Jude's four month shots

My sweet little baby had his four month set of shots a couple weeks ago. Soo sad! I think it was worse this time around. Maybe because he is more aware and alert and just looks at me so helplessly. Or maybe because I've had two more months to love him and get to know him. My friend told me what her former pediatrician's office did to make the shots less traumatizing for the little ones and I thought it was a great idea that every pediatrician's office should implement. The idea is to have two nurses give the shots simultaneously in each leg. He had to get four injections this time, so instead of giving one shot, then another, then another, then another, he only had to get what felt like two shots because he got two of them at the same time. I politely told the doctor about it. I knew if I had the doctor on my side, she would tell the nurses to do it and the nurses do what the doctor says. So the doctor told me that would be fine, it just might take a little longer to wait for two nurses instead of one. And she said she had never even heard of doing that before. I think it should spread and everyone should start doing it! The first nurse came in and then the second. The second nurse acted all perturbed. Really?! She's obviously never had a child. The second nurse was all on her high horse and she said he had to lay down on the table "for safety purposes" although they let me hold him last time. I figured I would pick my battles. So I laid him down on the table. He was smiling and kicking like the most innocent happy little child. Then came the shots. INSTANT HYSTERIA. As soon as they were done I immediately brought him up to me and started feeding him. He calmed down and was just exhausted. He fell asleep on the 0.4 mile ride home and this is how I found him in his car seat once we got home...

Then we had a post shots photo shot. Typical. See two month shot post here.

He had a rough day or two after this set. No fever or anything, just kinda miserable. He's back at it now, though. LOVE HIM!

bumbo

Jude is now sitting up like the biggest boy in his newly acquired bumbo. He wasn't too sure about it at first.

Mama, what is this thing?

His head was a little wobbly at first, but by his second go round he had it down to an art form. We are  diligently trying to keep him off his back because it's "flattenting out a little bit" according to the pediatrician. She throws that around like it's no big deal. Uhmm.. big deal over here! We are hard core tummy time now days. He's been a little confused as to why we won't let him sleep in his bed anymore, he will thank us someday. :)

If you click on the picture above and buy the bumbo, I get money. You know you want to.

to life.

I have to returned to work. To my life as a nurse. It's amazing what two and a half months off can do. For the three nights I have worked so far, I was kinder, more patient, happier, more eager to learn, more willing to call the doctor at 3:00 am, and more anxious to do whatever I could for my patients. At nine months pregnant and a little burned out after two years, I didn't feel like I was any of those things. In small ways, it's nice to see my sweet best co-workers who I just love, work my way down that hall and get things done, and even meet the best people ever.

Like Mr. Imagination. He was 6'7'' and his gown was more like a shirt which so gently complimented his (probably stinky) white undies. He stays up every night from midnight to four reading the Bible. I walked in on my two o'clock round and found him intently starring at the cheesy little landscape picture they have on the wall. He then explained,

"I know I haven't been reading the Bible like I do at home, but I've been enjoying this picture. I've really been getting into it. I walked down that pathway and I got in the water. I think that is a river right there with a channel coming out that way. I have just been using my imagination and making this picture come to life."

He literally starred at the picture for two hours and analyzed every square centimeter of it. That's something we can learn from him- appreciating art.

I could tell his tattoos were homemade so I asked him about them because I knew it would be a funny story. He thought since I was asking him about them I was interested in doing one on myself. So he gave me very specific, and vague, and completely confusing instructions on how to do my own tattoo.

"You get five or six needles. And some white string. And some Q-tips. Now I used pen ink but you're not supposed to do that because it's dangerous or something. You use that... oh what's that called (two minutes later...) Indian ink! Use that Indian ink and write out what you want then stick the needles in about... this... far and wrap the strings around and blot it. Now it's gonna scab over. If you're diabetic you don't need to be doing this."

"Didn't it hurt?"

"Oh, I just had some Jack Daniels and Coke. Just a little glass about this big. It really didn't hurt."

"Coca-Cola?"

"Yeah... Coca-Cola."

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"People tell me I'm just like my Grandpa. I just get my Grandpa. He and I have the same mind. He used to read the Bible all night, too. He had that whole thing memorized. He would just write out all the verses on the wall. He didn't even have to look because he knew it by heart. He would write all over his walls and cover them with the Bible. And you know what was the end of him? When they sent him to Bryce Hospital (the mental hospital). He wrote all over the walls at Bryce, too. He covered those walls... People think he was crazy, but he wasn't crazy. I'm just like him and I'm not crazy."

