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Swaddle me.

Posted by on September 13, 2010 Leave a Comment

One of the first and best things I learned as a new mother was how to swaddle. When my twins were born they had a very strong Moro (jerking) reflex.  They were full term and pretty tight in utero so when they came out their arms would spontaniously jump out just as they started to drift off to sleep.  Swaddling was the only way we got any sleep.

You really don’t need much, just a nice cotton blanket and you are on your way to some sound sleep.

Some babies are unswaddleable, and just don’t need it.  You will know when they just wiggle and jiggle out constantly.  These babies will probably sleep for you swaddle or not.

When you get to the point where your baby shows signs of rolling over, or they are just more mobile, you can start to loosen the swaddle.  Then you can leave one arm out and then the other.  Eventually they will be falling to sleep without the swaddle at all.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSYPqGtFBYQ]

Peace,

Jess

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Breastmilk = Probiotic

Posted by on September 3, 2010 Leave a Comment

Most of us know that breastmilk is evolutionarily designed for your baby.   Some new studies suggest that breastmilk contains a strain of bacteria that protects your babies gut against harmful  bacteria that may wreak havok inside your babies digestive system.

The complex sugars were long thought to have no biological significance, even though they constitute up to 21 percent of milk. Besides promoting growth of the bifido strain, they also serve as decoys for noxious bacteria that might attack the infant’s intestines. The sugars are very similar to those found on the surface of human cells, and are constructed in the breast by the same enzymes. Many toxic bacteria and viruses bind to human cells by docking with the surface sugars. But they will bind to the complex sugars in milk instead. “We think mothers have evolved to let this stuff flush through the infant,” Dr. Mills said.  -Breast Milk Sugars Give Infants a Protective Coat-by Nicholas Wade New york Times August 2, 2010

By NICHOLAS WADE

Published: August 2, 2010

Here is a great read from the New York Times.

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Cloth Diaper Resourcefulness

Posted by on August 22, 2010 5 Comments

The other day, I packed my diaper bag with four cloth diapers. I was going to be gone for the afternoon to visit a friend, and I had assumed that four diapers would be enough. Usually, I come home from an outing with a couple of extras to spare. We were driving out to visit a friend who lives in South Lyon, which, given that I don’t drive on the freeway, was about a 45 minutes drive from my house. We had a few stops to make first.

At each stop, my little girl would whine, “Dauber!” which for those not fluent in Ayla-talk means “Diaper.”  Even though the diapers can hold a few piddles without overflowing, Ayla has sensitive skin and I change her after each one. You can imagine my fret as we drove into the city limits of South Lyon, a two hour visit and a car ride home still ahead of us, when Ayla requested her third diaper change of the journey. I had no choice, I had to run into a pharmacy and purchase some ‘sposies.
‘Sposies is too cute of a word for such a destructive product. I have often wondered why those of us in the cloth diapering world propagate such an endearing term for an item that promises to be using up valuable land space for our children’s great- great –great-great- great-great-great grand children to deal with.

(1) It’s too frilly of a term to describe a product that we put against our children’s reproductive organs that contains, dioxin, TBT, and sodium polyacrylate. ‘Sposies is too fun of a word to describe the product that with prolonged use will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal fertility in our sons.

(2) And yet, there I was, at the drug store about to purchase the smallest package of disposable diapers I could find.
And then it hit me. When you cloth diaper, you can turn virtually anything absorbent into a diaper. Granted, I was using Fuzzi Bunz, so they normally would require the shell to be washed after every use, but I could turn it into a diaper cover: Bypass the insertion into the pocket! Lay something absorbent on top of the fleece instead!

I put down the ten dollar pack of plastic diapers, left the baby care isle and went to the bargain shelf, where much to my delight there were hand towels on clearance: a four pack for a dollar.

Cloth diapering wins again!

(1) Link, Ann.  Disposable nappies: a case study in waste prevention.  April 2003.  Women’s Environmental Network.
(2) C-J Partsch, M Aukamp, W G Sippell Scrotal temperature is increased in disposable plastic lined nappies. Division of Paediatric Endocrinology, Department of Paediatrics, Christian-Albrechts- University of Kiel, Schwanenweg 20, D-24105 Kiel, Germany. Arch Dis Child 2000;83:364-368.

Dawn Papple

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Cloth Diapers: Just One A Day Makes a Difference.

Posted by on August 18, 2010 Leave a Comment

Some people are overwhelmed with the thought of switching up their whole baby routine with something new.  Whether this is your first baby or not, you are probably set in some form of pattern.  Nursing, sleep, changing diapers. You  have just made such a huge adjustment to your lifestyle.  Why change anything else?

