Teething - a question for you!

Mia is finally cutting her first tooth. It started two days ago, at a couple days past 7 months old. She's been fairly good with it, just extra clingy and a little extra whiny, but still in a happy mood overall. She's been wearing an amber teething necklace for ages (we've been expecting a tooth since we first saw little white dots 3 months ago). Whether it really helps or not, I'm not sure, but it is cute!

My question for my experienced readers is - does teething bring barfing? Mia got over reflux (finally) at about 5 months old, and hasn't really had a problem with bringing up since. However, the last few days she's been throwing up a few times a day and I'm not sure if it's related to teething or if it's what I've been feeding her, as she is eating more solids now.

Not to be too graphic here, but I got barfed on today. In the FACE. As in, I picked her up and held her up to my face and she promptly lost it on my face. Barf was coating and dripping off my nose and chin. I'm yelling, "I need HELP! Get a CLOTH!" and my husband is spending time looking for an appropriate cloth, saying, "what cloth?" (as if I cared - how about whatever's at hand and fast!). It was so gross.  When he saw me, he said, "Don't look in a mirror when you wash it off!" It was really that bad.

I haven't been keeping a food log for her, so I've made it hard to try to connect any particular food with the barfing. Or perhaps it's something I've eaten, as I'm still breastfeeding her often. I've also got a cold (getting more miserable by the hour) and although she hasn't shown signs of getting it, I guess she could have a version of it.

I'm not looking forward to the first big chomp during nursing! She's bitten down a couple times with just the razor edge of that tooth poking through the gums, and it hurts. I've read the advice to bring baby close when that happens, so she opens her mouth to breathe, but I guess I don't have big enough or squishy enough boobs or something, 'cause I haven't had luck with that. I've instead broken the latch with a finger.

Can't wait to see how cute she looks when the teeth are up and out! :)

Fairhaven Health Breastfeeding Multivitamin - Review and Giveaway!

Another great product from Fairhaven Health has made its way to my cupboard. I am currently using the Nursing Postnatal Breastfeeding Multivitamin (yes, both nursing and breastfeeding are on the label!). Like it says, this one's for nursing mamas - specifically designed to help supplement your and baby's health after the birth and during breastfeeding.

I can't even begin to paraphrase all the good information about Vitamin D and B being so important for breastfeeding women, so I recommend you go check out the product page. It's interesting information (honest)!

They even have another option for mamas who need a little help with milk production - the Nursing Blend version contains herbal extracts for just that purpose. As I've mentioned before, I'm like some kind of crazy milk machine so I definitely don't want MORE milk! That one's not for me! But it's awesome that they are helping out mamas who need it.

The Nursing Postnatal Breastfeeding Multivitamin (phew...) dose is two capsules daily. You can take them both at once, or space them out for optimal absorption. Because I don't think I'll manage to remember to take them both if I space them out, I've been taking both in the morning. I was able to remember to take the FertilAid three times a day back when we were TTC, but then my mind was completely focused on the task at hand (like a crazy woman. I had the baby fever and I had it bad!) and it was like second nature to remember things like that. These days I'm scatterbrained enough trying to manage baby care with keeping a relatively clean house, trying to work a bit from home, cooking, you know... the zillion things women do every day and seem to manage in a capable fashion that have me scrambling.

Another plus - it's vegetarian-friendly. No gelatin in the capsule. Yay! 

I've had the pleasure of reviewing several products from Fairhaven Health over the last couple of years - here are some of my previous experiences with their products:

• FertilAid for Women
• Natural Pregnancy Deodorant
• Dream Belly Stretch Mark Cream (fyi - didn't get a single stretch mark from pregnancy!)
• Nipple Nurture Balm, Nursing Blend Supplement and Breastfeeding Tea

As you will see, I have nothing but good things to say about Fairhaven Health. Their products are consistently appropriate, safe, health-conscious and great quality.

Fairhaven Health has generously offered one of my readers a one-month supply of the Nursing Postnatal Breastfeeding Multivitamin! I know I have a bunch of lovely nursing mamas reading - this one's for you! 
click read more if you don't see the Rafflecopter form! 

Keurig Review

I recently had a chance to try out a Keurig machine, thanks to BzzAgent. I've seen these types of machines in the stores and at friends' houses and been curious. I'm a hot beverage NUT so I really wanted to try this out.

