Keeper of the Home » Babies

Homemade One-Size Cloth Diaper Pattern and Wipes Recipe

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:00:31 +0000

*The Tiny Tooshies instruction link is now fixed!*

Today is the debut of the first of my new contributing writers here at Keeper of the Home. Over the next 6 weeks or so, you will get a chance to "meet" each contributor, and shortly I will have a contributor's page up with their photos and bios.

___________________________________

Our first writer, Angela Beery, has created her own pattern for making a homemade, one-size cloth diaper and it looks excellent! Making your own diapers is a wonderful way to use up extra material, and to make diapers that are extremely frugal as well.

Here's a look at the diaper:

Diaper front (size small)

Diaper front (size large)

Diaper side (size small)

Diaper back

Want to try making this diaper yourself? Here's what you'll need:

Diaper Pattern - This is the printable pattern, with tracers for your fabric pieces.

Tiny Tooshie - These are the written instructions for putting together your own "Tiny Tooshie" diaper. One thing to note is that there is an option of either keeping these as simple cloth diapers, which you would put a cover over OR the other option is to use a waterproof fabric on the outside to make them all-in-one diapers.

Note- to download these files, click on the link once. On the page that it brings you to, click on the 2nd link.

Angela's Cloth Wipes "Recipe"

3 cups warm water
2 T olive oil
3 drops of lavender essential oil (or scent of your choice)
2 drops Tea Tree Oil
2 T baby wash

1.) Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

2.) Soak baby washcloths or other soft cloth in mixture and place in wipes holder. Do not wring out completely. The wipes holder will keep wipes moist until ready for use.

Angela Beery, former So-Cal city girl and world traveler fully embraces her simple, yet abundant, life in a small town at the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. She and her husband love serving the Lord with The Salvation Army - Angela, as a volunteer and her husband as a youth and music pastor. When not chasing around her 18 month old daughter, Angela enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking low-fat meals and crafting of every kind. You can read more about her journey as a homemaker at her blog, Domestic Godliness.

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The GAPS Diet: Why Our Family is Doing It

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:00:11 +0000

Yesterday I shared about what the GAPS diet is. If you missed it, I would suggest going back and reading that post first.

If you try to eat so well, why does your family need to do the GAPS diet?

No one has asked me this yet, but I can well imagine that this is the question in many of your minds,and it is an extremely legitimate question!

As I've shard before, my journey into nutrition and natural living did not come about just because I loved being healthy, but rather because I was an incredibly un-healthy person.

I started out after a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a serious hormonal/reproductive disorder. I used to suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, as well as being lactose intolerant, and would often experience severe episodes of cramping and pain. I also spent about a year and a half on birth control pills before marriage (and before I knew better), and have probably taken antibiotics more than 25 times throughout my life.

I began to get healthy before I started having my children, but not much before, and I was really only just baby-stepping my way towards health back then. Though my efforts have made a tremendous difference (my PCOS is greatly diminished, the IBS and lactose intolerance are gone, and I generally feel 110% better than I used to), I know that I haven't solved all of the damage that was done in the first 20-something years of my life.

From generation to generation

In Gut and Psychology Syndrome Dr. Campbell-McBride says this:

"...When I ask questions about the health of a child's grandparents, particularly on the mother's side, it becomes obvious that we have generations of people with compromised gut flora. This damage becomes deeper in every generation. The era of antibiotics, contraceptive pill, breast feeding going out of fashion, and drastic changes in diet have all contributed to this phenomenon. Doctors have known for centuries that unhealthy parents produce unhealthy children. Mother's body is a home for the growing baby for nine months and a source of nourishment and care for months after the birth...

...As far as science knows an unborn baby is sterile. Its body has no bacteria, viruses or fungi living in it. When the time of birth comes, as the baby goes through the birth canal, it gets its first dose of microbes. Its skin, eyes, mucous membranes in the mouth and nose acquire their first microflora. Through swallowing liquids in the mother's v****a the baby's digestive system gets its first population of bacteria, viruses and fungi."

Can you see that whatever imbalances and level of compromised health is in the mother's body when her children are in utero and then breastfeeding will be passed on to her children?

This isn't a guilt trip and it shouldn't be condemning. Many of us didn't grow up knowing any better than what we have done, and we are in so many regards a product of our society and culture. Please don't hear me laying a burden upon mothers for what they have passed on to their children.

Image by peasap

Rising to the challenge in the now...

I am taking this as a challenge to myself to see what can I do about it now, through God's grace. The past is the past. But I want to give my children every chance to grow up without such a heavy toll on their gut flora, and thus on their overall health!

I have seen in our children the signs of a compromised gut. All three of them have dealt with eczema fairly extensively. The two older ones have shown some tummy troubles from time to time, stools with undigested food in them, mild constipation, etc. Our baby dealt with colic this summer.

Something I have never really discussed on my blog (mostly because I am concerned about the backlash that I will receive) is the fact that our 2 1/2 year old son was showing some signs of developmental delays (motor and speech), as well as some behavioral activities that were similar to those of children in the autism spectrum. Immediately after a Candida/detoxifying diet to deal with his eczema about a year ago, those behaviors almost disappeared and his development suddenly took off, especially his language.

Please don't hear me saying that he had autism and was healed- that just isn't what I'm saying at all. I am simply sharing what I observed in his development and behavior, and the change that took place, and that I have seen enough evidence for me to believe that there is a connection.

All this to say that between my children, my own past of poor gut health, and my husband's battle with recurrent heartburn and other current health challenges, as well as all the chemotherapy drugs and antibiotics that he received during cancer treatments 2 1/2 years ago, I think we have many reasons to be interested in pressing the "reset" button.

Where to go from here

Is any of this striking a cord with you? Do you see your own health or your family's health in what I am talking about?

I have a guest post coming from a mom who has recently had great success with GAPS for her children. I will be also sharing from time to time as our family follows the GAPS diet, though I cannot begin to cover it nearly as extensively as has already been done on the internet.

Here is a gathering of some of the best resources that I have found for doing the GAPS diet:

GAPS Diet and Gut Health- from Kelly the Kitchen Kop. She has written multiple posts with much valuable information, and has many other excellent resource links
How the GAPS Diet is Helping Our Family- a guest post at Cheeseslave.
Starting GAPS and Modifying GAPS to Work For Us- both from Cara at Health, Home, Happiness
The GAPS Diet- I think this is the official website, and it has many excellent resources including detailed information for starting to implement the diet, as well as an online store where you can purchase the recommended Bio-Kult probiotics (I also just noticed that these probiotics are available from Amazon
as well)
Gut and Psychology Syndrome- more info on the diet, as well as another place to purchase the probiotics
The GAPS diet Yahoo Group- I will soon be joining this group, to have a place to share what we're doing and give/receive support and help from others who are also doing the diet.
More from Cheeseslave- several other posts, and her own update as she implements the GAPS diet for her husband

If you really want to do this, I highly recommend purchasing the actual book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome. It's a little bit pricey, but I'm so glad that I actually have it as it has explained everything in so much more detail and also offers a lot of recipes and suggestions for implementing the diet.

I know that I'm going to receive a flood of comments on some of the things that I've shared in this post. Please, keep it respectful, keep it clean, keep it kind. I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it. However, I am fully open to polite disagreement and big girl words. Thanks, all!

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Learning the Gentle Art of Infant Toilet Training

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:00:31 +0000

Image Credit

Guest Post by Louisa

I toilet-trained my first child when she was four-months-old. I thought I would start this guest post with a statement that knocks most people's socks off when they hear it. "Four months old, you are kidding, aren't you?" No, I kid you not.

I had worked extensively in China and seen what mothers did there; always aware of their children's needs, able to listen to the signs that told them when their child wanted to pee and available to help them achieve their own personal hygiene at a very early age, many from birth. In our age of disassociation from our babies, when we wrap them up, place them in prams and car seats and leave then in front of TVs for hours, it seems impossible to be in such harmony with our little ones, but it is absolutely possible and many, many, many people have done it before now.

