Essential Oils - How much do you know?

Essential Oil use has risen in popularity over the last several years.  This mama was excited to enter into the world of using EO's!  I too wanted natural remedies as a first course of action before considering pharmaceutical options as well as preventative maintenance for health, beauty, and emotional and mental well being.  It seemed so simple, so amazingly natural... so safe!

Think about one oil:  Eucalyptus essential oil.  Very common for treating congestion.  There are 3 types and a simple google search will give you information such as:

Eucalyptus Globulus - The classic eucalyptus inspires deep breathing with its foresty, vaporous, camphor-like aroma. It's a mainstay aroma for clarifying bath preparations and body applications.

Eucalyptus Radiata - A gentler and greener scented version of the classically camphorous blue gum eucalyptus aroma, narrow leaved eucalyptus offers a softer, milder aroma. It's great for kids and people who are more sensitive to powerful aromas.

Eucalyptus Citriodora - The camphorous aroma of this essential oil takes a back seat to a distinctly lemony, lemongrass-like aroma, making it a nice addition to room mists, skin care oils and lotions. Lemon eucalyptus is a wonderfully protecting summertime oil, great for outdoor use.

Notice the one that says "great for kids" - Did you know that NO Eucalyptus is considered safe for children under 10?  When I first started using oils, my son was an infant.  I wanted natural remedies for his congestion and immune boosting, etc.  I kept seeing advise from blogs, and MLM Facebook pages for "breathe" blends and other suggestions always involving eucalyptus, it was so frustrating.  There are lists for age appropriate oils.

It's wonderful that awareness for natural options such as EO's has grown, however, this generates opportunity in the open market for new companies wanting a piece of the action offering consumers a plethora of companies to choose from.  We all know this means differences in price, quality, ethical & sustainable business practices, etc.  And that means we as the consumer are responsible for choosing the best one.  I don't know about you, but I am absolutely exhausted from having to research every last little thing that I buy just to know it's safe!  Everything from the food we eat to the plastic we used to eat or drink it out of,  to candles, makeup, diapers, toys, chemically scented things we used to pay no attention to that are everywhere.  Sometimes I want to throw my hands up in the air and go buy non-organic food that saves me so much money, shop at the big, evil chain store that saves me so much money, use a microwave because it's so much quicker, stop reading labels to see how much added sugar is apparently in everything!  I want to stop making my life so much more challenging.  I get it people, I get it.  Quite the tangent, I apologize, but we need to vote with our dollars and tell all the slime bags who just want to produce crap as cheap as possible to make a bigger profit for their pocket that WE DON'T WANT YOUR CRAP!  Stop making it!

So back to the world of EO's:  Most companies claim their oils are 100% essential oils, but it simply isn't true.  That's why you want to purchase quality oils.  There are crappy oils that just smell nice and are great for diffusing for scent or putting in cleaning products for scent, they will not be harmful as they are also not affective for therapeutic benefits.

Lea Harris, CCA, her blog usingeossafely.com is the best site I've come across and I've been reading and researching for a while.  She has a list of rated brands and how she rates them.  Just because the company doesn't get 3 or even 4 stars doesn't mean you shouldn't buy their oils.  For example, she lowers their rating if they don't have clear safety information, but that doesn't mean the oils are unsafe themselves or poor quality.  If you are doing your own safety research then it doesn't matter to you if they don't provide safety info.  Click here if you are interested in purchasing oils and want to stick with some good brands.

Another issue:  You need to be aware of your own health issues and medications. For example:
A woman had purchased some blends from an EO company (blend is several oils pre-blended and sometimes, not always, diluted in a carrier oil).  Her blend included eucalyptus and rosemary and wintergreen.  Every one of those oils could trigger a seizure and she was an active epileptic.  There are also oils that can cause blood thinning.  My Dad is on blood thinning medication so that would be dangerous to apply such oils on him!  If you are otherwise healthy but are going to have surgery, you need to stop using such oils at least 2 weeks before.

The Directory of Essential Oils, by Wanda Sellar, which has thorough safety information for each essential oil.

Cancer - I fully believe in EO's, but again, be informed!  It's can be very overwhelming, I should know!  I'm still learning constantly.  There are many EO's and natural remedies that can actual protect the cancer cells!  It is highly recommended that you work with a certified aromatherapist if you are diagnosed with anything or taking any regular prescription meds.  There is also a list of oils that are carcinogenic so you'd definitely want to avoid that if you are already at risk for cancer.