He was the best. One of my favorite patients ever. And to think I only had him for one night. Sigh. He drank at least five cups of coffee that night. And was literally wide awake all night. Talking, talking away. We could hardly get out of the room.

Okay, I'm glad I wrote that down. Now I can always remember how funny he was.

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It's no piece of pie working all night then taking care of a baby all day. Even if he is the bestest baby ever and my hubby helps me when he's not at school from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (or 11:00 pm after a long night at the temple...), still no piece of pie. Sleeping for one hour, then one and a half, then maybe two is a little demoralizing. I feel somewhat zombie-like, somewhat out-of-body. And mostly bad for my sweet child who I feel like I'm neglecting because I don't give him all the attention and brain-stimulating activities he deserves and he is perfect and only deserves at least two hundred kisses and smiles per hour, per day. But he understands. We are still in love.

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We had a tornado watch and severe weather today. It was the worst. It's the most helpless feeling to know a tornado may be coming when there is really only so much you can do. Dan's classes got cancelled so he got to spend the day with us. I wish I could have enjoyed it more. I was busy getting our bags together in case we had to leave and trying to get the house together. And Dan did physics homework for approximately five hours. We had the TV on allll day and watched James Spann and the radar map. That gets old. We almost went to the school to bunk out but we didn't get to that point. Thankfully it has passed us. Thank thank thank thank thank THANKfully! We used to like storms and think they were cool. Now they are just scary and kind of put a pit in our stomachs. It's hard to believe it's almost been a year since the tornado.

Here's to life and making every day special. To treating your best people like they really are your best people, not the ones who get your cranky side a little too often (ahem, myself)... To being thankful for the little joys in every day. I love my husband dearly. I adore my little precious mini-human and getting to kiss his incredddddibly soft and delicate little cheeks every day. He does not know his power when I am tired and cranky and he smiles at me at life is instantly perfected. I am thankful for my health and a sound mind. I am so blessed it baffles me.

oh, life lately

My two month old baby is precious. He is the young love of my life. The first month was so completely magical, yes, but it was also a whirlwind- very overwhelming, sleepless, and intense. The waters have calmed this second month. He is sleeping so well, usually six to seven hours a night. The days of rocking him endlessly are few and far between. He even likes his swing. He almost always falls asleep in his bassinet on his own. He is breastfeeding like the champion of all champions. We are really getting the hang of it. It's not such an all-encompassing-stop-everything-else-you-are-doing-prepare-for-at-least-an-hour-affair now, it is just kind of a sweet, enjoyable little experience I get to share with my baby eight times a day (at least, Mary says). He loves his little Occy (pacifier dragon). His personality has quadrupled within the past month. He is smiling, laughing, grinning, playing, kissing, talking (baby talk, ya know), and cuddling. My heart belongs to that 11 pound 11.5 ounce babe.

nothing like kisses from mama

I am also feeling so much more like myself. I feel like I am getting my body back and am not just the most awkward, pained, subcutaneous creature on earth anymore. I have been exercising, getting dolled up, getting out of the house, oh it's divine. I even wore my cigarette jeans last night! The joy that filled my bosom when they fit was insurmountable.

We just had the best weekend ever. I finally got Dan to myself so we brought the aero bed into the living room and watched movies, had dance parties, made homemade pizza, talked, cuddled, all the good stuff. I'm pretty sure Dan did not get off that bed for approximately six hours on Friday. He needed some R&R. :)

Now that he is two months old we are do have to avoid crowds like the plague anymore. We still avoid them, but boy is it nice to be able to take him to the store! We celebrated Valentine's Day again last night and went out dinner, compliments of Grandma and Grandpa James and Jude. (They got together and decided we needed a night out and arranged it.) We put in our name at Longhorn Steakhouse and since it was supposed to be an hour wait we walked all around the shops at Midtown Village and pushed Jude around in his little pram. It was freezing cold and raining. We didn't mind. Jude was a trooper as he was harshly exposed to the elements between stores. Whenever he is suddenly cold he takes a huge gasp  like he is catching his breath. It is hilarious. Dinner was the most fun ever. We were starving, so bread, water, chicken tortillas roll-ups (our free entree), and two delicious steaks complete with mashed potatoes (of course), sweet potatoes, and salads was the most delicious meal we could have ever dreamed of. Although I wouldn't have minded a little taste of my neighbor's Chocolate Stampede (AMAZING). I was a little nervous when Jude got hungry but I donned my nursing cover and all was well. Our very flamboyant waiter and other father-of-two server were very sweet and made me feel at ease.