Well, if you are using disposable diapers (sposies) there are many reasons to change.  The environment, your pocketbook, your delicate baby’s skin, dependence on foreign oil, just to name a few.  Go to The Real Diaper Association Diaper Facts.

Let me lighten the burden a little bit.  You do not have to switch everything all at once.  Just one cloth diaper a day makes a huge difference.  Just one cloth diaper a day will save 200 sposies from going into the landfill each year.

With just one cloth diaper a day you can make a difference!

Saving each family $200 per child and putting 200 LESS pounds of disposable diaper waste in our landfills! Plus you are giving your baby that once a day cloth bottom!  So soft, and we make it even easier.  Choose from our top 3 favorites and you will have an easy, one-size cloth diaper to use!  Put it on when it’s convenient for you and start making a difference.

Besides, parenting is all about being flexible right?

Bless,

Jess

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Vaccine Ingredients

Posted by on August 12, 2010 4 Comments

I’m not taking a stance one way or another on whether or not to vaccinate your children. I don’t feel it’s my place. I’ve chosen a middle ground for my own children, but I’m not even suggesting anyone choose the middle ground.

That’s not what this blog is.

This blog is to help you make your own informed decision. I know many of my mommy friends feel overwhelmed when facing this decision. So, without making any kind of stance, I will just do the busy work for you. Then, you can make your own informed decision.

CDC’s list of Vaccine Ingredients

FDA’s Stance on Vaccine Ingredients

World Association for Vaccine Education’s Ingredients Evaluation

Here is a brief explanation of a few of the key players involved in vaccines:

Aluminum Hydroxyphosphate Sulfate: Aluminum is the most commonly used adjuvant (substance added to a vaccine to amplify the immune response) in vaccines. The FDA has continued to approve the use of aluminum as an additive to vaccines for many years, however, a newborn who gets a Hepatitis B injection at birth would receive 250 mcg of aluminum, but the FDA also recommends that premature babies, and anyone with impaired kidney function, receive no more than 10 to 25 mcg of injected aluminum at any one time.

Animal Cells: This has been getting a lot of attention lately. The rotavirus vaccine was pulled temporarily when it was found to contain contaminated pig cells. The major concern is that contaminated animal DNA can cause secondary disease when injected into humans. This mirrors the huge concerns from the past when it was discovered that the polio vaccine given for years (which used monkey DNA) was contaminated with a monkey virus, which was found to cause brain and lung cancer in humans.

Egg Protein: This is added as a stabilizer to many vaccines.  The big concern is for children with allergic reactions to egg.

 

Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring substance made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Formaldehyde has been shown to weaken the immune system and is listed as a potential carcinogen. It is used in vaccines to inactivate the viruses and detoxify the bacteria that is used to make vaccines.

Neomycin: This is an antibiotic. It is added to prevent bacterial contamination during the manufacturing. The predominant concern, besides the overuse of antibiotics creating resistant strains of bacteria, is allergic reactions to it.

Should you prefer not to vaccinate, here’s a state by state list of laws on parents’ vaccination choice rights.

***Disclaimer: As mentioned above, this blog is not intended to give medical advice. It is a compilation of information so that any decision you make with your doctor or nurse practitioner can be more informed.

Dawn Papple

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Crunchy Mom Prioritizing

Posted by on August 7, 2010 7 Comments

When my first baby was born, I wanted to do the right thing, but there were so many life changes needed to be a fully crunchy mom, I was overwhelmed and confused.

Then, I ran across a blog that pointed out when you’re having a new baby, taking baby steps into the green lifestyle is often the best way. The woman explained I needed to prioritize so as not to get overwhelmed. Instead of prioritizing by what was most important to me, I thought about what one choice would have the most impact right off the bat?

Crunchy Priority #1 was clearly cloth diapering. Cloth diapering causes lasting positive impact in so many areas…

My Baby’s Comfort
Realizing that he’d spend 2-3 years in them, I thought about what I’d rather sit in: Paper and plastic or heavenly soft cloth? With the new cloth diapers, there’s almost no need for rash cream either, they were designed to fight rash.

My Finances
Disposable diapering for 2.5 years cost about two grand. Even the greatest set of cloth diapers would end up saving meat least $1500. As it turned out, my FuzziBunz managed to get passed around to other kids and then, I sold them for almost what I paid for them because by then, the different colors and styles of FuzziBunz were like collector’s items.

The Ecological Legacy I Leave for My Children
If I used disposable diapers, I would be leaving a legacy of about 6,000 dirty, non-biodegradable diapers for my kids to figure out how to clean up when they’re my age. Each year, tens of billions of disposable diapers are tossed into US Landfills. Our kids are not going to be happy when they realize we didn’t actually pick up after them when they were infants, be just swept their poop “under the rug.” At least with my diapering choice, I can stand confident and tell my children when they’re grown that I was a part of the solution, not the problem.

