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[mamaharrison]

So, my last post about postpartum belly binding got me wondering what the rest of you are currently 'trending' on. I thought it would be a good way for us to share topics with a favorite informative link on things we are interested in, just getting into, or otherwise researching in the realm of pregnancy, baby, and post partum wise {well, life wise, too, but isn't life currently pretty baby-centric for us all?!}. Things that we may not be otherwise exposed to in our everyday lives--we are an eclectic group of ladies here ; )

So, I will start with some of my trends right now:


Postpartum belly binding: http://www.experiencefestival.com/wp/article/a-modern-wrap-on-an-ancient-tradition-the-bellyco-belly-wrap 
I am looking for more info on it--it seems like I am only finding the commercial info for product marketing and I would really like to read more about how traditional societies used this and the benefits and indications from ancient times. I am a Licensed Massage Therapist, so I am always very interested in ways in which we can help to heal our bodies through physical touch and movement.

120th day of pregnancy: http://kundaliniwomen.org/pregnancy_pages/120th_day.html
i  I follow the spiritual belief that the soul of the baby enters on or near the 120th day after conception and this is the time when mother and baby's souls finally join in creation of the spiritual self for this new body, new life. Our 120th day happens to be my DDs 3rd Birthday and as such we aren't having a large celebration {weel, we are for her birthday}, rather we are having a quiet family ceremony in the afternoon where we will light candles and speak our intent to love and honor and respect this unique souls lifepath and place within our home and family. The three of us also lite candles in ceremony during the time of conception and subsequent 'sticking' of the pregnancy and set up an alter inviting this soul to join our family--it was really lovely! I am VERY excited about it. Also, in total Divine Perfection this is the week that my womb baby has decided to really start kicking up a storm and let his/her presence be known and felt by us all finally! I had early quickening, at 10 weeks, but it was just flutters until now ; )

Newborn carries: http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/newborncarries.htm 
It has been 3 years since I have been lucky enough to wear a squishy newborn!! I had a hard time with backwrapping when DD was under 9 weeks old and am kinda determined to get the hang of it earlier on because I really enjoy back carries. So, I am refreshing my memory on what some good carries are for wee ones. Toddler wearing is so different than NB wearing and I am hoping that my 3 years of experience with wrapping will bode well for me getting the hang of NB back carries a bit earlier this time. Also, it is ok if not, too--being a tall mama my dear friend, who happens to own this web business, and I hypothesized that perhaps NB back carroes were tougher for me because my back was so much longer than the average woman's and in order to get baby in a high back carry I simply had too far up to go ; ) This is a wonderful website for videos of babywearing! Plus, my family are 'local' celebs since we are features on some of her pages and I get a kick out of it {and lots of my friends are there, too!}

HUBS: http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=EllaRooSeattle-size

ME: http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=EllaRooKristen-size
 

So, there are lots more things I am trending on, too, but these are my top 3 tonight ; )
What are you mamas trending on right now???
Share!!



 

[esp831]

What a great thread!  All of your links are really great, thanks for sharing.  Here's my current faves:

http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/

I have used cloth diapers for the first 6 months with both DDs and have been gifted 6 months of diaper service both times.  This time around, I'd like to continue in the cloth for a while longer, and I'd like to launder at home, so I've been spending a lot of time researching brands, types, care, etc.

I don't have a link to share on this one, but I am still searching...

I heard a beautiful story today on the Mayan cultural beliefs, and in particular, their reverence of babies/people with Down Syndrome.  From what I understand, the belief is that people that have Down Syndrome are extraordinarily special and have been gifted with an amazing power that is so strong that mere humans are not capable of understanding it, all we understand is that these gifted people are crucial to the survival of all people.  

I would like more information on this topic, as it seems especially relevant to our group at this time, but like I said, still searching...

[mamaharrison]

Esp--If I may offer some advice about CDing--don't bog yourself down with researching it now because you will find what works for you and your family when the time comes ; ) As I'm sure you already know, EVERYONE has their own 'perfect' method for washing CDs and which brands, types of dipes are the best or preferred. Some say do NOT use tide and others swear by it! Honestly, it is all dependant on the type of diapers {fabric} you will be using--microfiber washes different than cotton, IMO--and your water and there are a million different ways to do it. You will find what works for you. The basics are this: wash dipes every other day --do not go longer than 3 days or you will get stinky diapers usually. dump dipes in washer {you don't need to spray them first or separate poopy from pee, really!}, rinse once with no detergents, then full wash cycle with detergent of your choice {this is where it gets hairy, but you will experiement and find what works for you and then when you do, it will change like all things parenting and you will just continue to figure it out along the way}, extra rinse {some people do a ton more than 1}. That is the basics of it though ; )
I wish that I had spent less time researching CDing in my first pregnancy and done more meaningful research, but that was just my opinion.

