Educate Yourself (Mom Thoughts)

Since becoming a mom, I have learned how tremendously beneficial it is to educate myself.  I first noticed it when Tobias was diagnosed with clubbed feet.  As soon as we left that appointment, his father and I were on Google for hours educating ourselves on that condition.  Initially I thought googling it would increase my worrying, but it actually did the opposite.  Researching the condition and it's treatment reassured me that we were going to get through it and everything would be fine.  In that moment, taking the time to educate myself eased my worries and helped me move on with a healthy pregnancy. 

I will be honest and say google has not always been the best outlet for me because it did really darken my thoughts when I was first researching Moebius Syndrome.  I saw all of these extreme side effects and completely shut myself down.  But after changing my mindset, I taught myself to absorb all of that information I was reading and think of it as being helpful rather than discouraging. 

A month ago, I found out it is very common for people with Moebius Syndrome to have their teeth decay.  After days of researching causes and possible treatments, I decided to make an appointment with a pediatric dentist to help further my knowledge of this situation.  Is Tobias's teeth for sure going to decay? We do not know...But as his mom I know it wouldn't do any harm getting a professional's input.  Educating myself has become so important to me because I know I need to be proactive.  I do not want to wait until something unfortunate happens and then live with the regret.  I am my child's advocate, therefor the more knowledge I have the better off he will be.

UPDATE: His dentist did say we can put sealants on his teeth, but that wont happen until he is a little older.  Also, the sealants sit on top of the teeth, so it is up to us to keep up with cleaning the base of the teeth.  For now we are going to start brushing his teeth with the tiniest amount of FLOURIDE tooth paste.  And then go in with a wet wash rag to rinse out his mouth. 

I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION THAT I HOPE PEOPLE READ THIS AND ARE INSPIRED TO EDUCATED THEMSELVES NOT ONLY ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN, BUT ABOUT ANYTHING HAPPENING IN THEIR LIFE.  EDUCATION CAN TRULY DO MORE GOOD THAN HARM.

THANKS FOR READING!!