Sick baby...

We've survived my newborn Liberty's first time being sick, in spite of all my anxiety. As if I didn't already check on her enough during the night just to make sure she's still breathing, (which I'm told is a perfectly normal new-mom thing to do). I was up most of the first night just holding and rocking her. It think I now have the perfect rocking, swaying, bouncing, and patting combination down. We finally got to sleep on the couch; Liberty in my arms all propped up with pillows and the Boppy.

The second night I was armed with saline drops, a bulb syringe, my forehead scanning thermometer, and the remote so we could settle down on the couch. Turns out there's quite a bit of stuff on TV at night, some I wish I didn't know about. Something that caught my eye as I'm trying to lose the baby weight was the Brazil Butt Lift, which promises a "holy bootie butt". Their words, not mine. Who knew there's an actual show dedicated to the America's Cutest Cats? And all the HGTV your little heart could want. Libby slept off and on, but didn't really call it a night until 4 am! She's also becoming more picky about how she likes to be held; not close, but still kept warm; tipped outward enough so she can see what's going on but still snuggled; not leaning to far back; and of course, keep the rocking, swaying, bouncing, and patting going at all times.  Good thing it was the weekend and Dad would be around the next day to help while I caught up on some much needed sleep.

Dad was sick all Labor Day weekend and despite my best efforts to keep him quarantined, our little one still caught the bug. My heart sank when her cute little sounds turned scratchy the other night, and I knew she was sick. Fortunately there's no fever, so probably just a yucky virus, but as a new mom I am still worried as ever over her. What do you even do for a new born when they are sick? For myself, I load up on sinus meds and stay in bed. Was I supposed to give her Motrin? Did I even want to? I called the pediatrician first thing just to check in and make sure I was doing everything I should be. Just like an adult, how much can you really do for a cold? Since Sarah is an IPC for do Terra essential oils, I called her second. (I also have a sister-in-law who is super savy when it comes to the whole oils thing.) Sarah suggested I use some of my oregano oil, but to test it first. I did rub a tiny bit of oregano oil, with a carrier, on Libby's tiny feet. It's considered a "hot" oil ,so I tested a small spot first. While it's not the most common for babies, like lavender or chamomile, it happens to be one of the few I have.

So what's the deal with using essential oils anyway? I haven't really gotten into using them for home remedies much. It seems all the rage these days, but I think you have to really understand what each oil is for to use them best. Sarah has been using them for her family, especially during her last pregnancy since so many medications and other treatments for things are a bit sketchy when prego. I have however been using oil of oregano for years myself to help ward off sickness. It really seems to do the trick for me. I stopped when I got pregnant and am avoiding it while nursing, but does have some natural properties I wanted to take advantage of, and hope it will help little Libby feel a little better. And yes, the price tag on it says $18.29; not cheap. Some people online list a plethora of symptoms and conditions that oregano oil will cure. It's almost as long as those list of side effects drug commercials casually mention at the end of an ad. While I don't think they are a cure-all, I definitely like to use it when I can. My thing with oils and home remedies is to not use them as alternatives, but in addition to. Notice the first thing I did was call our pediatrician:)

The oregano has seemed to help my little one and the last few days were spent just trying to keep her comfortable. Even though she can't tell me how she feels, I could see it in her face that she was feeling crumby. And her crying was so sad! It sounds so scratchy and just makes me want to cry to! Before she got sick we were trying to get to go fall asleep on her own, even if that meant letter her fuss a bit extra in the bassinet. Hard to do! But with her cold, too much crying just made her cough and the sound of sandpaper coming from my precious angel was too much for me to handle - I couldn't say no and picked her up right away. I can tell already I'm becoming the parent who won't say no very much. She's not over it entirely, but I do think the worst is behind us. I wish she hadn't gotten sick so early, but I recognize babies get sick, they get better, and I became a little braver because of it.