So glad I chose cloth; breastfeeding

Cloth diaper by BumbleBees

Cloth diapering is going so well! I'm super thankful too, because a recent article/headline said there may be a shortage of disposable diapers due to some explosion in Japan or somewhere and therefore the cost of disposables is likely to skyrocket.

Also, Kathryn's butt got sooooo red during the short time we used Pampers (I may have already mentioned this....sorry, sleep deprived and baby distracted mama here).

With the cloth, she's doing great. I also bought California Baby Calming Diaper Cream. It's fabulous and smells wonderful. WAY better than the Desitin I used with my boys over a decade ago.

I had a couple of stains on prefolds, but I used a little peroxide and the stains are gone. The only thing is, I noticed that the diapers feel different. I washed them in the long, extra rinse cycle on the washer (fabulous for diapers, by the way!), but they still feel different. I'm going to keep a close eye on Kathryn's bottom to be sure she has no reaction to them.

We bought 6 more KaWaii HeavyWetters last night (Holstein cow, lime and blue dotty prints). They are, by far, our favorites and we both agree (so cool that my husband is offering opinions and participating happily with cloth diapering!!) that the snaps are best. The velcro ones get pills in the wash and it bugs me. We also bought 3 more covers (tiger and jaguar print! lol), because I do like the prefolds and covers quite a lot. I'll have to buy more prefolds in a few months, but we are good for now.

It's crazy to think that, not including what we bought last night, if we were using disposables, we'd already have spent the money we used to buy cloth...and cloth lasts from birth to potty-training. Insane. Even with the extra we'll be spending on water, we'll still be saving a hell of a lot of money.

I started out using cloth wipes, but have since started using disposable wipes. I may go back to cloth once she starts eliminating less often. At this point, I was going through the cloth wipes way too quickly. I guess I underestimated how many I'd need. I have no problem making adjustments as things progress. It's all about what's best for my baby.

For me, cloth diapering and breastfeeding go hand-in-hand. I mean, it's because I'm breastfeeding that cloth diapering is easier. Breast milk poo doesn't stain like formula poo does. Nor does breast milk spit-up. Thank goodness, because she does a lot of spitting up...she's a very aggressive eater.

Anyway...about that. My breasts have FINALLY adjusted to feeding her. I had to overcome several challenges.

1. Sore, cracked and (one) bleeding nipple/s.
2. Engorgement (as most mamas go through)
3. Mastitis
4. Poor latch (she finally figured it out at about 3 weeks...just before I got mastitis!)

Now, we are doing well and I feel confident enough with her latch to let her nurse while I'm in the side lying position.

Listening intently to Mommy

I think we're in the smooth sailing stage...yay. It was difficult. I cried several nights and days with sore nipples. I even, in a moment of serious pain, considered for a second, giving up. However, the thought of giving my baby formula helped me immediately toss that thought to the side. I just can't imagine giving my child a chemical-laden "food." Plus, have you seen the articles about the recalls? At least I know my milk is good for her.

Most recent picture...I love that her personality is coming out. She smiles a lot now and coos! 

At her last appointment, she gained a pound and grew another inch! 

Love my Katydid. 

Fluffy butt

Having her lunch...or second breakfast. ;-)

Doing well!

So far so good with cloth! We have had a couple of blowouts, but that was because I didn't put the cover on tight enough. Lesson learned.

Kathryn's bottom is clearing up quite quickly since the official change. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but the creases of her legs were terribly red and raw from the Pampers.

I like prefolds a lot since I've gotten better with the folding. I showed K how to do it, so maybe he'll try to change her soon. He changes her using the KaWaii HeavyWetters, but has yet to try the prefolds.

So glad I took the chance and went with cloth. :-)

Back to sposies, but...

Only temporarily, thank goodness.

I decided to go back to Pampers Swaddlers Sensitives because Kathryn's umbilical cord was being rubbed by the cloth covers and looked goopy and smelled a little funny. So, we bought out first and only pack of disposable dipes.

The funny thing is, they weren't even necessary, because her umbilical cord fell off the very next day (@ 5 days old), doesn't smell and looks great. I worried for nothing. Apparently the new "do nothing to them" method is more effective than the old alcohol method. It took 2 weeks for my boys to lose theirs the old way.

I'll be glad to get her out of these dipes, because she is getting red and when she pees, it really smells. That doesn't happen with cloth.

