Special Guest Sunday: Kaya Birth

I stumbled across this Canadian company who produces birthing stools. It looks like a pretty awesome upgrade from the old fashion birthing stools.

I think I will do a post later on in the week about birthing stools and their benefits.

Wow. I know. You are just so anxious to read that post. I can't think of anything more exciting. Right??

Check them out for more information www.kayabirth.com

Fashion Friday: Headbands... for your belly?

So we put ginormous headbands on our teeny tiny little girls... why not take it a step further and put a ginormous headband around our belly. I mean, it is kind on like accessorizing your baby before anyone else can accessorize their baby.

While this is gorgeous- I am just not sure if it has hit the fashion trends yet.

Don't worry, I am sure it will get there soon. If you want to be ahead of the game check out the ETSY shop this came from. HERE

I wonder if I know this person... they are local to me

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76298773/new-maternity-sash-vintage-inspired?ref=sr_gallery_27&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=maternity&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

Here is the description from the page:

Stunning peacock feather maternity sash features hand rolled satin rosettes in gold, jade, wine & royal blue. Brown peacock feathers with a touch of maroon and jade, a long peacock tail sword feather, and a sparkly jade sparkly rhinestone finish this beauty off! Feathers may vary slightly in size. All flowers are hand rolled and may vary in appearance making each sash a unique beauty!

♥ Floral and feather portion of sash measure approximately 9"x9"
♥ Satin Sash measures approximately 90" in length.
♥ Sashes are assembled upon purchase. Please allow 3-5 days for production prior to shipping.

Small Parts Disclaimer
Warning: Choking hazard. May contain small parts. Not intended for children under 3 yrs. Adult supervision recommended.

Thankful Thursday: The Real Stuff

I am so thankful for the bloggers out there who post "real stuff." And when I say real stuff I mean it is where they sat down and thought about something. Then thought some more. Then wrote and rewrote and saved it and then posted it a few days later when they were sure about it.

I have often thought about trying to be a "real stuff" blogger. But I am not. I am not a writer, and I often feel that there aren't enough things I can write about. Oh sure I can write about midwifery... but when I write about midwifery it borders on the edge of medical advice or hipaa violations. Those are two things I cannot blog about. I don't give out medical advice over the internet, I don't give it out over text messages, I don't give it to my friends. I give medical or midwifery advice :) to my patients. So I can't tell you what I would do in my own situation, but I can't advise someone else in a different situation because I don't know all the facts.

I can tell you about procedures and pregnancy and childbirth... but people want to hear birth stories. I don't often get permission from my patients to share their birth stories, not because I ask and they say no, but because I want birth stories to come from the mother herself. Her birth story is much different than the birth story I would tell.

I would like to become a "real stuff" blogger one day. Maybe just for one post. But until then I will be thankful for the bloggers who do post real stuff- like this post I ran across today about a woman who struggles daily with infertility but now has adopted children.

http://suaviloquy.blogspot.com/2011/06/for-record.html

Henry Wyatt 10 weeks old

I've been thinking about infertility. Not sure why.

I don't have any grand bit of wisdom to impart. I don't understand the complex emotions involved. I can't tell you how to deal with it.

But I know I made it through something like twelve years of wanting a child. I know I am now standing on the other side of that trial and au revoir to thatthankyouverymuch.

As I sit here on my sofa typing this, with slobber spots on my pants and little finger prints all over the furniture, these are the things that come to my mind. It's not wisdom. It's just what I know.

The joy we experienced when our children finally arrived was equal to, and may have even exceeded, the sorrow we felt at our darkest moments.

Unlike childbirth, you never forget the pain of not being able to have a child.

Just because you wanted children for much longer than most people doesn't mean your kids won't drive you up the wall. Just because you went through hell to get them here doesn't mean they will appreciate it. At the end of the day, you are just a parent like any other.

Refraining from buying baby things until you are pregnant is just a silly way of trying to insulate your feelings. Go ahead and buy stuff. It will put you ahead of the game when it finally happens. Wanting those little baby things means you still have hope.

Feeling bitter and nasty towards others who are having babies is completely normal. It doesn't make you a bad person. However, if you behave badly in these circumstances, down the road the bitterness you feel will be of regret.

When you have infertility you must think of it as a war. You will loose battles. It will be expensive. Plans will be made and then cast aside for new plans. If you want to win, you will not retreat. You will regroup and press forward.

And you will need a good mate for the fox hole. If this relationship isn't right, you might want to lay low and reconsider.

Here's the last thing I know. It took me years to realize this. In fact, it only dawned on me a few months ago. I could never figure out why I had to go through infertility. What was I supposed to learn? Why was that part of my life path?

