C-Section Scar Tissue Problem

I had my c-section almost 8 months ago. The incision healed very nicely and became white and flat 3 months after my operation. My incision began to itch at around 5 months and my doctor told me this was normal since it takes one year for the wound to totally heal. Soon after I began having sharp stabbing pains and burning at my incision. Then one day I noticed parts of my scar had turned bright red and had become very swollen. I began having the stabbing burning pain everyday and I decided to see my ob/gyn. She told me that pain so long after the operation is not normal and it appeared that I had developed adhesions. Adhesion is simply a medical term used to describe a scar tissue development. Sometimes the scar tissue forms around your organs constricting them or completely blocking them. She told me I would need to have surgery to cut the adhesion and to get rid of the pain. She told me the next time I got pregnant and had my c-section I could have the surgery done. Until then she could give me pain pills. Well I thought how stupid does she think I am? Why would I ever choose to have another c-section? It also made me wish I had questioned my c-section more. I never knew how many problems I could have. It also affects all my future pregnancies and births which is a real downer. Since she offered no real solution to my problem I decided to try and find one myself. I came across the LilyC Scar Therapy for C-Sections. It is very expensive at $42 but based on the description it looked like it could help with my pain. It mentioned healing red and raised scars. I haven't received the product yet but when I try it out I will be sure to post a  review. Hopefully it can help with my pain.

Product Review - The Healthy Baby Meal Planner

Since I decided to make my own baby food my pediatrician recommended I get a book from the library because certain foods have to be cooked differently. I went to my local library and I got a couple of books. They were ok but they didn't really have very much information besides making basic baby food. When I went to Buy Buy Baby I came across The Healthy Baby Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel.

I flipped through the book at the store and I really liked how much information it had. Since the book was so expensive there, it was $25, I decided to look for a cheaper place to get it. I found it for $5 on eBay, shipping was free. I love this book! It has such great information. It goes over all the vitamins your baby needs and explains each stage of the weaning process. The recipes are very simple but they taste great, I always taste the food I make before I give it to my daughter. They have lots of great puree blends so it makes mixing different veggies and fruits much simpler. It has a sample meal menu you can follow for each stage. It also explains when you can start switching to meats and giving your baby finger foods. It's not just for infants it also has plenty of great recipes for your toddler too. If you plan on making your own baby food I recommend this book, it's the only book you need. Just make sure you get it on eBay because it's much cheaper there!

Do you love crafts?

I have recently begun digging crafts. I don't have very much spare time right now but the little time I do have I like to use sewing or making some cool new craft. My husband has been helping me get my craft room ready and I am very excited to start! I found a great blog at Mothering, Wanda Wen. I love Mothering Magazine and Mothering.com they have lots of great stuff! I am really excited to make this fabric postcard. The Creative Place also has lots of great craft projects. Enjoy!

Tip of the Day

I recently came across a great article on raspberry leaves from Mothering Magazine. Below is a synopsis of what the article said along with a great recipe for Raspberry tea.

Raspberry leaves have been used throughout history to encourage safe, easy childbirth, to speed recovery from birth and to stimulate milk production afterwards. The astringent and stimulating properties strengthen and tone the uterine and pelvic muscles, while the soothing properties relax the uterus. In birth, the tonic and relaxing action of the leaves reduces the pain of uterine contractions and makes them more effective and productive, thereby easing and shortening the duration of childbirth. Raspberry leaf tea also has many uses well beyond the pregnancy and breastfeeding months—as it soothes the kidneys, allays diarrhea, stops hemorrhage, quells nausea, sedates, and relaxes. Raspberry leaf tea is the most popular herb used during pregnancy, and is particularly useful during the third trimester. Its astringent and stimulating properties strengthen and tone the uterine and pelvic muscles, while its soothing properties relax the uterus. Raspberry leaf tea also tones the mucous membranes, soothes the kidneys, allays diarrhea, stops hemorrhage, quells nausea, sedates, and relaxes. Raspberry leaves have been used throughout history to encourage safe, easy childbirth, to speed recovery from birth and to stimulate milk production afterwards. The tonic and relaxing action of the leaves reduces the pain of uterine contractions and makes them more effective and productive, thereby easing and shortening the duration of childbirth.
 
