Leah Love

How to Make Homemade Baby Wipes

How-to for Parenting, Leave a comment

You’ll need:

1 Roll of brand name paper towel (a little trust…generic just won’t hold up!)

21/2 Cups Water

baby wipes2 Tablespoons baby bath or shampoo

1 Tbs baby oil

1 Cylindrical Tupperware container (or whatever you can find to work for you)

1 Electric Carving Knife (I suppose you could use a saw, but this is easier)

Instructions:

Cut the roll of paper towels (Bounty works) in half at the middle using the electric knife.  Mix all the liquid ingredients together.  Put towels in the cylindrical container and pour the liquid over the top.  Let the mixture soak through for five to ten minutes and pull out the cardboard roll.  Wipes will spiral out through the middle!

Wipes Container Alternative.

Instead of soaking the paper towels in the baby wipe solution, keep the liquid in a spray bottle (find at any dollar store) and spray the paper towel or a baby washcloth when ready to use.  It doesn’t seem as elegant to me, and the spraying action may, in fact, add to the mess, but if it works, it works!

Breastfeeding Weight Loss

Mother's Health, 1 Comment

A Kiss on a StomachThe thing I like best about the idea of postnatal weight loss is that I don’t have to do anything until my baby is about two months old.  That’s mostly because a ‘diet’ regime could interfere with my breast milk supply, and it’s just best to wait until I get it down like clockwork first.

It’s a fact that breastfeeding mothers will lose the baby weight far easier than mothers who bottle-feed!  Exciting for me since I plan on pumping.  I’ve been referred to this book Eat Well, Lose Weight While Breastfeeding by Eileen Behan as the ultimate compendium of breastfeeding weight loss.  I’ll give it a look over if you do!

Get your doctor’s ok before you move into any diet or fitness regime.  Discuss your plans in medium detail and don’t be opposed to accepting advice even if initially you don’t like it. You may see the light of reason later on!

Eat ‘better’ foods every few hours.  And by ‘better’, I mean those foods that you may not want to eat because of a lack of deep fat fryer oil.  Zucchini, broccoli florets, vitamin rich this, a whole grain that.  Your new baby will eat about every three hours so it’s only natural that you will feel hungry enough to keep up with him/her so let’s at least keep off the McDonald’s shakes!

Breast milk is half water, so suck it up!  The water, not the milk.

Wake up, drink a glass. Got some down time?  Drink a glass.  Breastfeeding?  Drink!

Feeling hungry?
Maybe you’re thirsty.

It’s amazing how many times I have satiated my ‘hunger’ by drinking some liquid.  Of course, I prefer to drink water or some orange juice if possible since I could get just as much empty caloric intake from a can of Coke as I would from needlessly snacking from the fridge.  Sugar has always been my downfall!

Add some protein to your pasta.  If you feel like you’re getting too hungry too often, look at your last meal. Too many carbs?  I add Italian sausage to my spaghetti to keep myself from feeling too hungry too soon after.

I’ve gained weight with this, my first pregnancy, at the rate of about 1lb a week (Lord help me!) and as I’ve put it on, I should take it off.  1lb a week is a safe and acceptable rate of loss.  Don’t try to do more, it’s not worth it, take around a year to take the baby weight off!  We’re all different, don’t kick yourself, I’m certainly not!

Exercise.

It was always important, but now it’s getting more interesting.  I hate the idea of doing one thing over and over and over again every day, like taking a walk or repeating a Yoga DVD.  I’ve found some videos on Youtube that may change all that.  I can include my new baby in my daily exercise, and I don’t mean sitting in the stroller.

Check out the video below. I’m very excited to get in some exercise while bonding with my little bean!

 

Cloth Diapering

How-to for Parenting, Parenting an Infant, Parenting Toddlers3 Comments

Jason (my husband) was the first of us to bring up cloth diapering, several years ago in fact and it’s a pretty good thing that he did because it took me nearly as long to make up my mind that it would be a good idea after all.

Thirsties Duo Wrap SnapHowever, whenever I bring it up to my friends and family, I keep on getting the same look of ‘yeah, right crazy’ which is beginning to get a little old.  I can only keep explaining the benefits for so long before I start to get a bit snappish.  What I want to say (or snap) is ‘what are you doing?  Most of you were cloth diapered at one point or another, look how well you survived!  All I’m doing is buying the modernized versions!’