After reading Jean Liedloff's Continuum Concept before giving birth and then the book Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygieneby Ingrid Bauer, I knew that I wanted to train my baby too, it just seemed the natural thing to do. So this is what I did and you can too, if that is what you decide.

I believe that diaper-free babies are eco-friendly, aware of their bodies at a young age, sociable and under no pressure to perform in any way. They must be 'responded to' from a very early age however, before the feeling of peeing in a diaper gets too natural for them. It all takes time, patience and devotion, something that has to be thought about very carefully indeed before embarking upon as you have to be 100% available. This doesn't mean sitting and watching your baby's every move, it means being there for her when she needs to tell you she wants to pee/poo.

It is very well worth it for the sake of the planet alone, but also for the deep and long-lasting connection you will be forging with your child.

Starting off simply is a good plan. Use one less diaper at night by leaving your baby free from the waist down after her bath in the evening and getting her to sleep on a thick towel. Babies will very rarely wet themselves whilst asleep and will benefit from air circulation around the parts that have been enclosed and wet all day. This I did with my baby and never had an accident in bed, nor diaper rash. It helps if you co-sleep with your baby, (but I figure if you have thought of infant training, then you have probably thought of co-sleeping too) so when she fidgets in her sleep, you can get her up and let her pee into her potty. Making quiet hissing sounds will encourage her to relieve herself straight away, then you may settle her down again.

This routine I was doing pretty soon after birth with my baby, I then graduated onto awareness of her needs during the day. Making the hissing sound whilst holding her in a comfortable position over her potty I found to be a key factor to my success - staying tuned to her cues also was crucial; a young baby will cry to be helped to pee/poo before she gives up and does it in her diaper. Be gentle, understanding and don't get stressed, if you miss it this time, you may very well get it next time, no problem! Having your baby wear diapers during the day is up to you, having the potty in view as the child learns to walk is also up to you. As a rule of thumb, your young baby will pee 20 minutes after drinking fluids, then approximately every half-hour thereafter and once or twice during the night.

This is the start of diaper-free babyhood and it happens like this all over the world. That is why Chinese children have splits in their pants with their bottoms showing and use the gutters regularly, I kid you not.

My first born was a happy, capable and contented baby, we taught her to make a sign for 'pee' long before she could talk and she seemed very capable at managing her own 'toilet matters' as she grew.

She laughs now at seven-years-old when I tell her what she could do at four months old and she thinks it is the most natural thing in the world too.

What do you think... is this an idea that appeals to you? I'd love to hear who else (this is Stephanie speaking now) is intrigued by this idea, and especially if anyone else has tried it!

Louisa has brought her children (7 and 4) up in a natural way, she lives in the mountains of France, home schools and follows the principles of Weston A.Price and Rudolph Steiner. Her first child was potty trained at four months old, both her girls co-slept with her and her husband and were carried until the age of one. She lives in a TV-free house. She believes that when a woman takes on the role of nourisher, (both physically and emotionally) she becomes both hearth and heart of her family. Read her slow-living blog at: constantstateofflux.com or find her on Twitter as @lululovesmilk.

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Safe and Natural Children’s Toys

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:00:27 +0000

**Don't forget that the Healthy Holidays Eats and Sweet Carnival is this upcoming Tuesday, Dec.8th! Start getting your whole/real foods holiday recipes ready to contribute!**

Wooden car made by Bajo

Why We Care About the Toys We Choose

It all started a little over two years ago. Recalls on toys (particularly from China) were coming out left, right and center. Our little guy was about 5-6 months old and just starting to put absolutely everything in his mouth. I found a recalled toy among our bunch- a very non-threatening looking set of cloth baby blocks made by Baby Einstein. There was too much lead in the paint designs on it's side. It sort of pushed me over the edge, and thus my search for something better began. No way, no how was I going to let my baby and toddler suck, bite, gnaw, lick (come on, admit it, your kids do the same things!) on highly toxic, junky plastic, phthalate-enriched, heavy-metal laced toys of unknown origins.

Add to that our growing desire as parents to stay away from all of the blinking-light, loud-noise-making, battery-requiring toys, and instead fill our home up with items that truly fostered imagination, rather than encouraging passivity. We decided that we really wanted to avoid toys that simply entertain. Instead, we wanted things that spurred them on to creative play. We also wanted to steer clear of all the tv and movie character toys out there (Dora, Disney princesses, Sponge Bob, and the likes).

Nope, this isn't my son, but he received this gorgeous Haba toy last Christmas

I love the motto at one of my favorite toy stores, Oompa: "No batteries. No blinking lights. No cartoon-themed toys. Period."

Now, I'm the first to admit that we're not purists and we do own a lot of toys (more than I'd like, actually), but we still keep a really close eye on what comes in, and we've been working hard to get rid of toys we're not so keen on. As we get rid of them (donating them to charity or thrift stores), we slowly add in higher-quality toys. We will probably have a few less in the end (which actually sounds great to me), but they will be toys that go the distance through many different children (we're going for 12, remember?) and our children will appreciate what they have more if they aren't inundated with an entire roomful of toys.

What We Look For:

Not battery operated. Toys that don't "perform" for you. Preferably from Canada, USA or Europe (though I know that some toys are responsibly made in other parts of the world, including China, and so this isn't a strict rule). Something that I think will enhance and support my children's natural creativity. Toys that are fun, interesting or appealing somehow (something bright made with non-toxic paints, or a soft and adorable plush doll, or a really unique game or puzzle). Toys that appear to be well-made and that will go the distance and handle lots of childish abuse.

A push-cart from Haba (just might be my favorite toy maker), our son's 1 year birthday present

A few important things to look for:

If it's a painted item, you want to specifically see that they've used a non-toxic paint or finish, because even cute wooden toys can be painted with lead-based paints (or other paints that still have a lot of chemicals in them). Water based paints are best. Another option is to purchase unfinished wooden toys and paint or finish them yourself.
Check to see if it's certified according to European specifications. They are much stricter than any North American standards for manufacturers. Some excellent European brands to look for: Haba, Kathy Kruse, Vulli, Keptin Jr., Sigikid, Bajo. Plan Toys is another that meets their specifications.

So what kind of toys do we own?

Building sets- lego, wooden blocks, Wedgits, peg boards.
Dress up clothes, costumes, hats, purses.
Kitchen play- We have a wooden play kitchen, plus plenty of dishes, pretend foods, a tea set, etc.
Dolls- plus carriages, beds, blankets, clothing, and even a little baby doll sling I made for my daughter when I was pregnant with my son.
Puzzles and games.
Vehicles- We especially love all things wooden! Trains, cars, planes, emergency vehicles, even wooden animals with wheels.
Animals- We have both a farm and a zoo and plenty of animals to fill them with. We've just recently fallen in love with the brand Schleich, which makes incredibly detailed, very solidly made animal figurines (and other accessories). German brand, made in China, but they're still high quality, and we're starting to collect them this year.
For baby- a few simple teething toys suffice. Our little one (though she's not quite there yet at 3 1/2 mths) has a couple of colorful wooden ones, one round wooden teether with a soft bear on it, and an organic cotton soft baby doll.
Musical instruments- For Christmas, we bought the older kids a wooden drum set made by Plan Toys. Last year Abbie received a child-sized guitar (you know you've got a musician for a father when...). Lots of tambourines, shakers, bells, etc.
For outdoors- We have a few balls and bikes. That seems to suffice, because there are so many things in nature that are infinitely more interesting than toys!

A wooden teether from Plan Toys, one of the first "natural" baby toys we bought

Where to Get Great Toys:

Oompa- Probably my favorite online toy store, simply because they have such an incredibly large selection of toys, games and puzzles, furniture, decor, dress up, baby stuff, etc. and it's basically all non-toxic, made with natural materials, eco-friendly and adheres to our creativity-enhancing criteria. Prices are reasonable, customer service is good, and I promise you'll have fun looking through what they sell!

Baby Naturopathics- I love this "kid and earth friendly boutique". They carry many of the same types of toys as Oompa, and also have things like organic children's clothing, glass bottles, etc. This store happens to be Canadian! Yay!