We also went to church today. Jude's first time. It was so nice to be there together as a family. I'm a proud mama. He was awake for the first two hours laying contently in his pram, slept for almost one, and then got hungry about ten minutes before church got out. What a good boy.

In sacrament meeting Dan looked over at me and with a sweet smile said, "I've waited for this for so long... sitting in church with my little boy." I will say, looking over seeing my gorgeous husband sweetly cradling our swaddled up sleeping baby was one of those moments where everything makes sense, life is perfect, and nothing matters but the love we have in our little family. The love we have, centered on Christ, is all we need in life. With that we are strong enough to venture our way through the world and be stronger in the end.

Life has been a little crazy. Dan has hardly had five minutes to relax up until yesterday. He has been out of town for the past two weekends, leaving me a lone woman in the wilderness. My shotgun skills are now up-to-date (just in case), I learned that I may not leave the lights on in the car for ten measly minutes while I feed my unhappy, bawling baby or it will die twenty minutes out of town in the back corner of a dark parking lot where the semi drivers sleep and I must trek into the gas station to ask a complete stranger to help me (don't ward a family from the ward just happened to be there), I got caught up on the Bachelor (my guilty pleasure), and ate instant mashed potatoes for every meal. Dan was at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) in Montgomery. Yes, for the Navy. The Navy?! The Navy. We are pursuing the Health Professions Scholarship in the Navy and the Air Force (shh, don't tell our recruiters). Dan was put up in the fanciest hotel (potential Officer treatment), woken up at a sunshiney 4:00 AM, and had to waddle on his knees in his underwear for a crowd, obtain a urine sample with his five closest strangers while standing on a line of tape and being carefully watched, and other fun things. Oh, the things we do. We also sent in our official acceptance to VCOM!

Life is the biggest adventure. We love it.

Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk Part 1 // Jude's shots

In my researching on breastfeeding, I found an awesome article on breastfeeding by the American Association of Pediatrics. It should be required reading for every mother! I had done a lot of research before the baby was born, but I wish soo bad I would have read this before I had Jude. I will be going through the article one section at a time and discussing it so we can be well-informed and backed up by a reliable source when we go in the hospital. Go here for the full text.



"INTRODUCTION


Extensive research using improved epidemiologic methods and modern laboratory techniques documents diverse and compelling advantages for infants, mothers, families, and society from breastfeeding and use of human milk for infant feeding.


These advantages include health, nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychologic, social, economic, and environmental benefits. In 1997, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published the policy statement Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk.


Since then, significant advances in science and clinical medicine have occurred. This revision cites substantial new research on the importance of breastfeeding and sets forth principles to guide pediatricians and other health care professionals in assisting women and children in the initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding."


"Child Health Benefits


Human milk is species-specific, and all substitute feeding preparations differ markedly from it, making human milk uniquely superior for infant feeding. Exclusive breastfeeding is the reference or normative model against which all alternative feeding methods must be measured with regard to growth, health, development, and all other short- and long-term outcomes. In addition, human milk-fed premature infants receive significant benefits with respect to host protection and improved developmental outcomes compared with formula-fed premature infants. From studies in preterm and term infants, the following outcomes have been documented.


Infectious Diseases


Research in developed and developing countries of the world, including middle-class populations in developed countries, provides strong evidence that human milk feeding decreases the incidence and/or severity of a wide range of infectious diseases including bacterial meningitis, bacteremia, diarrhea, respiratory tract infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, otitis media, urinary tract infection, and late-onset sepsis in preterm infants. In addition, postneonatal infant mortality rates in the United States are reduced by 21% in breastfed infants.


Other Health Outcomes


Some studies suggest decreased rates of sudden infant death syndrome in the first year of life and reduction in incidence of insulin-dependent (type 1) and non–insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus, lymphoma, leukemia, and Hodgkin disease, overweight and obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and asthma in older children and adults who were breastfed, compared with individuals who were not breastfed. Additional research in this area is warranted.