I tried to explain to my mother-in-law how different ‘modern’ diapers are from their pre-fold predecessors.  That the brand I want to buy (BumGenius 4.0) has snaps that allow the diaper to grow with the baby.  That they can also come with inserts that can be folded and fitted, depending on the sex of the wearer, for extra protection against leaks.

That and the diapers themselves are better for baby bottoms, in general. Also, you can survive with a rotation of 12-24 cloth diapers and save somewhere around $2,000 just on your first child alone.  The cost of diapering your subsequent children…  0 dollars.  If you never buy disposable again anyway…

I laid these things out to her (mother-in-law) and I thought she was getting it until she asked me how much these diapers cost.  I replied truthfully that a two pack of BumGenius diapers from Target costs $35.99, tried to reiterate that whole ‘but-you-can-save-2,000-dollars’ argument, but it was no good.  She balked and went back to giving me that look like ‘okay crazy’.  Sigh.

bumGenius One-Size Snap Closure Cloth Diaper 4.
Then I tried to explain about all the stuff in disposable diapers, like chlorine and dioxins (an environmental pollutant).  And how dioxins in tampons have been linked to toxic shock in women. What could they be doing to the baby?  About how skin rashes are often brought on by the various other chemicals and the dyes inside the disposable diaper.  How cloth diapers are made of mostly breathable, chemical free, fabrics such as cotton.  But by this time, no matter who I’m talking to, it just sounds like I’m preaching a bunch of propaganda or something.

Another thing I’ll bet you didn’t know about disposables, it is illegal to throw poop away!  I can’t count how many of my nieces and nephews diapers I’ve just thrown out.  But if you look at the disposable diaper boxes, it says not to do it.  And if you think about you’d never consider substituting a trashcan for the toilet, at least I hope you’d never consider it.  No matter what diaper we use, we’re all supposed to be disposing of our kid’s leavings down the toilet anyways.

If you’re sitting on the cloth diapering fence may I suggest going to http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=886295 to see a list of websites where you can try (just try!) a plethora of cloth diaper options without completely committing yourself and your wallet.  I remember liking this one http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10/tryclothfor10 Their ‘Changing Diapers Changing Minds’ Program, here is an excerpt from the website.

Step 1: Pay $144.54 for the diapers + $10 non-refundable shipping charge = $154.54.
Step 2: Try everything.  Wash them, use them, fall in love with cloth diapering!
Step 3: Mail the diapers back to us after using them for 21 days. (Yes, the 21 days starts when you receive the package, not with your order date!)
Step 4: Receive a refund of $134.54, regardless of whether the diapers are stained or not. This is not a store credit, but an actual refund!
And… receive Free Shipping on your next order (to orders within the US). 

Bringing Baby Home

Parenting an InfantLeave a comment

I’m 8 ¼ months along; I’m starting to go a little batty.  The more research I do, the less I know about anything but I keep plugging along!

Today I’m going to go over how to take my baby home from the hospital, just in case there’s something that I haven’t thought of before.

For Baby’s Homecoming:

  • Warm clothing.  (I’d like to get my hands on a snowsuit, though.)
  • Warm socks and booties for hands and feet
  • Warm hat.
  • Car seat. Properly checked by professional, go here to find one http://www.seatcheck.org/
  • Car seat cover, warm.

For Your Homecoming:

I was searching through Youtube for advice from mothers who’ve gone through the process already. I would have loved to find someone who had gone through the surprise of ‘wait… I need what?’ when their doctors send them home from the hospital.  I included a link to the video here:

These women were kind enough to talk about what I was going to need for recuperation. I’ll need to make a store run for these before birth!

These women were kind enough to talk about what I was going to need for recuperation. I’ll need to make a store run for these before birth!