Amazon- Yes, surprisingly (or maybe not with how Amazon is expanding these days) they carry a great supply of safe and adorable toys! Furniture, baby teething toys, organic dolls and stuffies, wooden puzzles and blocks. Lots of the big names out there (Haba, Plan Toys, Under the Nile, etc.). We got Johanna's Christmas presents through Amazon (a wooden teether and an organic cloth clutching doll) using our Swagbucks.

Baby Because- I first discovered this store when buying some cloth diapering supplies, but they also have a nice selection of playthings, plus baby feeding supplies, infant carriers, etc.

Tons of small, independent toy makers- Truly, there are just so many of them out there! I realized this year that Etsy is a fabulous place to look, with shops like Small Town Toys and The Wood Garden (both carry handcrafted wooden toys) or BeckyM's shop (with the most adorable play food I may have ever seen!). You can also often find independent toy makers at craft fairs or festivals. Last year our kids received beautiful, hand-crafted and very unique wooden puzzles from a lady my Nana discovered at a craft fair. My parents found someone a few hours north of where we live who makes sturdy wooden vehicles. (So yes, my kids were spoiled last year!)

Waldorf Toys- To learn more about the Waldorf methods and philosophy, read this excellent guest post on my blog. There are many online shops selling absolutely beautiful Waldorf-style toys, such as Waldorf Treasures or Bella Luna Toys.

The doll we bought Johanna for Christmas, in organic cotton by Under the Nile. Similar in style to some Waldorf dolls.

More places to find safe and amazing toys:

The Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide

Safe Mama's 2008 Safe Toy Guide (sorry, but there doesn't appear to be a 2009)

The Daily Green: Safe Toy Watch

And another wonderful option: Making your own toys!

You can make your own Waldorf dolls, or your own teething toys (with organic cloth even). Some friends of ours once made a simple and small set of wooden blocks with our daughter's name carved into them, and they finished the wood by rubbing them with Crisco (ok, so it's not a fat that I would choose to eat-- lard or tallow or butter are much better choices!-- but it's a far cry from varnish or lacquer!). Michele at Frugal Granola has also made play food for her daughter out of felt- so cute!

I'm not the handiest person around, so I don't pretend to know how to make my own toys, but there are so many resources out there (books, websites, etc.) if you just take a look!

One of our daughter's favorite games, Tottering Towers by Haba.

How do you feel about toys and what are the guidelines for the toys that you allow in your home? Any other resources to share with us for purchasing safe and natural toys, or even for making some of our own?

Our Sponsors:

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ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
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Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

Diary of Nursing a Low Milk Supply

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:25 +0000

Struggling with a low milk supply can be tough. It's disheartening to know that you're not making enough milk to satisfy your baby and it takes real work to bring that milk supply back up to where it needs to be. The encouraging thing is that it can be done!

Since this is exactly where I've been at the past two weeks, I decided to journal my efforts and the results of those efforts. After 8 days of supplementing 2 month old Johanna while being on a round of very strong antibiotics, this is my diary of how we've gotten back to full time nursing:

Wednesday, October 21

I just took my very last dose of antibiotics. It feels good to be a free woman again, lol! I'm so grateful that Johanna has made it through all of the formula/donated breastmilk as well as she has. Praise God. I'm so eager to nurse my sweet babe but won't start again until tomorrow. This last dose should be fully out of my body within about 8-10 hours and I could feed her safely at that point, though I aim to wait more like 15 hours, which is pretty conservative but I just want to be cautious. We'll see how it goes.

I've been pumping to the best of my ability during these 8 days. It's a whole lot of extra work, pumping over an hour a day when I'm already spending more than twice as long to prepare her bottles and feed them to her. I've had the odd day where I just haven't pumped as much as I wanted, and I know that my supply is definitely down. Praying that it will return quickly to get my little girl off of this formula and back onto the best milk ever.

Thursday, October 22

So much for my ideal of 15 hours. We were out at the doctor's office at the 13 hour mark with a very hungry baby and a mommy who needed to pump. My husband made the official decision that we'd let Johanna do the pumping, right into her hungry little tummy! It felt soooo relieving to be able to nurse her again. I'd missed it so much, and I think she did, too.

No medication this morning (whohoo!), only a heaping dose of probiotics to start replacing all that lost good bacteria. I'm also taking extra doses of the nursing herbal tea that I usually take, in hopes that it will boost my supply more quickly.

We've been a happy nursing pair all afternoon and evening, but I know that my supply is pretty low. I've let her nurse completely on demand all day. Not much of a let-down at all, so I know the milk is minimal, but she's still getting something. I was grateful to receive one last batch of donated breastmilk from a friend and gave it to her this evening before bed, to ensure her tummy was truly full for the nighttime. Hopefully things pick up a bit tomorrow.

Friday, October 23

Our first full day back at it. No need to supplement so far, as Johanna seems satisfied (as I write this in the mid-afternoon). I'm feeding on both sides, rather than only one as I usually do. I'm hoping that this will ensure that she gets enough, and that the extra stimulation will help my supply to pick up again that much more quickly. Trying to make sure that I drink plenty of fluids as well. Actually had a small let-down this afternoon, which was so encouraging! Praying things continue on this trend...

Had to give a bottle in the evening. That's not too bad for first full day. Hopeful that things will improve. We'll try again tomorrow.

Saturday, October 24

Seem to have enough milk for most of the day, but by the late afternoon, I knew things were really low again. Going to have more to drink, have some nursing tea, and I'll put her to the breast again in an hour or so. Hoping to not have to supplement again tonight. We'll see...

Later in the evening- By about 7 pm, she was really hungry so I gave her a bottle again. I could be discouraged, but I'm not allowing myself to be. After 8 days of not nursing, to only have to supplement once a day is pretty minimal. Soon, the evening bottle won't be necessary. We'll just keep at it!

Sunday, October 25

Started off the day with oatmeal, a good food for increasing milk supply. Still needing to feed on both sides at most feeds, but my let-down is increasing so I know that my milk is coming back little by little. We got through the evening tonight without a bottle (whohoo!) and instead I will give her a nice big feed when I go to bed (which I don't usually do but I think she'll need it in lieu of being supplemented). The more often I feed, the more my milk supply will increase so extra feeds aren't a big deal. We'll get back on our regular schedule soon enough.

Monday, October 26

Started the day off with oats again. Tried to be conscientious of keeping well hydrated all day. Was sad that by 4pm, my supply was waning again. Gave little girl a bottle around dinner time.

It's important to keep nursing like crazy, even when you know it's a dry well. Despite the fact that I had barely any milk, I still nursed Johanna 4 times between 4-8pm. Sure, I didn't have much at each of those feeds, but my body will start to pick up on those stimulation cues, "Must... make... more... milk." Knowing this, I just keep putting her to the breast as often as I can, whether there's anything there or not.

Tuesday, October 27

Felt like my supply was great this morning. Let's hope it continues all day!

Later: Made it through the evening without a bottle!!! Gave an extra feed or two, but was just so glad that I actually had some milk in the evening.

Wednesday, October 28

She didn't sleep through the night (woke at 4 am to eat), but I expected this as she didn't have as much as usual in the evening. At least she made it through that long! Yet again, oatmeal for breakfast (as I have had every morning this past week!). Drinking tea, taking nursing herbs, etc. Still doing all that good stuff! Another day without a bottle!

Thursday, October 29

Didn't get nearly enough sleep last night, due to being out on a very late double date. I know that it affected my supply. Getting adequate rest is big for ensuring a good milk supply. With it already being somewhat low, the lack of rest was just too much. By mid-afternoon I had to supplement with a bottle to let my milk build up a bit more. Fortunately, with some extra fluids, calories, protein and rest, we finished off the night well.

Friday, October 30

Another bottle-free day! We're starting to have more good days than bad days, a very good sign that things are looking up!