Here's what I know today. I had to experience infertility to lead me to adoption. I had to wait for my adopted children because at the time I started wanting them their birth mother was only fourteen. My children were to be born by this girl and only this girl. That was the plan. Sometimes the Lord has to work with logistics.

I'm not at all sure why I am writing this today. Maybe there is someone out there that needs to hear this? I don't know.

But I'm writing it down. For the record.

Now that is "real stuff." Well said and thank you.

Wild Wednesday: HIPPA vs HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Did you know that it is HIPAA and not HIPPA??

Wait- do you know what this is? It is that huge law that says medical people can't talk about other patients or divulge identifying information to anyone other than the patient (or durable power of attorney or guardian or parent, etc.) That is when doctors and nurses and practitioners get fined lots of money and can get sued if they accidentally or purposefully release identifying information.

So I knew about this law and how it was abbreviated back when I started nursing school. It was created in 1996 and I am sure I heard of it before then since my mom and my dad work in the medical field. I guess I really had to learn about it in 2002 when I was taking prerequisite courses for nursing school.

That doesn't mean I think it should be abbreviated this way. I think they should have thrown in the word PRIVACY in the title. Thus making it HIPPAA. Oh well, I guess they wouldn't have listened very much to a 12 year old when it was passed in 1996.

Trusting Tuesday: Cloth Diapers

I used cloth diapers with my daughters... however I had to stop because of the chaffing and diaper rash my daughter kept getting. The BumGenius Diapers I used (one size pocket diapers) were a little too thick and kept causing a rash for my daughter.

Anyway, I know that I will be back to cloth diapers with the next baby (NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT!) so I want to be a little more prepared this time around.

I found this website:

http://www.diaperpin.com

and then I loved this simple how-to guide.

GETTING STARTED
Ready to go with cloth diapers? Here is how many of each item you will need:

• 24 to 36 cloth diapers.
• 0 to 3 all-in-one diapers.
• 4 to 6 cloth diaper covers.
• 1 or 2 polar fleece or wool covers for overnight. (optional)
• 12 to 24 doublers. (More if your child is a heavy wetter)
• 1 diaper pail.
• 2 to 3 dozen cloth diaper wipes.

When considering the amounts to buy, take into account the age of your baby. Newborns and infants will need 10 to 12 changes a day. Toddlers will need 8 to 10. Most cloth diaperers wash diapers every 2 or 3 days.

If you decide to try fitted cloth diapers be sure to try a sampling before investing in a large number of any one brand. Fitted diapers vary quite a bit in size and fit from baby to baby.

Your cloth diapering system can be all one type of diaper or a combination of pre-folds, fitted, and even all-in-ones.

WASHING INSTRUCTIONS
Wash and dry new cloth diapers 5 to 10 times to remove chemicals. This will also increase the absorbancy of your cloth diapers. Do not worry if you notice that your cloth diapers "quilt up" during this process. This is normal.

To extend the life of our cloth diapers and covers, we hang them dry. It is especially important to do this with AIO's and diaper covers to preserve their waterproofing ability.

The washing instructions are for a full load of cloth diapers. You may include nylon and polyester diapers covers in this load. Handwash all wool covers.

Overnight Soak Method

• Pre-Wash. (This step can be skipped if you use the wet pail method.) Place all cloth diapers in the washer, and run a prewash in cold water. This will remove most of the loose particles from the cloth diapers.
• Overnight Soak. Refill the washer with cold water and 1/2 cup of baking soda. Let it agitate for a minute or two, then turn off the machine and let the cloth diapers soak several hours or overnight. Drain the water (I run a pre-wash to do this.) Baking soda is a base and neutralizes the urine in the cloth diapers. This is very effective in whitening and removing the smell from the cloth diapers.
• Hot Wash. Empty the bin and run the wash with hot water, detergent and 1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. Since my baby has sensitive skin, I use All HypoAllergen detergent.
• Double Rinse. Add about 1/2 cup of vinegar during the first rinse. If you have a washer with a fabric softener compartment pour the vinegar there when starting the hot wash. Otherwise you can throw in a Downy ball filled with vinegar.

No Soak Method

If you prefer not to soak your diapers or if you only have access to a coin operated machine follow this method:

• Cold Wash. Place all your soiled cloth diapers in the machine with baking soda for a cold water wash.
• Hot Wash. Add your wet cloth diapers to load, add detergent and baking soda and wash in hot water.
• Rinse. Rinse cloth diapers with cold water and vinegar.
• 2nd Rinse. Rinse cloth diapers with cold water.

CAN YOU RECOMMEND A RECIPE FOR CLOTH WIPES?
There are several recipes you can use for cloth wipes. Here is Diaper Pin's favorite:

• 2 or 3 drops of tea tree oil.
• 1 tablespoon of Dr. Bronner's soap.
• water.

