Natural Baby Care Products

Lately I have been thinking more about natural products. I have been using natural products on my son, with the exception of using Baby Aquaphor to heal/prevent diaper rash. I tried Burt's Bees diaper rash cream and Bordeaux's Butt Paste All Natural. Both of those products were OK, but did not work well with my baby. I like the tea tree lavender wash from California Baby that I have been using and may try the California Baby diaper rash cream next.

I do not want to use any products on my baby that contain unnatural chemicals that may cause harm such as cancer or infertility. I have done a little research on phthalates, parabens, and petroleum products. The research I have looked at suggests there may be some links with these chemicals and cancer and damage to the endocrine system. Although, I also came across some research that said phthalates were perfectly safe. When it comes to my child, I would rather not take any chances. I want him to be as healthy and happy as possible throughout his life!

A girlfriend of mine mentioned something about dying hair and breastfeeding, which got me thinking about products I use on myself that may be getting into my bloodstream and breast milk. If I am using natural products on my baby, maybe I should be using them for myself and making sure my husband is also healthy and using natural products. I am not so sure that I will go without dying my hair, or not wearing make up, but I think I will start phasing out the soap and lotions that contain these products. I don't want to waste the products we have spent money on, but when we run out I will look for organic/natural products. this website looks like it may be helpful in finding natural, chemical free products: safemama.

Bean's First Thanksgiving

So, I am still catching up, since I am starting this blog three months after the birth of our amazing son. I have it on my calendar to blog at least twice a month. Maybe I will be able to do more eventually!

Amel, Mr. Bean, and I spent Thanksgiving at home this year. Maika was only about six weeks old at Thanksgiving. We thought it would be nice to have an intimate Thanksgiving dinner. I searched for a "tiny turkey." The smallest I could find was just under ten pounds. Amel took care of Mr. Bean, while I prepared our feast. I tried a recipe for a turkey in a bag using rosemary and various other herbs and spices, along with onions and apples. We also had green bean casserole, homemade cranberry salad (I love the recipe I have for this) and mashed potatoes. Everything turned out well. The turkey was fairly moist and tasty, although not the best turkey I have ever tasted. Maybe next year I will try putting the turkey in brine (or does one say brining the turkey?) Currently, I am looking into "Restaurant Recipes at Home". They look interesting and yummy!

Our neighbors across the street invited us over for dessert. We really enjoyed our family dinner, but it was also nice to get out and socialize a little. My mom bought a Thanksgiving outfit for Maika, but it was short lived. He had a blow out and didn't get to wear it to the neighbors. Actually, they wouldn't have seen it anyway, as he was alseep in the Moby Wrap the whole time :)

We really had a lot to be thankful for this year; each other, our new healthy and happy baby, a good job, our peaceful home, I could go on and on... I am glad I am writing these memories down!

Our Son, Maika

On October 13, Amel and I were blessed with the best gift ever! Our beautiful baby boy, Maika Reshad Karamesic. I have been inspired by other moms blogging about their families and documenting their special memories with their children. I decided to start this blog so that we don't forget all the special times we have already shared together and our future memories.

So now, to sum up my pregnancy and the first three months of Maika's life: I was one of the 5% of women who have nausea and vomiting throughout their entire pregnancy. Insomnia was no picnic either. Even though I felt lousy, the prize at the end was so worth it!

I had hoped to do natural child birth, but at our 36 week ultrasound, the ultrasound tech told us we had a "fat, hairy baby." We weren't sure whether to laugh or cry! She said Maika was already 8 lbs., although ultrasounds can be off by a pound either way. I went back for another ultra sound at 38 weeks to see how much he had grown and they said he had gained another pound. After talking with friends and coworkers who had babies, we decided a scheduled c-section was the way to go. I didn't want to be in labor for hours and hours and then end up having a c-section anyway. At first I was upset about this, but got over it pretty quickly. I was just excited to meet our baby and not be pregnant anymore!

We went in for the c-section at noon. My mom was with us. I went back to talk to the person taking my information and before I knew it, they were taking me back to get ready for the surgery. I didn't have time to tell my mom. The nurses came in and hooked up my IV. I met the anesthesiologist and his assistant, then went into the surgery room for my spinal. This was the scary part for me.

It was freezing in the surgery room! The anesthesiologist's assistant put the needle for the spinal in and kept telling me to relax my back so the medicine could go in. I was trying but was shivering and my legs were shaking. Finally the nurse held my legs still and the medicine went in. They laid me down in the table and wrapped warm blankets around me. I could hardly see anything. Dr. Brass and some assistants came in. They put up a cover so I (and amel) couldn't see the surgery happening. The doctors and nurses were talking about Amel and how he was nervous about coming in. They made sure he couldn't see anything and brought him in. Amel sat up by my head and told me Mujo and Sujo jokes to keep my mind off of the pressure I was feeling.

