Taking care of babies...

I am so thankful for herbs, nutritious foods, and other natural and God-given ingredients when it comes to caring for my family! Take for instance this week...

I have been dealing with a sinus infection, as many of you already know. I am much better now, but still a tad bit under the weather. Compared to how I felt over the past week-end, however, I feel like running a marathon. As a nursing mother, I have to consider how what I put into my body will effect Ysabella since a good portion of it is going to get to her through my milk. As difficult as it was for me to breathe earlier this week, I could not just pop a Tylenol Cold & Sinus into my mouth and call it good. I knew that not only would it make me feel even more out of sorts, it could make her a nervous wreck...or a sleepy zombie. Instead I took raw garlic cloves and chewed on them. Yes, I know what you are thinking. But, honestly, I was so stuffed up and unable to taste anything that I barely detected that I was eating raw garlic. And if you are wondering how the baby liked garlicky milk, well studies have shown that babies actually will nurse more when mama is eating lots of garlic. Since garlic is such a powerful antibiotic, this method not only helped me out, but it also kept the baby healthy too! I also took regular doses of my beloved Flu Fighter Elixer and drank lots of peppermint tea. As far as meals, what do you think I fixed? If you guessed Chicken Soup for the Flu, then you would be right. The other treatment I prescribed myself was warm saline drops for my stuffy nose and hot baths with eucalyptus oil. Now all of this helped me out tremendously and I never once had to take anything that could have potentially harmed the baby. It makes me happy! And it keeps her happy, too!

Today it appears that Ysabella might be getting toothy. The tell-tale red cheeks that my children always get when they start teething are begining to flare up. She is gumming away at anything that she can fit in her mouth, epecially her fat little fist. So, this evening I'll be brewing up a hot infusion of chamomile tea for both of us and I'll not only drink it, but I'll soak a little wash rag in it and pop it in the freezer for her to chew on later. If it gets really bad, I might dilute a single drop of clove bud oil into a 1/4 cup of olive oil and rub this on her gums, but that is a last resort. I caution all mothers who may have heard of the clove oil remedy for teething babies to first rub the VERY diluted oil on your own gums first to test. Clove oil is extremely strong and potentially very irritating and can burn right into sensitive baby gums...or adult gums for that matter! Never use straight clove oil for any purpose! Teething can last for several weeks before that first tooth finally peeps through. In fact, some babies have teething symptoms for a month or more before showing a tooth. It helps if you are prepared to soothe them while their little bodies grow up with natural remedies rather than having to rush to the doctor's office every time somthing happens. Remember, those offices are full of germs and not exactly the place for little ones unless they are very sick themselves! Us moms have a good and strong intuition that was given to us by God Himself. Find yours, and trust it!

If you like these natural tips, visit our web site for more at http://www.fromfieldsandgardens.com/ and check out the Food for Thought page for the Chicken Soup for the Flu recipe!

Congratulations to my good friends, Casie & Phil! Casie gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl last night. This makes 2 girls and 1 boy for them! The sweet baby's name is Amaliyah, which means Work of God. She is certainly a work of the Creator!
Also, my "little sister", Karey, gave birth to a healthy and handsome baby boy two weeks ago! Her first baby! His name is Kai Elijah. (My first nephew! He is such a doll!)

I just adore babies! What a blessing they are!