  • Hemorrhoid cream or tucks pads. 
    I’ll be getting the kind with witch hazel.
  • Plastic doughnut.
    Sitting will be reeeeeeelly hard to do. Be sure it makes it inside with you so you can sit in your favorite chair without extreme pain.
  • Iron pills
    You’ll be bleeding pretty regularly through what is an open wound.  Discuss it with your doctor, but you’ll probably need it.
  • Maxi pads or disposable underwear.
    For the ‘open wound’, my personal research leads me to narrow my choices to three; Depends underwear is a contender because I was always a heavy ‘flow’ gal, and I’d rather not leak onto my underwear overnight.  If you don’t want to go disposable underwear Always Ultra Overnight and Stayfree Ultra Overnight.  Stayfree is supposed to be thinner but no less absorbent.
  • Painkillers!
    Ask how much you’re allowed to take every.  Be ‘on top’ of your pain.
  • Prenatal vitamins.
    You should be planning on keeping these up for as long as you’re planning on breastfeeding.
  • A&D ointment.
    Often used for diaper rash but, postnatally, you can use it on your perineum to lessen the pain from urination.  You can also just pour water over yourself as you urinate too, it’ll take the sting out.
  • Numbing spray.
    Dermoplast, a topical numbing spray safe enough to use on your delicate areas.  If they offer you a can at the hospital, see if you can get a second!
  • Iced Diapers.
    Newborn diapers soaked in a little water and stored in the freezer will cup and cool your soreness and will not leak.
  • Breast cream, lanolin.
    Like Lansinoh Topical Cream, Lanolin will help your soon-to-be-sore and cracked nipples feel better.  It is also baby safe and has no preservatives or additives, so you don’t have to worry about your child.
  • Stool softener.
    You can rely on prunes if you like, but I’m going towards pills like Dulcolax or Colace, check with your doctor for the proper dosage.  Also, drink loads of water.
  • Take the pain meds they give you, take the prescription your doctor may offer you.  Better safe than sorry.

Remember to:

Not block out husband, make sure he knows how much you still love and need him!

Close curtains, disable doorbell, leave a note on door suggesting that spontaneous visitors call to make sure the recuperating mother and fragile new baby are available and not sleeping.

Change outgoing message on your phone to update callers to your baby’s vital statistics.  Name, weight, length, birth date and time, how baby and mother are doing, please leave a message and we’ll call back when we’ve woken up from our nap.

If you do accept visitors, ask them to evaluate their level of health. Stay away if they’ve been around sick people.  Request they wash hands with anti-bacterial soap before touching the baby.

Sewing my own Nursing Pads

How-to for ParentingLeave a comment

SewingI finally did it!  I finally set up my sewing machine for the first time since freshman year of college!  Of course, this is the first time since then that I’ve had room enough to do it.  Now that I’m a fledgling homeowner with a proper basement (a whole room in which is just for my artistic inclinations!) I have space to spread out.

As we speak, my poor neglected machine is sitting prettily on top of my drafting table (previously wedged into a not-quite-deep enough corner of my old apartment bedroom) breathing noncloseted air.  Happy in the notion (ha!  Get it?) That it has just gotten its teeth into another one of my projects.

Nothing fancy, nothing but raw edges, in fact, but important and (even more important) easy!  Yay for the nursing pad!

I didn’t think far enough ahead to take my camera with me down into the basement, so there are no step-by-step pictures but it was so simple that there wasn’t a lot to document.

Needed:

  1.  Old flannel sheets and/or old cloth diaper.
  2. Mug or cup that has a mouth wide enough to comfortably cover nipple area
  3. Something to trace the shape of the mug/cup on the fabric.  (I went ahead and just used a regular marker. Since nobody but me would see the finished product, why buy a special washable pencil?)
  4. Sewing machine, thread, etc…

What I did first…  I took an old cloth diaper that I’m pretty sure used to belong to me when I was a baby but has since been gathering dust (literally!) as one of my many rags.  The center is made up of the cushiest of materials, layer upon layer.  I picked a mug that would fit four times down the center of the diaper and traced around the lip with my marker.

I didn’t even have to cut out the circles before sewing as I’m accustomed to doing.  It was recommended to me just to go ahead and sew along the lines while the fabric (and its shapes) are still whole.  So I ended up with an old diaper with four, nearly perfect, circles sewn down the center.  Then I cut them out with my brand new quilting cutter.

I used the cutter instead of scissors because I’ve been told the cutter is miraculous with multiple layered cuts and guess what… it is!  I cut the circles out and voila!  Reusable nursing pads!

Math Quiz!  If you can buy the disposable variety for about $9. Per 60 count box and you use (being conservative here) one pair a day.  Assuming you breastfeed for a year how much money will you spend on disposable nursing pads?

Answer:  too much.  Sew your own reusables!

Or if you don’t consider yourself handy (and, believe me, I’m not) you can buy a pack of 6 of the washable variety for about 6 dollars.

I already had more free material however in the form of a million-year-old blue flannel pillowcase my mother gave me, full of happy little snowmen in scarves.  I never thought, when I was snuggling up to the snowy tableau, that I’d ever be using it for this!

