Today is a big day for Gryffin and I!
Gryffin was born at 38 weeks and 1 day. Today Gryffin is 38 weeks and 1 day old.
That means, that as of today, my body has sustained and nourished my child on the outside for the exact same amount of time as it did on the inside. Gryffin has thrived beautifully on exculsive breastfeeding, with zero "formula."
Nothing has ever made me feel more proud of myself and my body than this. Knowing that I have given him the very best nutrition there is makes me feel so confident and sure of my body and it's ability to care for my child. It may not be the most beautiful or perfect body out there, and it really isnt even in the best shape that it could be, but it has served it's purpose wonderfully.
It is not news to anyone that I believe breast is best. And in all honesty, I find formula to be repulsive. I am not trying to make formula moms feel guilty, everyone is intitled to their opinions and I really do see the pros to formula feeding (I just personally wouldnt want to drink the stuff, so why would I make my baby drink it?). There have been tons of times in Gryffin's life where I really, really want some one else to feed him. I want to be able to go out without worrying about pumping a bottle for him, or where I will be able to discreetly nurse him. However, I know that what he truly needs is breastmilk, and dispite my own selfish desires, I have stuck it out.
I dont talk about nursing near as much as I used to because I have found it to be a very hot topic. People have been down right rude and hurtful to me when I express my joy and pride in my nursing relationship with Gryffin. But today is a day to celebrate.
We have worked through sore, cracked, bleeding nipples. We made it through almost constant nursing (Gryffin nursed every hour, on the hour for the first 7 weeks of his life). We worked past 2 supply drops where I thought I would never be able to produce enough to satisfy him. I have learned to develope a thicker skin when it comes to comments and negative people. I have kept my mouth shut when someone told me that "nursing is the same as formula, you arent doing anything special."We made it through horrible Post Partum Depression, which made the sound of Gryffin's cries drive me insane and the thought of holding him to nurse made my skin crawl. And here recently we are learning how to nurse with teeth...and biting...very hard, scream inducing biting. I would have chopped my own arm off if I needed to, in order to insure we make breastfeeding work. All this may seem trivial to some, but I am proud of us. Very proud. Gryffin is getting the best of the best and breastfeeding is a gift that lasts a lifetime. I could go into the science of it, and all the amazing things that breastmilk does, but I wont because that is not the point. The point is, that even when it was rough, we kept going together. There have been very few things in my life that make me proud of myself, so I am not going to miss the opportunity to express my happiness at this milestone!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
why we dont give Gryffin medication
So lately a few people have asked about teething relief and other types of medicines in regards to Gryffin. And most of them are pretty surprised to hear that we do not give him anything. So I thought I would blog it out and explain our views on the topic.
For teething we give Gryffin an ice cube wrapped in a wash clothe and secured with a rubber band. This numbs his sore gums and makes him a pretty happy kid. He loves to kick back with an ice cube and a lot of the time he will knock right out. We have given him Hylands Homeopathic teething tablets a few times when he was super irritated. You dissovle the tabs in water and then rub the solution on his gums. It is mostly camomille and lavender I believe. We absolutely do NOT use baby Orajel. There have been many cases in which the gel spreads in the childs mouth, making it difficult to eat, and more dangerously making it difficult if not impossible for the child to breath. Gryffin also wears a necklace made of Baltic Amber. Amber is a tree sap resin, which when heated by the body releases natural oils into the skin which act as a natural pain reliever.
We do not use Tylenol either. Recent studies are showing a correlation between infant tylenol use and asthma. Not to mention the effect acetometephin has on the liver. Many people have asked me "well what do you do when he has a fever?" Well, first off, Gryffin has never had a fever. But secondly, I firmly believe that fevers serve a purpose. When the body heats itself up it is trying to kill off an invader. Fevers kill germs. When a fever reducers is given, the body is not able to kill the germs, therefore the illness lives longer and you stay sick for longer than you would if you had allowed your body to do it's job. When I was pregnant with Gryffin, I got terribly sick with sinusitis and my sinus were completely compacted and infected. Due to my pregnancy, I did not take any medication other than extra Vitamin C. I did nasal rinses several times a day and put paroxide in my ears. I was sick for 9 weeks, complete with a intermittent fever and mucous that was a pretty shocking shade of lime. But, my body fought the illness on its own, as I beleive it needed to.