Convenience
Instead of cloth diapering being a hassle like I thought it would be, it turned out to be very convenient.  Using cloth meant I didn’t have to buy a huge box of diapers every week. I thanked myself in the middle of the night once when I had run out of clean diapers that I didn’t have to run out to the store. All I did was use a hand towel inside of a FuzziBunz cover until the rest of the diapers were clean! Besides, as it turned out, washing a load of diapers isn’t like washing a load of clothes. The hassles aren’t there. Washing diapers doesn’t involve coat hangers, ironing, matching socks, or folding pants just right.

As it turned out, my number one crunchy mom priority wasn’t that hard to get used to and it wasn’t long before I was able to work on my next self improvement step! I’m just glad I was patient with myself and eased into it so that I didn’t end up frustrated and throwing in the (crunchy) towel.

Dawn Papple

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Gabby’s Swim Diapers.

Posted by on July 23, 2010 Leave a Comment

If you have a baby and you plan on going swimming this summer than a reusable swim diaper is a must have.  I am amazed at the number of people who will put their child in a disposable diaper for the beach or pool.  Even the disposable swim diapers are ugly and uncomfortable looking.  Not to mention the space they take in the landfill.

My daughters at the lake

Gabby’s Swim Diapers are so cute.  Everyone will be asking where they can get theirs.

When my babies were little I used the Gabby’s Swim Diaper.  Even when a poop happened (and poops do happen) the swim diaper held it all in, and it was an easy clean up.   The thick nylon outer shell lets liquids seep out but keeps solids in.  So even in the public pool you can be assured that your baby is not the one to clear the pool.

What a fashion statement.

I bought my Gabby’s swim diapers when my daughters were almost one.  They wore them until they were potty trained at about 30 months.  I Think I even kept using them for a while after that because they are so flipping cute.

current color choices

See you poolside!

Bless,

Jess

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Cravings.

Posted by on July 18, 2010 Leave a Comment

Meat, sweets, fruit, salty.  When you have a craving during pregnancy, your body is trying to tell you something.  More calories, or more of a certain vitamin.   It is really a good idea to listen to these cravings.  Do not deprive yourself or your baby what you need.  Unless you have a strong craving for something that isn’t food.  Like dirt.  Dirt is really a craving that some women have.  Chalk too.  If you have these cravings, or any cravings, you should talk to your midwife.

With my first pregnancy I had a strong craving for  watermelon.  I always had to have it on hand.  I could eat one of those little round seedless ones in one sitting.  At first I thought it was the water that I needed.  But  in fact when I did a little research, watermelon is high in iron.  Guess what, I was anemic.

I find it fascinating what some women will crave while forming their baby.  Recently I was at a bar-b-que and a friend of mine who is 8 weeks along was having intense desires for red meat.  The only thing is, she is vegetarian.  My friend said her cravings were unbearable.  She was really struggling with being able to hold in her craving.  I told her to just give in.  Here is why.

Meat is high in essential baby growing vitamins.  You can take supplements to increase the amounts of a particular vitamin, but just remember, that food sources are always best for absorption.  If you are looking for a great source of any nutrient, go right to its source.

Here are some of the most common nutrients you need and the foods that contain them: – from kidshealth.org

Nutrient Needed for Best sources
Protein cell growth and blood production lean meat, fish, poultry, egg whites, beans, peanut butter, tofu
Carbohydrates daily energy production breads, cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta, fruits, vegetables
Calcium strong bones and teeth, muscle contraction, nerve function milk, cheese, yogurt, sardines or salmon with bones, spinach
Iron red blood cell production (to prevent anemia) lean red meat, spinach, iron-fortified whole-grain breads and cereals
Vitamin A healthy skin, good eyesight, growing bones carrots, dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes
Vitamin C healthy gums, teeth, and bones; assistance with iron absorption citrus fruit, broccoli, tomatoes, fortified fruit juices
Vitamin B6 red blood cell formation; effective use of protein, fat, and carbohydrates pork, ham, whole-grain cereals, bananas
Vitamin B12 formation of red blood cells, maintaining nervous system health meat, fish, poultry, milk
(Note: vegetarians who don’t eat dairy products need supplemental B12)
Vitamin D healthy bones and teeth; aids absorption of calcium fortified milk, dairy products, cereals, and breads
Folic acid blood and protein production, effective enzyme function green leafy vegetables, dark yellow fruits and vegetables, beans, peas, nuts
Fat body energy stores meat, whole-milk dairy products, nuts, peanut butter, margarine, vegetable oils
(Note: limit fat intake to 30% or less of your total daily calorie intake)
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"There's No Place Like Home" For Childbirth

Posted by on June 8, 2010 2 Comments
    • A healthy pregnant woman should be birthing at home. I don’t understand the response “I just feel safer in the hospital”.  When your chances of a hospital cesarean are closing in on 35% in this country.  One of the highest cesarean rates of civilized countries.  The homebirth cesarean rate is lower than 2%.  What most people don’t realize is that midwives are trained professionals, and they have a more optimistic outlook on your birth.

