Drugs

There's a part of me which likes to think that herbal rememdies and other "alternative" treatments are somehow better than the drugs of Western medicine. It's the same part of me which feels guilty for taking Baby out on a half hour drive to get her to sleep (the petrol cost!), or for using disposable nappies.

On the other hand, there's the enormous convenience involved.

For days now I've been so congested I could barely breathe at night, but I didn't want to take anything for it because I'm still breastfeeding. But I reached a limit yesterday, when reading to Baby became a chore (because I had to stop every page to sneeze or blow my nose) and when Baby's no-eating antics threatened to blow my serene-mum act out the window.

So I sent the boy out to the pharmacy to buy some Sudafed.

I just have to be careful with the timing; I take some pills right after Baby's first post-bedtime breastfeed (as long as the next one is more than 3 hours away), and that sets me up for the night.

And last night I actually got to sleep for the five hours between Baby's first post-bedtime breastfeed and her second (this one, at least, will hopefully disappear after sleep-training).

So, despite the fact that natural therapies sound so wholesome and healthy, I'm afraid I'm all for the quick fix.