About Me

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Lets see...I'm Amber. I've been married about 2 years now to my Prince, and we have a beautiful baby girl, named Sophie. I'm a stay at home mom, which means I am a nurse, a maid, a cleaning lady, and a chef, among other things.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Praise the Lord, it's Yeast.

So I decided to go ahead and take Sophie to see the doctor today because, lets face it, a mommy is her own worst enemy. I kept going over and over in my head about the outcomes if it was an allergic reaction to something and I figured it was better to go ahead and set my mind at ease as much as possible and take her to the doc - better safe than sorry you know?

So to the doctor we went, and come to find out, it's a simple yeast infection. miserable, but better than MRSA by far. She'd originally said MRSA because the spot on her leg was raised and looked as though it was starting to form a bump (like MRSA) so she treated it as such, but now that she's seen it calmed down, she assured us that it is definitely not MRSA. and she assured me that the redness in her diaper area was common with the medicine she is taking and that its definitely not an allergic reaction. Also since my little angel isnt so little, its common for babies of her size to sweat alot causing the redness that she's currently experiencing. she assured me that i'm doing everything right and to continue doing what I'm doing, which felt really good to hear.

She also took the time to sit down with me and answer some of my questions about nap time crying and how long I should let her cry before I come to the rescue. Here's what I've learned...

1 - At nap time, most babies cry and fuss, especially if they are social like my little girl is. I already knew this but i guess i needed to be reminded.

2 - let the crying continue for 15-20 minutes, if they arent calming down at all and getting even more upset, don't just run in and pick them up. Go in and talk to them and rub their belly/back/head and let them know that mommy hasnt left, its just time to sleep.

3 - even the best of moms need to hear that they're doing a good job.

When Babies Cry...

Is there anyone on this earth who enjoys listening to a baby cry? I'm not talking about enjoying the feeling of being able to comfort your crying baby or hearing them cry for the first time after you bring them into the world. I'm talking about when you have to put your baby to sleep for a nap or bedtime or even just have to put the baby down for any reason. I know that it has to be done, and that babies have to cry but honestly, it kills me to sit her and listen to my baby cry. I've done all I could to comfort her though. I changed her, fed her, rocked her, even sang to her and read her favorite story. Now its up to her right? Am I a horrible mommy for laying my angel in her crib and letting her calm herself down? I feel terrible considering all that she has on her plate right now, but she's exhausted and you can see in her eyes that she needs a nap?

I feel like this is a constant battle for me. The doctor has told us that its healthy for her, and that she'll eventually drift off to sleep. but it breaks my heart. the normal routine has been, rock/feed, sing, lay down, cry, sleep 20 min, cry 10, sleep 25, cry 5, sleep 10, cry 5, sleep 45. then what? when she wakes up crying, do i pick her up?  do i let her cry for 10 minutes and see if she really is done with her nap?

All that I know is she sleeps perfectly well at night, and usually falls to sleep in 5-10 minutes or so, but nap times are a different breed altogether.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

I'm going crazy, why don't you come along...

As I'm writing this I'm remembering all of the rashes I've had over the years and how painful they were and how I would never wish them on even my biggest foe. But my little angel has one of the WORST diaper rashes that i have ever seen, and it drives me crazy and to tears  to think of how much pain she is in. and there is nothing that i can do about it. She is on 2 antibiotics (one for an ear infection and another for a bacterial infection - mrsa - in her diaper area) so she could possibly be the cause of this, but there is also the fact that we've been using cloth diapers and the detergent could be causing it. there's also the possibility that its just a normal part of being a baby. so what do we do?

the doctor gave us nyastatin for the bacterial infection, but that doesnt seem to be helping. she gets some relief when we give her a bath in the Aveeno Baby bath treatment, but that only lasts until she's dried off. i let her take bare bottom naps today and let her play bare bottom as well... but I don't know what else to do. I'm afraid to call the doctor because i don't want to be one of those worry wart moms, but at the same time I don't want to NOT call the doctor and it be an allergic reaction to one of her antibiotics. I guess my only option is to keep an eye on it, but how do you sit here and watch your precious little angel suffer? it's so disheartening to not be able to help her when she's in pain.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Chronicles of Cloth...