 "I realize there are many other more dangerous substances out there which also cause cancer, and I would agree that essential oils are not high on the list of potential carcinogens.However, due to the popularity of ingestion that is promoted by marketers in some essential oil circles, the cancer potential needs to finally be addressed. Multiple drops of essential oils consumed on a daily basis are encouraged by some of these marketers – and some of the essential oils used are potentially carcinogenic. It is this kind of regular, long-term use that can put one at risk." - Lea Harris, CCA

So there you have just a few examples of why it is SO important to do your research.  I like to keep a spreadsheet.  Anyone who knows me knows I love a spreadsheet!  I have tabs for kid recipes, my recipes.  I have the kid friendly list and check off the ones I have on hand.  I have my inventory of oils with descriptions, warnings, dilution recommendation, etc.

Another good source:

Breastfeeding & Homemade Formula!

Or lack there of.  Prior to giving birth to Becket, I'd heard breastfeeding adventures of all kinds from friends and from reading I'd done.  Even so, I feel like nothing prepares you for the moment breastfeeding doesn't just happen naturally.  Being thoughtful about nutrition and from the school of thought "breast is best" and having read up on the current organic formula options, only to find out I don't like some of the ingredients in any of the options, led me to be very depressed about not producing enough milk.  On top of this, they say stress will hinder your efforts to produce.  Great, so I was back and forth between being stressed and sad and then trying to be optimistic while trying a million and one things to get my production up as much as possible.   Add sleep deprived (also hinders production) and dealing with the lact-aid feeding tube that Becket was not a fan of, but I still had to try every feeding so he could get practice on the nipple and then after 20 minutes trying that, move to finger-tube feeding to get him fed.  This took up to an hour and within 40 minutes after that... it was time to attempt tube-breast feeding again!  Finally after a week or so of this our midwife said we were at a cross roads:  Becket might get better at breast feeding if he could get more energy to stay awake, but to get more energy he needed to get more food in him.  So we opted to try the bottle with the risk of him not wanting to go back to the breast, but decided only to use the bottle during the wee hours of night and early a.m. so feeding would go faster and we could get back to sleep sooner.  During the day we used the lact-aid so as to keep up the breastfeeding sucking muscles.  Bottom line, Becket was a champ.  Bottle, tube feeding and breast, he took it all with no issues.

The things I took to help with increasing my production:

Mother's Milk Tea

Goat's Rue

Goat's Rue is a powerful herb for stimulating the production and flow of breastmilk. It works directly with the mammary glands, and is a great choice for women experiencing problems with low milk production from the beginning, or for women with previous breast surgeries or IGT (Insufficient Glandular Tissue).  It has been shown to increase milk production by up to 50% in many cases, and may also even stimulate the development of the mammary glands themselves.

Domperidone
Domperidone (Motilium™) is a drug that has, as a side effect, the increase of milk production, probably by increasing prolactin production by the pituitary gland. Prolactin is the hormone that stimulates the cells in the mother's breast to produce milk. Domperidone increases prolactin secretion indirectly, by interfering with the action of dopamine, whose action is to decrease the secretion of prolactin by the pituitary gland - See more at: http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/domperidone.shtml#sthash.KmkhJTJt.5bNQRJRO.dpuf

Even with renting a hospital grade pump and everything else, my production was still just about 5.0+ ounces a day maybe so we knew we'd have to supplement.  Early on while Becket was only eating 18-20oz per day, we supplemented with donor breast milk from one of Pearl's patients who had a baby girl 3 weeks older than Becket and was an over-producer and had about 75-90oz a week to give us!  Then Becket quickly gained weight, got stronger and demanded closer to 30oz a day so we knew we would have to supplement with formula as well.  We wanted to make our own rather than store bought formula, but had to wait for some of the ingredients to arrive by mail so there were a few feedings where we did use organic Baby Only powdered formula.  It was, so far, my worst experience!  He was so constipated and at only 3 weeks old his system was too young to handle that kind of bowl movement.  He was and still is such a calm, happy baby and he was in tears and little wailing yelps as he tried to pass this formula through.  It killed me I couldn't do anything to help other than massage his tummy, do little leg pumps and I even found acupressure points to do on his feet from the web.  Thankfully we got our ingredients and quickly started on 16oz of homemade formula per day and the other half was still donor breast milk.  He has been thriving ever since!  Becket loves to still nurse and I could not be more grateful for this.  I love that it comforts him so much and I am able to provide this as well as a tiny bit of my own breast milk.  With all this comes the bonus that other people can help with bottle feedings, yay!  Always an optimist ;)

Homemade Infant Formula Info:

From Weston A. Price Foundation & Nourishing Traditions, we use the raw cow's milk formula found Here.  This site also has links to Testimonials and FAQ's should you be really interested.  I've read everything.

