Natural Teeth Cleaning

What's this?  This isn't toothpaste.  That's right  It's not toothpaste.  This is one of the hardest things I have ever done on this crunchy ride of mine.  I replaced toothpaste with baking soda.  I replaced my Listerine mouthwash with hydrogen peroxide.  It's listed in those hippie green books as natural ways to clean your teeth.  And, you know what?  My teeth are whiter and healthier than they have ever been. My pink gums are back.  My teeth are pearly white.  The coffee stains are gone.  Pregnancy can cause gums to bleed easily, and that completely stopped when I switched over.

It is conventional wisdom that toothpaste must contain fluoride for it to be effective. I was married to this concept, and would not use most of the natural toothpastes for years.  But, crunchy hippies hold that fluoride is nothing more than a waste product of industry and that these people just  get rid of the waste by putting it into our drinking supply and selling it to us in tubes. That fluoride is more likely to be dangerous than helpful and may cause serious health problems.  Blah, blah, blah.  Everything is a conspiracy, they sell us crap we don't need, and it's all going to cause cancer. But seriously.  My teeth don't lie.  I am not going back.

Poem for Lily

29 weeks

I wonder what you're doing in there,
If you already want to pull out your hair,
I am sure that I move the moment you get cozy,
I probably bounce around with too much glee,
Oh the company I keep and their funny voices,
I hope I am making some of the right choices,
The weird music I play on the radio,
And those funny guys on the talk show,
I hope you're dancing to it, too.
I hope that none of this makes you sad and blue.

If you hated the cheeseburgers and the steaks,
Why, it would make my heart break,
Because everything I do is for you,
Except continue to wear those damn shoes,
Please don't forsake the milkshake,
As giving them up would make the earth quake,
You probably roll your little eyes,
How funny we are to you, I can only surmise,
I suppose I am being just silly.
Of course you love it all; you are my Lily.

Safe Cosleeping

 Cosleeping, also known as a family bed, is where little ones sleep with parents.  This can be done with a single bed or with a sidecar cribe or cosleeper.  It has generally been considered taboo since statistics linked infant deaths to sharing the family bed.  But, it is still practiced all over the world, many parents have fallen into the family bed because of exhaustion, and it can be better for baby if done correctly and safely.  Many babies aren't happy sleeping alone.  Infants need the constant touch of a loved one to feel safe.  Little ones who sleep with their parents cry less, sleep more, and can be breastfeed more easily.  A lot of people won't admit to themselves that they cosleep, because they wind up sleeping with baby anyway or rocking baby to sleep all night and not getting any sleep themselves.  My mom rocked me to sleep all night for the longest time.

With the rise of attachment parenting, cosleeping is being talked about more and more as a safe option:

It's important to note that infant solitary sleep is a relatively new practice that has evolved in the western world only within the last 100 years. Recently, there have been efforts by various medical and professional organizations to discourage parents from sleeping with their children for fear that it contributes to an increase in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). However, new research demonstrates that co-sleeping, when practiced by informed parents, can be safe and beneficial. In fact, many cultures where parents routinely sleep with their children report some of the lowest SIDS rates. In some of these cultures SIDS is non-existent.

While at the first Le Leche League meeting I attended, one of the other women brought up cosleeping as a benefit to breastfeeding.  Almost all of the women in the room did practice cosleeping.  For us pregnant ladies, one of the LLL leaders started discussing proper practices:

• No blankets on the bed.
• No pillows near baby.
• No impaired parents in the bed (alcohol, drugs, drowsy medications).
• Non-breastfeeding parents shouldn't cosleep in the bed with baby (breastfeeding moms are more in sync with baby).

And, the chapter librarian mentioned that there were two books in the chapter library that women could check out.  I checked one out called Good Nights: The Happy Parents Guide to the Family Bed.  The authors talk about more ways to have a safe family bed:

•  If either parents smoke, stop.
• Recent statistics say babies should sleep on their back.  Never their stomach.
• It may or may not be safer to have the baby sleep next to the mother only, because she'll be more aware of changes in baby.
• Put parents in between baby and siblings, if they also share the bed.
• Sleep on a firm mattress or futon.  Not on a soft mattress, egg crate, water bed, or couch.
• The bigger the bed, the better.  This reduces the risk of crowding.
• Exceptionally obese folks may not want to consider cosleeping, because they may not be as aware of their body's position in relation to baby.  A sidecar position might be a good option instead.
• Don't put your bed against the wall, and if it has to be, make it flush and pack a towel in the crevasse.
• Keeping a bed lower to the ground can minimize falls.  Directly on the floor is best.
• Make sure the headboard is on straight and tight.  Don't want any little hands or heads getting trapped!
• If the headboard has slats, make sure that they are no more than 2 3/8 inches apart.  Again, we don't want little heads to get stuck!
• Few blankets are better than a comforter, but don't cover baby's head.  (This contradicts what the LLL leaders mentioned, so I will ask have to do more looking into the blanket question.)
• Guardrails, available at baby stores, can help baby from falling off, but they aren't necessarily super safe, because babies can get stuck in compromising positions.