Once again...

It's happened again.  I have forgotten to take care of myself and have been so wrapped up in making sure everyone else has what they need that I still haven't seen a dentist. 

I was supposed to see a dentist while I was pregnant with Newbie and it still hasn't happened.  And now I really need a dentist.  A few weeks ago my left lower jaw was throbbing, my tooth was aching and I felt miserable.  That's all ended now but when I bite down on anything with that particular tooth I get a dull aching throb that doesn't really hurt so much as it's uncomfortable. 

I feel as though this tooth may be dead and I will mourn its loss greatly since it's a molar. 

I don't take care of myself as much I should.  I really don't.  I'm always so worried about everyone else and everything they need before I start to worry about myself and since I rarely ever have time to worry about myself anymore my needs go by the wayside more often than not. 

Everyone tells me I need to make time for myself.  How the hell do I do that?  I can barely fit in a shower let alone time to go to the dentist.  Or the doctor.  Or the chiropractor.  Or the hair salon (what the hell am I saying, I can barely afford a Great Clips hair cut).

My point is this:  If everyone wants me to make time for myself so badly then why don't they help me pick up the slack and get things taken care of so I can make time for myself?

Anyway, sorry for the side rant.  Back to teeth!!

According to certain old wives tales, children leach calcium out of your teeth when you're pregnant with them if you aren't getting enough calcium to support their bone growth.

However, I googled this crap because I just couldn't believe it.  I have a medical background, used to be a CNA and a medical transcriptionist.  I didn't think this was a believable fact.  I thought, from what I was taught, that pregnancy leached calcium from your bones not your teeth and that calcium was quickly replaced by your regular diet after giving birth and stopping breastfeeding.

So where did these old wives tales about losing teeth and getting cavities with every pregnancy come from?

Check this out:  Tooth Loss and Pregnancy

According to this website, which I hope you'll read the article because it really is great information, tooth decay and or loss during and after pregnancy is caused by several factors including improper dental care, previous gum problems exacerbated by hormone changes, vomiting, cravings for sugary foods, vomiting and retching while brushing your teeth. 

They go into detail in the article so I won't bore you with too many excerpts from it but this one in particular caught my eye and seems to be the reason behind my personal issues. 

"...Some pregnant women find that brushing their teeth, particularly the molars, provokes retching. However, you risk tooth decay if you don’t brush regularly. Suggestions include:

• Use a brush with a small head, such as a brush made for toddlers.
• Take your time. Slow down your brushing action.
• It may help to close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing.
• Try other distractions, such as listening to music.
• If the taste of the toothpaste seems to provoke your gag reflex, switch to another brand. Alternatively, brush your teeth with water and follow up with a fluoridated mouthwash. Go back to brushing with fluoridated toothpaste as soon as you can..."

You see, while pregnant with my second child, Newbie, I had horrible morning sickness all day long and my gag reflex was absolutely terrible.  So between not brushing properly and the vomiting I was doing so very often my teeth have gone to shit.  I have at least three cavities that I know of and can feel plus my one tooth that I'm sure is dead now, at least the root is. 

Well, now you know why your teeth went bad after or during pregnancy.  And now I know why I need to find a dentist so very badly.  Only issue is finding one that takes my insurance but that's a rant/issue for another post. 

Jealousy

Have you ever been so jealous of someone sleeping that you just want to punch them in the face?

You may or may not laugh at that question but feel free to.  I do all the time whenever I ask myself or anyone else that question.

I'm not much of a sleeper, never really have been and according to my mother I started phasing out naps at only 14 months.  Being older now though, I crave sleep something fierce most days.  I need it.  I want it.  I dream about it.

Yes, you read that correctly.  I DREAM ABOUT SLEEPING!  Which means, while I'm sleeping, my body craves it SO MUCH that I actually dream about it.  Disturbing fact, isn't it? 

Anyway, insomnia wracks my body every night and exhaustion sometimes takes over but it's never for very long.  It's terrible. 

I'll give you a for instance, I got a mere 2.5 hours of sleep last night and it wasn't even all at once, it was broken up.  There are various reasons for this much lack of sleep, a teething 14 month old, a fussy 3 month old who just started new medicine, a heat exhausted husband throwing up most of the night.  You get the idea. 

Four hours of sleep is my usual.  That's right, I make all this happen on a mere four hours of broken sleep every night. 

So I looked up some statistics and guess what?  The average new mother only gets about four hours of broken sleep for the first 2 years of her child's life.  The average new father gets about six hours for those first two years.  Go figure.  I'm not a man hater, I just get so jealous of people who get more sleep than I do.  It's kind of funny actually. 

I sat here reading over this information and thought back to my high school health class days when I was told that the average adult required six to eight hours of sleep and that without that much sleep our minds started to lose functionality on its base levels. 

I then thought back to the new mother/father sleep statistics and thought to myself, how the HELL do we do it?  

How do we manage to function even on our basal levels when we aren't getting the amount of sleep required to completely refresh our brains and bodies every night?

It's a question I pondered for a few hours before I came to this conclusion:  Sheer willpower.

That's right, willpower is what makes us, as parents, so friggin awesome.  We get very little recognition for all our hard work and even less sleep but the rewards are endless and wonderful and that is what keeps us going.  

The love from our children, their little smiles when they see us, their wonderful giggles, the sparkle in their eyes when you show them something new and the like is what makes all this lack of sleep so very worth it.

I can't tell you how much my life has changed in the past two years.  I had two beautiful baby girls, got married and have learned so many things I sometimes feel as though my head is going to explode but it is all worth it when I wake up in the morning and my little girls are smiling at me, cooing or babbling and ready beyond words to start their new day of exploration with me and daddy.  

So there you have it folks, I hate sleeping people because I never get enough sleep but I'll continue to do it just the same because my girls are the only reason I need to keep getting up every morning despite the sleepless nights.  I'm sure I'm not the only one.