Both Damian and Ivy wear amber “teething” necklaces. I was introduced to the idea of them back when Damian was a baby but didn’t think much of them at the time. He didn’t have too hard of a time cutting teeth and they seemed rather hokey.

Along comes Ivy, who unlike her brother’s one at a time approach, chose to cut four teeth at once (I do realize she had no choice in this matter) and took three months to do so. You cannot imagine her misery, practically gagging in her own drool and at times vomit. I was willing to try anything to help her through it.

Enter the teething necklace. The one in the picture on Damian was the first I ordered, made of Baltic amber chips. Within minutes of me putting it on an Ivy in full teething rage she calmed right down. At first I thought she was just distracted by the novelty of the necklace but after several weeks of us I can safely say that she seems to have substantially less teething pain and absolutely no more vomiting (and I am pleased to report that this past week her three of her troublesome first teeth have finally come in fully.)

My problem with the chips is that they were not smooth and dug into her chubby baby neck. This didn’t seem to bug her very much but it bothered me, so I ordered a second one (shown on Ivy) with rounded Baltic amber beads. Damian took a great liking to the first (and even if only in my mind, his mood is better when he wears it) so I added his pentacle to it and it is his now. The raw dark amber looks manlier anyways.

As for how this miracle works, I have read that when Baltic amber warms upon contact with your skin it releases succinic acid which is then absorbed into the body and supposedly has various healing properties; and while how it works is of some scientific interest to me, all that truly matters is that it did work, for which I am overwhelming happy (and I am sure Ivy is too.)

Would I recommend it to mothers with teething infants? Heck yes! In fact it will probably be one of my shower gifts to every pregnant woman I know from now on. Besides that, it gives me an excuse to get the soon-to-be mom one too because moms need love too (that link will take you to the site where I purchased Ivy’s, I was very pleased with them.)

Have you ever used an amber necklace as a teething pain reliever for your child? What was your experience?

(Click the image for a bigger picture – 1024×768.)

This is how my birthing necklace looks so far (if I receive more beads, it will grow in length of course.) I really like how it has turned out too. I know not all the donated beads are red, but some people have difficulty following directions (I love you grandma and mom.) I find I really don’t mind though, the beads they sent were justified with special meanings which, in this case, were more important than color.

As always, Windigo had to get his adorable little face in my craft picture too. I usually crop him out but I thought he looked exceptional cute here.

This is a picture of my living room altar at the moment. A friend made it for us as a handfasting gift, it is gorgeous solid pine with lots of storage space and very sturdy. I am slowly working on wood burning my sun into the top of it (hence the cloth covering up that particular work in progress.) I do most of my spiritual arts and crafts at this altar because I have a tall chair that is the perfect height for me to sit comfortable in front of it.

That is my birthing necklace on it (and some tools to work on it too) if you are curious. You can click the photo for a larger one if you wish. Some people have emailed me about wishing to donate a bead. I didn’t realize so many people read my blog! Thank you! The criteria for bead is as follows:

• It must be red.
• It cannot be plastic.
• Any shape is allowed but I would rather they not to be much larger then a dime.
• I will need it before May 15th.

You can send the bead to:

Michael and Jaspenelle Stewart
3129 E 29th Ave B
Spokane, WA 99223

I started working on the necklace today (realizing I had enough beads to do that was a wonderful feeling.) So far so good! Many thanks to Neserit, who shared the rosary tutorial with me. I am using that technique to connect the beads. It was a little tricky at first but I seem to have gotten the hang of it (thank goodness for spare eye pins though…)

I’ve paused working on it for now, I have lots of spare beads but I know there are still some beads coming in the mail and I don’t want to rush this, though it obviously has to be done before I go into labor! I also want to do a ritual with it on the next full moon (on May 19th) as that will probably be my last before the baby comes! Hows that for a life transitions…

These are a few of the beads I have gathered or that people have given me for my birthing necklace. The only criteria I have for it is that donated beads must be red (representing the umbilical cord) and that I would rather they not be plastic. Since all the red beads are from others you can probably tell which ones I added to the lot! Most of our baby’s things are celestial themed, which is why I chose the blue lampwork moon as the focal point and the golden star spacer beads. I am hoping to have it done by May 19th so I can bless it under the full moon ritual.

I was originally going to make the birthing necklace on my own but when one of my friend’s found out I was making it and offered me a red bead to add to it, that idea seemed to hold more power. Now I am receiving more and more beads from people for it. I cannot put into words how blessed that makes me feel! My mother and grandmother are even going to send me a few heirloom ones and I admit, that offer made me cry…

If you are wondering what exactly a birthing necklace is simply a necklace that I will wear or have near me while I am in labor. I didn’t even know there was a term for the idea until I talked to my friend! When our baby is old enough to understand it’s meaning I plan on reworking the necklace into a mala for him.

Does anyone know what this type of beading is called? More specifically what is the technique called to attach the beads with links of wire like that? I want to look up what kind of wire I need for it.