A Natural Approach to Restless Leg Syndrome

When I was pregnant with my eldest, one of the many side effects of pregnancy that just about drove me batty was Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). When I found out I was pregnant with my youngest, I dreaded the inevitable creepy crawly feelings and the need to constantly move my legs. The perscription medicines for RLS are not safe for pregnant women, so I searched for a safe, natural method to help me.

I discovered liquid calcium/magnesium. I would take it about a half hour before my symptoms would typically start, and for the majority of my pregnancy, it kept the RLS at bay. It also helped me sleep at night, and, uh, helped keep "things" moving if you catch my drift.

When cal/mag stopped helping on its own, I added skullcap. That is one nice herb! It also helped me relax and sleep at night.

A midwife told me both of those were safe, and I trusted her judgement. Happily, Jon's third eye was easily rectified by surgery. Just kidding! Really, there have been no apparent negative side effects for either of us. If (big if) I ever end up pregnant again, I will make sure I have both of these remedies in the house at all times.

Merry Christmas!

I've taken a long break, but the "spirit" hasn't moved me to any topics of importance lately. Hopefully after the holiday mayhem, I'll be inspired. So, for the time being, Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Update on Motrin's Babywearing Snafu

I forgot to post this when I saw it, but Motrin kindly retracted their babywearing ad and gave a nice apology to all babywearing moms. I'm too lazy to find the link and post it, but the apology was very classy. Thanks, Mortin!

McDonald's+Coffee=Blech

A couple months ago, I decided to try McDonald's new specialty coffees. I took a sip and threw it away. The espresso tasted like it had been making cups of joe all morning. Well, other people have talked about it being good and sales of their coffee are reportedly high, so I figured I just got a bad cup. I bravely decided to try it again this morning. It was just as gross.

Now, I'm hardly a coffee snob. I like just about any cup I get at any cafe. Yeah, I refuse to drink 12 month old coffee in a tin, like Folgers, but really I'm not that picky. Seriously, does my local McDonald's really just screw coffee up that much or do the people who buy it have no taste buds?

It might be at bargain prices, but its not worth $3 for a sip. Watch out Starbucks, here I come.

The Post Partum Period and Placenta Consumption

I think that this past pregnancy has officially pushed me over the edge from oatmeal to granola.

After my first pregnancy, my post partum days were filled with anxiety and the baby blues. Pretty typical of a first time mom. However, around the five month mark, post partum, I found myself undeniably in the throes of post partum depression. During this past pregnancy with my second, I was determined to try some more natural approaches to have a mentally healthy post partum period and to do what I could to minimize my risk of post partum depression (re-occurrence is high).

My research led me to placenta consumption. I'll let you take a sip of water, in case you accidentally gagged. I decided to go for it. I put in my birth plan that I wanted the placenta and that I would not consent to it leaving my eye sight. I got my obstetrician on board (note: if you have a home birth or a birth center birth, you are less likely to have any issues). When I went to the hospital, I told them I was taking it and whatever department "has" to look at it can either hall their butt out of the basement, or I'd sign a release. Fortunately, I had no issues.

The day after I got home, I washed, blotted dry, and cut the placenta into thin strips. I'll be honest it was gross cutting away the remnants of the amniotic sack (or what I assume is the amniotic sac) and the umbilical cord. I then put in the dehydrator and let it go over night. There are other ways to prepare it. For instance, traditional Chinese medicine first has the preparer boil the placenta with a pepper.

At any rate, after it dried, I ground up a few pieces of my placenta "jerky" and put it into gelatin capsules that I got from my local health food store. And I started to take it. I was lazy one day and decided to put a small piece of "jerky" into a fruit smoothie. I won't be doing that again. It doesn't taste very appetizing. However, adding a banana did make the smoothie drinkable.

There are a variety of options for placenta consumption. Mothering has several recipes to cook it (I'll post a link at the bottom). There are services available where people will prepare it for you. Some midwives and doulas will do it. Or you can do it yourself. The most labor intensive part of it is the grinding.

In addition to the placenta therapy, which does help an awful lot, I have also started taking St. John's Wort and if I feel anxious, I take one skull cap supplement. These interventions seem to be helping me make this post partum period a bit easier to handle. I'll be honest that I still have the baby blues, but no where near to the extent I had with my first pregnancy.

If you're interested in hearing more, check out these links:

http://placentabenefits.info/encapsulation.asp

http://www.geocities.com/virtualbirth/placenta.html

http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_preparation/honoring-the-placenta.html

http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_preparation/amazing_placenta_side.html

Babywearing makes me look like an official mom

Phew! I'm so glad that Motrin thinks that baby wearing makes me look "official". I guess the question is what makes a mom look "unofficial".

Motrin has a new ad on their website ( http://motrin.com/ ) and if I had rolled my eyes any harder they would have fallen out of my head. In essence, it boils baby wearing down to a passing fad, all about "looks" and fashion. M-kay. Never mind that other cultures have been doing it for thousands of years. And I hate to break it to Motrin, but baby wearing isn't a pain at all. If it is, then its being done wrong.

Motrin, your ad sucks. Surely there was a way to reach out to moms who need pain relief without trivializing a parenting method.

Awesome Allergy Product

Well, now that I ordered mine, I can spread the word. This weekend I decided that part of our Advent celebrations needed to include a chocolate Advent calendar. Evidently its a tall order to find an allergy friendly Advent calendar in the US. If you're in the UK, you have lots of options, here..... not so much.

I posted a thread at www.kidswithfoodallergies.com and someone told me to check out Amanda's Own Advent Calendar. Well, I just ordered it and can't wait to get it in the mail.

If you're seeking a allergy friendly Advent calendar, you should check it out: http://www.amandasown.com/christmas.html

Yay for Amanda's Own!