She is doing great otherwise! I can't wait to get her little bottom back in some fluff!  :) I'll post a pic this week for sure.

They say using your non-dominate hand is good for brain synapses...if so, this whole nursing while blogging with my left hand is helping me. LOL.
I don't do it much, because I love  interacting with her, but occasionally it is good.

First days

So my beautiful daughter was born on Monday afternoon and we got to start cloth on Wednesday, because her poop switched to the signature yellow, seedy breast milk poop. 

You don't have to wait for the yellow poop, but I wanted to, so I just used the Pampered Swaddlers that the hospital gave to us.

So far, so good with cloth. No leaks and at this point I'm only using prefolds. Covers aren't even necessary because she's not soaking diapers yet.

I washed a load and a few of them stained. This surprised me. I didn't expect it with brewer milk poop. I even washed them twice and then did an extra rinse. They say you don't have to soak them, but I think I will anyway.

Overall, a good experience. I'm still not 100% on the snapee thing. One diaper fell off! Lol! I even feel awkward doing the snaps on the KaWaiis. I'm sure this will get better with practice. I'm not stressed about it. So far I really love the KaWaii Heavywetters. I'd love to get more of them.

I've also used the Gdiapers with the disposable inserts. They work ok now, but I have a feeling when she is older, they will leak. Glad I only bought two of them to try. The disposables can be used in my other covers, so no biggie there.

I need to get a fluff butt pic of her, but she's sleeping and being so young, I prefer to keep her swaddled and cozy. I'll post pics soon.

Here's a pic of her from her very first day. She had fallen asleep in my arms. As a matter of fact, this is how we spent our only night at the hospital. It was great.

Diaper timelines

Here's a link to a cloth diaper timeline for your reading pleasure.

Cloth Diaper Timeline

Here's one about disposable diapers.

The Politics of Diapers

It seems people have known about the effects disposable diapers have on the environment for a long time, but nothing has been done to reduce the use of them. This really pisses me off, because we only have ONE EARTH...we all share it, regardless of the borders in which we live.

To me, it is shameful that we put convenience before consciousness.

Addicted? Could I be?

So I wanted to have at least a couple more newborn sized "nappies" for my little sweetie, so I had a bit more left on a Babies R Us card...I know, patronizing the corporate monster, but hey. It's a gift card. So anyway, I decided I'd give the G Diapers a try, even though I've heard bad things about them. I've heard they leak quite a bit, but I'm willing to try them and besides, in the beginning the baby won't have full-on peeing moments like later and I have great diapers for later.

I also got a pack of the disposable inserts. These can be flushed in the toilet or used in the garden as compost (when wet ONLY, of course). So I figured my hubby might like that rather than fooling with cloth...although he is supportive of the entire idea. Yay.

So anyway, I love buying new dipes! I swear, I might be addicted to it...I've heard of this, but I swore it would never happen to me. I'd be careful in my diaper buying. I'd not overdo it. I could control myself! I had will power dammit and I was not going to go over the edge!! Really!

Then I searched cloth diapers and oh my goodness, there are some super cute ones out there. Plus, there is a super cute store within walking distance of my house. It's like having a dealer right outside any time I want to get something! Except on Monday. they are closed on Monday.

I also discovered Bumble Bees on Facebook....

http://www.facebook.com/BumbleBeesClothNappies

A friend of mine is having a diaper made for me and I'm her first US customer! :) I can't wait to see it! She makes some BEAUTIFUL and adorable nappies! :)

Anyway, I just can't get enough of the cuteness of cloth. How could anyone ever consider them boring? I mean, shopping for them is like shopping for a cute outfit every time! lol


So my new adventure of late is: 

I want to make a wetbag for the nursery. I could go to the cute boutique just down the street, but I really want to make one of my own, using fabric of my choice. I did fine a good tutorial online after speaking with other women who have made them themselves.

http://thediymommy.com/sew-a-wet-bag/

This is for a small bag, but I can modify it for a larger one. We'll see if I have time to get to it. If not, I can always visit Lollibeans Boutique to pick one up. No biggie.

The reason I may not have time is because I'm decoupaging a table this week...Decoupage is great for anyone who, as a child, enjoyed covering her hand in glue just so it could dry and be pulled off...yeah, I was that weirdo. ;-) I remember spending time with my cousin one summer evening sitting on the porch, trying to pull a big swath of glue from my 6 year old hand.

Some things never get old.