Baltic Amber

Mr. Happy is now in the unpleasant position of not having any pain relieving medicines he can take.

Ibuprofen was a major fail; acetaminophen might  eventually pass, but it showed fail signs when we tried it a few weeks ago.

Our compounding pharmacists are waiting to hear back from their suppliers about the derivatives of the ingredients they would use to make safe suppositories for Mr. Happy.

While they work on that, I took the advice of the other Mama’s on the FPIES boards and ordered a Baltic Amber necklace for Mr. Happy.

According to the I Love Cloth Diapers Blog, the effective pain relieving properties of amber “…only applies to amber (fossilized tree sap) collected from the area around the Baltic Sea.  Other types of amber do not have these properties.  Baltic amber secretes minute amounts of succinic acid.  When absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream, succinic acid is a slow, mild, but effective, pain reliever.  It is considered safe for all ages, including babies, which is why Europeans have reportedly used it for centuries to relieve teething pain in babies.  This is also why baltic amber necklaces are not for chewing: babies only need to wear the amber against the skin for it to be effective.”

Several of the Mama’s on the FPIES board swore by these necklaces, but you know how it is: label something an “old wive’s tale” and suddenly you doubt whether it is true or just some comforting falsehood.  (Blame the 1950’s and the ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’ campaign for disbelieving our mothers, despite the fact that science has since proven so many old wive’s tales true!)

But at some point you just decide that you’ll try anything, because nothing else has worked and what do you have to lose?

So, I ordered the necklace.

I went with one of the stores recommended to me, Inspired by Finn.  It arrived on Thursday, and we wrapped it around Mr. Happy’s ankle and covered it with a sock for bedtime.

For the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long, he only woke up three times in the middle of the night, instead of every 1 – 1.5 hours.

Friday, we kept it in place around his leg using a leg warmer.  He was pretty normal that day, only fussing when tired or hungry.

Friday night?  Again, only woke up twice in the middle of the night to nurse.

Saturday we spent all day on airplanes, traveling to Atlanta.  He was a dream traveler!  When we got here, he managed to kick his sock – and the necklace – off.  I decided “Ahn!  He’s fine!  He’ll be okay without it.” and left it off.

Within two hours his cheeks were bright red and he was fussing up a storm.

He fought going to bed that night, too, until I grabbed the necklace and put it on his leg.

Within 30 minutes, he was asleep – and only woke twice in the night!

Old European Wives?  I bow to your wisdom.  We have a winner!

I’m still a tad paranoid about having a necklace with beads (read: choking hazard) around my son, but I keep a close eye on his necklace, sock and leg warmer throughout the day.  Honestly, zippered footie pajamas make me relax the most.

I’ll keep a constant watch on his little medical anklet, though, if it relieves his pain and allows him to be the happy, easy-going baby I know he truly is.  It’s such a relief to know my little bug isn’t in pain!

Have any of you tried a Baltic Amber necklace?  Did it work for you?