Try It Tuesday: The Vaccination Book by Dr. Sears

Choosing whether or not to vaccinate your children is an important decision, the outcome of which can affect their ability to attend public school and travel globally. Vaccinating your child without doing ample research runs you the risk of suffering severe consequences, on the flip side being cavalier about not vaccinating your child could hold equal risk. I have seen both sides of this dilemma. One friend now parents a child with mental and social delays that she credits to additives in her young boy's vaccination. Another lost her newborn to a preventable disease after choosing to opt out of its vaccination. Which is worse, a loss caused by action or inaction? These are the questions I've weighed since becoming pregnant last November.

Oliver is nearly 3 months now. With his 2 month pediatric appointment come and gone, and his next one in a few days, I am knee deep in this decision. Even if he receives all of his shots this Friday he will still be on a "delayed schedule" as we opted out last time. Currently our decision stands that we will choose to vaccinate him (on the basis of preventing death, but also making access to future school and travel easier) for only severe illnesses. This means we will opt out of the chicken pox (varicella) vaccine and all seasonal flu vaccines. We will, however, boost his immunity through the homeopathic flu shot which you can read about on one of my earlier blog posts. He will, therefore, be receving the mandatory DPTP and MMR but I have to say I am not looking forward to helping him through this tough appointment.

Recently I read "Your Child's Best Shot" by Ronald Gold and was very disappointed to see how biased it was. It was essentially 400 pages of assurance that there are barely any risks or side effects of vaccination, and scare tactics about the potential risks of the relevant illnesses. The book also featured information about past, subpar vaccinations put out to the public and how we've miraculously (note my sarcasm) improved them. By my logic, if a previous shot was, at that time, promoted as safe and is now seen as risky, could we not assume that future editions of this book will feature information on how 2011's vaccination versions were inadequate? We never know what future research will show us about things that we currently have confidence in: see thalidomide.

But here's a book that's worth its weight in gold: Dr. Sears' The Vaccine Book. He is a brilliant man, promoting concepts and philosophies well before his time. I believe future generations will look back on his books and say "This is what changed everything." Because the public library does not offer it, I recommend purchasing it now!



What a hard decision for any parent, but how lucky we are to have this information at our finger tips.

How to make & use a moby wrap for baby - DIY!

31 Days: Day 5

Alright, this is impossible. Some how unless my day involves very significant events I lose all ability to remember how I spent my hours by the next morning.

Yesterday... I know I made cranberry oatmeal for breakfast. I went for a long walk with Calvin and Oliver. Somewhere along the line we had tuna wraps for lunch. We checked the mail*. I drove Calvin to work and stopped at the police station for a criminal records check (I am going to be volunteering as a nutrition educator at the YMCA and would also like to start volunteering in my church's nursery). Then I hung out at my friend Megan's place, on Wortley Rd. Her son Kelan is 2 weeks older than Oliver so they became friends.

We had chai tea and bonded over countless similar experiences. I'm really glad to have her in my life. We walked down to Quarter Master because I had forgotten a bottle of mint chlorophyll in the staff fridge (Iron Man reminded me of this) and I got to visit with the old staff, plus some customers. Upon leaving to try and find my friend Alla I ran into her son who was also looking for her, and we began a journey of searching for her together. Once we did find her I went to the library (Canadian Living: Create, Update, Remake - DIY Projects for You, Your Family and Your Home) walked back to Megan's to get my car - ran into 3 friends working at burger joint extraordinaire, Relish - and then drove to get Cal. Then we went to East Side Mario's for my friend Ashley's 25th birthday. We chatted about mushrooms and baseball and buying condoms in a wheelchair. We forced Ashley to allow a Happy Birthday singing so that we could eat her cake. And I gave her a homemade present - 2 wood log coasters, tied in a grey yarn bracelet. With a homemade card that used rosemary as a tree in the design. After that we went to Calvin's parents' house to pick up a second hand breast pump that Jeff procured for me. (Was so hoping that his receptionist would blast JEFF YOUR BREAST PUMP IS HERE over the PA system - but no luck). Then I got really tired so we came home. I fell asleep reading "The Thrive Diet".

* In the mail was a free infant formula sample from Similac. Not only do I not know how they got my information, but I don't believe it's right to send unwanted samples to new moms. Dr. Sears says you're much more likely to "give up" breastfeeding if you have formula in the house. Think of the nursing relationships that could be saved if we met challenge with support instead of a way out. I understand that some people need formula and it saves lives, but it needs to be a last resort and not an easy decision. I plan to contact them about my discomfort with the situation and I might even drink the stuff myself since it's probably a decent meal replacement and I'm all for saving money :) What do you think?

31 Days: Day 4

I'll admit, this is getting hard. Even 24 hours past is hard to remember, detail for detail. I can only do my best...

Calvin woke up early for work but Ollie and I laid around for a bit. When I was positive that he was content and ready to be alone for a few minutes I propped him up on our bed, where I could see him from the bathroom, and hopped in the shower. Fellow moms will know - this is a great victory. Every shower is a glorious reward. Once we were rip-roarin' ready for the day we bundled up and went for a long walk. We ended up at the library (pretty much always do) only to find out that I was wrong about my on-hold book being ready for pick up (incidentally it is ready today but I don't know if I'll have time to get it). We got home and I finished my grape juice oatmeal and unloaded the dishwasher. Calvin got off work early so he could pick the two of us up around 1 for Oliver's first ever pediatrician appointment. This doctor is incredible - I would recommend her to anyone. He was examined, and weighed (11 lbs, 1 oz - my speed grower) and then we discussed vaccination. His doctor is comfortable with us taking more time to decide although Ontario's recommended schedule begins at 2 months. (See my discussion below.) After that the day becomes a blur. At some point I ate lentils. Calvin and Jordan left to pick up a secondary Rogers box so that we can have cable downstairs on the projector (hello 100" screen for Leafs games!). We watched Glee. We ate acorn squash with tomato manicotti and baked shrimp. And somewhere along the line I fell asleep.

