Nontraditional Mommy Answers

There's a difference between traditional thought, medicine, and just good old fashioned common sense. How many of us still believe that you can scare someone out of having hiccups? How many of us have put our crying babies on top of a dryer to soothe them? These are definitely things that aren't taught in medical school, but as mothers we just know they work. I thought it would be fun to share some of the things that have worked for me and others. If any of you have other ideas.... please share away!!

When my oldest was a newborn he had difficulty getting to sleep at night. In retrospect I think he got days and nights mixed up. He would sleep most of the day and then want to stay up during the night. When I had reached a point where I could not stand it anymore, one of my friends suggested that I take him out for a ride. She claimed that it worked for her baby every time. I was desperate for sleep, so I begged my dear husband to take the baby out for a "ride" at around 10:30pm. He obliged. When he came back my baby was sound asleep. I dared not move him. So... I did what any sleep-deprived rational mother would do... I left him in the car seat. He slept the entire night!!

At the time my oldest was born, it was standard practice to lay the babies on their backs. It was supposed to help prevent SIDS. Since it was my first baby, I was very paranoid about this. The only time I would place him on his tummy was when we played during the day. I started noticing that he not only had a bald spot on the back of his head, but his head was flattened. I freaked out and took him to the doctor. I was worried that he would have brain damage or something. The doctor laughed and told me that there was an epidemic of flat heads because they lay on their backs and the skull is still so soft at this point. He told me not to worry and reassured me that his head would be okay. However, I have to admit that he looked so weird and I was still worried. At about this time, he started to roll over in the crib. That kept me busy. I would roll him back and he would roll over to his tummy while sleeping. One day my mother came to visit and she told me, "why don't you just let him sleep on his tummy?" I immediately explained how sleeping on his back would prevent SIDS and that the doctor told me not to worry about the flat head. She explained that every few years they change things. When I was born my mom was told to put me on my tummy because they were afraid of babies choking on their vomit. Then it changed to the side because they worried about blankets covering the face. When I got to thinking about it, I realized how silly it was. I started to let my baby stay on his tummy if he rolled over and he not only slept better, but his flat head went away. (Thanks mom!!)

Teething is always such a hard time for moms. I remember how bad ALL my children teethed and how long it seemed to last. Unfortunately, the things doctors tell you to do don't always work. I was always told to use cold teething rings. It was supposed to help relieve the pain. However, that seemed to make things worse for my babies. They would suck and then start to scream. I imagine they probably weren't expecting the cold sensation. One of the quickest and easiest solutions for me was homeopathic solutions. I purchased these little pellets (my mom used them with me) at Wal-Mart and they worked! They have numerous brands and I am not sure which kind they have available these days, but I am sure there are probably even more now. Also, I have already mentioned how one of my friends gave me some chamomile capsules that you just squirt into the baby's mouth. It's liquid and they just swallow it. It helped my baby calm down. Since then, I have found numerous products at our herb shop. Just be savvy and make sure to look at the active ingredients. Just because it's sold at an herb shop doesn't mean it's completely safe.

All of my babies slept through the night at an early age. It wasn't any trick I did or herb I gave them. I basically put them in their own bed by the time they were two months. My only exception was my #4 because we had problems with his feeding when he was born and he ended up in the hospital. It took a while for us to get into a normal routine, and I ended up leaving him in my room for a little longer due to the crazy feeding schedule we had to do. I learned that sometimes babies just wake up in the middle of the night and it's completely normal. They aren't hungry or wet. If you wait a while (at least a few minutes) they will usually calm themselves down and go back to sleep. That is a good thing. If they continued to cry then I would go and either pick them up and hold them and love on them, or I would just pat them on the bottom and rub their back. After a while, my visits became less and less frequent until they learned to calm themselves down. I know a lot of friends who like their babies to stay in the room while they are nursing. I understand the dilemma. It IS a pain having to get out of bed and nurse. However, you would be surprised how much better you and the baby will sleep given the chance. (Of course, this advice is only for those who wish for their babies to sleep through the night. If you do fine with the baby in bed with you and/or beside you in a co-sleeper then my hat goes off to you!!)

The last issue I want to talk about is when do you know your baby is sick? When I was a new mom I took my baby in for EVERYTHING!! I think most new moms do. Now that I have four kids, I only take them if they have had stomach issues for more than a couple days, fever that persists and/or won't go down, green drainage coming out of nose, and respiratory issues such as pneumonia and bronchitis (characterized by wheezing and/or coughing). Everything else pretty much has a solution that can be done at home. Every new mom should invest in a humidifier!! They are wonderful. They help in the wintertime when the air is dry and during the hot summer months when allergies are rampant. Another thing that I find useful is gingerale. This is perfect for when your child is nauseous, feeling weak, or if you are worried about dehydration. Chicken noodle soup is also a great "medicine" and they have actually done studies on it. You know what they say, "starve a fever, feed a cold"... that pretty much sums it up. Sometimes kids just need to lay down and get rest. If you pump them up with tylenol then they will think they are better and they won't let their bodies heal. They will overdo it and then take longer to get well. If your child is running a low-grade fever there are many options. They don't recommend doing alcohol anymore and for good reason. However, I still believe in giving baths (not too cold) and undressing them if necessary. Those are some things that have worked for me.

I hope some of you will find something useful. I hope to hear from you all with more ideas. I wish I knew how to do a "topic link" so that people can post ideas for everyone to see. I am still new at this blogging thing... Perhaps one day I will figure it out.
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Wisdom is knowing that truth can be
relative.
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