Neurodevelopment


Breastfeeding has been associated with slightly enhanced performance on tests of cognitive development. Breastfeeding during a painful procedure such as a heel-stick for newborn screening provides analgesia to infants."

Analgesia = pain relief! How amazing is that? After reading that I was just even more in love with breastfeeding. This article is written for pediatricians and I'm sure most all pediatricians have read it. Then why do they not encourage mothers to breastfeed while their babies are getting their heel pricks and other painful procedures in the hospital? Probably out of inconvenience. That's bothersome. If we, as mothers, are informed we can request, and demand, this if necessary. Maybe it will be commonplace and more accepted in health care.

Jude has his two-month appointment last week. Which means.... shots. Ugh. Many mothers dread this because it's so hard to see our babies so distraught. After reading this article, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed while he was getting his shots. I wasn't sure how that would be accepted by the staff, but I was already prepared to do it and defend my rights if necessary.

The doctor left and said the nurse would be in soon to give him his shots. I decided to just start breastfeeding and that way I would already be doing it when she came in. She came in and was totally understanding. She had no opposition to it and was willing to do whatever I thought would help Jude. He was contently eating when she started her first of the five shots. FIVE. Separate. Shots. He let out a blood-curdling scream and was so red in the face I thought he might burst. I had to pat him a little bit to get him to breathe again and he was pretty worked up for a couple minutes. Once he calmed down, I was right there to breastfeed him and any mother knows nothing makes a baby happier or more content than that. I know he certainly still felt pain but I think it was, if nothing else, comforting for him to be able to nurse as soon as he was calm enough too and feel that safety in mother's arms.

Five shots. Five bandaids. Yuck.

The article clearly states that breastfeeding is superior to formula. Many may think that because we live in a such a modern world and science has come such a long way, they have made formula to be just as good as breast milk. The commercials make it seem like formula might even be healthier for our babies development. We must know that breast milk truly is best, and nothing else can come close to it when it comes to the healthiest nutrition for our babies.

I know sometimes mothers can not breastfeed or try their hardest and have to stop. My point in this is for us to be informed and to try our hardest to breastfeed as long as possible and not stop for convenience purposes, lack of knowledge, or just because we have reached our year mark.

best.

I have the best coolest little friend in the whole world. He is my buddy. I am his number one and I'm so glad. He likes to cuddle with me. He likes it when I pat his back. He likes it when I wash him and keep him clean. He likes it when I feed him. He likes it when I change his diaper. He likes it when I hold him. He likes it when I look at him and make faces and giggle and kiss him. He likes it when I kiss his feet and eat his little toe. He likes it when I swaddle him up. He likes it when I take him on walks. He likes it when I five S him. I decided today that I'm his number one best friend. It's just the most indescribably out-of-this-world feeling to be loved and needed by something this perfect. I want to bask in it as much as possible before the boy next door becomes his best friend, or maybe his super cool Dad. For right now, it's all me. I'm claiming it and loving it.

I love him so much it hurts. Like, your heart just hurts because you can't even express or get out the love that's bursting inside. His squishy upper arms are soo soft and nice. His cheeks are like 44 million thread count satin. And there is nothing better than when his juicy, wet lips plant on my cheek and try to eat me. 

Best. Feeling. Ever.

love &lots of it.

I'm realizing that having a baby is magical. Everything they do is magical. It's just... magic. Jude is smiling all the time now and recognizing us and being playful; it is just blissful. Something so seemingly small creates some of the most precious, priceless moments that Dan and I have shared together. I can only imagine how fun it will be when he starts to talk, roll-over, eat real food, crawl, walk, run (Dan has had two dreams of Jude sprinting in the past couple weeks, funniest. Picture a little infant sprinting so quickly and efficiently. Big dreams for this kid...), go to school... this list goes on. We're proud parents.

He loves it when his Daddy plays with him...

  

I read online of a way to help your baby be smart- stick your tongue out at him and he will start to realize that he can do it back. So we've been sticking our tongue out at him all the time. He loves it. It makes him giggle and smile so big. AND...  he does it back now. Pretty much a genius baby, we've known all along. He always sticks his tongue out or opens his mouth wide when we give him kisses. It's the best. There's nothing better than a sloppy wet kiss from the cutest baby in the whole world. He's getting so much more personality and so much more fun... And he is laughing now! It is just to die for. Oh, and he slept 8 hours two nights ago (maybe because we gave him Tylenol because he got his shots) and he slept 7 hours last night! Thank you, baby!

