Cloth Diapering

Cloth diapers? Yes. Cloth diapers.

You're probably thinking, 'this must be another eco-freak trying to get me to eat organic and dress myself in hemp when we're all going to die anyway.' I assure you, I am not an eco-freak, I just try to live healthy because I don't want to increase my risk for cancer.

We have been cloth diapering for 2 years now, and it has been an incredibly ECONOMICAL as well as healthy way to take care of our diapering needs.

If you haven't heard of them, cloth diapers are an excellent alternative to the chemical filled-huggies-pampers-and other garbage diapers out there. They don't cost a fortune, and you're not putting harmful cancer-causing chemicals on your baby's fresh newborn skin.

I'm not hard on disposables in general, there are better brands of disposables out there (Seventh Generation, Earth's Best, Honest) and they don't cost much more in the long run than the ones full of  hazardous chemicals.

The fact is, most people aren't aware of all of the chemicals in the big name brand disposable diapers out there. Those chemicals come into direct contact with your baby's skin which absorbs the toxins. Most people have no idea how many harmful carcinogenic chemicals are in diapers. It's truly a shame.

Why I would NOT use a chemical filled diaper: I won't go into a lengthy explanation because you probably don't have the time to read it, but here is just ONE of the many chemicals in disposable diapers, do I really need to list the rest when this ONE chemical is so harmful?

DIOXINS: According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), dioxins are among the most toxic chemicals known to science and are listed by the EPA as highly carcinogenic chemicals. According to the World Health Organization, exposure to dioxins may cause skin reactions and altered liver function, as well as impairments to the immune system, nervous system, endocrine system and reproductive functions.

Want to know what other chemicals are in those Huggies and Pampers?

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/111348-chemicals-disposable-diapers/#ixzz2Vw5eijsC

Experience:
From experience, Noah and I can say that the cloth diapers we use (Flips) are truly a wonderful system. We don't worry about any carcinogenic or endocrine system disrupting chemicals on our daughter's skin, AND we save a fortune by not having to buy disposables constantly. We throw the inserts in the wash and reuse the shells unless they get wet or stained, in which case they also go in the wash.

They grow with the baby so you don't need different sizes!! ONE SIZE for the LIFETIME of the baby, and if you have more kids- you can reuse them!! They have snaps so you can just snap them to the next level up when your baby grows.

The best part? They DON'T leak. We have tried lots of different types of reusable diapers (pockets, all in ones, etc), but the Flip is the best we have tried and - they leaked MAYBE two times. Ever. With our first baby. Our second baby- a little different story as her body shape is different. I'll admit they do leak with our second, but they won't have a problem once she starts solids and not the blowout-breastmilk poops.

Oh yeah, and they don't end up in landfills like disposables.

If you don't care very much about chemicals or landfills or anything else, just look at the cost.

Cost Savings
You will spend significantly more money on disposable diapers, then you would using cloth diapers. 
These costs are rough because different sizes of diapers and different size packs (jumbo vs smaller quantities) vary slightly in cost but this will give you a good idea of the fact that buying disposables every month is going to cost a lot more than the one-time cost of investing in cloth diapers.

Costs are assuming baby uses 10 diapers a day, and all approximate.

Disposable brands I would never buy or recommend:
- Huggies from target, 88 pack for $25, $85 a month
- Pampers from target, 148 diapers for $34, $68 a month
- Up and Up target brand, 108 diapers for $20, $60 a month

Better quality disposable brands:
- Honest diapers, $26 for 50 at target, $156 a month.
- Babyganics diapers at 108 diapers for $28, $80 a month.
- Earths Best at 40 diapers for $12, $90 a month.

Cloth Diapers:
Flip reusable diapers: 50$ for a pack of 6 pads and 2 covers. We have 10 covers and 30 pads, and do laundry twice a week. Total cost: 250$ + cost of doing laundry.

There are many cloth diaper options, some prefer all-in-ones, all babies have different shapes and some diapers are better fitted to one body type than another.


So you STILL don't want cloth diapers? 
If nothing else, and you are going to get disposables- consider getting Babyganics, Earths Best or a more skin-friendly brand. The difference in cost between the really toxic disposables and ones with less chemicals isn't that much.

Things I Wish I Knew: Breastfeeding

Some things I wish I knew about breastfeeding before having children:
1. The amount of milk that I was able to pump was in no way indicative of how much milk my baby was actually getting when she nursed "straight from the tap". 