If you have such a pillowcase, fold it over until each potential circle is eight layers thick.  Then go ahead and sew each marked circle while it’s still a part of the whole pillow case.

Once you have all your circles sewn, cut them out and voila again!  More nursing pads!

It was simple, even for a sewing moron like me!

Try it out!

Braxton Hicks

Pregnancy1 Comment

They told me that soon I’d be experiencing that most wonderful precursor to actual labor, Braxton Hicks contractions.

I had begun to forget about them, and if I had been thinking about them, I would have been convinced that I was out of danger.  Wrooooong!

Braxton Hicks is when the uterus muscles contract sporadically for about 1 to 2 minutes. These were generally thought to exist to help pregnant women’s bodies prepare for actual labor.

They don’t play any part in the effacement of the cervix.  Though not everybody feels these in the same way, if they feel them at all.  Here’s a description of what Braxton Hicks might feel like from http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/braxtonhicks.html

  • Braxton HicksIrregular in intensity
  • Infrequent
  • Unpredictable
  • Non-rhythmic
  • More uncomfortable than painful (for some women Braxton Hicks can feel painful)
  • They do not increase in intensity, or frequency
  • They taper off and then disappear altogether

I feel them now!  Sometimes they wake me up at night, though briefly.  But mostly I seem to experience them in the morning after I’ve gotten up, which makes me suspect dehydration as the main culprit.  My OBGYN warned us that if I didn’t get enough water I could experience false labor, and the best avoidance were large glasses of water. Oddly enough, letting go of water is helpful too. Go to the bathroom!  Sometimes the cramps are immediately alleviated by a morning trip to the ladies.

While I wait for the water to make it through my system I concentrate on not holding my breath.  It’s amazing how much relief I can get by breathing slow, deep, breaths in through the nose and out through my mouth.

Then I squirm in my chair until I find that I’m suddenly a bit more comfortable.  So, change your position.  Maybe lay back down on your left, I don’t because my pelvic girdle pain is too much to contend with and I don’t like to get up and down a lot.

Here’s a list of reasons to call your physician from http://www.babycenter.com/0_braxton-hicks-contractions_156.bc you may be in real labor if…

  • Abdominal pain, menstrual-like cramping, or more than four contractions in one hour (even if they don’t hurt.)
  • Any vaginal bleeding or spotting
  • An increase in vaginal discharge or a change in the type of discharge- if it becomes water, mucusy or bloody (even if it’s only pink or blood-tinged)
  • More pressure in the pelvic area (a feeling that your baby’s pushing down)
  • Low back pain, especially if it’s dull or rhythmic, or you didn’t previously have back pain

So try and find the true difference between false and actual labor it could save you the worry it caused me!

Breastfeeding

Mother's Health, Parenting an InfantLeave a comment

I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) who informed me, when I brought it up, that she did not intend to breastfeed at all.  Immediately I began to do what I hate having done to myself, preach.

Knowing my friend as I do, I jumped to the immediate (and unfair) conclusion that she didn’t want to breastfeed simply because it involved breasts.  My friend is ever so slightly (and may she forgive me) buttoned up; and not the most likely person to lead a frank discussion of last night’s performance of the Vagina Monologues.

It is often too easy for her friends to embarrass her by talking, even in a lighthearted way, about what the rest of society might consider ‘natural’ and ‘normal’ human, biological, actions.  Such as sex.

So, I can see why I assumed I knew the reason she wouldn’t want to breastfeed.  Also, there’s a little joke amongst her friends that nothing, nothing, should be allowed to get in the way of her work schedule including sex; so I can see where I formed these conclusions in the first place.

But the point of my sitting down to write her this little missive was not solely to piss her off and give our friends something to smile about.  I want to be able, when asked, to come up with legitimate and persuasive reasons why breastfeeding ought to be attempted, at least for the crucial first six months of life.

Colostrum (the breast milk mothers make right after giving birth) is jam packed with vital nutrients and antibodies.  Everything your little kiddo needs when he or she leaves the protection of your womb.  It supposed to be anywhere from translucent to a kind of yellowish tinged, but the color changes after a bit, as your milk matures, about four or five days after giving birth.  See a little video clip here on colostrum http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_video_colostrum.html

Compared to formula breast milk, it is far easier for little stomachs to handle.  I’m not willing to bad mouth formula. There are some mothers and babies who genuinely need it. Some for health or medical reasons, and I’m glad it’s around for them.