The last three days have been very hectic around our home, and I haven't been eating quite as sufficiently as I should be. I can tell whenever I postpone eating or don't eat enough that my milk is a little lower. When I have a good meal, it picks back up again. Consuming enough calories really does make a difference. No skimping on food for nursing mamas, ok?

Hectic days or not, with some determination on my part to keep forcing myself to drink and eat more and to just keep nursing really frequently, we made it through all day. She might wake for a night feed, but that's just fine with me.

Saturday, October 31

Bottle-free again! It took some extra nursing and really guzzling water around dinner time and in the early evening to make sure she had enough for the night, but we made it through. Giving her an extra late-night feed helped to ensure that she slept through the night.

Sunday, November 1

As of today, I would say that we are officially back to nursing full-time. Yes, I'm still struggling with a bit of a low supply in the late afternoons and evenings. I still need to be conscientious of what I eat and drink, of how much I nurse, of getting enough rest. I'm still taking supplements to encourage a healthy milk supply. It's gratifying, though, to have made it through these last 3 weeks and know that my baby girl is getting what she needs!

For those struggling with low milk supply, here are a few resources:

Herbs for the New Mama (my own recent post, which includes info on which herbs to use for milk supply, as well as links to the specific nursing tea that I am using)

Increasing Milk Supply: Homemade Mother's Milk Tea

Building Milk Supply (a current topic in the new forum here at Keeper of the Home- this topic has some great replies and advice in it! Have you checked out the forum yet??? )

Are you struggling with a low-milk supply yourself? What are some of the ways that you have found helpful to increase your supply?

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A Trip to the ER

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:23:16 +0000

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments, your prayers and your patience with me as I recover and get back to normal! It has meant so much to come on to my blog and read through each of your comments.

I promised to fill in more of the gaps of what's been going on so here goes...

Last Wednesday (a little over a week ago), I came down with a throat infection. It was pretty severe and painful right from the start, included some fever and chills, and I was a bit miserable in general. I started doing everything I could do to boost up my body to get rid of it, including eating oodles of raw garlic and taking Oil of Oregano (for their antibacterial and antiviral properties), lots of fresh vitamin C, herbal teas to boost my immune system, lots of fluids and as much rest as I could manage. The fever and chills went away after about 2 days, but the sore throat remained as bad as ever.

Over the course of the week, my throat remained extremely raw, sore and began to get swollen. Eating, drinking, swallowing and sleeping became very difficult. I started to rotate using Tylenol and Ibuprofen to take the edge off of the constant pain, so that I could attempt to sleep and consume enough fluids and calories to make enough milk for my baby. By Sunday, things were quite bad and I decided on Monday morning to see a doctor. He took a quick look and informed me that it was viral, not bacterial, and that there was nothing to do besides rest and get lots of fluids. He commented that my lymph nodes were a bit swollen but that it was fairly normal, and then he sent me on my way.

Thinking I must be overreacting, I tried to continue on with the things that I was doing to boost my immune system and just wait this virus out. But it was getting harder and harder to get fluids and food into me, as I was starting to lose my ability to open my mouth very wide to take bites, and each swallow as I ate or drank was agonizing. I knew that I wasn't producing enough milk for Johanna, who was acting hungry and fussy. The Tylenol began to not even take the edge off of the pain enough for me to sleep at night.

Early Wednesday morning, after tossing and turning from about 12:00-3:00 am as I tried in vain to sleep through the pain, I decided to call the local nurse hotline. I could barely speak on the phone because my mouth sounded like it was full of marbles. She suggested that I either go to the ER immediately or see a doctor first thing in the morning. Since I couldn't sleep anyways, and was feeling desperate, I opted for the ER. I woke Ry up, told him my plans, packed up Johanna, and went to the hospital.

After about 2 hours, I finally saw a doctor. He spoke with me and took a look at my throat, and told me that he knew exactly what the problem was and that he would have me feeling significantly better within several hours. I was so relieved I could have cried! He said that I had a peritonsillar abscess, which is a fancy way of saying that my throat infection (which was an acute case of tonsillitus) had created a secondary infection on my right tonsil, which had filled a pocket of flesh inside my mouth with infected fluid. It was no wonder I could hardly swallow and only with excrutiating pain- it was very raw and inflammed and nearly the size of a golf ball!

The kind doctor (who had once had a peritonsillar abscess himself, so he was very sympathetic!) informed me that I would need to immediately be put on IV antibiotics, as well as anti-inflammatories to bring down the swelling and reduce the pain. I asked whether the antibiotics were truly, 100% necessary. I am opposed to taking them unless it is truly a necessity for my well-being, not just a way to feel more comfortable or get better a little sooner. Antibiotics are very harmful to the beneficial bacteria in the body and are not something to be taken lightly as it can take months and even years to rebuild the body and replace the bacteria and digestive balance that they destroy! He said that unfortunatley they really were necessary since my infection was so severe, so I consented to receive them.

Before receiving the IV, I made the quick decision (something that I had already been contemplating because I knew this was a possible outcome of my situation) that I would not be nursing Johanna as long as the antibiotics and other medications were in my body. Putting antibiotics into her immature system would destroy all of the good bacteria and immunity builders that she had been receiving through my colustrum and these early weeks of breastfeeding. I am not willing to compromise the foundation for good health that has been being established. So I gave her one last feed, as much as she would take, and then received my IV.

I called my husband and asked him whether he could arrange for his sister to meet me at the hospital in a few hours in order to breastfeed Johanna, as she also has a young baby who is still nursing and she lives near the hospital. He said that he would, and also arranged for our brother-in-law to drive him to the hospital to be with me, and for his sister to watch the older children who had been sleeping up until this point.

While I was waiting for Ryan to arrive, the doctor came back to see how I was doing. The IV had helped to reduce the shooting pain (as the pain had been radiating up my jaw and into my ear), but it really hadn't reduced the pain in my throat. He said that we needed to do a simple procedure to drain the abscess. Honestly, I was really scared of it, especially without Ryan there, but there was no choice and I felt God's peace and comfort in the situation. Fortunately, Johanna slept as they transferred me to a private bed and prepared for the procedure. Basically, they first injected a needle with freezing medication (similar to what the dentist uses) straight into the abscess (ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!). Next, he inserted an emtpy, sterile needle into the abscess and drew out as much of the infected fluid as he could until I couldn't handle it anymore. I couldn't believe how much he got out, and I couldn't believe how immediatley I felt 100 times better and I could actually swallow. Wow. Mercifully, Johanna slept through the whole thing, beside my bed in her carseat.

Ryan showed up about 30 minutes later, with a cold smoothie in hand for me (sweet man that he is). We had to wait for me to finish receiving some fluids through my IV (they were also giving me several bags of saline solution since I was somewhat dehydrated from lack of fluids.) After that, I was free to go. They kept the IV in my arm and covered it up with gauze, because I am still receiving my antibiotics through my IV every 12 hours at the hospital. I had never heard of this before, but it is a more agressive approach to really severe infections, and in a day or two they will switch me over to an oral antibiotic to finish things up.

So where are things at now?

I am feeling much, much better. I am pretty tired, but that's mostly because I didn't really sleep for one night, so I am still catching up a bit. Other than that, my throat is still a little raw and sore, so I am only supposed to eat cool, soft foods, but it is getting better. I think that all those natural things I did to help with the virus actually did get rid of it, because once the abscess was gone I realized that my sore throat wasn't really there anymore (but rather it was the abscess that I had been feeling the last few days when I thought it was still the virus). I am sleeping well now, even with the IV in my arm, and in a few more days I think I should feel back to normal.

As for Johanna, she has been off of my breastmilk since that last feed before my IV. Since then she has been nursed by my SIL, given milk by a friend, and last night we got her started on formula. This is not my ideal. At all. I've always wondered what I would do in this kind of a situation and when it actually happened, I knew in a heartbeat that I would rather give my daughter inferior milk for a week or so, than to wreak havoc on her little system through the use of unnecessary antibiotics that she would receive through my milk.