D&R <3 JUDE!

breastfeeding what?!

I knew very little about breastfeeding before I had Jude. I just knew I wanted to do it because I had heard it is the best for the baby. I knew a little bit about the colostrum and that it gave them good nutrients and antibodies. I knew I wanted to breastfeed to decrease the chances that Jude would have allergies/asthma. I knew that you breastfeed exclusively for six months and with other food for a year, ideally. And I had had some mothers tell me that it is hard and doesn't always come naturally so not to expect it to.

I have learned so much since then and I am so glad. I feel like the average person is underinformed about breastfeeding, maybe I feel that way just because I was. I have so much more to learn, but have found it so interesting and have been doing a lot of research. I have been eternally grateful to the mothers who have helped me and I would love to help someone else. Even if only one mother-baby pair benefits from all this, I know it is worth it! I am going to do several posts on different aspects of breastfeeding in my attempt to increase awareness in my small circle.

After I had the baby at the hospital, the nurses kept asking me... "Has you milk come in yet?" I would reply, "No.. not that I know of..." They would then just simply say "okay" or "have you felt any tingling in your breasts?" I just told them I hadn't and that was the end of the conversation. I really had no idea what to expect. The colostrum was no big deal. It really didn't have any side effects or anything funky or unexpected so I really didn't know what was coming.

The day I got home from the hospital, a Saturday, "my milk came in." And there was no way I could not know it! My breasts were completely engorged. I didn't know it at the time, but Jude had jaundice and he was hardly eating anything so they just stayed engorged. I did not understand the supply/demand system at that time so didn't know I should have been pumping. I also didn't realize he wasn't eating enough (see previous post). I had no idea what was normal and what wasn't.. My mom and dad had ordered me a breast pump but it wouldn't get here for another week. By Sunday, I was completely desperate and had Dan run to Target to get me one of those hand pumps. That was painful. And unbearable. I probably only did it twice.

We had an appointment with the lactation specialist on Monday... by then I was completely desperate and beaten. I was worried about Jude because he would either be in hysterics or totally lethargic every time I tried to feed him and I was just so confused. I walked into her office with a page full of scribbled notes of questions and worries and things to ask her. Mary McAteer, IBCLC (Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant), saved my life. I call her my angel and hugged her and cried out of love and am eternally indebted to her and I let her know it! She told me Jude had jaundice at that's why he wasn't eating (I felt horrible). She showed me one of their breast pumps and how to use it (finally... relief!). We had to bottle feed Jude for the next couple weeks until the jaundice cleared up. So I rented the breast pump and pumped all his milk for him every two to three hours so he could still be breastfed.

It has all worked out since then! It was not easy, but we got him back to nursing. (He was too used to that high-flowing bottle buffet) and he is doing well. For a while, I thought he would never breastfeed again.

Moral of the story...

After I got home and my milk came in, I could not believe no one had warned me. The nurses so carelessly asked if my milk had come in yet but did not explain what to expect or what would happen or how to regulate it or anything. (In their defense, they might have told me all this and I was just so overwhelmed and sleep deprived I don't remember it). I felt so unprepared and underinformed and had no idea how to handle the engorgement or the milk dripping and leaking out all the time or the pain or awkwardness of it all or just what to do at all! I did not know that milk is on a supply and demand system. The more that is used, the more your body makes. If it is not used, your body will stop producing it. (It's really amazing, isn't it?!)

Not everyone needs a breast pump, but I sure have. I wish someone would have told me that I might really need a breast pump. If for whatever reason your baby cannot nurse (like jaundice, which many babies have), then you need to pump or you will lose your milk supply. I did not really understand why I needed a pump so I figured I would just buy one whenever I ended up needing it. But when I needed it, I needed it, and I didn't have it. Since they are pricey and some people don't end up needing one of their own, I would recommend to rent one from the hospital and have it on hand for when you get home just in case you need it. If you end up needing one, you can purchase one.

