Amber Teething Necklace Review

I heard about amber teething necklaces when my sister-in-law started using them on both my neice and nephew. She swears by them. In fact, every parent I've met who uses them does.

They're supposed to reduce teething symptoms such as red cheeks, dribbling, grouchiness, etc, etc. Thanks to the magic of the internet and the miracles of Google I also found out how they're supposed to work.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about please enjoy this generic image of a 

child enjoying their amber necklace.

From www.teethingsos.com website:

'Amber has been used to relieve the symptoms of teething in babies throughout Europe for generations.  Amber is a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory.  When amber is placed against the skin, the warmth of the skin causes it to release the active element - succinite.  Succinite is a natural constituent of plant and animal tissue and is involved in the bodies’ metabolic process.  The pharmaceutical industry use it today in many products including crop growth, anti-aging, cell renewal and anti-alcohol products and immune system repair products.'

This photo isn't taken from the teethingsos website, it's just an example of what I'm talking about.

That paragraph leaves out the importance of only using Baltic amber which is supposed to contain more succinite acid than other types of amber.

Personally, I'm not one for alternative medicines typically. My mother was a doctor so I grew up with a strong and thriving attitude that if something's bothering you nuke it to death with anything you can fit on a prescription pad. However, that was for me. Medicating away symptoms caused by other medication is fine and dandy for me, not for my precious little pookie. Parents are the birth place of the double standard. So I decided I'd give nature a chance. And then research it.... In hindsight I'll admit I did that arse-ways.

One of the arguments against amber teething beads that I came across was the implication that body heat alone could make solid amber particles soluble. Yes, in retrospect that did seem far fetched. Amber is fossilised tree sap that has survived hundreds of years. Not just that but Baltic amber has survived hundreds of years in literally Baltic conditions but somehow a baby's body heat is its kryptonite. As it turns out succinic acid (the active ingredient of amber's healing properties) has a melting point of 185 °C. I'll go out on a limb here to say that's warmer than your average baby. Oh yes, and succinic acid is both corrosive and combustible. You can read more here: (even if it is wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succinic_acid

Another argument I read was that in the unlikely event of the amber necklace working the way these websites claim they do, you are exposing your baby to an unmonitored dosage of an acid that was used in modern medicine.

However, so many parents swear by them, some of whom I know and trust and I can assure you are as sceptical and analytical as they come. So how do they work? 

One of the suggestions is a possible placebo effect. While I understand the general jist of placebo therapies, I'm still a bit hazy on how a placebo affects infants. I would have thought some verbal understanding would have to be involved. Maybe it's more a placebo for the parents who are imagining some change, like when parents imagine their kids are on a sugar high.  Maybe the child even responds to their parents' new, relaxed attitude. Who knows? Not me, like I said my knowledge of placebos isn't great and I was too busy trying to get Jim to stop trying to eat the amber to research properly.

While these are all very interesting points, I'm ashamed to say none of these factors swayed me personally. I'm not even dismissing the idea that they work, I like an open mind but usually with at least a little scientific backing.  Funnily enough, my issues with the healing qualities of amber required very little research at all. We tried it out for two whole days before ditching our attempt at becoming amber enthusiasts.

My first problem with the amber beads was trying to convince Jim to wear them and leave them alone. It was like trying to put a collar on a feral cat. The length of the necklace is tight enough to not cause a strangling hazard, but loose enough to not cause discomfort. Which in my baby's case meant asphyxiation every time he grabbed them to rip them to eye level for further investigation. For someone with the attention span of gnat, Jim was determined to the point of injury to see what the hell was around his neck. The less said about trying to convince him to keep it on his wrist or ankle the better.