In the meantime, I have several darling friends who are pumping for Johanna, providing her with up to 3 feeds a day of breastmilk, and I am going to try and see if I can get a little bit more. For the other feeds, we are using an organic cow's-milk based formula. It had the cleanest ingredient list I could find in a pinch, and included two ingredients (lactose and coconut oil) that the Weston Price Foundation specifies as being extremely important in their FAQ page on formulas. I am using their enriched formula recipe, by adding lightly cooked organic egg yolk as well as cod liver oil to the formula, and my own addition of Udo's brand of infant/toddler powdered bacterial cultures, which includes bifidobacterium infantis, an extremely important culture found in breastmilk.

I really wanted to do the raw milk homemade formula recipe (all of these recipes are also found in Nourishing Traditions), but on such short notice I could not pull together all of the necessary ingredients and sufficient quantities of raw milk to make it happen, and so we went with the stopgap method of using the enriched formula recipe. It is not a perfect option, but I feel at peace about it, especially as she is receiving some breastmilk every day in addition to the formula and it's a very temporary situation.

I am also pumping (and dumping) in order to maintain my milk supply for when the antibiotics are finished. I am also taking advantage of this short nursing break to do a mild cleanse, to help clean my body out a bit of any toxins that have built up. Since I am usually in the cycle of pregnancy-breastfeeding-pregnancy-breastfeeding, I thought that this was a perfect opportunity to do a little "housecleaning".

Right now, life is busy! My days are full, with hospital visits for IV therapy every morning and evening, having to prepare formula and wash and fill bottles, feeding Johanna by bottle (for some reason, it's taking her about twice as long to drink the same amount of milk), pumping to maintain my own milk supply, picking up donated breastmilk, and just trying to keep my head above water with simple meals, basic laundry and the children's needs. Phew! I will be so relieved when this is over in a week or so and life can get back to normal (whatever that is!).

Thank you for your continued prayers for a quick and full recovery and also for Johanna to be able to handle this change in the milk that she is receiving and that we would be able to re-establish breastfeeding quickly and easily when this is all over. I will post on my blog as I am able to and hopefully will soon be back to my regular posting schedule!

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Herbs for the Fussy Baby

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Johanna at about 1 month old, during the worst of her colic and baby acne

Colic and fussiness in young babies just isn't fun for anyone. Not for the baby. Certainly not for the parents. It can be downright exhausting, and it's difficult to see your baby in such pain and discomfort and to feel that you can't do anything about it.

There are a lot of products out on the market for colic in babies. Unfortunately, most of them use substances that only treat the symptoms, such as sodium bicarbonate which is used in antacid relief (like Tums or Rolaids), or gas suppressing medications such as Simethicone which are used in over-the-counter remedies like Ovol (basically a child's version of Maalox or Mylanta), not to mention the alcohol that is so often used in commercial infant Gripe Water.

Personally, I chose to go with herbal remedies that I felt would
support and improve my baby girl's digestion, which was where her fussiness
seemed to be originating. She was also dealing with a lot of baby acne,
which I noticed was very related to her digestion. When she had a less
fussy day and less stomach pain, the acne decreased, and on her worst
days, the acne flared up badly.

By using herbs that promote
better digestion we have seen a remarkable difference in our sweet
girl. In the course of a week of me taking a herbal tea that I put
together we saw her colic decrease immensely, to the point where she
would happily sit in an infant seat for up to 20 minutes at a time
(whereas before she constantly needed to be held, bounced, patted,
rocked, etc.). We've also seen her acne completely clear up. The change has really been amazing!

How Should Herbs Be Used With Babies?

I am still bit torn on whether to try giving something to baby directly, such as small amounts of diluted herbal tea. My basic concern is that a newborn or young baby's digestive system is just so incredibly sensitive and immature (hence the reason that they are fussy and colicky to begin with!), and the risk of introducing something to them that their systems cannot handle or may react to is very real.

In my experience with Johanna, I did try giving her some very small amounts of weak tea. I tried both a yarrow tea and a fennel tea. With the yarrow, I didn't specifically notice any difference, though I might not have tried it for long enough to really see it. With the fennel, I definitely did notice a difference. It was the first breakthrough we had in bringing some level of calm to our distraught baby.

**Fennel seeds**

However, I continued to feel a little bit unsettled about giving it to her, even though I know that many practitioners (such as midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, even doctors) would consider it safe. I'm not convinced that it isn't either, and I will be the first to admit that it can be very effective.

After my experience these past couple of weeks, however, my personal preference is taking stronger herbal teas myself. This way the soothing and digestion-easing properties of the herbs can be present in my milk, but have gone through the filter of my body first, rather than going into hers directly. I have found this to be equally as effective in helping my little girl, if not more effective, than giving her the herbal teas orally.

That said, if you would like to try giving them to your baby as a weak tea, here are some guidelines:

Simple vs. Combination

In my recent studies, I've learned that herbs are used both as "simples", meaning on their own, and also in combination with other herbs (and most herbs can be used in either way). When giving herbs to any infant or young child, it is always best to introduce each herb first as a simple, before giving it in combination. As with new foods, it is always possible (though not highly likely) that a baby could react to what they are being given, and if this happens you would want to know exactly what they reacted to in order to avoid giving it to them again. Once you know that baby does not react to several simple herbs, it would be fine to try them in combination.

Dosage

It is important to remember how much smaller an infant's body is than ours. At 7 weeks old, my 10 lb baby is a mere 1/13 of my body weight, and as a 7 lb newborn she was even that much smaller. Anything you give an infant needs to be in a much weaker, diluted form than what you would take yourself. In The Complete Medicinal Herbal
by Penelope Ody, she recommends giving any child under 1 year a dose that is one twentieth (1/20) of what would be a full adult dose. With something like fennel tea, if I were to make myself a tea I would probably use 1 Tbsp of fennel seas to 8 oz. of hot water. To make it for an infant (for example only- not all herbs use the same dose), I might use only 1 tsp. per 8 oz. to make a weaker brew, and then only give a 1/2 an ounce to 1 ounce at a time.

When the nursing mom is taking the herb instead, she simply needs to stick to what would be a reasonable amount of any herb (ensuring that the herb is safe for baby, of course). With the tea that I am currently drinking for post-partum health, I consume about 3-4 cups of full strength tea (1 Tbsp to 8 oz. water) throughout the course of the day. Usually 1-2 cups before noon, and another 2 cups in the evening. With this amount, we have seen nothing but excellent results in Johanna (and myself) and not a speck of a negative reaction.

Do Your Research

As I am only beginning my personal study in herbology, I would not dare tell you exactly which herbs you ought to take and in which dosage. I am learning from many different sources and am continually looking for new information and using things cautiously as I proceed.

One excellent resource that I have just come across in my studies is on kellymom.com (a fantastic resource for breastfeeding moms in general). Here you will find an alphabetized list of herbs and remedies, and whether they are safe for the nursing mother, as well as some dosage suggestions and possible uses. I would suggest that in your own research it is best to be more on the cautious side than to quickly accept ideas and suggestions from any old source. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Our sweet girl with her skin cleared up, and feeling so much happier!

Specific Herbs That are Helpful for the Fussy Baby

Fennel seed
Dill seed
Catnip
Chamomile
Caraway
Anise or Aniseed (not to be confused with Star Anise, which should not be given to babies)

As well, for more information on herbs that may be harmful for baby or for nursing mothers, here is more info on the topic from kellymom.

As with most natural remedies, what works for one person doesn't always work for someone else, and vice versa. Sometimes it's necessary to try a few different things before you find what works for you. Though they can be very effective in some situations, herbs may not always solve a baby's fussiness or digestive struggles. Many babies simply need more time to grow and mature and their issues will work themselves out with time. So hang in there, mama! You are doing an incredible job nurturing and caring for your little one and remember that this too shall pass!

Have you successfully used herbs to help a fussy or colicky baby? Tell us about your experience, or any other tips you have for helping a fussy baby!

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Cloth Diapering a Newborn

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Though many mamas desire to use cloth diapers for their little ones, the thought of using them soon after the birth or with a newborn is often a bit overwhelming. I think the general impression is that it is much more difficult than it truly is.