2. You can store your flanges in the refrigerator between pumping sessions instead of washing them every single time

3. Pumping exclusively for a year is much more difficult than breastfeeding because you will be pumping constantly around the clock every few hours, every day, to keep up. Whenever you are not pumping, you are washing bottles. It is a very difficult thing to keep up (but can be done with enough perseverance)

4. Tongue tie is more common than you think, if there is a painful latch- tongue tie may be the reason

5. Breastfeeding should NOT hurt. First 2 weeks as your body gets used to the change, it may be painful or tender, but then it really shouldn't hurt afterwards. 

6. Don't worry about 'not producing enough' during the first few days. Your milk doesn't come in right away, but newborn tummies are TINY and don't NEED that much. They need exactly what you make.

7. Don't give up. Nursing is an incredible bonding experience. If you have the ability to nurse, don't throw in the towel if it is tough in the beginning. You may regret it.

8. Not being able to breastfeed doesn't make you a failure, don't beat yourself up about it.

Open Letter to my Midwives (Midwives of NJ)

Lisa, Kim and Christina,

Thank you for helping us through the birth of our daughter Lucy. Even though things got messy when I had the uterine hemorrhage, my birth experience was so much better than the experience I had with an OB. To have you by my side throughout the whole process in the hospital was comforting and reassuring, I felt confident that I could do it and when it came time to push, I felt strong. You were with me throughout the majority of my 12 hour labor, supporting and helping, and making me feel calm. My OB was there for the last 15 minutes of my first birth, and basically came into the room after not seeing me for my 24 hour labor and had to make a decision whether to give me a C-section or Forceps delivery after not having monitored or checked on me the entire time I was in the hospital. The biggest difference I can tell between my first birth and second, is that with you- I felt empowered and in control. The room was dimly lit, I had only a few people in the room guiding me, I followed my instincts when I felt contractions even though I had an epidural, and I felt good about the experience- I wasn't scared. With my first birth, I had a room full of noisy people that didn't need to be there, all shouting at me when to push, nobody would listen to me, nobody could hear me say anything, and I felt like I had absolutely no control. I forever have the image burned into my mind of an intern placing forceps while the doctor yelled at her that she was doing it wrong, and how badly I wanted to scream at them. I felt butchered. I thought I would never have another baby due to the depression, difficulty attaching to my baby and pain I had healing.

I am so grateful to know that a calm birth DOES exist and can be possible. Not calm in the sense that I was quiet- oh no, I was screaming and had dire shooting pain in my right leg, but it was calm in the sense that I felt like I was in control. My attachment to Lucy is incredible, and my feelings for Penny have gotten stronger as I have healed from my first birth experience. I appreciated how hard you worked so that I could breastfeed Lucy when they took her away to monitor her blood sugar and I so badly wanted to nurse her. At the nursery, they said "Here comes the crazy train," but you were there for me, you were my 'crazy train' advocating for my baby to have the best possible start in life (bottle free).

I will be forever grateful for your support, and for making my birth experience positive. The photos you took capture all of the good moments, you did a beautiful job (they look so professional!) and I am so glad we have them. I look back at the birth and don't think about the shooting leg pain or blood transfusion, I think about how powerful I felt, and how beautiful it all was.

I want to thank you for that. I know that if I had another scary birth like my first, where I felt out of control, where my OB wasn't present, and where God forbid I had another episiotomy..I might never emotionally recover. This was my second chance, and it changed my outlook on childbirth forever.

Thank you

Hot Chocolate

The perfect hot chocolate:
- Grass fed organic cow milk (2% or whole)
- Dagoba cocoa powder or any cocoa powder of your choice
- Whipped cream
- Sugar, chocolate and coffee bean grinder from Trader Joes

Enjoy!

What is a Phthalate? Why do I check all of my shampoo bottles?

The Facts: Phthalates are hormone-disrupting chemicals tied to obesity, and they are ubiquitous in the personal-care product industry, particularly due to the chemicals' use in synthetically fragranced products. A 2010 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that children with higher phthalate levels in their bodies experienced stunted growth.

Avoid It: Avoid personal care products that list "fragrance" or "parfum" as an ingredient, and nix air fresheners and scented candles. They are likely laced with phthalates and a host of other hazardous materials. (Choose beeswax if you need candles.)

Alternative: OLIVE OIL!! You probably have it in your pantry. Use olive oil on your baby's skin. It is a great alternative.