I didn't feel any pain, but could feel pressure. I thought this would really bother me, but it didn't bother me at all. I felt a lot of tugging and then heard Maika's first cry! They washed Maika off and showed him to Amel. Amel said he was blue! As soon as Maika was born, he grabbed onto one of the nurse's name badge. She had to ask for help to get him to let go! He was born with a superman grip. When Maika grabbed onto his Tata's finger with that grip, Amel was in love. They showed him to me, but I could hardly see him due to the blankets around my head. Amel went with the nurses to weigh and measure the baby and all the other procedures they do, while the doctors sewed me up. Then it was off to the recovery room.

I got to get a good look at our beautiful baby and to finally hold him and nurse him. I was amazed at how quickly the c-section and the time after the surgery went by. I think we were in our hospital room around 5:00 pm (the surgery started at 2 pm). It seemed like hardly any time had passed by. Looking back at pictures later, I realize I was a little out of it from the morphine.

There weren't any regular rooms available. We got the isolation room at the end of the hall. My mom was anxiously waiting to see Maika. I was really tired from the morphine and super itchy.

Thinking back about our 4 nights in the hospital, it seems almost surreal. I found it hard to get rest in the hospital, as nurses and aids were coming in every couple of hours to check on us. I found breastfeeding to be a lot more difficult than I expected. It took 5 or 6 days for my milk to come in. Maika lost 10% of his birth weight and the nurses said we needed to supplement with formula. I really did not want to give him formula, but was freaked out that he was loosing too much weight. We started giving him a bottle for one feeding. We hoped to spend only three nights in the hospital, but Maika couldn't have his circumcision until he gained a little weight. I was definitely ready to leave the hospital and get home, although it felt a little strange arriving home with our new little person.

I wasn't quite sure what to do when we arrived home. For the first few weeks, I think I felt like I was taking care of someone else's baby. It didn't seem real that I had my very own little boy. Also, he had a full head of almost black hair. All the babies on my side of the family have been baldies. I was glad my mom stayed with us for a week. Amel and I were timid when it came to taking care of our newborn. It took us soo long to change a diaper and we were afraid we might hurt him when changing his clothes. We were also a little nervous in taking care of the umbilical cord stump and changing diapers while Maika's circumcision was healing. Amel was great about changing diapers in the hospital, but wouldn't change him after his circumcision until it was healed! We really weren't sure how to bathe a newborn and breastfeeding was still not going as well as I had hoped. By this point I had sore cracked nipples, but took my sister's advice and just curled up my toes and fed him in spite of the pain! (Ok, tmi, but I want to remember things)

I have to admit, the first month was wonderful, but also difficult. I was getting 1 1/2 to 2 hour intervals of sleep and feeling very hormonal, crying at the drop of a hat. My mom got groceries and made dinner for us every night while she was here. She also helped out with Maika and allowed me to get some naps in. When she had to leave I thought things would be fine, but I definitely could've used some help! Amel felt like he was helping more than usual, but I felt like it wasn't enough. After three weeks of being over sensitive and crying often, I called the doctor who said antidepressants would probably be helpful for me and she was right. I think people are often hesitant to talk about this, but hey, with all those hormones going crazy and no sleep it is understandable that a person might need something to help get those hormones back under control.

When Maika was about a week old, he had his first visit with the pediatrician. He had lost more weight. Amel and I were really nervous about this. We continued to supplement with formula. I met with a lactation consultant, Debbie Gillespie, who was very nice and really helpful. She helped me with positioning and gave me a lot of useful information. Breastfeeding went better after this meeting and our little beanster started gaining weight. He also started becoming more alert and staying awake for feedings a little more (although he was very alert for a newborn right from the beginning!).

For the first two months I kept track of everything, feedings, poos, pees, baby's mood.. By two months things seemed to be going more smoothly. We were figuring out what different cries, sounds, and wiggles meant. We were really starting to communicate with our beautiful baby.

It may sound like there is a lot of complaining here and like having a baby is really hard work. Having a baby is hard work, but I am not complaining. Through the no sleep, no showering, the messy house, and figuring things out with the hubby, we are still having an amazing and wonderful time. One of our favorite things about Mr. Bean was/is the way he stretches after eating. We call this "stretchy stretchy." He made the most precious faces after eating. We thoroughly enjoyed cuddling him and listening to his little sounds and adorable faces. There really are no words to describe how wonderful it is to become a parent. We were in love with Mr. Bean at first sight and it grows every day.

My goal is to post at least twice a month. That doesn't sound like much, but will be a big accomplishment if I can do it!