Trust your parental instincts!

My goodness, I should be sleeping but I'm so disturbed by a commentary I read the other day, I need to express some thoughts and get them out of my head...

I read an article by an "educated" couple whose baby was diagnosed with anorexia by the age of 9 MONTHS. 9 MONTHS! They claim that they were following the guidance of a book by a baby expert and they were ignoring the baby's sleep signs and hunger signs so that they could train the baby to sleep through the night.

Good heavens, people! When the child is hungry, FEED THE CHILD. When the child is tired, LET THE CHILD SLEEP. I have a 5 year old, a 3 year old, and a 7 month old and a husband in Iraq. My children are well behaved and, although I am tired, I WOULD NEVER NEVER NEVER DENY MY BABY HER BASIC NEEDS SO I COULD SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!
Face it, this is what it comes down to--when do I (me, me, me) get some sleep? I will get it eventually, most likely not tonight. I get around 7-8 hours of interrupted sleep every night--normally woken up 3-10 times for various reasons by various children. No one sleeps in my bed because I need some space but I will sleep on someone's floor if the thunder is too frightening or the monsters are lurking.

I have given my children the freedom to eat when they are hungry, within limits,...and you know what? They eat smart and on a regular schedule. I am stringent about naps and bedtime. Their routine fell right into place when I stayed alert to their sleep signals.

Am I exhausted? Absolutely. A few weeks ago I was even hallucinating that someone was throwing things at me...it was very odd to have that happen. I interviewed some babysitters this weekend so that I can start getting a break. I'd like to think that it's smart/wise to know when to ask for help (something I'm terrible at doing). I find that I morph into a very unpleasant person when I am exhausted. My whole day hinges on making it to the next time I might be able to sleep.

But I would NEVER deny a baby their basic needs for survival so that I could fulfill mine. This book tried to place the blame on the author but a book is just a book--an inanimate object potentially full of wonderful answers when combined with listening and trusting your own parental instincts. Every child is a true gift from God that is only yours for such a brief period of time. Use some common sense--feed the child, let the child sleep, and hug him or her every minute that you can...

You will sleep again one day.

Vaccination misinformation

I was quite surprised to receive the July edition on PARENTS magazine. One of the feature articles is entitled "The Worried Mom's Guide to Baby Vaccines." Vaccinations are such a hot topic right now so I was pleased to see that PARENTS took on this controversial subject, if not a little curious.

The article was written by Nancy Gottesman. Well, Nancy, you screwed it up. You fell for the trick that most 6th graders use when writing their first research paper--find facts that support your theory and throw the rest to the wind. In a mere page and a half, Nancy presents only one side of the issue and makes broad generalizations such as quoting Dr. Michael Orenstein regarding the strength of an infant's immune system: "However, the truth is that infants can respond to multiple vaccines..." Really? I don't think that has been proven yet. She then lists each of the shots with a brief description of each ignoring the potential side effects and the lack of safety data on shots such as PCV (Prevnar).

The next article is entitled "Hot Topic: Vaccines and Autism" by Ari Brown, MD. Dr. Brown also belittles the entire process by citing reports that support his view and completely discounts any opinions to the contrary. Dr. Brown, I know a few families whose lives were changed radically after their child received a round of vaccinations....

My son--who is now three--reacted to one of his vaccinations. Nothing major, just huge hives for 2 weeks whenever he ate eggs. The worrisome part is that the reaction was treated with a cavalier attitude and as merely routine. No one really seemed concerned that they had NO IDEA which vaccine may have caused the reaction. Thank goodness it was nothing more serious because that incident further eroded any faith I have in the medical system.

Don't get me wrong. We need doctors. But doctors are people, too, and often get caught up in their medical textbooks. It's rare to find a Dr. that actually LISTENS to you. I think my sister has found one but I've never found one myself...

The vaccination controversy is of serious concern to me. I have found a happy medium through Dr. Stephanie Cave, MD, in her book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccines." The book is excellent and very informative. She provides excellent advice but allows the reader to make their own decisions.

Yes, my five month old daughter will receive her vaccinations but it will be on an extended schedule. Despite PARENTS magazine's incredibly biased view of the controversy, I believe that there is overwhelming evidence that no one really knows the truth and that's all the evidence that I need.

Sesame Street Video

THANK YOU SESAME STREET. If you have a spouse/friend in the military, Sesame Street has come out with a video to help children who have a parent who is deploying. Go to www.miiltaryonesource.com or call 800-342-9647 for the video and related materials.

My husband is a US Marine currently training in CA for a fall deployment. My kids loved the video and it has really helped them express their emotions a bit better. We do not live near a military community right now so it was great to see them connect with Elmo and sympathize with his dad leaving. However, the "deployment" part of the video also shows Elmo's dad returning home. The related music video showing kids hugging their returning parents leaves them distraught. It is a mixed blessing...

Just a random entry...

Wow, it's been a long time since I've made any entries. Life has been crazy. I truly admire people who write regularly in their blogs.

We added a new family member in February--Charlotte. She is the completion of our family...and she is intense! She started rolling over yesterday from back to front and she is just shy of the 4 month mark. She continually tracks her brother and sister as they play and interact and you can tell she is ready to join the fun.

She is actually a good night sleeper but the day nap schedule is a different story. With 2 other children, my ability to focus on and protect her nap attempts is a true challenge. She thrives on 20 minute cat naps but I know a much longer nap is what she needs.

Sigh! Every day is a new day.