a few days back, while changing my daughters diaper we noticed a red mark in 3 places in her diaper area so we took her to the doc, and found out that our baby girl has MRSA (look it up). on top of that she has a double ear infection and she's cutting 4 teeth... in short, she is miserable... the infection in her diaper area looks painful enough to make ME cry, i dont want to even think about how much its hurting her...

but anyway, taking the recommendation of our doctor, we have switched to cloth diapers. and much to my surprise, i LOVE them. they are so much more user friendly than i thought they were. Even the poopy diapers arent that bad, to be honest. but then again, we've only been using them for a day and a half, so we'll see if i actually like them. but for now, here's what i've learned...

1 - they're soft. the prefolded diapers (they sell those at walmart) are soft and actually absorb alot more than i thought they would. 

2 - they're so darn cute!! i mean really, my little girl is crawling around on the floor with a dish towl around her bum! (not literally of course)

3 - they're really easy to use. even the prefolds with the pull up style covers are easy. but if you can spare it, buy a GOOD cover. they sell these little vinyl pull over covers at walmart, and they are cheap for a reason. they do the job but they're noisy, ugly, slippery, and they dont hold in as much as say a kushi or a gDiaper. those two brands are relatively inexpensive and work well, and they are much cuter than the vinyl ones. not to mention that the vinyl ones dont seem very sturdy. i feel like with one little poke i could tear a hole in them, where as the others are really thick and will last much longer

4 - there are alot of risks with using disposable diapers that i had never heard before. for instance, a chemical that is used to make them absorb better, when released into the air, has been associated with Asthma. and the clear gel crystals that you feel inside a really wet diaper (and sometimes come out and get all over the baby) are actually quite dangerous as well.

5- they make these AWESOME things called "Snappis" and they are a MUST have for cloth diapering. not really because the pins do just as well and they're now made with plastic caps to keep them from opening and stabbing the baby. but they really are very convenient and nice to have. they make fastening a prefold diaper quick and easy and if you're like me and a little worried about having a sharp needle so close to my baby's tummy, they offer peace of mind. these are a little pricey in my mind (anywhere from 3-5 dollars a piece), but they're worth it. 

6 - all in one diapers are great. there's no need to use prefolds or pins or snappis - though you can for added leak protection for bed and nap times - because its all sewn in together. you can also get liners to put in them so there's even more protection. 

7 - they make this solution that you put in a ziplock or other bag with wash cloths or cloth wipes and they become reusable baby wipes. the solution is fairly cheap and just think. you wash the wipes when you wash the diapers, and you never again have to buy baby wipes. not only that but you can control the chemicals that you put on your baby's bottom.

8 - if you want to buy the nice covers for cloth diapers, you can call consignment shops in your area, but unless alot of people in your area are on the cloth diaper bandwagon, you're not likely to find them unless you get lucky. considering the cost of the covers, alot of moms opt to save them for future babies or even grandbabies, rather than get back a small percentage of what they paid for them. Chances are, you're going to have to order them online. Target sells them, but only online. and websites like Ebay or Amazon also sell them. (just be careful, i accidentally bid on one from ebay, won, and i have to wait a month to get it because - of all places - its coming from hong kong. worth it? maybe, considering i paid less than 6 bucks on it including shipping, but i'd rather have it now.

9 - most people do NOT use cloth diapers. they see it as an inconvenience and as being old school, and when you tell them you're going to use them, they'll look at you like you're some kind of hippy. but most people that i've talked to actually prefer to use cloth diapers over the disposable - if they've actually tried it. alot of people are just disgusted by the thought of dealing with the poop.

10 - poopy diapers arent that hard to clean. Sophie's poop usually shakes right off, but i read of one women who bought a spatula from the dollar store and keeps it at the changing station for the poops and then cleans it accordingly. also they make these REALLY cool sprayer things to spray them off with. I'll probably never buy one because, lets face it, there are better things to spend the money on - like cute printed covers :) - and all it is is a glorified kitchen sink sprayer that hooks to your toilet. cool? yes. worth it? i dont think so.