Colic

I’ve had this post in my head for awhile now, but a recent email from a distressed mom prompted me to finish it! Colic is the catch all term applied to persistent crying that usually occurs between three weeks and three months. It comes from a Greek word referring to the small intestine. Old wives tales will tell you they cry because it is good for their lungs (it’s not) or they have gas (they may) or they just are irritable people (again, they are not), but any seasoned mother can tell you it is a nightmare to hear your baby cry, yet be unable to find a cause or cure.

If colic is suspected, there are plenty of routes you can choose from. The first route is to be sure the baby is not simply hungry. While this may seem like the most obvious, many times hunger cries are ignored because it is not “time for the next feeding”. The WHO encourages moms to feed their babies “on cue” which means, anytime they are hungry. The general rule is not to ever let 3 hours during the day and 4 hours at night elapse between feedings. If the crying is not due to hunger, then it’s time to look at other causes.

For a breastfeeding baby, it is important to look for potential triggers in  mom’s diet.  Sometimes, a food like caffeine, citrus, spices or especially dairy can cause tummy troubles in baby. The cure is as simple as eliminating the food from mom’s diet for awhile.

A study published in January 2007 shows compared probiotics to the popular gas drops babies receive. The 28 day study showed a mild decrease in minutes of daily crying in the gas drops group, but the time the baby with probiotics cried was cut by 2/3! Probiotics are especially important in babies born by cesarean as they do not get the friendly bacteria found in the birth canal.

Another remedy is the hundred year old Gripe Water. This product is made by Baby’s Bliss and Wellements and is readily available in grocery and heath stores.  The ingredients in Gripe Water are approved by the Commision E in Germany as remedies for digestive troubles, including cramps and gas.

The GranolaChic

Some of you may have already noticed, but I have a new link in my blogroll. I am personally really excited about this, as the GranolaChic is a close friend of mine. Not only is she a great friend, she is the most amazing natural foods chef I have ever met. The recipes she has given me instantly become family favorites, and my kids even beg for them year after year. Not an easy task when we are talking about natural, whole, or even raw foods! Obviously very gifted in this area, she has literally thousands of custom created recipes. Many of them are unlike anything you have ever heard of, and will leave your jaw dropping, mouth watering and mind wondering, “How did she think of that!?!” This is, without a doubt, a blog you want to check out often. I know it will be one of my faves

Kids and Crunchy

Taking a cue from one of my favorite blogs, I thought it may be time to share some of my journey towards natural living, and hopefully hear some of yours too.

Like many of you, I was hardly a candidate for a crunchy mom. I was not raised eating healthy foods, using natural medications or anything else that resembled natural living. Had you told me in my teens that this is where I would be now, no doubt I would have had a good laugh at your expense.

Naturally, it would take something big to catch my attention and challenge my beliefs (or lack thereof?). Turns out a new baby is just the thing to turn a mom’s world upside down.

Once I found out I was expecting my first child, my thoughts turned to just how in the world was I going to get this child out of me??? Totally terrified of needles, I was not convinced labor could hurt bad enough for me to actually want a large needle in my back, so I turned to natural birthing classes. In the classes, the idea of a drug free birth being better for me and the baby was considered for the first time. I was hooked. I had my natural birth and was sure it was the best experience a birth could be. An all or nothing kind of girl, I began my training as a doula less than a year later, graduating from my program with my labor assistant certificate only 8 weeks into my second pregnancy.

This time around, I went for it all, with Susie, my homebirth midwife and a beautiful June afternoon birth in my bedroom. It was beautiful, and I knew I would repeat it. By now, I was enrolled in school to become an herbalist, gradually becoming a whole foods enthusiast, and my former self was fading slowly into the background.

The final straw came when my second child had some health issues. After 5 pediatricians, 3 specialists and a nutritionist, we were no further to solving the problem then when we began. The nutritionist encouraged me to continue my herbal studies, firmly believing I could do more for him than anyone else could. I spent countless hours, most of them in the middle of the night studying and learning and praying for answers and wisdom. Soon, my prayers were answered.

Within months, he was completely fine and all of our problems were gone. A few more months and there was no sign we ever had any trouble. I was ecstatic, and I knew that I had to share what I learned with others. I knew herbalism was a gift provided for our earthly bodies and wanted to change the face of natural living. I knew at that moment I would go on to write a home study course, lecture and teach others on how to live naturally as Christians, and how prevention and healthy living make such a difference in our lives. And, most important that they were created to work that way. Suddenly, when I looked back, I saw it. I don’t know where or when it happened, but I became crunchy, and that’s where I am today.

So, there you have it. We can blame my kids; they turned me crunchy. Or, maybe I should thank them

Now it’s your turn. What’s your story? Where did it all begin? Leave it here in the comments or blog about it on your own blog and leave us a link to go check it out….

breathe in.. breathe out

An 8 year long study was published this February in the Lancet revealing a disadvantage to convenient city living. The University of Southern California followed over 3500 children with an average age of 10 years over the course of 8 years. This is significant because rapid lung development takes place between the ages of 10 and 18. Lung functioning measurements were taken annually. Curious as to what they found?

Adolescents living within 500m of a freeway (known as interstates here in the south) had “substantial deficits”  in lung capacity compared to those living 1500m (just under a mile) away. The researchers then concluded that these lung deficits could result in important deficits in lung function later in life as well.

No, you may not ride the dog!

oh, the joys of being a mommy

Buyer Beware!

*sigh*

We just returned from a funeral in CA (sorry for the spotty posting while I was gone), and I am checking some back emails and came across this article. Back in May, I posted about a study by the University of Iowa about the fact that most Americans that take herbs do so against standard science. Not long after, TIME did an article on it and it has been going around with titles such as “Buyer Beware!” and “Herbal Remedies’ Potential Dangers!”

The article then goes on to contradict itself by stating both:

Researchers found that the most common mistake users of herbal remedies make is believing that the substances they take actually work. …. So a lot of dollars–not to mention medical faith–are being spent on potentially useless treatments.

and

As it turns out, in some cases they can do a lot of harm, and a surprising number of people are putting themselves at risk by using herbal supplements without being informed about their actual benefits and potential dangers. … Perhaps the greatest potential risk, however, lies in possible interaction with pharmaceutical drugs you are already taking.

Nonetheless, I think what is *meant* by the article, though not exactly stated very well, is that we need to be more careful about what we are taking as far as supplements go.
People, we need to be more informed about what we put into our bodies. This is across the board from herbs to supplements to over the counter medications to fast food. We need to stop just buying what our sister’s friend’s mother said to take and actually doing the research ourselves. Then we need to inform our care providers of what we are doing as well. This does not alleviate any of our responsibility in the way of checking for potential contraindications or interactions. We still need to double check. It is not at all uncommon for a physician to be unfamiliar with herbs (Is Herbal 101 in med school? ) It is not uncommon either for someone to overlook something or make a mistake, which is why we need to be informed.

All in all, despite the poor construction of the article, I am happy responsible self medicating is being encouraged, and who can argue with the conclusion,

The message here is not to avoid all herbal supplements. Increasingly, Western medicine is improving because of discoveries about these alternative treatments. However, it’s important to remember that they are essentially drugs, and the best way to use them is to separate fact from fiction first.

So, ummm, would this be a good time to remind you all of my Herbal Home Study Course?