Growing Pains by Heather Bowles

This week sure has been busy, ladies, and as I type this, it’s only Tuesday. I’m doing this one early, before we move, because I really don’t trust that the ISP I use will have everything ready in the new place this week. In addition to moving, which is always made stressful from the fact that I think I need everything available to use until the last minute, so I pack most things in the two days before a move, the baby is also teething. I’ve only used baby acetaminophen with her twice, and both times were in the evenings to help her get to sleep. Otherwise, she’s handled it with no other pain relief. Speaking of procrastination, guess who put off buying the Baltic amber necklaces until it was too late? Yup. That’s me.

Thing is, I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief that they might actually work. There is nothing in my experience that says a piece of fossilized tree sap is sure to ease teething pain. It just doesn’t make sense to me. To be honest, I wish I didn’t know so much about how unnatural the mainstream baby Oragel is and how harmful it’s components might be. The Hyland tablets that my niece recommended sounded like a good alternative until I read the ingredient label and realized there was belladonna in it. Belladonna is a poisonous plant! Who thought that was a good idea? Putting poison in baby oral care products? Smooth move, whoever you are, but I have the sense to know that even if something is natural it may not necessarily be healthy. I mean, rattlesnake venom is natural, but I’m not going to let a copperhead bite me to cure my arthritis. That’s beyond stupid.

So the bottom line is? My girl is SUCH a little trooper. She’s been going to bed earlier, and sleeping longer, but I get her up every four or five hours just to feed her, and cuddle a little bit, and by eight in the morning, she’s wide awake and ready to face another day of drooling and attempting to chew on the board books I show her.

Her strength inspires me to have the resolve to do what I have to do in the few days we have left in the old place. Tonight, I have been on my feet much longer than my joints are used to, and really? I just want to go lie down. But… there are things that need to be done, so I will stay up and do them, without complaining. Hey, I got to take a break. I typed this blog, didn’t I?

Tags: arthritis, busy schedules, infant oral care, infant pain relief, Moving, natural pain relief, teething