So what do you think about vaccination? I've been thinking about it since the moment my pregnancy test was positive and I still haven't come to a conclusion (not unlike my circumcision dilemma). What I know for sure is that I am opting out of any vaccines for non-life threatening illnesses such as chicken pox and influenza. If a situation arises that these illnesses would become more serious (pox after age 10, a severe strain of flu coming through our area) I would re-open the issue. But then there is the case of DTPT and MMR. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if Oliver contracted any of these things on my watch, at the same time how would I feel if he suffered side effects of the shot? I've been told there are aluminum-free options in Ontario, I will definitely look into that. Some people also recommend a delayed schedule which is interesting to me. I think it would be nice to wait until he's older to go through this stress on his body. If time allows I will try to read Dr. Sears' book on this subject to get better insight. What are the consequences of being unvaccinated in Ontario, especially related to travel and education? If you have an opinion feel free to post below. I know my blog is well-read (the page views are so encouraging - I can't believe how popular this is becoming!) but I don't often receive comments, so I'm encouraging anyone reading this to let me know how you feel on this post.

Thanks my friends!

Top Tips for a Happy Baby

So here I am, feeling overwhelmed with how much I've been blessed. Just off the top of my head, the things I'm so thankful for include: a quick, uncomplicated, very happy birth; no problems with jaundice, or colic, or crying at any length at all; rapid, healthy weight gain coming from successful breastfeeding; a very happy sleeping arrangement and a post-pregnancy body that feels pretty darn good if I do say so myself. No diaper rash, no mastitis, no depression, doesn't spit up. It's as though I've gotten the best of every situation.

So I don't want to sound like an expert, or imply that all babies are alike and respond well to the same things, but I've read a lot of books and tried a lot of things and I'd love to share some tips that have been helpful to me with enjoying a happy baby:

1. Prayer. I can't help but start off the list with the thing I credit all these gifts to the most. Prayer by me, by Calvin, and from our family and friends. We pray for our son often, and something tells me we get prayed for a lot too.

2. A healthy pregnancy. This means more than nutrition. Some people now believe that the 9 months your child spends in your womb is much more important than we think. I think my positive, relaxed attitude helped Oliver to feel content (yes, stress hormones cross the placenta). Use this time to totally abuse your public library and get as much information as you can. End your healthy, natural pregnancy with a healthy, natural birth if possible. I will be blogging more about midwifery in the future.

3. Breastfeeding. I probably shouldn't even get started or I won't be able to stop, but breastfeeding is the most amazing gift you can give to your child and yourself. It's so important to be ready for it so read some books (The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League) and even meet up with a lactation consultant or group. (Watch youtube videos - they're so helpful! And that way I feel better about the massive amounts of hits they get - I mean 3 million views on "how to hand express breast milk"? That just screams pervert...)

4. Attachment parenting. This includes baby wearing (invest in an awesome wrap, sling or snugly and keep your baby on you everywhere you go) and co-sleeping. The first period of your baby's life is almost like a 4th trimester, they need you around all the time. Read anything by Dr. Sears.

5. Reading baby's cues. First of all, I don't believe in "cry it out" - a baby's needs and wants are the same thing. They don't know how to manipulate - only communicate. A baby can't be spoiled. We rarely hear Oliver cry because we try to understand his needs before he gets hysterical. From trying to understand him I've come up with this:

Hungry: his cry starts with an "n" sound. It's an obvious one. He also opens his mouth, roots around and will suck on anything. N-ahhhhhh!
Uncomfortable: his noise starts with an "h" sound. Almost like the awkward noise you make when someone offers you something you don't want but you pretend to want it anyway. ("Hey, I heard you really like Tim Hortons coffee - so here you go - double double!" "Hehh...")
Trapped gas: a yell with an "a" sound, and lower than the others. Pretty much the same sound adults make when they have digestive problems, like auughhh. Possibly like the sound you'd make if you were punched in the stomach. Sometimes there's nothing I can do about this one but I give him a back or tummy massage anyways.
Needs a burp: kind of an "e" sound, although this one's rare cause I often feed him upstairs and when we bounce back down to the main floor we get it all out, ha ha.

Tired: starts with an "o", more like an owwww sound. Sometimes this means mom gets a nap too! Yay!
Lonely: this just sounds like one quick yell. It's really obvious to me that he's just saying "Hello! I'm still here! Put down your knitting and come hang out with me!"

6. Take care of yourself too. It's the oxygen mask theory: They always tell you on a plane to put your mask on before helping others with theirs. If you aren't taken care of you aren't able to take care of others. So I make sure to eat 3 meals a day and some snacks, if I don't get a full night's sleep I take naps and if I'm frustrated or lonely I tell someone right away. Moms don't need to be these crazy, sleep deprived zombies stuck at home and unhappy. I'm happy as a clam!

Enjoy these tips and ask me about anything you're unsure about or need more information on. Again, I only have 5 weeks experience (Happy 5 Week Birthday Oliver Wolfe!) but I'm really happy with the results these things have had.