    • My first pregnancy we chose to only see a midwife.  We did not see an OB until I was at 39 weeks.  For my second pregnancy I had full health insurance, and although we were choosing homebirth again, I wanted to have a better relationship with an OB because I was going to have a VBAC.  Either at home or in the hospital.  I was not going to be persuaded toward an elective cesarean, but I wished to have a relationship with an OB just in case I needed to change my plans last minuet like my first birthing experience.  My point is that most women feel they need to be in the hospital to be safe.  But the fact of the matter is, if you are healthy and your baby is healthy, there is no reason you shouldn’t birth at home.
    A homebirth is defined as any birth which does not take place in a facility, such as a birth center or hospital. It doesn’t actually have to be your home, it could be your parents’ or your best friend’s.

    Natural Parenting Toolbox: Reasons to Have a Homebirth

    A homebirth is defined as any birth which does not take place in a facility, such as a birth center or hospital. It doesn’t actually have to be your home, it could be your parents’ or your best friend’s.

Reasons To Choose Homebirth

  • It is the birthing environment you will have the most control over. In your own home you have the best shot at deciding what visual elements, sounds, smells and faces will surround you when your baby is born. You can lower the lights, play Reggae music, or invite anyone you want to have around you to attend, if you like. Women who give birth at home do report a greater sense of control over the experience and this sense of control generally contributes to greater overall satisfaction with the birthing experience.
  • At home you avoid unnecessary medical interventions such as episiotomy or constant fetal monitoring. A carefully conducted study compared the cesarean section rates between patients who used midwifery services for their homebirths from The Farm, a well-respected birth center in Tennessee, to physician-attended hospital births. The hospital c-section rates were 16.46 percent of all the births. The Farm had a c-section rate of only 1.46 percent! Many other studies have confirmed the markedly lower c-section rates in homebirths. With homebirth, your baby’s birth will proceed gently and naturally unless a real emergency occurs. If you are transported to a hospital during a homebirth, statistics indicate that you and your baby are just as likely to have a good outcome as if you had started out in a hospital setting.
  • Many experts believe that you, and your baby, will have a reduced chance of getting an infection if you are not in a hospital. Hospitals are notorious for spreading staph, and other infections, around to patients. You are already used to the bacteria present in your home and have probably developed some immunity to them.
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Tune it out

Posted by on May 27, 2010 Leave a Comment

I know it is a bit ironic what I am about to blog about.  I am basically going to rant a bit about the overconsumption of media these days.  Here I am just adding to the machine with this blog which in turn I am advising to tune it all out.  But don’t stop reading now,  just hear me out.

What is tipping me over the edge is all of the oil spill news that is utterly making me want to vomit every day I hear more.  Every day that goes by and that hole in our earth is bleeding.  We forget that the true purpose of oil deep in our Earth’s crust is to help lubricate the tectonic plates.  I am no scientist, but it is no wonder our planet is experiencing so many tragic earthquakes.  We are sucking out all of the lube.  Ok, enough about that.

I am officially going to tune it all out.  I yearn for the simpler times in my life.  When I used to be a river guide and I lived in the North woods of Maine.  Where the closest phone was 30 miles away and if I saw a newspaper once a month I was lucky.  I had no clue about what was going on in the world that summer.  All that mattered was each moment of each day.

When you bring a baby into this world we are living in, it can be challenging not to get overwhelmed by all of the bad news we are bombarded with.  But throughout time there has always been bad news.  And in the future there will be even more bad news.  We need to put the bad news in its place.  Tuck it away where it can’t reach you.  Protect yourself and your children from the toxic flow of energy.  How you ask?   By just letting it all go.  Visualize yourself living 100 years ago.  Where if you wanted to know the weather, you just looked out the window.  And if you want to know what is going on around you, strap that baby onto your back and go out for a walk.

Just after giving birth I felt like I was so open to the universe.  I had a heightened sense of awareness like never before in my life.  This time in a womans life needs to be guarded and protected from all of the negativity that surrounds us.   All of our mama conciousness needs to be focused on the little baby and the home that is being created.  So if you are about to give birth or just had a baby, seriously make the effort to block out the gloomy “realities”  and just live your live in the now.

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