I need one because I will be going back to work at the end of this month and I need to pump to keep my milk supply up. I have been pumping quite frequently so I can make plenty of extra milk for Jude to have. When I go back to work, he will have a plenty of breast milk that Dan can feed him with a bottle. I want to there to always be enough for him so he can have breast milk exclusively. (I will do another post about that later.)

So, women... do your research and be prepared! The more educated you are, the greater the chance that you will breastfeed longer because you will prepared for how hard it may be, you will know what to expect a little bit more, and you will have a better understanding of how important it is! Breastfeeding is such a huge part of having a baby. Newborns breastfeed 8-12x/day all throughout the day and night. It has been one of the hardest things I have ever done but also the best and most rewarding.

I love for this to be a place for us to share experiences and encourage each other! :)

shabbat shalom!

Saturday was one of the most exhausting days yet. I worked at the hospital from 11:40 pm to 8:15 am doing a clinical with my nursing supervisor. I am not going back to work for another month, but I am in a leadership class for my bachelor's degree. I chose to do it on a Friday so Dan could help take care of Jude the next day while I slept. But then there was a tornado in Birmingham and they needed him to help with clean-up. So, he left at 6:30 and our sweet friend, Aly, came over and watched Jude for a couple hours between when Dan left and I got home. Jude was asleep when I got home (and he smiled really big at me when I came over and peeked at him) so I slept for a little less than two hours, then he woke up, ate, burped, fussed, etc, etc. Finally got him to sleep and he slept for... an hour and a half. Ate, burped, fussed, etc, etc, finally got back to sleep and slept for... forty-five minutes. I was basically a zombie by this point because I had only slept for four in the past thirty hours. I can't do that. Dan finally got home at 5:45 to a messy house and a hungry, exhausted, emotional, and grumpy wife.

I saw this sign at someone's desk while I was at the hospital and I absolutely love it. So great.

Life is back to normal today and I am so glad. I finally got some sleep and went to sacrament meeting when I woke up. When I got home Dan had cleaned up the cochinera of an apartment we lived in and it has been a wonderful day since! We are skyping with family and relaxing in our PJ's. Dan just made homemade cheesy potato bread and broccoli chicken divan is in the oven, both made with an ingredient I am very proud of... breast milk. Way to be organic and all-natural over here. We ran out of normal milk, but it works! If it's good enough for Jude, it's good enough for us. He sure seems to like it!

Jude is all dressed for the Sabbath in the shirt his Aunt Krissy made him :)

I received a package yesterday from Caroline Craven, Nicki's mom, and I am sooo oooh excited about it! She had seen that Jude was having a hard time sleeping and she sent me some essential oils and homemade soap for him! I am so, so excited. I have been wanting to try natural fixes for Jude before resorting to medication. Thank you soo much Sister Craven for thinking of me and all the soap and oils! She makes all her own all-natural, chemical-free soaps and sells them for a very reasonable price... check them out here!

oh, it is love from the first time i pressed my lips against yours...

My baby slept from 10:30 to 3:45 last night.

That's five hours and fifteen minutes!


It was blissful.

He is even falling asleep in his swing and bassinet! Even if we put him in while he's wide awake. He is just getting so big and helpful to his mama.

I'm in love with him. I miss him when he sleeps for a long time. I want to hug and kiss his face and lips and feet and tummy every minute. I love to watch his daddy read him books and play him songs on the guitar. I love it when he coughs and coos and yawns and huffs and puffs and crys (some of the time) and sneezes and squints and pouts his lips and kicks and waves his arms. Okay, I'll stop. I'm pretty smitten.

The other day I picked him up out of his bassinet and he looked straight into my eyes and smiled at me! It was the most joyful, precious moment. I have the greatest baby ever. Not that I'm biased or anything...

the 411 on cloth diapers

Cloth diapering has a whole lot of negative stereotyping going on. People picture rags with safety pins in them. We've come a little ways since then. It is becoming more and more popular and it should! It only makes sense. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't do it. Yeah. 

Here's a play-by-play on the cloth diapering process from a newbie...

