The Mom Crowd

As the mother of two children with congenital heart defects, I pay extra close attention to changes with the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines. At my children’s last cardiology visit, our cardiologist informed me of a huge change the AHA has made. Many (not all) cardiac patients have been advised until recently to take a special antibiotic prior to dental work or surgery of any kind due to the risk of endocarditis. Endocarditis is an infection in the heart’s valves or lining and is spread through the bloodstream. This is a very serious and life-threatening infection. Dental work or medical procedures are a very common way this bacteria is spread. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been enough research to prove that the prophylaxis antibiotic is effective in preventing this infection and antibiotics have their own set of risks. The AHA has now changed their guidelines and does not recommend prophylaxis antibiotics prior to procedures except for a very small number of cardiac patients.

My children’s cardiology practice is saying “no thank you” to the AHA’s new guidelines. While unnecessary use of antibiotics can cause allergic reactions and antibiotic resistance, some people feel that a one time dose of antibiotic prior to a procedure does not contribute to the antibiotic resistance issue. It is also feared that this is the AHA’s way of getting the necessary research done to know for sure whether the antibiotic is effective in stopping the spread of endocarditis. It was impossible to ethical perform research studies under the previous guidelines.

This is a huge controversy among many families and the medical community and a very important issue. I am curious to see how this all plays out. I am curious to see how many cardiologists agree with the AHA and how many disagree and continue to prescribe antibiotics for their patients prior to procedures. My children will continue to receive the antibiotic prior to procedures and dental work until I and their cardiologist feel more confident in this new change, however please check with your cardiologist to see what precautions from endocarditis he or she recommends.

The AHA’s current information and guidelines on endocarditis can be found here.

I just read an interesting article in Mothering Magazine about aluminum in our children’s vaccines. In the past 10 years there has been a lot of discussion about the additive of thimerosal in vaccines. Thimerosal is a form of mercury and there was a lot of speculation about whether the mercury in vaccines was a contributing factor of the increase of autism in children. There have since been several studies showing that there isn’t a connection between the two but as a precaution thimerosal has been removed from most vaccines. In the article I read it mentioned that Merck (pharmaceutical company) was aware that the mercury in vaccines was well above the recommended amount (87 times!) and that a research doctor sent a memo to the president of his division stating his concerns.

Now there is a new concern about aluminum in vaccines. Aluminum can be toxic in large amounts. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that toxicity can cause neurologic damage and can be harmful for those with kidney disease. The shocking thing to me is that vaccine makers have done no studies to show that the amount of aluminum given to infants is safe or harmful. It is alarming to me that aluminum (a known potential toxin) is considered safe until proven harmful rather than the other way around.

30 mcg of aluminum per day for a 12 pound 2 month old baby is considered a safe amount. Some vaccines have 7 to 25 times the recommended amount. For example, the Hepatitis B vaccine has 250 mcg of aluminum. The Pediarix vaccine, which is a combination vaccine of DTap, Hepatitis B, and Polio, has 850 mcg of aluminum. It is a little scary to me that my baby could get that much aluminum at one time when it is unknown how babies process an abundance of aluminum.

What can you do about it? You can ask your pediatrician to use the vaccines that have a smaller amount of aluminum in it. There is a Hib vaccine that does not have aluminum in it but you would need to find out what kind your doctor uses. You can also ask your doctor how much aluminum is in the DTaP vaccine. There are several choices that contain different amounts. Another alternative would be to limit the number of vaccines your child receives per visit and go back for a special “shot only” visit. You may want to find a copy of this article and print it off for your doctor to read and get his/her input.

I have chosen to do delay vaccines with Graham for different reasons. I decided to wait to give him the Hepatitis B vaccine until we are done with all our other shots. Hepatitis B is contracted through sexual contact, IV drug use, and the mother. I know I don’t have it and I seriously doubt that Graham will be doing any sexual activities or drug use anytime soon. I decided to space out vaccines to allow his immune system not to get overloaded. One of my concerns about the doubling, tripling, and quadrupling of vaccines is that if my baby does have a bad reaction I wouldn’t know which one was the culprit. After reading this article though, I am going to show it to our pediatrician and continue to space out the vaccines.

The pediatrician who wrote the article, Dr. Robert Sears has written a book called The Vaccine Book which recommends a delayed vaccine schedule.

Today was my first attempt to make my own baby food. I followed the instructions in the article McKenna wrote about how to make your own baby food in five easy steps. I also read parts of the book, “Super Baby Food” by Ruth Yaron.

I had the choice of starting Ace with avocado or sweet potato. She is half Hispanic and I craved refried beans when I was pregnant, so I went with the avocado. I tried using the food processor attachment on my blender to purify the avocado, but I had to keep stirring it to get it all mixed. I tried my mortar and pestle and that worked well. I may get something else in the future to make it easier. I added some water to the avocado puree to make the food pour from the spoon.

