Thursday, July 21, 2011

All the Single Ladies....er.....Parents

I've developed a major appreciation for single parents.  Pickles and I have been on our own for a just over a week now, and it ain't easy.  When she gets stuck on her tummy at night, I have to go and roll her back over (this is a new thing).  If I get thirsty while nursing, too bad for me.  If I have a naked baby on the change table, and I realise that all the diapers are in the dryer, I have to carry her downstairs and risk getting peed on.  When she wakes up every single hour at night, I have to be the one to go in every time. I even have to take the garbage out.

But there is obviously more than just the practical.  A partner is much more than a centipede-killer (I've already had to kill two since we've been alone!).   I am very lucky to have an amazing support system, but nothing compares to the support you get from a partner.

At least there is an end in sight.  I really admire people who do it on their own every day, all days.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

He who murders one person....

I can't stop thinking about the horrific murder of Leiby Kletzky.  The story would make anyone sick, but I think it's affected me even more now that I have a child of my own.

We teach our kids not to talk to strangers, but how do we teach them to exercise good judgement?  We may tell them to trust their gut, but Leiby saw a seemingly religious man, and felt this was a trustworthy person to ask for directions.  We have to teach our kids that people who may look safe, may not actually be safe.  But, we also don't want them to be afraid of everyone.  And when should they be allowed to walk home alone?  There's more on how to talk to our kids about this tragedy here.

I don't even know what else to say....there are no words, only tears.

Baruch Dayan Ha-Emet (Blessed is the true Judge).

....it is as if he destroys an entire world.

Monday, July 11, 2011

All the More Reason to Use Cloth Diapers

As you probably know, we use cloth diapers.  This was a decision we made before Pickles was born.  Our reasons were simple: save money and help the environment.  So we do it.  And we're so happy that we do.  In addition to saving lots of money, Pickles has only ever had very mild diaper rashes that clear up very quickly, because she has natural, unbleached bamboo on her tushie.

That said, we use disposables at night.  We tried a few options of cloth diapers for night time, but they all leaked, and now that Pickles is sleeping for longer stretches at night, this was a compromise we were willing to make.  A lot of friends gave us diapers their babes had grown out of, so we just used whatever we got.  A few weeks ago, I purchased Pampers Dry Max diapers.  To be honest, I didn't really pay attention to what kind they were, I just had a coupon, and this made the diapers cheaper than any of the other brands.

When I went to put the first one on her, I noticed the very strong chemically smell.  That morning, she had a diaper rash that was much worse than anything she had before.  By the end of the day (after wearing cloth all day), the rash looked better.  The next morning, it was back again.  I figured it had to be the diapers, but, being cheap and lazy, I decided to try for a few more days.  In the end, everything is fine, but I happened to come across this.   Crazy!! All the more reason to use cloth diapers!

Also, this petition is very interesting.  What are your thoughts?

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Bad Oral Hygiene = Difficulty Conceiving?

So, today, I came across this article.  It briefly outlines new research that suggests that gum disease and poor oral hygiene can lead to delayed conception.  On average, women who didn't brush and floss regularly took 2 months longer to get pregnant than those who took proper care of their pearly whites.   And that's about all that article said.

A quick Google search turned up a press release.  Seems poor oral health has the same magnitude of effect on getting pregnant as obesity.  The effects of periodontal disease on conception are especially significant in the non-Caucasian population.  The reason has something to do with the body's inflammatory response.

The Australian study confirmed many known risk factors for difficulty in conceiving (smoking, obesity and being over 35), but found that there was no correlation between socioeconomic status (SES) and fertility.  I find this surprising, as those of a lower SES tend to have restricted access to dental care (nearly 500 000 working poor in Ontario don't have access to dental care).

The takeaway of all of this?  Well, women who want to get pregnant need to make sure they are healthy in all aspects of their lives, including their teeth (and of course, quit smoking, lose weight etc....).

I'm at the point in my life where many friends are starting to have kids, and others are realising that the process isn't always so simple.  Others, still, are waiting until they are in their 30s to even begin thinking about starting a family.  Now, with yet another factor to add to the list of reasons women have difficulty conceiving, it worries me that friends are waiting so long to even start trying.  As many as 1 in 7 Canadian couples are infertile, and many more, while not necessarily infertile, will have difficulty getting pregnant, or carrying to term.  At least now they will know to make sure they take care of their oral health before trying to conceive (as an aside, it seems to me that women who wait until they are in their 30s to begin a family are more educated and therefore more likely to have good oral hygiene?).  

Ok, time to brush my teeth and head to bed ;)

P.S.  I want to make the links open in a new tab/window.  How do I do that?