Here is the direct link to the nutrient comparison chart for breast milk and homemade formula.  Most pediatricians are concerned with babies getting enough iron.  I confirmed this is not an issue with homemade formula:
Mother’s milk is low in iron for a reason–iron competes with zinc, which is needed for neurological development. However, the lacto-ferrin in raw milk helps the baby absorb all the iron that is there in the milk. If you will look at the nutrient charts for our formula recipes (see below) you will see that there is actually more iron in the homemade formulas than there is in breast milk, so there is no need whatsoever to add additional sources of iron up to the age of six months. At that time, the baby does need additional iron. This should be given in the form of egg yolks and liver–liver is the first weaning food in traditional cultures for this very reason–because at the age of six months, the baby does need additional iron.

Daddy Nesting

We all know about pregnant women going through the nesting phase, especially getting a surge right before their due date, but has anyone experienced daddy-nesting?  I had no idea until I watched Josh buzz around the house like a manic person for DAYS, even going into the weeks after Becket's birth.  It was kind of hysterical, but a little intense!  I was tied to the bed trying to nurse and finger feed Becket and on bed rest to heal from labor, so watching him run around at full speed not taking breaks or taking care of himself while I sat helpless was making me a little stressed. Things mamas think of don't come into perspective for dads until they see their precious bundle exposed to the world.  Josh was vacuuming our walls at one point... And no, we don't have a 70's basement as our apartment ;)

Our Birth Story

Becket's birth day

Friday 4/11/14 at  3:50pm

8lb 9oz, 21in long, 14in head, my fabulous baby boy!

Thursday 4/10/14:
Thursday morning I had my standard OB appointment with Dr. Kochenburger and he reported I was 50% effaced, 2cm dilated and at 0 station (all those details in previous post).  Everyone in our house figured I wouldn't deliver until after my due date... I just didn't know.  I was unsure since I felt great, but was just tired of waiting, lol.  So for fun, we decided that this night would be a good night to have Zachary's pizza, famous for inducing labor with their signature stuffed spinach and mushroom pizza (we get pepperoni baked on top) Mmmm... Couldn't hurt right? :)

Friday 4/11/14:
3:30am - I woke up with a mild to medium cramp and thought "hrm..."  and then another one.  "Ok, this might be early labor, we'll hang here and see"
4:15am - had first contraction - "Yes, this is definitely a contraction, no mistaking it!"  So I woke Josh up and said so.  He started timing them so we could know where we stood and when to call Pearl.  They were 3 minutes apart.  What?!  Maybe we aren't timing these right...   From 4:14am - 6am they were pretty much 3 minutes apart, with the exception of 2 "breaks", one was a 5 min one was a 6 min apart contraction, and they were definitely intense.  I was not walking around, talking or able to be distracted through them.  I really couldn't believe they were really 3 minutes apart and didn't want to wake Pearl before 6am so we held out.  At about 6:00 Josh called Pearl and she said she was on her way.  Our midwife's apprentice, Ellen lives nearby so she arrived shortly and Pearl was there a little before 9am.  I overheard them tell Josh this was their 3rd birth that week... (Why did I get the tired crew?! I thought, Lol).  Pearl checked me and said "you've been doing a lot of work! 9cm!"  Holy crap that was fast! ...and then... it wasn't.  I stayed that way for many hours, mostly in the fetal position on our bed squeezing the life out of Josh's hand and trying to drink water, coconut water and a smoothie as they encouraged me so I could keep up my energy.  I kept my eyes shut for about 95% of the birth just trying to get through each contraction.  We didn't get the tub full enough before we lost hot water and by the time we had more hot water we didn't bother, I just got in the shower and had Josh use the shower head on my low back while I labored.  Then it was back to the bed.  As labor moved along and into more intense, bare-down contractions, I labored over the yoga ball for a while.