The machine is good looking, silvery and black, and fit in just fine in my kitchen. I did find it was fairly large, but that's all relative. It's around the same footprint as my Krups machine (I've talked about that here), but much bigger than the Sunbeam Hot Shot that I had been using to make hot water (until it died after several-times-a-day use for three years. Psst, Sunbeam, I need a new one and I can't find it in Canada!). 

The Keurig can do coffees, teas, hot chocolate and even cider - it all depends on the cartridge you put in. And without a cartridge it does a quick cup of hot water (perfect for random stuff like nursing teas and the salted caramel hot chocolate I like to make). You can select a small or large cup size to fill. I did notice that the amount of water it dispenses seems to vary - a small cup can be 2/3 or 3/4 full, seemingly at random.

The machine comes with 12 samples of assorted cartridges. I'm not sure if they're all the same in each box but mine included 11 different coffees and one tea. In the spirit of giving it a good try, I tried each one. I am a super picky coffee drinker and had switched to decaf nearly three years ago so having caffeinated coffee was a bit wild for me. Honestly, I was not crazy about most of the coffees, but I did find one or two among the selection that I liked. And with hundreds of different varieties available, there is sure to be something for everyone.

I have to say I really didn't like the tea sample. I found it bitter. I'm something of a traditionalist when it comes to tea. I need steeping to bring out the flavours. So that for me was a disappointment. I actually tipped it out after tasting it and made a new mug with a tea bag instead.

And the whole cartridge thing leaves me cold. I mean, cute packaging, and it's SO convenient, but what a lot of waste. They can't be recycled or composted, so with every drink a big chunk of garbage is created. I have talked about that before.  I would feel better about these if they were biodegradable, at least.

Okay, so what did I love about the machine? The convenience. If you can find the right coffee cartridge for you, and the whole wastefulness of it isn't enough to put you off, it is so freakin' easy and quick. The water heats up really fast and your drink is ready sooner than you'd ever get it with a traditional drip, percolator, or even a kettle. It's about the same speed as my beloved late lamented Sunbeam Hot Shot, with a slicker look and easier use (no spilly filling of water each time for the Keurig - you just fill the tank on it every once in a while and it lets you know when you need to). It is so convenient and also kinda fun to pick out a drink and make it, just like that. I imagine if a few people in a family like hot drinks it would be even more excellent. For us, I'm the only one (my poor husband is actually allergic to coffee and is not fond of other hot drinks). I can't emphasize enough how easy it is to use.

If you are that person who actually buys a coffee at a shop every day, this would be a money saver for you.  The cartridges are around 50 cents each, from what I understand.

Overall... love the ease, hate the waste. I'm currently using it for hot water only and for that purpose it seems too big (oh, Sunbeam Hot Shot! I miss you). I hear you can get a good deal on the cartridges at Costco, but I look at them and think, "That box is full of landfill" - and can't buy them. If only I could feel okay about where the cartridges go after use, I'd probably be a solid convert.

Baby and You Online Community

For the past three years or so I've been especially active in a few online communities - from trying to conceive to having our beautiful daughter, being able to talk to other women in the same stage of life has honestly made ALL the difference for me. I found that my friends and family weren't at the same point that I was at throughout and while they are supportive, being able to talk to people who are dealing with the same issues as you are is so helpful. I've met some women online who I connected so well with that I count them among my friends. It's been great.

One of the newest online communities is Loblaws' Facebook page Baby and You. It's a place for mums and dads to chat about their babies - ask questions, post photos, even brag a little (guilty!). I am on Facebook quite frequently so it's nice to have it right there. There are discussions and tips as well as exclusive savings. I hear there's even something special coming up related to Joe Fresh (I adore their baby clothes, even if I do always have to buy the next size up).

There are featured Canadian mom bloggers as well: Mommy Moment for the mom stuff, and Lisa from Growing your Baby focuses on the baby side of things. I've just spent a minute fantasizing about taking on some of the 25 Me-Time Ideas for Moms... yeah, right! Maybe if I can do them with Mia in tow - and then is it really Me-Time? More like more Mia-Time! But it's nice to dream... 

I have found online communities to be wonderful and I'm sure some of you have as well. I "Like" the Baby and You site on Facebook and perhaps I'll see you there!

Disclosure – I am participating in the Baby and You program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Loblaw 
Companies. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.