To hold your wipes you can use an empty disposable wipes container or a wipe warmer.

REMOVING URINE SMELL
Include baking soda when washing or soaking your cloth diapers.

If you use baking soda in the wash or soak, make sure to use vinegar in the rinse, This will help restore the pH of the cloth diapers. Otherwise your baby may end up with diaper rash.

According to Vicki Lansky author of Baking Soda : Over 500 Fabulous, Fun and Frugal Uses You've Probably Never Thought of, baking soda works with liquid detergents to whiten and brighten laundry. It does not boost powder detergents.

VINEGAR IN THE WASH
Many parents have complained that using vinegar in the wash leaves their diapers remaining smelly. Actually it is more effective to use baking soda in the wash and add vinegar to the rinse. See our washing recommendations for more information.

Hint: Consider using vinegar in the rinse cycle of all your laundry, not just the diapers load. Also consider buying distilled white vinegar by the gallon for general household cleaning. Melodie Moore's book, Vim & Vinegar, is a wonderful resource for learning how to use vinegar to replace expensive cleaners for floors, refrigerators, furniture, laundry, copper and stubborn stains.

WET PAIL AND DRY PAIL METHODS
There are 3 basic methods for storing wet and soiled cloth diapers, wet pail, dry pail and wet/dry pail.

• Dry pail. All cloth diapers are placed in a covered pail. Sprinkle baking soda to control the odors.
• Wet pail. All cloth diapers are placed in a pail half filled with water. Make sure this pail is covered to prevent infant drowing.

The Diaper Pin preferred method is the dry pail method. We used to use the wet pail system (for dirty diapers only), but it was messy and unwieldy. Now we simply dunk dirty diapers (and swish if necessary) in the toilet bowl before tossing in the dry pail. We keep our diaper pail in the bathroom. Much easier!

FASTENING PRE-FOLD CLOTH DIAPERS
Fastening is the biggest challenge with pre-folds.

• Pins are easy to use once you get the hang of them. Between uses stick opened pins in a bar of soap. Alternatively run the pins through your hair before pinning diapers. Both methods gives the pins a coating that allows them to glide through cloth the next time you diaper.
• Afraid of using pins? Do not be discouraged. You can use Snappi Diaper Fasteners orDi-d Clips instead.
• Another alternative is to simply fold the cloth diaper in thirds and enclose within avelcro or snap fastened diaper cover over the prefold and the baby.

FOLDING PRE-FOLD CLOTH DIAPERS
Here are two methods:

• In thirds lay the cloth diaper flat with the length running up and down. Fold the right panel over the middle, then the left side over the right fold. Then flare out the top and bottom. If you are pinning, pin the corresponding front and back corners together.
• Poop pouch lay the cloth diaper flat with the length running up and down. Place the baby in the middle of the cloth diaper straddling the diaper. Let the cloth diaper bunch between the baby's legs forming a little pouch.

For more folding methods and illustrations read folding techniques.

WHY AREN'T MY NEW NATURAL CHINESE PREFOLDS ABSORBENT?
Cotton has a naturally occuring wax in it. Since your natural Chinese prefolds are not bleached during manufacture, the wax is not removed. To remove the wax, you must wash your prefolds in VERY hot water. Here are some tips for those whose water may seem to be not quite hot enough. Try Tide. We do not recommend Tide for daily use because it is harsh, but it does seem to help remove this natural wax more quickly. Turn up your water heater for a few washes or add boiling water to your washer to raise the water temperature. We have also had some moms boil their diapers with great success! The number of washes needed to remove the wax will vary. If your water is very hot and you use Tide and you have city water which is chlorinated, you may only need to wash once. In other cases, you may need to wash a few more times. Rest assured, this natural wax will always come out! Contributed by Joyce of Katie's Kisses

Mommy Monday: Magic Eraser

I do not know what I would do without the magic eraser.

Seriously- what is that thing made of?

I only used it twice this weekend. Once when my daughter--- above--- colored all over the tub.

And again when there was some sort of food product plastered on the wall. Enough said.

Is it too bold to say that the Magic Eraser is a Mommy's best friend??

What am I talking about?? http://www.mrclean.com/en_US/magic-eraser.do

Special Guest Sunday: Father's Day Edition

I sure hope the fathers in your life are as good as the ones in mine.

Take a look at this picture. It is completely our daily life. The girls push button after button of their daddy but secretly he loves every single day of this crazy little life.

Thank you daddy for being such a wonderful father to our baby girls!

Here are the words to my favorite children's song about fathers... so conveniently called:

FATHERS

The father of our home leads our family

With wisdom's light in all that's right;

My father's good to me.

Father's are so special, with a very special love.

They watch us and protect us.

They guide us and direct us.

Back to our home above.