Here are all my cloth diapers (minus the inserts). I own eleven. That's probably the least amount I would recommend. I do wash approximately every 1.5 days. People have said to me "When you calculate the cost of doing more laundry, is it really worth it?" I do a massive amount of laundry with a newborn baby anyways, what's an extra load every two days? Water costs like, $30.00 a month. So that extra load is maybe $2.50. According to wikianswers, the average person spends $1,000 per child on disposable diapers. My diapers and two wet bags cost about $115. FOR ALL MY DIAPERS. That (should, technically) last the entire diapering life of my child. I am also using cloth wipes. I am using muslin rags that my dad got us from the Operating Room. You just fill a little spray bottle with water and soap and spray each rag before use. Then you just wrap it up in the diaper like you would a disposable. No weird chemicals on baby's precious bottom.

 

Here are the inserts. We are using two per diaper (two inserts come with each diaper) right now, which is recommended for newborns. When they get a little older or in the daytime when you know you will be changing them frequently, you can use only one if you please. After we wash all the diapers we just stuff each of them so they are all ready to go!

These diapers fit from newborn to out of diapers. We didn't start using them until he was about three weeks old because he was still a little small and they would have looked ridiculous, we went through approximately twenty diapers a day, and I hadn't bought them yet. The horizontal fold in the middle of the diaper is where I snapped it together to make them smaller. When he gets older we just leave those snaps undone and it's instantly bigger! We snap to make them the smallest size right now and as he grows, we just move out! If you didn't notice, that is Dan's hand putting the diaper on. He has not even the slightest problem or grossness with cloth diapers (I have heard this is an obstacle for some willing women).

Ta da! He's adorable, I know. Yes, the diaper is a little big and it makes his pants fit a little funny. But that is the biggest downside. I think I can handle it. And he doesn't seem too concerned about it. Look at that blissful baby. He loves them. But really, disposable diapers have chemicals and all sorts of yucky stuff in them. Not to mention, a landfill is their final resting place. That's not hot for the environment. But more importantly, I want the best for my baby. The softest, the most comfortable, and the best for his skin. Cloth diapers are all of those. No diaper rash over here, sister! When he was wearing disposables he had little rashes, bumps, and blemishes. Since we have switched to cloth diapers they are completely cleared up.

Above is the "wet bag." It's made out of the same material as the diaper shell. It easily holds all the diapers I have. I bought it at the same place as my diapers. Once you have your dirty diaper, just throw it in this bag. When laundry day comes, take the diapers out, remove the inserts, and throw them all in the washer. Also, be sure everything is unsnapped. This is probably the most tedious, unenjoyable part of cloth diapering for me. But it's really not bad. If there is any solid BM on the diaper, flick it in the toilet.


The laundering process.


1. Do a hot rinse.
2. Wash like normal with a tinge of detergent. It is recommended to use something more natural, like a  homemade detergent with baking soda, borax, and soap (it's easy and cute, see for yourself).
3. Dry. Sunlight it preferred, but you can dry them in the dryer, too.

The green wet bag is my bag for home. The black one is for when I go out. I can just keep it in my purse.

I originally committed to using BumGenius All-in-one snap diapers. I did many hours of research and decided they were the best. They cost $17.50 a diaper. (That is the cheapest I found them). It was going to be an investment to purchase them all, but I knew it would pay off. I had a baby shower and my sweet, thoughtful friend Kim gave me a Simply Cloth cloth diaper from Just Simply Baby! I already had two BumGenius diapers I bought with gift cards, so I was able to compare. BumGenius are a little cuter and have better colors, but not worth the price. They are almost identical. There are small differences. The BumGenius are a tad better quality. The Simply Cloth diapers are $11.50/diaper! They are so much more reasonable so I decided to go with them. The company was started by a stay-at-home mother in Atlanta who does have them made overseas but she employs other stay-at-home moms for everything else. She has a thirty-day return policy on all diapers, used or not!


If you are considering using cloth diapers but do not want to fully commit, you can use my friend Kim's great idea... only use them at home! You can use them when you are at home with all the conveniences readily available and when you go out you can still use disposables and you will not have to worry about it. You will still save tons. I have been doing this since I received several packages of diapers as gifts and it really is nice.

Are you convinced? I am. Feel free to comment if you have any questions I would love to answer them!


*If you decide to buy cloth diapers through this company, enter the coupon code 'ARRM' and put my name, Rachael Mulder, for a reference & you will give 5% off your entire order (if you are a new customer)!

swinging serenity

My baby has fallen asleep not once, not twice, but three times in his swing in the past two days. W. Oah. That's progress. Major progress. He is becoming so much more aware of his surroundings. The other day he actually noticed the little plush toys that hang from his swing and twirl. He was like... Hmm, what are those? Maybe this swing isn't so bad.