After mentioning the other week that I was finding it a relatively simple thing to diaper my own newborn, I received several requests for more info on just how to go about using cloth diapering with wee ones. In this post, I will address the key questions and concerns to hopefully reassure those wanting to use cloth and give some helpful advice as well! Not wanting to just give me own opinions and experience, I've also asked a couple of other bloggers who are new mamas for their input (Lindsay of Passionate Homemaking and Michele of Frugal Granola), as well as the friendly staff over at Kelly's Closet and Nicki's Diapers. As a result, this post ended up quite lengthy, but I hope that you will find it truly helpful and informative!

So here we go...

What types of cloth diaper systems work best for newborns?

Michele: We've been using Kissaluvs (size 0) diapers with Enoch from the
beginning (which I bought from Lindsay, off of craigslist, ironically) . They've worked great! He's a heavy-wetter, but I haven't had to use
the diaper doublers that I made, yet. I love that they have a fold-down
snap in front to allow for the umbilical cord. We use them along with
newborn size Proraps or Bummis snap covers.

Lindsay: If you really want to cloth diaper right off the bat,
or you have a smaller newborn, my recommendation is to go with the
infant size prefolds and newborn covers. These are a good investment as
they last forever and can also be used for burp clothes or rags in the
future. The newborn size prefolds really are not absorbent at all, so I
recommend the infant size and folding it the opposite direction,
horizontally into thirds. This makes for a smaller more absorbent
diaper.

So overall, after beginning cloth diapering my second little one, I
found that using infant prefolds is the most economical option and
transitioning quickly to one size diapers. Then he is set for the rest
of his diapering life.

Kelly's Closet: One Size? While most one size diapers
are designed to fit from birth to potty training - this doesn't
necessarily mean they will fit your little one at birth. Newborns tend
to have itty bitty legs and therefore the diaper is more likely to leak
than after a few weeks when your little one has had some time to
"thicken up."

Therefore we highly recommend prefolds and diaper
covers during the early weeks for daytime use. Prefolds and diaper
covers, while intimidating for most folks, is really quite simple and
straightforward. Simply fasten the prefold on to baby and then fasten a
cover over the prefold and you're ready to go! Prefolds also a bit
easier to wash and care for compared to pocket diapers.
Prefold Cloth Diapers
Diaper Covers
Now,
with all that said - for those late nights when you're sleep deprived
and just the thought of driving one more diaper is ready to make you
cry - we also recommend some X-Small sized pocket diapers or All-in-One
diapers such as the bumGenius Deluxe All-in-One 3.0 diapers. These will
make the middle of the night diaper changes very quick and easy!

Nicki's Diapers: I highly recommend using newborn size prefolds and Prorap Classic
diaper covers size newborn. The newborn
prefolds fit tiny babies nicely without a lot of bulk and the Prorap
Classic diaper covers size newborn have a great umbilical cord cutout
allowing you to use this diaper cover as baby's first diaper. This
combination also contains the newborn explosions very well with no up
the back leakage as experience with disposable diapers. This system
fits up to about 10 lbs whereas at that point a one size diaper system
will start to fit.

Stephanie: Personally, I find that we have the greatest leak protection when using a fitted diaper with a cover like Bummis or Proraps. Though I really enjoy using pocket and one-size diapers, I have had a few more leaks with those as they don't seem to fit quite snug enough on a newborn unless you purchase the extra small sizes, which hardly feel worth it to me considering how long baby wears them for. The one-size do work okay once they're past the first week or two (depending on how big your babies are- I have babies that are under 8 lbs), but I find that they're fairly bulky once folded small enough to fit a newborn. That said, it is so nice to have a quick, one-piece diaper (like a pocket diaper) to use for middle of the night changes, rather than messing around with a fitted or prefold and a cover in the dark. I have also noticed that in order to get through the night or long naps, regardless of which system we use, extra liners or doublers are a MUST! I really love microterry inserts/doublers, and have just ordered some hemp doublers because I have heard that they are even thinner but just as absorbent as the microterry, and I am all about less bulk and dry bums!

How many diapers do you need to have and how often will they need to be washed?

Michele: I have about 30 newborn cloth diapers; if I
get behind on the laundry and run out, I just use a prefold diaper with
a Snappi (to close), along with a cover. Since I'm using "mama cloth" pads, and we still have some
nighttime cloth diapers to wash for our toddler, we just toss everything
into a washer load each day.

Kelly's Closet: As
far as how many diapers a newborn will need - our general rule of thumb
recommendation is 8-12 diapers per day - and it would be best to have a
minimum of a 2-day supply. This will allow you to wash the diapers
every other day (if you want to go slightly longer between washes then
you will be a few more diapers accordingly).

Stephanie: I would say around 20-24, which will allow you to wash every 2-3 days. My newborn babies seem to go through a good 8-10
diapers a day, so that will be a pretty comfortable amount. Though I can get by with about 4 covers for my older babies/toddlers, I think that you need to have more like a minimum of 6 for newborns, just because with more frequent changes (and poops!) you are more likely to have soiled covers more quickly. On this note, I have learned that it's a necessity to keep lots of diapers around- in the diaper bag, near baby's bed at nighttime, etc. Always have more on hand than you think you need!

What do you do about meconium poops?

Michele: We only had a few disposable diapers on hand (free samples
that came in the mail), which we used for the worst of the meconium
poops. After that, we just used a flushable liner in his diapers until the
meconium was gone. We
also oiled his bum with every diaper change to make it easier to clean
those sticky meconium poops off. (I used hemp oil, but pretty much any
oil would be fine.)

Lindsay: I love cloth diapering to the extent that I wanted to place my new
infant Titus into cloth diapers immediately upon his arrival. The
husband was not so key on that idea due to my need to rest and the
lovely meconium that arrives through the baby's bowels shortly after
birth. This substance is not fun to wash out. (That is a warning!
Anyway, so we did use disposables for the first week of his life.

Stephanie: I confess, we also did a few days (I think 5 or 6?) of disposables and I was glad that we did. I think that it would be feasible to use cloth from day 1, with disposable or old cloth liners for the meconium, if you have extra help around the house to deal with the extra laundry that will be produced (in addition to the other things you will need help with). One good option for those who really want to avoid conventional diapers is to pick up a package of newborn Seventh Generation diapers (or a similar brand that is unbleached and chlorine free), just to get you through those first days. It is also a blessing to not be worrying about extra loads of laundry in those early days, when there is already so much extra laundry just from regular newborn life (spit up, wet blankets, changing outfits often, etc.). **As an aside, you can often get a $2 off coupon for Seventh Gen diapers by signing up here**

What about the umbilical cord?

Michele: We've been using Kissaluvs (size 0) diapers with Enoch from the
beginning...I love that they have a fold-down
snap in front to allow for the umbilical cord.

Stephanie: Prorap covers dip slightly to accommodate the cord (and I found that the Bummis covers came fairly low as well). We did find that in general any cloth diaper tended to rub a little bit and after it fell off (while it was still tender) we put a bandaid over her belly button to keep it from getting rubbed and from bleeding. After about a week, this wasn't necessary anymore. Regardless of what you use, you can try to fold it down or position it a bit lower to keep it away from the cord.

How often do they need to be changed?

Kelly's Closet: Newborns are such precious little beings, so fresh
and innocent to their new world outside of the womb! Diapering a
newborn, however, can be a tedious task because they typically "go"
frequently (typically between 8-12 times a day - and almost every
diaper change is poo). Just as soon as you change that precious pint
sized bum - the inevitable gurgle and explosion tells you you're going
to be doing it again!

Stephanie: I have found that newborns really need to be changed often, as little diapers just don't hold as
much as big diapers. It seems to me that I change Johanna's diaper about once per feed cycle (so usually every 2-3 hours), as well as anytime I specifically know that she has wet or dirtied her diaper, and there are sometimes longer gaps between changes if she sleeps well at night (maybe up to 4-5 hours). Usually doing a change 15-20 minutes after each feed works well,
or else just before they go down for each nap. Trying to change the diaper
of a hungry newborn right when they wake up just isn't practical,
unless you enjoy listening to crying and trying to change a really
unhappy, squirmy baby!