That being said, the exclusive use of formula, sans any breastfeeding at all, has been linked to increased hospital visits and general ill health in babies.  A little list of ailments for these kids can include; allergies, respiratory infections, asthma, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, eczema, and SIDS.  While breastfeeding is linked to a decrease in all these aforementioned areas.  Even a reduction in the risk of cancer!

And while your bodies only mindset, as far as the feeding the baby is concerned, is nutrition, nutrition, nutrition!  It’s often the case that the companies who make formula (to be fair this is true of any business) care mostly about the bottom line.  And God knows we put our trust in a lot of unscrupulous people on an everyday basis. I’m just not so eager to trust them with my infant.

Go online and visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_formula#Uses.2C_risks_and_controversies, scroll down to the portion about Melamine contamination and read away…

The benefits don’t stop at the baby. Breastfeeding shrinks your uterus down faster after birth, leads to a more relaxed state of being, helps you shed the baby weight faster (breastfeeding can take about 400-ish calories a day from you), it can even reduce your chances of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, amongst other nasty things.  So there’s a lot in it for mothers as well as their kids. I don’t see any reason anyone wouldn’t give at least that first crucial six months over to breastfeeding.

Here’s to hoping that my friend forgives me for dragging her into my typings and that she thinks again about her stance on breastfeeding.

What is a Doula?

Pregnancy, Leave a comment

A Doula giving a massage.Doula is a Greek word for “woman’s servant.” A birth doula is a supportive companion professionally trained to provide physical, informational and emotional support during labor and birth.  Many people do not know that birth doulas exist to support couples in labor and in fact are often confused with having a midwife.  A doula provides continuous support, beginning during early or Active Labor, through birth, and for approximately 2 hours following the birth. The doula offers help and advice on comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, movement, positioning, and massage.  
She also assists families with gathering information about the course of labor and their options. Her most critical role is providing continuous emotional reassurance and comfort.

Doulas attend home births and hospital births; medicated births and un-medicated births, with women whose care is being overseen by doctors or midwives. Doulas may be the only support person for the mother, or may be part of a labor support team including mom’s partner, friend(s), and/or family members.

Another misconception about doulas is that you must have a natural (without interventions/pain medications) birth.  Instead, think of her as a guide or sounding-board so that no matter what course your birth takes you can feel informed and confident about your decisions as you navigate through birth in the best possible way.  Doulas are non-judgmental and are only there for your support.  Think of her as girlfriend’s P.I.E. – she will provide physical, informational, and emotional support.  She does not replace your partner and is indeed an asset to your Birth Team.

Doulas specialize in non-medical skills, and do not perform clinical tasks, or diagnose medical conditions. They do not make decisions for their clients. Their goal is to provide the support and information needed to help the birthing mother have a safe and satisfying birth as the mother defines it.  Locate a doula by asking your mommy friends for referrals.  Reliable referrals can also come form your prenatal yoga classes or OB/GYN’s office.  You can also find a doula on a few websites, which certify doulas such as www.dona.org and www.cappa.net.

Proven Benefits of Doula Supported Childbirth

Decreased Medical Intervention in Labor*:  Reduces need for Cesarean-Section by 50%
Reduces length of labor by 25%
Reduces use of artificial oxytocin by 40%
Reduces pain medication use by 30%
Reduces the need for forceps/vacuum extraction by 40%
Reduces epidural requests by 60%

6 weeks after birth, mothers who had doulas were:  Less anxious and depressed
Had more confidence with baby
More satisfied w/ partner (71% vs 30%)
More likely to be breastfeeding (52% vs. 29%)

*These statistics appear in “A Doula Makes the Difference” by Nugent in Mothering Magazine, March-April 1998. For more about the research, see http://www.dona.org/publications/position_paper_birth.php
**Study cited in “The Doula” by Klaus in Childbirth Instructor Magazine, Spring 1995.

About the Author:

Patricia GrubePatricia Grube is a certified Pre/Post-Natal Yoga instructor who teaches classes at Yoga Works in Los Angeles.  Patricia has a thriving birth doula practice and has guided hundreds of couples through their childbirth experience (www.serenitybirth.com).  Additionally, she is a published author and recently co-authored a new book called, “Posh Push: Modern Girls Reveal Secrets to a More Natural Birth” now available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LQS32G.

You can visit Patricia’s website at www.serenitybirth.com