"Amber Waves of Woo"

a spiral of amber beads on a knotted cord

"Amber Waves of Woo"

A big part of my doula toolkit is helping pregnant folks think about interventions. Sometimes we're discussing an allopathic practice (epidural anesthesia, for example), and sometimes it's a naturopathic one (like the amber teething necklace discussed here). Whatever the origin of an intervention, I do my best to bring critical thinking and relevant knowledge to the table.

Let's use our BRAIN to think this one through:

• Benefits: According to this article, the purported benefits are scientifically impossible in multiple ways. The most this can do is be a placebo.
  
• Risks: Choking and strangulation. Eep!
  
• Alternatives: There's plenty of other teething remedies out there: a cold washcloth, a frozen bagel or fruit, Orajel, and so on... all of which should get their own BRAIN protocol time!
  
• Intuition: This one's up to you. What does your gut say about this practice? Let's call it out specifically so you can take it into account when you make a decision.
  
• Nothing: If you do nothing to treat teething pain, the child will almost certainly be fine in a few days. There's not much risk to inaction here.

So now, with all this information on the table, the decision is up to you!

What's your thinking?

In cahoots,

~Sasha