To make the tea
1. Fill a teapot with cold water and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, fill a clean teapot with hot water from the tap. Let it sit until the water boils, then empty the teapot.
3. Place 2 tablespoons dried raspberry leaves or 4 tablespoons fresh raspberry leaves into the teapot.
4. Add 1 pint of boiling water to teapot.
5. Steep for 10 minutes.
6. Strain, pour into a cup and sip slowly.
To make a cup of tea, use half the amount of leaves and water. Drink 1 cup a day during your second trimester, and three cups a day during your third trimester.

Make your own cloth diapers UPDATE

I recently did a post on how to make your own cloth diapers and I wanted to give everyone an update. I haven't had a chance to finish my diaper, work has been very hectic nowadays, but I have made good progress and I wanted to share what I learned. I decided to make the all-in-one diaper. First off I got all the fabric I needed at my local Joann's store except for the PUL. I could only find PUL on ebay. They have lots of different colors online and the price wasn't bad, I paid $10 for one yard. I used 1 layer of knit fabric for the outer layer along with 1 layer of PUL. Joann's sells fabric to make cloth diapers it's cotton and it's similar to the old style cloth diapers. I used 1 layer of this fabric to make the hidden inner layer. For the soaker I decided to experiment a little. Joann's sells bamboo batting which is made of 50% bamboo and 50% organic cotton. They sell this in bags and I bought the craft sized bag since I was just experimenting. It is a little pricey $15 regular price but it was on sale for 50% off the day I bought it. I used 4 layers of this material for the soaker. I then used1 layer of the thinnest fleece I could find. Joann's doesn't sell micrfleece but the fleece I found was fairly thing but a little softer to the touch. It's an important note that I bought a yard to two yards of every fabric, depending on the width. Based on what I have cut so far I estimate I can make around 3 large diapers with all the material I bought. I decided to use velcro instead of snaps because they are easier to fasten while my daughter is squirming around. You will probably need 1 yard of velcro per diaper if you plan on having laundry tabs and double sided tabs. I decided to make my soaker much wider then what the pattern called for. I liked the shape of the soaker the pattern provided but I felt it was to thin towards the middle and top. So far I have been following the picture instructions without any problem. I am new to sewing and it hasn't been challenging for me at all. I will post pictures and another update when I have made more progress.

Product Review - Arm's Reach CoSleeper The Mini

I bought my Arm's Reach CoSleeper The Mini out of sheer frustration. 

                             Arm's Reach CoSleeper - The Mini

I had received the Burlington Baby Bassinet as a baby shower gift. I used that bassinet when my daughter was born and she only liked it the first month. After that we had to haul her play yard up the stairs every night. Eventually I had to sleep in her room on the floor while she slept in her crib. Whenever I would be in my room getting ready I would place her in the Burlington bassinet and that thing was a piece of junk. I hated putting her in it, it was totally unsafe, but I didn't know what else to do. I saw the ad for the cosleeper in my Mothering magazine so I decided to go to Babies R Us and buy it. Oh how I love this cosleeper. I really wish I had this from the beginning. It would have made the first four months of her life so much easier. I am finally able to sleep in my own bed with my daughter sleeping right next to me. It's great peace of mind and I can get much better rest. Since the side comes down I have easy access to her without having to get out of bed. Their is a safety cord that is attached to the cosleeper that you put under your mattress. That way I know the cosleeper won't tip over or move while I sleep. Since it is the mini version it isn't as big as our play yard so I have more space to get around my bedroom. The weight limit on this cosleeper is 30lbs so it can fit a child for up to one year or more. My daughter is 7 and a half months and she still fits great in it. You can also convert it to a play yard when you don't need the cosleeper. It packs up very easily and only takes up the size of a small long box. It costs around $150 which is a little pricey but it's well worth the money. The only drawback is the mattress it comes with. It's not really a mattress so much as a board with foam. You have to buy an additional mattress if you want it to be comfortable. Overall I highly recommend this product.

Tip of the Day

If you use Dr. Browns bottles like I do you have the Bottle Cleaning Brushes that come with them. These little brushes are great for cleaning your bottles and lots of other handy uses. I use my brush to clean the small parts inside of the connector of my Medela Breastpump Shield. It also comes in handy when you need to clean those hard to reach spots in your child's sippy cup, straw cups, or accordion straws. The cleaning brush for the 8 oz bottles also works well when cleaning out medicine droppers. If you don't have a Dr. Browns bottle brush then you can either buy one or you can purchase a Sippy Straw Cleaner, which is the same exact thing but with a handle on one. The Sippy Straw Cleaner is actually more expensive so I would recommend just buying the Dr. Browns cleaning brush.