The second problem was explaining to people what 'that funny little necklace' was exactly. I first encountered this problem with my fiancée's uncle, who is a lovely individual who just so happens to never miss an opportunity to rip the piss out of anyone asking for it (such as his nephew's girlfriend explaining some 'hippy crap' to him). It was only halfway through my explanation that I realised how daft I sounded but for whatever reason I kept going, possibly in the hopes that if I kept explaining some scientific merit would just appear out of nowhere. He sat there, patiently, with a dead pan expression, allowing me to finish before responding 'soooo.... it's a magic necklace?'

The amber teething necklace has since been converted into a magic bracelet for me. My teeth don't feel much different.

Helpful Products

Just a list of some products I found useful immediately post-pregnancy.

I had super sensitive skin for about three days post-partum, my doctor actually recommended Aveeno body moisturiser. 

I found it's not as heavy as other moisturisers intended for sensitive skin, it's fragrance is light but a bit sickly (for me personally) but it really offers delicate and irritated skin a lot of relief.

If you're someone who insists on a full face of makeup before leaving the house, initially you may find it hard to get the time for full on kabuki makeup with a new baby. Remember to keep it simple, like idiot simple, for the first few weeks until you get into the swing of things. Tinted moisturiser, mascara, concealer and setting powder was as much as I could manage when feeling 'fancy'.

Concealer will be your new best friend what with your fetching new dark circles and the odd blemish while your body sorts those damn hormones out. Personally, I am a huge of fan of Yves Saint Laurent's Touche Eclat. It's lightweight but offers high coverage. It's brush applicator makes it easy to use at any time. Although it's not described as a concealer by YSL (it's a bloody concealer), I use it as one and love it.

However, if your budget doesn't stretch to YSL (or you don't have access to duty free coming up anytime soon ;) ), I've found L'Oreal's Touche Eclat knock off, Touche Magique is a good alternative. It's a bit heavier, it's applicator isn't as good and it takes more effort to find the right match for your skin but it offers the same coverage.

Finally, I would really recommend Palmers Firming Butter. I picked it up by mistake thinking it was Palmers Stretch Mark Massage Lotion. Unfortunately, stretch mark obliterating lotions and potions are all useless, don't waste your money. After months of slathering myself in Bio-Oil which felt disgusting, I realised in the later stages of pregnancy that all it succeeded in doing was make me greasy. Stretch marks are unfortunately genetic and unavoidable, if you're going to get them, you get them. Luckily they fade over time all on their own. Mine have all vanished.

However, Palmers Firming Butter works wonders. Used on a particularly cellulicious derriere after a week or so the results were visible, which I was impressed with. I still use it now. A week of ODing on water and using the Firming Butter and the offensive parts of my anatomy look less offensive. It doesn't get rid of it totally but let's be realistic.

Hope this has been helpful xxx

The Skinny... or not so...

A little background and why I wanted to start this blog.

I had my beautiful son, Jim, seven months ago. As life-changingly amazing as he is and as happy as he makes me the months immediately following his birth were absolute hell on my vanity. To clarify, I wouldn't change my life for the world, I'm just saying I could have done without the flab, the bloat, and the cornucopia of other terrifying new tricks your body learns during pregnancy and afterwards.

I had totally unrealistic expectations of all things baby courtesy of my best friend, Michelle. She's a model, I should have known, she earns a living from unrealistic expectations. The girl popped her daughter out and was back modelling three weeks later.

What was I doing three weeks after giving birth? Sitting on over stuffed cushions, jiggling, leaking and crying that the hoodie I bought in the men's section was too small for me.

Fashion was not an option and make-up was an adventure everytime... and not the good kind. And absolutely nowhere in any baby book was there a section on trying to look in anyway nice. Hell, whatever about nice, I'd settle for publicly acceptable.

I may be painting an overly dramatic picture on the bleakness of post-baby bods, maybe I didn't look that bad (no, I totally looked that bad) but it does take time to feel comfortable in your own skin after such an enormous transition.

So in a nutshell, the aim of this blog is to offer tips, advice and to let women know that there are others out there stumbling and struggling with their post baby appearance too.