Within 2 hours his head had changed shape

As it got to be about 2:00-ish?  (I had NO concept of time)... It was time to push, but little Bean's head was still cocked a bit and he was still somewhat turned on his side. His favorite sleeping position as we later discover!  Pushing was obviously intense and at one point I was able to feel his head.  It felt so tiny!  (Thank GOD no one told me differently or I would not have been able to keep pushing, ha!!). Finally I needed to go squat by the side of the bed with my arms wrapped over Josh's thighs for support and I pushed 3 times or so and out came Bean!   Looking down his head was a giant watermelon and he was a little blue.  Josh and I both thought I gave birth to an Indian God at first ;). We couldn't see around Pearl as she was giving him air so we didn't know the sex and then... Yep, ha!  I KNEW it!!  Told ya'll ;)

The second he was born, those hours of pain and exhaustion were just... done, gone.  I mean I was definitely tired, but the flood of hormones made me feel so serene and relaxed it was quite amazing.  There was a very love-hazed hour or so that he laid on my chest as I got a few stitches and then Pearl & Ellen left us alone for a bit.  I passed him over to Josh so he could have some skin to skin cuddles and we just watched him, thinking we could stare at him forever!  About 7:00pm, Pearl came back in to do the cord, which Josh got to cut, and did his weight, measurements and another round of the APGAR test.  Ellen inspected the placenta to make sure it all had come out ok and then wrapped it up to take with her to prepare my placenta pills.  Before she did, they put a small bit into a smoothie for me and Josh was intrigued enough to try a small piece!  You'll have to ask him what he thought ;)

What Are The Benefits Of Placenta Encapsulation?

It is believed that consuming the placenta can:

• Help to balance your hormones
• Replenish depleted iron levels
• Assist the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy state
• Reduce post-natal bleeding
• Increase milk production – this has been proven in a study
• Make for a happier, more enjoyable post-natal period
• Increase your energy levels
• Read More: Click Here

In hind sight, without having a prior birth experience without taking placenta pills to compare to, I'd have to say that all of the above are true for me, except helping my milk production, but that is a whole other issue due to my breast reduction surgery about 12 years ago.

Bean is Moving Along!

Week 39

For over a week now, we've been advised for me to do some exercises to help Bean shift a little in his/her positioning.  Currently Bean is head down and sideways facing my upper-tummy right (so his back is a little too much towards my back) and we eventually want him facing my back with her back to my tummy.  It is not a bad position and it is very common for babies to roll into good position right before being born.  However, they might not and it's not the most comfortable thing to have your midwife or OB help them roll so I've heard.  My girlfriend down the street had the exact same positioning and highly recommended I do my exercises to hopefully avoid needing assistance.  Again, not the end of the world, but why wouldn't I want to avoid any extra discomfort?? So I've been having Josh massage the tight muscles and ligaments on my left hip and thigh area before laying at an upside down angle once or twice a day and also doing "cat-cow" movements once a day.  At first, being upside down on the plank was really not comfortable.  The pressure on my low back and shoulders was intense as well as having all of Bean's weight shifted right under my ribs and on my lungs.  I usually lasted about 5 minutes and was not very relaxed.  With a few tweaks from Josh, the angle adjusted and some pillow work we found a very pleasant position and I can now breath normal, relax and hang out for quite a while.  I usually only do about 10-12 minutes.  We think Bean twists a bit more, but definitely moves back to his favorite spot.  Hoping this means he's got the wiggle room and isn't stuck, just prefers her little spot.

My weekly midwife visit was Tuesday and uneventful, lol.  I'm doing and feeling pretty great, Bean's heart rate is good, my blood pressure is good, no swelling, no Braxton-Hicks, sleeping well for the most part and taking it easy these days.   Josh has tentative plans to go on a beer tasting tour with his mentor next Wednesday.  I told him that's when Bean will come.  ha!  I told Bean he/she should come Saturday.  We'll see!