Teething Tips

My daughter has started teething and she has been having a hard time lately. In my search to help her I got some great tips I wanted to share. Some of my mommy friends suggested Hyland's Teething Tablets, they all swore by it. I discussed this with my pediatrician but she warned against using it because it could numb their throats and that could cause your child to choke. She said I could use children's Tylenol to help her with the pain. I don't like giving her medicine when she doesn't need it, that's why the teething tablets sounded wonderful, so I decided to seek another solution. Some friend's suggested placing ice chips in some Nuby The Nibblers. Since she didn't really drink the infant juice I bought her, I decided to make her a baby popsicle. I mixed her infant juice with water, 50% juice and 50% water, and froze them using some heart ice cube trays I had. I then placed the juice cube inside the Nuby and gave it to her. She absolutely LOVES it. Not only does it help her gums feel better, she also gets the nutrition from the juice. It's also a great treat for a hot summer day! I also found a couple of good teething toys: Sophie the Giraffe, Infantino Barn Babies, Floating Stars Teether, and the Winnie the Pooh teether book.

Infant Choking

In my last support group meeting we discussed infant choking. A RN gave us some great handouts and went over what to do if your child is ever choking. I thought it would be a great idea to share what I learned. Please note that this is just a basic overview. The nurse recommended that everyone take the child safety course at our local hospital. Never give your infant raisins, popcorn, nuts of any kind, or candy. Cut all foods smaller than your pinky finger nail especially hot dogs, grapes, meats, and carrots. Anything that can fit through a toilet paper tub is a choking hazard. Some common choking hazards are pen caps, balloons (inflated or not), coins, safety pins, gum, nails, and rings.

Choking Infant Rescue - For Infants under 1 year
If your baby is unable to cough or cry, is making a high-pitched gasping noise, or their face/lips are turning blue or bright red they might be choking. If your baby is coughing or gagging let him cough. Do not pat the baby on the back, this could lodge the object further down the airway.

If your baby is choking
1. If someone is with you have them call 911. If you are alone begin rescue attempts, don't call 911 first.
2. Place infant face down on your thigh. Be sure his head is lower than the rest of his body. Give 5 back blows. These are given between the infant's shoulder blades by using the heel of your hand. Be sure to support his head so it is not being shaken.
3. Carefully supporting the infant, turn him over so he is facing up. Be sure his head is still lower than the rest of the body. Give 5 chest thrusts. These are given at the nipple line using two or three fingers, pressing straight down about 1/2 to 1 inch deep. Be sure to allow the chest to return to normal between thrusts.
4.Repeat steps 2 and 3, alternating between 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts. Continue until the object comes out or the baby becomes unconscious.
5. If your baby becomes unconscious call 911.

Infants and Iron/Vitamin D

I have been making my own food for my infant daughter and since I haven't been giving her iron fortified cereal and I have been exclusively breastfeeding I was concerned she wasn't getting enough iron. I talked to my lactation consultant and she said that around 6 months infants go through all the iron stored in their body. I could either give her foods fortified with iron or I could talk to my pediatrician about giving her an iron supplement. I spoke with my pediatrician at my daughter's 6 month checkup and she recommended I give her Enfamil® Poly-Vi-Sol® with Iron Drops.

 

    Enfamil® Poly-Vi-Sol® with Iron Drops

You can find it anywhere they carry baby products such as Target and Walgreens. It is just one dropper full a day and a box costs around $10. It doesn't taste very good, my daughter hated it at first, but you can add it to your child's food to make easier.  Another important vitamin that infants bodies need is Vitamin D. Our bodies produce Vitamin D with sun exposure. Babies need 2 hrs a week or 17 minutes a day (face only exposed) or 30 minutes a week or 4 minutes a day (stripped down to diaper) for the body to produce the right amount of Vitamin D. Severe Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets. If you know your child isn't getting enough Vitamin D you can buy a supplement for them. The Enfamil PolyViSol already has Vitamin D in it, along with some other vitamins, so you only have to buy one supplement to get everything your child needs.

Tip of the Day

If you have been following my blog then you know I am always looking for easy & wholesome recipes to make for my family. I don't have very much time, as I know most mothers don't, to cook in the evenings and I don't want to have to buy 30 ingredients to make just one meal. I came across Weelicious.com on a friend's recommendation and I love this site. They have lots of great recipes for the whole family, even for my infant daughter, and best of all this site really strives to make wholesome food. My husband and I use to eat out a lot since neither of us had time to cook but all that changed when my daughter was born. I want her eating healthy foods made at home, just like I use to have. Weelicious is just another great resource I can use to help me feed my family.