Other tips or general advice?

Michele: Here is a recent post on some things I've sewed for
diapering: Cloth Wipes and Diaper Doublers

Lindsay: My honest opinion is
that you really do not need to have a separate newborn diapering
system. Most people will feel more comfortable using disposables for
the first several weeks, and that is completely understandable. You are
adjusting to life with a new little one and many really don't want more
laundry during this stage. If you have an average size baby, you should
be able to transition to a one size cloth diaper after this point. Most
one size diapers fit babies at 8 pounds and I have found this to be so
with several brands (Fuzzi Bunz, Bum Genius & Happy Heiny's are in
our collection). My little guy was born at 7 lb 4 oz and transitioned
into one size pocket diapers at 2 weeks. Not bad.

After
that week, we transitioned Titus into Kissaluavs Fitted diapers size 0
with newborn Prorap covers. I thought this was the best most
recommended newborn system. I didn't think he would fit so soon into
the one size diapers as I mentioned above. I really wanted to love
these diapers because they were so soft and comfy on his little bum.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed by how quickly their wonderful
softness disappeared. A few washings later and they were rather rough
on his skin and caused irritations. He also soaked through them in less
than an hour sometimes, which resulted in more frequent changes. I had
to use a extra doubler inside the fitted diapers, causing excess
bulkiness. I found they just were not worth the money to purchase
unless you have a really tiny baby (5 lb or so). They grow out of them
so fast! Considering how many diapers a newborn goes through, and at
$11-12 per fitted diaper, it is an expensive route. Thankfully we
purchased most of ours used. It would have been far cheaper to use
disposables for those first two weeks than buying a whole newborn
system.

Kelly's Closet: Changing the diapers is the easy part -
it's picking a cloth diaper that is the challenge. Every baby is unique
and while there are cloth diapers that generally work for the majority
- getting a good fit in a cloth diaper can take some trial and error.
Therefore, before investing in a big stash of diapers we highly
recommend sampling a few diapers to get a feel for what works best for
your baby (and what fits your personal preference). If nothing else, is
frustrating to invest a few hundred dollars on a stash of diapers only
to discover they don't work well for your little one! Therefore, after
researching the brands you would like to consider- order 1-2 of each
diaper and try it out!

Stephanie: Though I have traditionally gone the route of fitted diapers with covers (and don't get me wrong- I still think it's a great system and one that I'm not about to stop using), I have recently begun to use some pocket diapers, including some that are one-size. I am falling in love with these one-size pockets, mostly because they work for both my son (almost 2 1/2) and
my daughter (1 month)! This is a real bonus for any mom who finds herself with two littles in diapers at the same time. It means that I can bring a few one-size diapers out with me, and know that I have something to fit either kiddo, depending on who needs the diaper changes. I don't have to make sure that I have several newborn options as well as several for the toddler, which only results in a very stuffed diaper bag (and an aching shoulder). It also helps to ease the amount of diapers that I need to store in their bedroom and on the change table, and just helps to keep things simpler overall. Though they certainly cost more up front, I am beginning to see how the cost just might be well worth it in the long run, as well as allowing me to have one more compact and easily storable system instead of 3 different size sets of diapers hanging around my house!

Brand Recommendations:

Stephanie: A really absorbent newborn fitted diaper or prefolds with Bummis Super Whisper Wrap
(Proraps
are also pretty decent).

Michele: Kissaluvs Size: 0
with Proraps or Bummis Snap covers

Lindsay: Infant Prefolds
with Prorap or Bummis Super Whisper covers, and then a one-size pocket diaper like BumGenius, Happy Heiny or Fuzzi Bunz
.

Kelly's Closet: Prefolds and diaper covers, as well as a few x-small or one-size all-in-ones, like BumGenius.

Nicki's Diapers: Newborn size prefolds and Prorap Classic diaper covers size newborn, until baby begins to fit a one-size diaper system.

**As a bonus, Nicki's Diapers has kindly offered a 5% discount to all readers who would like to make an order, using the code FIVE. They carry all of the diapers brands that have been mentioned in this post, and I also noticed that they have a great newborn package with everything you need to get going and to help you get a feel for what type of diapering system you prefer.

Any more questions on cloth diapering a newborn? What about other tips, suggestions or brand recommendations from all the other cloth-diapering mamas out there?

Our Sponsors:

It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
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hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

How to Have Natural Childbirth in the Hospital

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Though I am a huge advocate of homebirth with a trained midwife (having just had my second successful homebirth), I also know that it is not for everybody. I was delighted when Emily offered to write a guest post presenting another angle on natural births and how to have a beautiful birth experience in the hospital. I would love to hear from others in the comments who have also had a positive hospital childbirth experience!

*******

Guest Post by Emily

When I became pregnant with our first child in 2007, I knew right from the start that I wanted to have a natural birth. Mostly, I wanted to avoid having a c-section for any reason other than absolute medical necessity. I knew that too many interventions could lead down the path to a c-section, and I knew I was willing to deal with the pain of labor to prevent going down that path. I also knew that it would not be easy for me to have a natural birth, and not just because of the labor. Unfortunately, in today’s society it seems that there are many obstacles in the way of a mother that desires to give birth naturally, and the most powerful one is the place where the majority of women give birth, the hospital.

Hospitals don’t expect women to give birth naturally. They don’t expect that you understand or are prepared for your labor and birth. They don’t expect you to be able to manage your contractions. They expect that you will be in pain, be overwhelmed, and want interventions and medication and that is what they are set up to provide. They don’t expect that you would actually desire to have a natural birth experience.

I think it is so important to prepare for your birth, especially if you are going to give birth in a place that does not put a high value on natural birth. Here are seven of the ways I found that helped me achieve the birthing experience I wanted while in the hospital.

1. Do your own research. Read, read, read as much as you can about natural birth. You are the final decision maker for your birth experience and how you want your birth to be, not the nurses, the hospital staff, or even your doctor. Research and knowledge will help you to make good decisions and overcome the fear and unknown of labor.

2. Take a good birthing class. This is one that I didn’t take my own advice on, my husband and I just went to the class that the hospital offered. If I had to do my first birth over again I would take a class that was more focused on natural birth, like the Bradley Method. This will help you feel prepared and supported in your decision.

3. Make it a family affair. It is so important to know that your husband is on board, and understands and supports your desire to have a natural birth. Your husband will probably be your most important birth coach. Encourage your husband to go to childbirth classes with you and also to read books on natural labor. It is so helpful if your husband understands the process of labor, what you will be going through, and how to comfort and encourage you.

4. Get support in addition to your husband. The best decision I made with my first birth was to use a doula. The support of my husband and my doula helped me to feel confident in my ability to birth naturally and allowed me to achieve the birth experience I wanted. Not feeling supported in your decision can make it harder to resist giving in to interventions and medication when the going gets tough. So whether it’s your sister, your mom, your best friend, or your doula, have someone with you that supports you 100%.

5. Talk with other moms who have had natural births, especially those that have given birth naturally in a hospital. This was one of the most encouraging things I did before my daughter was born. It really helped me to believe that I could do it. It also wouldn’t hurt to talk to moms who didn’t have great birth experiences. All births that end with healthy babies and moms are good birth stories, but it may help to learn from those who had births that didn’t go exactly as the mother had hoped.

6. Write out your birth plan. Go over it with your doctor or midwife ahead of time and take it with you to the hospital to give to the nurses. You might be surprised that your nurses may really want to help you achieve your goal of natural birth. I was so fortunate to have great nurses for both of my births who were supportive and encouraging because they read my birth plan and knew the type of birth I wanted.

7. Once you are in labor, stay home as long as possible! Laboring at home is much, much more relaxing than laboring at the hospital. And when you’re relaxed you will probably progress faster and easier (although that’s not a given). Plus, as long as you are at home you won’t have the option of medications and interventions so you will learn to manage the contractions without them and know that you are able to do it. That way you won’t be as easily tempted by the meds once you get to the hospital.

