pharmaceutical sales agents?
How much time would you spend on research before you purchased a washing machine, a car, a home? Would you spend an equal or greater amount of time researching an "Immunization Program", a decision which has life and death consequences for yourself and/or your children?
Q1. If reforms and improvements in Sanitation, Nutrition, and Hygiene are treated as a collective force, is "sanitation, nutrition and hygiene" a primary, a secondary or insignificant factor in controlling contagious diseases?
Q2. Is vaccination a primary, a secondary or insignificant factor in controlling contagious diseases?
If the following factors are useful in controlling contagious disease:
Sanitation. (Includes clean water, clean air, clean food, clean environment.)
Quality nutrition, year around, not just seasonable.
Hygiene.
Insect control
Belief that one is immune.
Joy, optimism, thankfulness and confidence, and all other factors
which make for rational scientific living, also known as "Godly living".
Quarantine.
Does vaccination belong in this above list?
Did the use of vaccines save millions of lives? Did smallpox vaccine eradicate smallpox? Did polio vaccine eradicate polio in the United States? Can immunity to contagious disease exist without experiencing disease and without vaccination?
Are vaccines safe? Are vaccines effective? Are vaccines necessary?
Today, we know that sanitation makes a tremendous contribution to preventing disease and keeping people healthy. ...
7,000 YEARS AGO
The Babylonians discovered that contaminated water could cause disease. They brought in fresh water every day.
2,000 YEARS AGO
The physician Hippocrates discovered that cleansing could prevent infection.
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Made great progress in the area of sanitation. Built aqueducts to bring in fresh water, and built sewer systems and public baths. However, with the fall of the Roman Empire, much of the knowledge the Romans developed was lost, and was not passed on.
MEDIEVAL TIMES
Were truly the Dark Ages as far as sanitation was concerned. Towns were dirty and crowded, and disease and epidemics spread unchecked because of the lack of sanitation. Water was contaminated, and personal hygiene was virtually unknown. Tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria, smallpox, yellow fever, all were rampant. As many children died as lived, and the average life span was under 30 years. The worst epidemic during this period was the Black Death, from 1438-1441, which spread to such proportions that 60 million people died, which at the time was one-fourth the population of the world.
19TH CENTURY
In New York City, living conditions were as nearly as [sic] filthy as in the middle ages, and yearly epidemics swept through populations, killing many. The average life span was less than age 40.
But during the mid 1800's, it [the connection] was discovered between germs and disease was proven. [sic] Soaps, disinfectants, and pharmaceuticals began to be developed, and it was first recognized that disease could be controlled.
This began the Sanitation Revolution, and public health practices such as garbage collection, water treatment, public health departments and regulations, as well as personal bathing, became part of the culture. The death rate in children dropped, and the average life span increased over the years, to age 74.
This article and others on Sanitation can be found at: http://www.vaclib.org/intro/present/index.pdf
As a child, I was vaccinated like everybody else and never had any adverse reactions. However I know many people who weren't so fortunate. Like many other mothers and fathers I went to google and typed in vaccines here is some of what i found, I am not going to go into my beliefs only that I question them, your decisions are purely yours...
Why should you study vaccination?
Did you know 'bleeding' was practiced for over 1000 years before the public realized its worthless and harmful nature?
Do you know 89% of doctors get their 'information' about vaccination from Pharmaceutical sales agents?
How much time would you spend on research before you purchased a washing machine, a car, a home? Would you spend an equal or greater amount of time researching an "Immunization Program", a decision which has life and death consequences for yourself and/or your children?
Q1. If reforms and improvements in Sanitation, Nutrition, and Hygiene are treated as a collective force, is "sanitation, nutrition and hygiene" a primary, a secondary or insignificant factor in controlling contagious diseases?
Q2. Is vaccination a primary, a secondary or insignificant factor in controlling contagious diseases?
If the following factors are useful in controlling contagious disease:
Sanitation. (Includes clean water, clean air, clean food, clean environment.)
Quality nutrition, year around, not just seasonable.
Hygiene.
Insect control
Belief that one is immune.
Joy, optimism, thankfulness and confidence, and all other factors
which make for rational scientific living, also known as "Godly living".
Quarantine.
Does vaccination belong in this above list?
Did the use of vaccines save millions of lives? Did smallpox vaccine eradicate smallpox? Did polio vaccine eradicate polio in the United States? Can immunity to contagious disease exist without experiencing disease and without vaccination?
Are vaccines safe? Are vaccines effective? Are vaccines necessary?
Today, we know that sanitation makes a tremendous contribution to preventing disease and keeping people healthy. ...
7,000 YEARS AGO
The Babylonians discovered that contaminated water could cause disease. They brought in fresh water every day.
2,000 YEARS AGO
The physician Hippocrates discovered that cleansing could prevent infection.
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Made great progress in the area of sanitation. Built aqueducts to bring in fresh water, and built sewer systems and public baths. However, with the fall of the Roman Empire, much of the knowledge the Romans developed was lost, and was not passed on.
MEDIEVAL TIMES
Were truly the Dark Ages as far as sanitation was concerned. Towns were dirty and crowded, and disease and epidemics spread unchecked because of the lack of sanitation. Water was contaminated, and personal hygiene was virtually unknown. Tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria, smallpox, yellow fever, all were rampant. As many children died as lived, and the average life span was under 30 years. The worst epidemic during this period was the Black Death, from 1438-1441, which spread to such proportions that 60 million people died, which at the time was one-fourth the population of the world.
19TH CENTURY
In New York City, living conditions were as nearly as [sic] filthy as in the middle ages, and yearly epidemics swept through populations, killing many. The average life span was less than age 40.
But during the mid 1800's, it [the connection] was discovered between germs and disease was proven. [sic] Soaps, disinfectants, and pharmaceuticals began to be developed, and it was first recognized that disease could be controlled.
This began the Sanitation Revolution, and public health practices such as garbage collection, water treatment, public health departments and regulations, as well as personal bathing, became part of the culture. The death rate in children dropped, and the average life span increased over the years, to age 74.
This article and others on Sanitation can be found at: http://www.vaclib.org/intro/present/index.pdf
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