I mostly have his father to thank for this. When I get him to sleep I rock him for approximately... thirty minutes. Or forty. Or fifty. Or however long it takes for him to fall completely asleep. That makes for one extremely fatigued forearm and one tired mama (shh'ing turns out to be very soothing and makes me sleepy!)

When Dan gets him to sleep, he rocks him for about 50 seconds to 2 or 3 minutes and then gets tired and puts him in the swing. I wouldn't even dare such an ambitious task for fear of him waking up, fussing, crying, and then having to start all over (which does happen occasionally). These past few days when he has put him in his swing... he falls asleep! And coos! And appears to be in complete serenity. I am now trying to be more ambitious myself and put him in the swing more readily. 

Alright, nap time!

sleepless

can babies have insomnia? i was starting to think mine might. he has slept for no more than seven hours in the past 15 orr so, that takes work for a wee one of less than a month. he was up from 1:30 - 3:30 last night and then awake again at 4:30. one measly hour?! he's been up almost all day besides an hour or so we stole in the ergo baby. poor thing must be exhausted! we bought this cadillac of baby swings for our little guy with the hopes of getting more sleep. naive. he will be calm and content and as soon as we put him in the swing he is crying hysterically. as soon as we take him out... asleep. it looks pretty comfy to me, not sure why he's not too fond of it. hoping it will grow on him. i wish they made one in my size.

dan has been at school today so i've had to rough it out on my own. come early afternoon i was really starting to feel uncomfortable in my hygienic state and was dreaming of a shower. jude had finally fallen asleep and i had secretly placed him in his swing. i knew i must take advantage of my window and shower. i peeped in on him one last time and he was wide awake. this meant one thing. i had no more than 90 seconds before he was in hysterics. i scurried into the shower and washed off as fast as i could, then thought... oh! i'll just take a bath with jude since he needs one too. i ran out to get him, he was crying in the misery of his swinging papasan seat. i scooped him out and into the tub it was. he liked it. he's so sweet in the water. almost always calm and content. we were just finishing up when boom... bowel movement blast off in the water. i got us up as fast as possible (which was not fast at all) and held on tight to my shivering, slippery baby as i kicked the tub stopper out from over the drain. i ran into the closet with my naked, wet, cold, screaming baby to grab the puj tub so i could rinse off any floaties that might have gotten on him. i managed to figure out the origami fold of the tub with my free hand and get in the sink. the water finally warmed up, and as i was rinsing him off... spew! urine stream all over me and him, it even splashed him in his eye. (nothing makes me feel worse than this. poor thing. to my defense it's only happened twice) i rinsed him off, plopped him on the bed, strapped on a diaper and threw some clothes on the sweet little one. i put him in the swing so i could hurry and rinse myself off... thank goodness we have two showers because the first one was a little out of commission. jude was traumatized by this point. i hurried and cuddled with him and fed him and he calmed down. but he still wouldn't sleep. i was starting to worry about him. dan got home and  i had him take his temperature. 97.2. i have been cuddling him and loving him and he is finally asleep. i have gotten none but i am so thankful he's sleeping i'm not going to risk it by getting up and putting him in his bassinet. so here we are. recovering from a long day...

the many faces of jude

Dan and I have created the most precious and hilarious little almost three week old in history. He is so funny. And cute. And hilarious. And sleepy. He loves to sleep. Except in the middle of the night. Then he likes to stay awake and cry and coo and hiccup and cuddle. He loves to eat, too. That's probably his favorite activity. If he could he would just eat/pretend eat 24/7. He has the softest, smoothest little body, the prettiest, bluest, most curious little eyes, the poutiest, most luscious lips, the sweetest little blemishes on his face, the cutest little inverted nipple, the most to-die-for rolls we've ever seen, and the white blondest eyelashes and eyebrows (he got those from his mama). He is doing much better at not going through several outfits a day. That's probably because we've gotten better at the whole diaper thing. He lost his little umbilical cord on New Years Day... big boy belly button! Which also means, real baths with running water. So much fun. He looks so cute drenched.

bliss

he was running his hand under the water

how cute is my little hyphy baby?!

long day...

We're in love. A lot of it.