After pureeing the two avocados and adding water to the green goop, I poured the remainder into an ice cube tray. Tomorrow after the cubes are frozen, I will distribute two cubes per freezer bag and date each bag. Two avocados gave me seven servings of baby food.

I fed Ace some of the fresh baby food and she liked avocado! I could tell, because she would open her mouth for more. I followed the book’s instructions to feed my baby early in the day and right after partially breastfeeding her. I only gave her one side, then put her in the high chair. After she was all done with the avocado, I finished breastfeeding her on the other side. It worked. Although, I don’t want to have to partially breastfeed her before eating all the time, because it is an extra time-consuming step in the process.

I am surprised by how easy the whole process was. I know other vegetables may be more time consuming to cook, but it is not much more time than making a meal for myself. I really like knowing exactly what is in my baby’s food. It also makes me feel good that my daughter is eating fresh vegetables. What could be better than that?

Do you make your own baby food? Have you tried? What has been your experience with home made baby food?

1. Lots of Diapers

I packed diapers in every bag that we brought. Knowing that I had a lot of diapers saved me a lot of stress from worrying that I didn’t have enough or I would run out.

2. Huggies Travel Wipes

I LOVED these packets of wipes. They had them at my grocery store on sale at 5 for $5 right before I left. The plastic closing keeps your wipes dry at all times. These wipes are easy to get out in a hurry and are very durable. I used them for diaper changing, wiping off toys that fell on the ground, and for my hands. After the bag was empty, Ace loved to make crunching sounds with the bag and chew on it.

3. My Nursing Cover

I used my nursing cover everywhere I went. I practiced using my cover a lot before I left, so I would be comfortable breastfeeding in public. I also used my nursing cover as a blanket over the bassinet on the plane to keep the light away. It was light enough that she could still get air and still block light at the same time. One time Ace spit up all over herself and me and I had no wipes or blankets with me. I used the corner of my cover to clean it up. Next time I am going to bring two, so I can use one while I am washing the other.

4. Graco SnugRider Infant Car Seat Stroller Frame

We used the stroller frame to carry our luggage and car seat through the airport. It was easier to carry Ace, than to carry our luggage. The stroller was our ticket to board flights early and get through special security lines. We never used the stroller at our destination, but it was certainly helpful in three different airports.

5. Baby Bjorn

My husband and I could both use the Baby Bjorn, because it is manly enough for him to use. As soon as Ace was big enough to use the carrier, we got her used to being in one, knowing that it would be handy on this trip. It is fast and easy to put on. I love my Moby Wrap, but it was too hot to use in a hot and humid climate. The Baby Bjorn was a lot cooler. We used the carrier on a boat, at our destination, and through the airport.

6. Favorite Toy

Trina commented on a previous post to bring a favorite toy along. I am so glad I listened! “Fishy” was a lifesaver when Ace’s ears were popping on descents and when the plane was just sitting on the tarmac. Anytime she saw “Fishy” to bring her a kiss, she immediately smiled.

7. Huggies Disposable Washcloths

I brought a few samples of Huggies Disposable Washcloths to bath Ace whenever I needed. I could have brought a washcloth and soap, but for this trip is was convenient to have an all-in-one that I could throw away. I bathed Ace at the Hong Kong airport and in the sink in the hotel. They worked great.

My head is still in a fog. I didn’t expect to be hit by jet lag this hard. The Philippines is 14 hours ahead my normal time zone. Yesterday morning after playing with Ace at 3:00 am, my husband and I got up and watched a movie. We were up. Ace adjusted to Philippines time without a problem. We had two long layovers and traveled for a total of 40 hours. I think she was exhausted when we got to the hotel.

She slept a lot better on the plane on the way back, but now that we are home it is hard to get her back on her old schedule. Tonight we are driving 4 hours to visit family for the next three days. Maybe the traveling with our jet lagged baby will help her get adjusted again.

I tried to keep her up yesterday by leaving the house and going shopping and I put her down at her normal bedtime, but she would keep waking up every few hours. Then at one point, I let her stay up to wear herself out. Then at the next waking we laid her in bed with us. That didn’t work. Finally at 2 a.m. we were exhausted, so we put her in her crib and shut the door. I don’t know how long she cried, we fell asleep. Then I woke her up at 9:40 this morning when we got up. Maybe a controlled wake up time will work. I don’t know. She is now sleeping again.

I know she will figure it out soon. Hopefully, really soon!

Thanks to Dawn, McKenna’s friend, Kristi and Sara for sharing their insight and stories with us while I was away and McKenna was working on finals. Also, Amelia did a great post on disposable diapers which is worth the read if you haven’t read it. Amelia, thanks for your great posts!

A big thanks to you who have made your Amazon purchases through our site. We appreciate the support!

Christmas is just around the corner. Enjoy your time with the family and kids. I know I am looking forward to seeing more of Daniel the next few days.

I wanted to clue all of you in on a secret. The Mom Crowd is working on a big project that will debut at the beginning of February. Of course, we will have all our great content between now and then, but something extra special is coming soon. Stay tuned!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Amanda