Rachael had a couple of vaccines today. These are the first shots she’s gotten since she weaned so she’s feeling extra crummy without the antibodies from mama’s milk. It’s kind of a bummer since we’d gotten to the point where she didn’t even have a fever and needed no tylonol or motrin or anything but vitamin c. Oh well, at least she’s just about done with her baby shots. (We did a spread out schedule.) She only has one more dose of Hep. A and then she’s done, except for flu shots, until her boosters around 4-5 years.

Anyway, given that she’s never sick, I didn’t have any tylonol or motrin in the house so I dropped by CVS to get some. They had the regular children’s versions on sale for HALF the price per dose as the infant strength so I went ahead and got those. Since Rachael’s on the smaller side (not to mention I think it’s stupid to give medicine based on a 6 POUND weight range!) I decided to google for the dosing by weight. I was not disappointed…

AskDrSears.com has dosing guidelines for mg/lb and mg/kg! That link has a list of most of the common medicines. And here are the ones I was interested in:

Ibuprofen (motrin): 4.5 mg/lb of body weight

ACETAMINOPHEN (tylonol): 7 mg/lb of body weight

All of the above links has more info, including how to do the math and figure out how many mg/ml, etc., that I won’t bother copying and pasting here… but please read and use them responsibly. The info I posted here is to point you in the right direction, but I am not a medical professional, yada yada yada.

One of the banes of my pregnant existance is heart burn. It interrupted more than one night of sleep during my pregnancies with my girls — as in most of the second half of pregnancy both times! I tried everything from strict adherence to an anti-heart-burn diet, no eating less than 3 hours before (torture when you’re always hungry!), numerous pillows in our bed, and tums, lots of tums. Nothing worked.

This pregnancy I got desperate and decided to try apple cider vinegar. I don’t know why I’ve been resistant to the idea in the past, but I wasn’t this time around. Maybe it’s the fact that I have a 19 month old who doesn’t take a break when mommy doesn’t sleep. Anyway, I decided I was going to get some and low, and behold, I have some in my local supermarket. It can’t be THAT bad then, right? :p

After checking with Chautona (one of my resident pregnancy advisors) for dosing info (1 Tbsp every hour as needed) I finally got up the nerve. It definitely doesn’t taste very good (in fact, it made me curl my toes!) but oh the relief. I only had to take one dose and I was able to sleep. I needed some again the next night, but then I was able to go several days without any heartburn. I took some last night and I needed some again just now, but I am already feeling better!

Best part? Unlike tums, you don’t have to puke the next morning.

**********

You may have noticed that I have been posting as “administrator” on this blog. I decided that while I do have supreme powers to make your comment go poof I wasn’t going to lord it over you anymore, so now I’m going by my real name. Just thought you might like to know.

Right before we went on vacation (more about that in a bit) I took the plunge on a fairly new baby carrier: The Beco Butterfly. It’s sort of like the regular beco baby carriers, but it has a nice insert where Munchkin sits so that it makes it a LOT easier to get her up and down safely! I have tried a variety of other carriers, but I lack the dexterity in my upper body to do back carriers with other soft structure carriers (ergo, traditional becos, etc.), mei tais, and wraps. I tried so hard to make them work, but to no avail. So I decided to take the plunge and buy a Butterfly. Munchkin and I have not been disappointed. Following is an edited review I wrote for the babywearing forum on Diaper Swappers.

Where I bought: I went to a local B&M (brick and mortar which is cyber speak for a real life store front instead of online) because I wanted to touch and feel. (There are now quite a few on the FSOT board at Diaper Swappers for a very good price, but you do not have the warranty you have if you spend $20 more and buy from a retailer.)

The Print I chose and why: The store I went to had six prints to choose from. (You can see them on the beco site.)
Isabella — I almost bought this one because it was feminine enough for my little girl, but not so feminine that I couldn’t see myself wearing it if the little Bean is a boy. I decided against it because it was basically an all-black carrier which seemed like it would get dirty/faded more quickly. I have nothing to base this on as I have not actually used it, but this was my impression standing in the store looking at it.
Carnival — This is the print I bought. It was definitely on the edge of girly, but I see a lot of Mamas who have boys wearing it so I figured it would be okay. It has brown straps which seemed like it would hide dirt at least a little better.
Chloe: Definitely a girly carrier but a bit boring compared to the other choices.
Ethan: Good GN color, but I thought the print was boring. Maybe that particular carrier was the exception, but there was only one bug!
Morgan: Cute colors and would hide more dirt than Isabella but we don’t do skulls and cross-bones here.
Sophia: Another girly carrier. I think I like it better than chloe becauase it has a bit more interesting of a print.

Safety and Ease of Use

Learning:I totally recommend watching these youtube videos that one of the Mamas on DS did. They are sooo much better than the DVD and “instruction manual” that came with the carrier! They are what sold me on this carrier! You can search Beco Butterfly on youtube and you’ll find them. They were so helpful to me in choosing and learning the butterfly. I was able to get Munchkin up on my back with no trouble on the first try which is quite the contrary to the other carriers I’ve tried. It has only gotten easier the more I use it and I do use it all the time!
Buckles:I frankly love the retrofitted buckles (was never wild about the safety loop idea) and it’s easy to use. It is also set up so Munchkin can’t undo them without my consent.

Fit and Comfort
I am 5′ 1″ and almost 4 months pregnant. Munchkin is 17 months, about 21-22 pounds and 33ish inches long. We are both comfortable. This is totally a petite mama’s carrier. (I have never seen it on regular or fluffy size mamas’ so I can only speak for petite.) Like I said, i’ve tried an ergo NG (straps were huge and body was waay too short for DD) and a DIY MT. The MT was one I’d made myself so it fit well, but the straps were a pain to deal with.

Speaking of straps that reminds me, one of the biggest reasons I went with the butterfly is I have a fused spine and a rod on it to correct scoliosis. I don’t have the flexibility to load on my back without help and active spotting with the conventional carriers (wraps, SSCs, etc.). I never used them in public because I could not be guarenteed of my flexibility and ability to safely handle my DD. (I am one of those people that gives “helpers” reason to always try to help.) The Butterfly allows me to safely load DD on my back without worrying about dropping her or hurting my back.

I have worn this carrier in a variety of situations for as long as an hour at a time. I can feel that there is weight on my back and given my history it’s a bit uncomfortable, but nothing like the other things i’ve tried. Munchkin loves to be up there and she peeks at the world from her little cocoonish throne. When she’s up there, she looks around, puts her hands in and out, sucks her thumb, etc. etc.

Price: This carrier is definitely on the pricier side ($150ish new or about $100-120 used) but it’s been totally worth it for Munchkin and me. It will also work well for the new baby because it fits infants well too! If you’re not sure it’s the carrier for you, I’d recommend trying to see it in real life first because most mail order places charge a re-stocking fee if you return it, hence the barely used ones on Diaper Swappers.