As for antibiotics, I do not condone the frivolous use of antibiotics whatsoever. I think antibiotics are handed out for every cough and sneeze these days and it is not helping us in the least. Antibiotic use in children can be extremely dangerous. Increasing their immunity to them, causing the antibiotics to not be able to help when a child is seriously ill. Also, overuse of antibiotics in children is a known cause of hearing loss. Something that children are quite often given antibiotics for is ear infections. Contrary to popular belief, antibiotics do not help an ear infection. First of all, 75% of ear infections are viral, therefore not helped by antibiotics. Secondly, most ear infections are caused by a build up of fluid in the ear, which can not be cleared up by antibiotics. On the other hand, Garlic Oil and a warm compress (and a trip to the Chiropracter for those old enough) will do the trick nicely. I puposely sought out a pediatrician that agreed with my views on antibiotics.
As the same as all my posts, this is not meant to be an attack on parents who do medicate. I simply believe in searching out all possibilities before flooding the body with foreign chemicals, especially a tiny little fragile baby body. I am finding that there are safer, homeopathic rememdies for most common issues that are cheaper and faster, with no side effects.
A great resource to use on this, and many other topics is www.kellymom.com
Thanks for reading!
For teething we give Gryffin an ice cube wrapped in a wash clothe and secured with a rubber band. This numbs his sore gums and makes him a pretty happy kid. He loves to kick back with an ice cube and a lot of the time he will knock right out. We have given him Hylands Homeopathic teething tablets a few times when he was super irritated. You dissovle the tabs in water and then rub the solution on his gums. It is mostly camomille and lavender I believe. We absolutely do NOT use baby Orajel. There have been many cases in which the gel spreads in the childs mouth, making it difficult to eat, and more dangerously making it difficult if not impossible for the child to breath. Gryffin also wears a necklace made of Baltic Amber. Amber is a tree sap resin, which when heated by the body releases natural oils into the skin which act as a natural pain reliever.
We do not use Tylenol either. Recent studies are showing a correlation between infant tylenol use and asthma. Not to mention the effect acetometephin has on the liver. Many people have asked me "well what do you do when he has a fever?" Well, first off, Gryffin has never had a fever. But secondly, I firmly believe that fevers serve a purpose. When the body heats itself up it is trying to kill off an invader. Fevers kill germs. When a fever reducers is given, the body is not able to kill the germs, therefore the illness lives longer and you stay sick for longer than you would if you had allowed your body to do it's job. When I was pregnant with Gryffin, I got terribly sick with sinusitis and my sinus were completely compacted and infected. Due to my pregnancy, I did not take any medication other than extra Vitamin C. I did nasal rinses several times a day and put paroxide in my ears. I was sick for 9 weeks, complete with a intermittent fever and mucous that was a pretty shocking shade of lime. But, my body fought the illness on its own, as I beleive it needed to.
As for antibiotics, I do not condone the frivolous use of antibiotics whatsoever. I think antibiotics are handed out for every cough and sneeze these days and it is not helping us in the least. Antibiotic use in children can be extremely dangerous. Increasing their immunity to them, causing the antibiotics to not be able to help when a child is seriously ill. Also, overuse of antibiotics in children is a known cause of hearing loss. Something that children are quite often given antibiotics for is ear infections. Contrary to popular belief, antibiotics do not help an ear infection. First of all, 75% of ear infections are viral, therefore not helped by antibiotics. Secondly, most ear infections are caused by a build up of fluid in the ear, which can not be cleared up by antibiotics. On the other hand, Garlic Oil and a warm compress (and a trip to the Chiropracter for those old enough) will do the trick nicely. I puposely sought out a pediatrician that agreed with my views on antibiotics.
As the same as all my posts, this is not meant to be an attack on parents who do medicate. I simply believe in searching out all possibilities before flooding the body with foreign chemicals, especially a tiny little fragile baby body. I am finding that there are safer, homeopathic rememdies for most common issues that are cheaper and faster, with no side effects.
A great resource to use on this, and many other topics is www.kellymom.com
Thanks for reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)