Notes from the Homeopathics for Kids Class at Zukababy

http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com/homeopathy_for_kids.html

Hyland's Kid Kit:

http://www.hylands.com/products/kidskit.php

How to take homeopathic remedies:

1. Shake bottle to 'shake up' energy of the pills, especially if the bottle has been sitting awhile.
2. Do not touch pill, shake pills into lid or spoon and place into child's mouth, be careful not to touch the lid to the mouth to avoid cross contamination.
3. Take into a clean mouth avoid any food or drink, including water at least 15 minutes before and after.

• Exceptions: BFing mothers, the idea of not touching the remedy is that the energy in the pill goes into the first person it touches, however in BFing mothers it's also absorbed and transferred by the BM. Breast milk is also exempt from the clean mouth rule.

Kit includes:

Aconite 30x:

• Good for SUDDEN onsets, fever, terrors, night terrors
• SUDDEN fevers in the 1st 24 hours -- then treat symptomatically
• Good for anything SUDDEN

Arnica 30x:

• Used after giving birth/C section
• Used 1st for soft tissue trauma
• Bumped heads, pinched fingers, stubbed toes, ANY bruising
• Help to reduce swelling FAST

Belladonna 30x

• SUDDEN onset
• SUDDEN VIOLENT onsets
• earaches, headaches, fevers

Chamomilla 30x:

• Calming, mellowing
• Good for teething, stomaches

Ferrum Phos 30x:

• Clear runny nose

Hepar Sulph 30x:

• Green runny nose
• Earaches

Books to look into:

Homeopathy for Mother and Baby by Miranda Castro
http://www.amazon.com/Homeopathy-Mother-Baby-Miranda-Castro/dp/0333557476

The Complete Family Guide to Homeopathy by Doctor Christopher Hammond
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Family-guide-Homeopathy-Encyclopedia/dp/067086157X

It's been awhile

I haven't posted in a long time but I'm going to try to start posting regularly again. Brogan is now eight and a half months old! He's getting so big and so active, he's turning into a little boy! I can see him turning from a baby into a toddler right before my eyes and it makes me a little sad.

He can sit without support, and is trying to crawl. =) He loves to stand and loves to eat. He can feed himself alot of the time and he is just amazing.

Tomorrow my baby boy is three months old! OH MY GOD! NO WAY!!! This CAN NOT BE!? ALREADY?? It's been a very fast three months and he's is growing and changing so much every day! I look back in amazement at his progress from his May 5th traumatic entrance in to the world, and I'm so so proud of him. He is such a happy baby, very calm and cheerful. He doesn't fuss or get upset often, unless he needs something; to eat, to be changed, to be held, when he's sleepy... other than that hardly ever do you hear an unhappy sound out of his mouth. Brogan is an angel!! His favorite activities at three months include:

Watching lights!! Any lights, the TV, ceiling lights, hanging lights, outside lights, lamps... he likes all lights, still lights, moving lights, Doesn't matterOutdoors!! Looking outside, walking outside, sitting outside, he likes to watch the sky and the trees move, and the birds, he likes going for walks, but he falls asleep a lotJungle Gym/Bouncy Chair!! Reaching and grabbing at the 'buggies on his bouncy chair, reaching and grabbing at the links in the gymLaying on the floor and stretching out his limbs, practicing and getting ready to roll

"Talking!!" to Mommie, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, Grammy, the lights, outside, the birds, the TV, the doorknob, his hand, the wall, the birds on the railing... He makes all sorts of noises, ooo and aaa and mmmmm's, laughs and giggles, LOTS OF SMILES

Singing and Reading... Favorite songs include: 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,' and 'I'm A Little Tea Pot' and he loves all of his books

Bathtime!! Splishing and Splashing in the tub

Being loved on by Mommie and Daddy!! Sitting and being held by Mommie and Daddy... Sleeping with Mommie and Daddy... Doing most anything with Mommie and Daddy!!! =)

Tomorrow Daddy and I plan on taking Brogan out for his 3 Month Birthday!!! LOL We're just going to grab a cheap bite to eat and go to the park or somewhere to take some 3 month photos!

At 3 months postpartum, I'm doing okay. My cut is still healing, and other than that physically I'm almost back to prebaby! Emotionally I'm still having a time adjusting and dealing with the Emergency birth and the NICU experience. I find myself unable to watch or read stories of prematurity or emergency births... it reminds me of how close I came to losing Brogan and it upsets me. I find myself being paranoid of the smallest things, that something may happen to him... I think it's because I came so close to losing him without even really knowing, finding out weeks later just how close him and I were to death, is unsettling to me. That and a combo of not really being in any sort of control over how his birth and hospital stay went... it all happened so fast and I wasn't completely myself. All and all I'm dealing slowly but surely and am luckly to have Darrin who keeps me sane!

