Witch hazel is a must have item for all new mamas and luckily you don’t need a cauldron to use it. If you’re thinking that witch hazel is only for hippies, witch doctors or natural healers you couldn’t be more wrong.

Witch hazel is an excellent and safe remedy for plenty of what ails new mamas. Infusions made with the bark and leaves  of the witch hazel plant (Hamamelis virginiana) have been used safely in America since before the Mayflower’s arrival in the New World. The bark and leaves themselves are cleansing and have astringent qualities. Witch hazel is added to facial and body care products, aftershaves, dandruff shampoos and many other commercial products.

As a new mama helper, witch hazel is your best friend! Witch hazel can be used on swollen body parts (birth gives your body quite the beating), varicose veins and makes a wonderful treatment for two obnoxious new mama problems – a sore perineum and hemorrhoids.

Perineum problems after birth: After you give birth you’ll most likely experience uncomfortable swelling, pain, and itching in the perineum area. Perineum problems aren’t a big shock considering you just pushed your baby out of what’s normally a pretty small opening right? If you had an episiotomy the pain and itching can be even worse. It’s very important you care for your perineal area to avoid infection (and general crankiness).

Many hospitals and health care providers will recommend pain relief options like ice packs, sitz baths and a numbing spray such as Dermoplast. Ice packs and sitz baths can provide some relief but not for long. Dermoplast is not the safest choice in my opinion. The main ingredient in Dermoplast is benzocaine. Benzocaine works like a chemical barrier, blocking pain but doesn’t really aid the healing process and many people have allergic reactions to it. Additionally an overdose of benzocaine can cause fatal side effects – this medicine can be absorbed through your skin and into your blood. Lastly, it’s not currently known whether benzocaine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby.
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Ugallery.com for affordable and easy nursery art

If you’re looking for something cool to hang in the nursery – something that won’t cost you your first born babe, check out Ugallery.com.

Benefits:

• Original artwork at prices parents can afford. There’s something in everyone’s range ($20 to $5,000).
• There’s art for all decor themes – modern, natural, kid style, abstract and more.
• It’s easy. You can shop online instead of heading out to the galleries.
• It’s custom. You can use Ugallery’s one of a kind Virtual Wall, to see exactly how your favorite piece of art will look before you purchase it.

I picked out some pieces that I think would look great in the nursery or in a child’s room…

Penguins in Patagonia, Argentina: $75.00

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Random baby names of the week

Spring just appeared so maybe we’ll score some happy go lucky spring-minded names. Of course, we might not… Let’s see.

Baby boy name: Richard; French form of the Old High German name, Richart, from richi, ‘powerful, wealthy, ruling’, and hard, ’strong’.

Baby girl name: Jewel; possibly originally from the French, jeu, ‘game, jest’, but now implying something or someone of great preciousness.

So two names that imply a wealth of sorts, but Jewel is far less common. Richard is super popular, and while I don’t dislike the name, I don’t like when people shorten it to Rich or sometimes Dick (seriously how do you get Dick from Richard?) I’m just not a fan of names you can shorten, maybe because people always shorten mine without asking and I hate that. As for Jewel, it’s pretty, but I think most of us associate it with Jewel the singer/songwriter at this point. If that doesn’t bother you it’s a nice name I think.

What do you think of this week’s random baby names?  Is one of these perfect for your baby?

Pretty little baby products

Babies don’t need hundreds of extras, but I firmly believe that a few pretty little items make everything sweeter. That said, there are so many pretty little baby items out there that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. One place that makes it easy to score pretty baby gear is Craftsbury Kids. They actually offer a Pretty Things category of child gear, and they’re not kidding – everything offered is adorable, such as…

Flower Bird Bib: Two layers of 100% cotton flannel, one layer of fleece lining, and a pretty little pearl snap. Each bib is a one of a kind treat, handmade by Amy Knight.

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