OBGYN appointment was today (Wednesday) and much of the same except he gives me a quick dilation check while I'm there, which means nothing since women walk around up to 4cm for a few weeks sometimes, but it's fun to find out and also good to know my body is doing what it needs to do.  So last visit, 2 weeks ago I was just 1.5cm dilated.  Today I am 2cm dilated plus 50% effaced and Bean is at 0-station.  I am completely content with this process of no contractions and no discomfort all while dilating and effacing, ha!  What all that means for those who haven't gone through this already:

Effacement:  While you are pregnant, your cervix is usually around 2 to 3 cm long. In late pregnancy or early labor, Braxton Hicks' practice contractions start to shorten the cervix, a process known as effacement. Most women have a cervix that has shortened to 1 cm during the very early stages of labor. This is also referred to as 50 percent effaced. As the cervix continues to shorten, the cervix is gradually drawn up by the uterus, and by the time it is 100 percent effaced, the cervix will have started to open.

Dilation: Once your cervix is stretched and softened, it begins to open, or dilate, so that your baby can pass through into the vagina to be born. Regular contractions cause the cervix to dilate, and in first labors the cervix dilates at an average of 1 cm per hour; this rate is often faster for subsequent labors. Here, at 2 cm dilation, the cervix has shortened and is beginning to open. Contractions may still be irregular.  Once you reach 6cm you are in active labor and at 10cm are fully dilated and ready to push.

The Station: The "station" refers to the position of your baby's head in relation to your pelvis. This is recorded as a number between -5 and +5. Zero station means the head is "engaged" and has entered the vaginal canal within the pelvic bones. A negative number (-5 to 0) means that the head isn't engaged in the pelvis. A positive number (0 to +4) means that your baby's head is moving down the pelvis and +5 means your baby is crowning (being born). Ideally, you should not push until the head is engaged in the pelvis, even if you're fully dilated.

"Sleepy Dust"

I ran across this natural sleep remedy and though of many of my friends who complain about having trouble sleeping or waking in the middle of the night.  Josh sometimes goes through phases where he will wake for an hour or two and I was hoping to get him or someone to try this!  The article explains why it works and sounds pretty interesting so I've been curious.  Finally, my friend Andrea gave it a try and posted on Facebook that it worked!
I've never had much trouble with sleep, sometimes falling asleep can take me a bit, but once I'm out, I can get up and go to the bathroom, have some water and go right back to sleep.  Until my third trimester...  Around 8 months I found I couldn't just go back to sleep after a bathroom break, my mind would start thinking about stuff.  This started right after Andrea had successfully tried my sleep dust solution which I had yet to use myself.  LOVE!  What a super cheap, easy and healthy option to help get back to sleep!  I keep a little saki cup on my night stand and just dip my finger in and place a bit under my tongue before I lay down again from one of my bathroom breaks and switching positions.  I have no more trouble going back to sleep, it's wonderful!  Also, rapadura sugar is easy to find in stores like Whole Foods, not sure where to find the other kind listed in this recipe.  Andrea noted she just used all regular sugar and said it worked too, so feel free to give that a try!  Who doesn't have salt and sugar on hand?

 

http://butterbeliever.com/how-to-fall-back-asleep/

Getting Prepared for Our Home Birth

The Tuesday after my baby shower was our home visit and check up with Pearl and Ellen her apprentice.  We gave them the tour and they said our home was a lovely place for a birth :)  We reviewed the supplies and talked about when to call her and then they did my usual check up.   I had just inquired whether Pearl thought it was still ok for me to go up to Sacramento for our cousin Abi's baby shower and she thought it should be but we'd talk and see how I felt later that week just to be sure... then she felt Bean's head quite a bit lower than last week and also noted my slightly increased blood pressure (normal once baby drops) and changed her mind.  She wasn't super concerned that Bean would arrive this early, but with Josh unable to go with me I did not want to risk being 2 hours away from my midwife AND Josh so I had to call and let Abi know I'd be missing her shower.
Pearl is loaning us the birth tub so we just needed to buy a hose, shower attachment, tub liner and some other minor supplies.  Before Mom left she helped me get everything checked off the birth supply list, things like 12 receiving blankets, 6 towels,  12 wash cloths (or cloth diapers), bath mat, zip lock bags, garbage bags, paper towels, hydrogen peroxide, witch hazel, etc.  Josh also tested the tub to be sure it didn't have leaks and fit well in our room and I made a Birth Plan sheet with phone numbers, signs of early & active labor, when to call Pearl, things to do once early labor starts, etc. and it's on the fridge so anyone who is home with me at the time can have the info handy.  I think we are ready... on the supply and info front that is!  I'm still feeling pretty surreal about the whole giving birth thing.