12 weeks and counting!

Okay so I've been keeping a pretty close eye on Brogan's developmental progress, just because he was born early and I want to catch any potential problems early. However I do believe babies will do things in their own time... I still like to keep an eye on every thing and know what's 'supposed' to be happening vs what he really does... Anyways.

According to this Baby Center chart Brogan is basically doing everything he's supposed to! If you notice it's divided into three columns, L to R they are, Mastered Skills: Things Most Kids can do, Emerging Skills: Things Half of Kids can do, and Advanced Skills: Things a Few Kids can do. All the circled yellow things he does easily and on a regular basis, and the ones in red he sorta does... kinda:

For example: Notices his hands?? I'm not sure, like cause he doesn't sit and stare/play with his hands like I've seen babies do but he does he out and grab things with his hands, so he uses them with a purpose. and the mini pushup? He can do it on Mommy and Daddy, but Brogan HATES Tummy Time, so he won't do it on the floor at all. He won't even lay on the floor most the time on his tummy... The next chart is from another site and it's only for Month 2; Again the only things he doesn't do are in red:

Same thing here, 45 degrees and mini push ups on Mommy and Daddy only, and we are quite up to rolling yet... but he tries to sometimes. So I think, in my professional opinion... LOL that my baby is totally on target!

YAY BROGAN!

Plans? What plans...

Motherhood is a blast. I love it, who know right? Nearly the 3 month mark I'm having a lot of reflecting on the plans I had made...

I'd planned on having a 3rd trimester, 3D/4D ultrasound and belly bump photos taken; instead I ended up having him the day before the appt, and getting newborn photos instead.

I'd planned on attempting the most natural vaginal childbirth possible for me; I ended up with an Emergency C Section.

I'd planned on breastfeeding exclusively (no bottles, or nipples whatsoever) and not introducing a Binky till well past the one month mark if ever; he ended up using a Binky since birth (NICU nurses gave it to him) and he uses formula occasionally, and bottles... also because he's had them since birth.

I'd also planned to breastfeed immediately after birth; I ended up not seeing him again till he was 36 hours old.

I'd planned on taking 6 maybe 8 weeks of Maternity Leave; I ended up with 10 and a half total.

Honestly. I don't care a wit either. I'm just glad he's happy, healthy and here with me =)

He's a Smiling Drooly MONSTER!

Brogan has totally 'mastered' smiling. He smiles ALL the time, at everything. At anything. At the blank white wall. At the doorknobs. At the birds outside, the lights in the living room, the TV, his animals and his buggies. My favorite has to be when he smiles at me or Darrin though, when he looks me straight in the eye and smiles sooo big. I can't help but love my little boy so much. He's also grown so much, he's getting so big and chunky now. I finally feel like I relax and breathe a little bit. I worried so much during the first months, is he eating enough, is he eating often enough, should I wake him up to eat, should I give him extra, is he gaining? But, I know now that he is, and I have the visual evidence to prove it! SEE the picture below!! The outfit next to him is the outfit Lacey sent me, it's a size Premature, from Carter's. When we got it, it was the only thing that actually fit him, everything else was WAY too big, now he's like WAY bigger than it. I love it.

New things going on with Brogan other than the smiling: Drooling. Drool drool drool, everywhere all the time... I'm beginging to wonder if he's not getting ready to start teething. I didn't think he would/could this early but he's got mass amounts of drool and he's mouthing/eating everything he can get into his mouth. LOL my shoulder... his blanket, clothes... it's hilarious. He's staying awake more and more, and sleeping better and longer at night. He loves sitting up, whether it be in his Bumbo or on my lap with me holding him up, he's got some awesome head control, except when he's sleepy. He's starting to babble a bit, he coos and oohs and ahhs and he squeals and yells at things. Basically he's starting to be all kinds of fun.

Work Makes Me Weary

Well. I started back to work on Saturday, closed Saturday night and Tuesday night. It's... well it's work. I miss Brogan so much while I'm gone and pumping at Target is a pain in the... you know. I don't much enjoy any of it.

Thankfully everything seems to be working out well with Darrin watching Brogan in the evenings, I think he really enjoys spending the time with his Daddy. I think it'll be good for them in the long run too, all the extra time together without me around... I mean I get tons of time with just me and Brogan. Darrin should get some too.