Infant Sun Care

Now that the weather is getting warmer my family and I are planning some great outdoor activities. I thought it would be important to discuss some tips for the warmer weather. If you are going to be outdoors for longer than 15 minutes then you need to apply sunscreen for your infant and yourself. Use at least SPF 15 sunblock. I use the Aveeno Baby Sunblock with SPF 55 on my daughter. I use the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch sunblock on my skin. Now I know a lot of people don't bother putting sunscreen on but this is very important. Sun damage can lead to skin cancer as well as wrinkles, sun spots, etc. Also make sure to protect your eyes and wear sun glasses that block out the uva rays. I know we really don't think about protecting our eyes when it comes to the sun but it is very important. Prolonged exposure to the sun actually causes damage to your eyes so always remember to bring your sunglasses! They have great infant sunglasses, the ones with wrap around bands, that you can use to protect your children's eyes. Hats are also another great way to protect yourself and your family from the sun. Try and get hats that are made from thicker material because the thicker the material the more sun that gets blocked out. A denim shirt has an SPF of 1700, but a cotton T-shirt has an SPF of just 8. A useful rule of thumb is to hold the material up to a strong light source such as a light bulb. If you can see images through it, it probably has an SPF value less than 15. If light gets through, but you can't really see through it, it probably has a SPF value somewhere between 15 and 50. If it completely blocks all light, it probably has an SPF value greater than 50. Finally don't forget the water! It is very important to stay hydrated, for you and your children so always pack some water for everyone!

Tips for taking your infant on trips

I know how stressful it can be when planning a trip with an infant. What should I pack? How much should I take? Did I forget anything? are always questions that come to mind. I have come up with some tips from my own experiences that might be helpful.

If possible it's always a good idea to take a short "practice" trip before the big vacation. If you will be driving then take a short road trip or if flying take a short flight before the big day. You can see how your child will react and you can get better prepared.  If your taking breastmilk/formula with you on a flight make sure you know the FAA rules ahead of time. It's also a good idea to print them out and take them with you in case anyone at the airport gives you a hard time. Don't forget to take snacks/food for the baby and some for you as well. I know we all want to keep our child entertained on trips but try to take as few toys as possible. On that same note don't forget to pack some toys or activities that will entertain your child on the trip. Remember to pack only what is needed. Sometimes we think we might need an item and we pack it just in case and we never end up using it. It's best to take only what is needed. Make sure you know ahead of time where the nearest baby needs store is by your hotel just in case you need to purchase anything you forgot. To make packing easier purchase travel size items for all of your medicines and toiletries.This will save space and you should be able to take these items with you on the plane. Make a list of the items you need to pack ahead of time. That way you can add items as you remember them so you will be less likely to forget things. Check the weather report ahead of time so you know what type of clothes to pack. Think of what you do throughout a normal day and make sure you pack all of the items you use. If possible plan on leaving close to your child's bed time so they can sleep for as long as possible on the trip. Plan your vacation itinerary around your baby's naps and feedings. It's best to plan some time each day back at the hotel so everyone can rest.

Most importantly stay positive you are going on a vacation after all!

Cloth Diaper Review - AppleCheeks Pocket Diapers

I came across the AppleCheeks pocket diapers when they were listed on Baby Half Off and I decided to give them a try.

 

Based on the description this is a pocket diaper, they call it an envelope diaper on their site, that comes in two sizes. The diaper is suppose to unstuff itself in the washing machine. Since size 2 fits children up to 40 lbs I bought two diapers in this size. I was very surprised at how trim they are. They are very simple diapers a PUL outerlayer and a fleece inner layer. The fleece used in this diaper is very soft! With my other pocket diapers the opening is so small it's hard to get an insert in but these diapers have a large opening and since its in the middle of the diaper it is very easy to use. I have my own inserts, both prefolds and Flip inserts, so I didn't buy the inserts AppleCheeks sells I just used what I already had. The only problem with using your own inserts is that the diapers won't unstuff themselves in the washing machine. I was a little concerned with the elastic on the waist but the elastic is very stretchy and soft so it doesn't hurt my daughter's skin. I don't see how this diaper fits children up to 40lbs. My daughter only weighs 15lbs and she was already on the second to last column of snaps. They do sell waist extenders so that might be why the company advertises it fits up to 40lb children. The best part was that my daughter's skin was dry even after a heavy wetting. I am so happy with this product. I wish I had purchased more!