For those of you who don’t have the option of having a homebirth, or just don’t feel comfortable with it, but still desire to give birth naturally, I’m here to encourage you that it is possible to have a natural birth in the hospital – I know, I have done it twice now! In planning and preparing for natural childbirth I learned, and experienced, that it is not just about avoiding a c-section, but is about the joy and strength that comes from the amazing experience of working with your body to give birth to your baby. Believe in yourself and trust your body! You really can give birth naturally – it is what your body was made and designed to do!

For more information on natural childbirth, these are books I found helpful: The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence
by Judith Lothian and Charlotte DeVries; The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth (Sears Parenting Library) by William and Martha Sears; Homebirth in the Hospital: Integrating Natural Childbirth with Modern Medicine
by Stacey Kerr M.D.; and Empowered Pregnancy by Theodore Peck.

Have you had a natural hospital birth? What things did you find helpful in your experience?

Emily is the blessed wife of Jeremy, and natural birthing mama of Kaelyn (Oct. ‘07) and Brenden (June ’09). Since the birth of her daughter she has been learning to live more frugally and more “green”. You can read her birth stories, and follow her “frugally green” journey on her blog: liverenewed.blogspot.com.

Our Sponsors:

It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

Adjusting to Life with 3 Little Ones

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Well, I'd say we're an incredibly thankful, mostly happy and pleasant, though generally overtired (and occasionally, overly emotional) bunch around here lately!

I'd have to say it's mostly the mama who fits into the overtired and overly emotional category (okay, and maybe the 2 year old as well). But, sleepless nights and crazy hormones aside, I'm doing well. Loving my little brood, reveling in my sweet newborn girl, and trying to just take it easy and recover from the birth.

Recovering is hard work. Do you know why? Because it requires me to slow down and not do anything! I don't like to not do anything! As you can imagine, I have a hard time really letting my body heal and recover for the simple reason that I find it so difficult to just stop and rest. And so, I keep starting to feel really great, then begin to push myself just a bit too much, and bang, I'm two (or three or four) steps back again, feeling worse than I did before.

As a result of this continued pattern over the past two weeks, last night my husband gave me 3 priorities for this week:

Take care of myself
Take care of Johanna
Work on my new ebook (because it only requires sitting at my laptop. Easy, peasy.)

That's all I'm allowed to do! And write this post. It drives me crazy, but deep down, I really appreciate it. Isn't he great? (Seriously, he's in the kitchen as I write this, making a gallon of Bread and Butter Pickles for me, because I'm not allowed to do kitchen work. What a man. Sigh.)

(And yes, that's a sling he's wearing, calming a fussy little girl- it's worth it to buy your baby carriers in husband-friendly colors!)

Even with my current limited responsibilities, life is busy and bustling around here! It's impossible to be bored or to have many calm, quiet moments with 3 littles, that's for sure! There's always someone who is hungry, or thirsty, or needs a bum change (or both little ones at the same time!), or is loving on the baby a little too aggressively, or has an owie, or wants to tell us something, or made a mess, or... you get the point! But it's a wonderful sort of busy, and we're slowly adapting to it and learning how to balance the needs of three small children. Thank goodness for all those freezer meals and a husband who was able to take a bit of time off this summer!

In the midst of it all, a few things of interest:

1) The baby poll! I had almost forgotten about it, until yesterday afternoon! What's really funny about it is that nearly everyone expected Johanna to arrive much earlier than she actually did (me included!), and so most of the dates guessed were much, much before her date of birth. The winner is actually the very last entrant, who put her guess in after I was already overdue!

Harmony is the winner, with her guess of:

August 14th (it was August 12- the next closest was August 10th, but when I took the time and weight guesses into account, this one was closer)
3:40 pm (5:22 pm)
girl (yep, she's a girl)
7 lbs 10 oz. (exactly right!)

Congrats, Harmony! You've won a $20 Amazon gift card, and a copy of my ebook, Healthy Homemaking: One Step at a Time!

2) Cloth diapering a newborn is really not difficult at all. With my first baby, I started cloth diapers at around 6 or 8 weeks. With my second, I think I waited 3 or 4 weeks. This time, I had been given one pack of newborn sposies, and I was determined to start cloth after 1 week. It actually ended up being more like 5 or 6 days, and off we went! I've been using a combination of pocket diapers (Fuzzi Bunz, DryBees, and Haute Pockets), and fitted with covers (mostly Indisposables, with a few other random diapers mixed in, and for covers I've got Proraps and Bummis Snap). It's working out really, really well, is far easier than I thought it would be at this stage, and hey, if you're already doing cloth with one child, then why not with two? The more the merrier! LOL!

3) The garden that continues to produce, in spite of me. Someone just asked me the other day if I'll share my experience of gardening and preserving through a summer of pregnancy and having a newborn, once I hit the end of garden season. I can already anticipate my answer- it just doesn't go together very well! Of course, I'm saying that in the midst of 3 weeks during which I have barely gone out to my garden at all, except to do a bit of harvesting that simply had to be done.

However, I actually kept up with it all pretty well until baby arrived, and even though I am seriously neglecting my garden, it continues to produce food for me. Gotta love that! The weeds are dangerously high and I believe they are plotting a coup to take over my garden. Nonetheless, I am picking cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, onions, carrots, beets, beans and the last of the cauliflower. The potatoes are ready, but I'm fortunate that they can sit in the ground for a couple of weeks, and thankfully my tomatoes are a bit behind this year and won't be ready until probably early or mid-September.

As soon as I can, I will be back to preserving, and the series that I began earlier in the summer on Preserving Summer's Bounty. Yesterday afternoon, one of my dearest friends came over and helped me (ie. did most of it herself) can just over 20 lbs of peaches. Is that not love? She called it her baby gift to us. That's what I call a great baby gift- 12 pints and 5 quarts of freshly canned peaches! I should have taken pictures of the process, but I wasn't quite that on the ball. Next time, I promise!

That's it for me! I'm signing off, but there's most guest posts ahead for the rest of this week and next week as well!

Our Sponsors:

It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

Keeper of the Home » Babies

Homemade One-Size Cloth Diaper Pattern and Wipes Recipe

Here's a look at the diaper:

Want to try making this diaper yourself? Here's what you'll need:

Angela's Cloth Wipes "Recipe"

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The GAPS Diet: Why Our Family is Doing It

If you try to eat so well, why does your family need to do the GAPS diet?

From generation to generation

Image by peasap

Rising to the challenge in the now...

Where to go from here

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Learning the Gentle Art of Infant Toilet Training

Image Credit

What do you think... is this an idea that appeals to you? I'd love to hear who else (this is Stephanie speaking now) is intrigued by this idea, and especially if anyone else has tried it!

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Safe and Natural Children’s Toys

Wooden car made by Bajo

Why We Care About the Toys We Choose

Nope, this isn't my son, but he received this gorgeous Haba toy last Christmas

What We Look For:

A push-cart from Haba (just might be my favorite toy maker), our son's 1 year birthday present

So what kind of toys do we own?

A wooden teether from Plan Toys, one of the first "natural" baby toys we bought

Where to Get Great Toys:

The doll we bought Johanna for Christmas, in organic cotton by Under the Nile. Similar in style to some Waldorf dolls.

More places to find safe and amazing toys:

And another wonderful option: Making your own toys!

One of our daughter's favorite games, Tottering Towers by Haba.

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Diary of Nursing a Low Milk Supply

Wednesday, October 21

Thursday, October 22

Friday, October 23

Saturday, October 24

Sunday, October 25

Monday, October 26

Tuesday, October 27

Wednesday, October 28

Thursday, October 29

Friday, October 30

Saturday, October 31

Sunday, November 1

For those struggling with low milk supply, here are a few resources:

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A Trip to the ER

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Cloth Diapering a Newborn

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How to Have Natural Childbirth in the Hospital

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Adjusting to Life with 3 Little Ones

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