I have also heard this Worldview. My family a few generations back was Ojibwe and many of the Native Americans shared similar, beautiful Worldviews. This has been said of many, and all who are born different with both physical and mental differences. It is such a lovely way to believe and I do ; ) It breaks my heart that people make the decision to terminate these children--it is their right, but it breaks my heart, nonetheless. My nephew has Down Syndrome and I am so happy to have him in our lives! He does have gifts that most don't possess. I am so thankful he chose to come into our family! Our culture seems to debase anything that isn't status quo and I do believe that we are missing out on a HUGE piece of the pie with this narrow, linear thinking. Our experiences could be so much more whole than they are, if we just allowed our blessings to flow to us however they may vs. trying so hard to avoid the things we believe to be negative or hardships by derailing the process. I would LOVE it if you shared any info you come across on this topic ; )

[cieloazul]

Mamaharrison, that's neat info about newborn back carries. I'm going to check that out. I didn't get brave enough to wrap DS until he was about 3-4 mo old, sticking to slings until then. It's nice this time around to know babies are pretty sturdy and feel like it's safe to try.

Esp831, I'm also starting to think about CDing. Like you, I CDed for about 6 mo (prefolds and wraps) until our washer died. I'm looking forward to it and trying to keep it simple. There's a crazy diaper subculture out there and I'm really only concerned with saving money and keeping the mess contained. What are you thinking of trying to start?

My trending topic is herbs, herbs, herbs. I made a huge mess in the kitchen yesterday/today (smells heavenly!) and got all alchemical. I mixed up a ton of pregnancy tea, some postpartum sitz bath sachets, some postpartum mood tea, some milk making tea, and tinctured a bunch of stuff for late pregnancy and to help me make milk (that's a concern for me). Today's a great day to put up tinctures, it's the new moon and you can decant them on the blue moon in August!

[mamaharrison]

cieloazul--what do you include in your sitz bath mix? I am definitely going to make some up, too.

[cieloazul]

Here you go, mamaharrison. I adore these tidy little sachets because they’re both super soothing and convenient. I mean really, when you’re recovering from childbirth and caring for a newborn, scouring bits of herbs out of the bathtub is about the last thing you want to do. They’re also way cute and make a great gift for expectant moms.

Post Partum Herbal Bath Sachets

Ingredients:

Calendula flower (2 parts)

Comfrey leaf (4 parts)

Lavender flower (2 parts)

Yarrow (4 parts)

Rosemary (2 parts)

Sage (2 parts)

Myrrh (1 part)

Cone-shaped coffee filters (preferably unbleached)

Needle and thread

Sea salt

Directions:

Mix everything together except for the sea salt. Put about 12 tablespoons of the mixture in each coffee filter. Stitch the sachet shut. It’s fine to use loose, sloppy stitches and no knots; your goal is just to keep the herbs from falling out. You can prepare the sachets well in advance of the birth if you like. Make up several as you’ll need one for each bath. If you feel like it, you could write little affirmations on them, string a special bead into the stitching, and/or bless them with them with a sprinkle of water containing a few drops of a soothing essential oil like lavender. In the days and weeks following delivery, infuse 1 sachet in 1 quart of water for 20-60 minutes. Add the infusion (and the spent sachet too, if you want) to a sitz bath along with about 6 tablespoons of sea salt. Continue in this way until the tissues heal.

[mamaharrison]

thank you so much! Now I don't even have to think before I make them ; ) So appreciative!!!

[nhklh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamaharrison 

120th day of pregnancy: http://kundaliniwomen.org/pregnancy_pages/120th_day.html
i  I follow the spiritual belief that the soul of the baby enters on or near the 120th day after conception and this is the time when mother and baby's souls finally join in creation of the spiritual self for this new body, new life. 

 

I'm always curious about how the "day of conception" is calculated in my circumstances.  Day of ovulation was 1st April 2012 but that egg did not make this baby.  Sperm-meets-egg was 11th September 2007, and the embryo was transferred on 6th April 2012.

[Millie Ivy]

nhklh- In your case, your embryo was frozen, I'd go with transfer date. :-)I think a day or two in either direction isn't majorly important to the symbolism here.

[DeeGee 1873]

These are some neat things that I had not heard about!

My hope for this pregnancy is to have a Blessingway. During my first pregnancy, I had the big normal baby shower. And during the second, I could not convince my in-laws that another shower was not necessary because they were giving their daughter another baby shower for her third child. Well, now that I have all I could ever need for a girl and a boy, I will simply refuse if someone offers to throw another shower. I don't know what the proper "etiquette" would be to arrange a Blessingway, but I am hoping that my new circle of like-minded mama friends will offer to host one!

[esp831]

I am totally into this thread.  I love looking at everyone else's current searches.  The baby wrap info is very helpful MamaHarrison, thank you!  And I really appreciate your CDing advice.  Going with the flow and figuring it out as we go along sounds like something that will work for me.  Isn't that pretty much the process of having a child anyway?  Especially since each one is so very different?  

Cieloazul-Thank you for posting your herbal bath recipe!  I will definitely be making those for now and after baby arrives.  I wasn't sure where I was going to begin with the CDing, but this morning my dad offered 6 months of diaper service for a gift!  Great timing dad!  Since the service in our area supplies the prefolds, its prefolds and wraps for us.  I may test out another system during the first six months to see if I'd like something different from 6 months on.  I was curious about the G diaper, but all of my friends who used them says the cover elastic made owies on their babies' legs, and I tend to have chubby babes, so that brand is out.  That's my progress so far...

[tropicana74]

Originally Posted by nhklh 

I'm always curious about how the "day of conception" is calculated in my circumstances.  Day of ovulation was 1st April 2012 but that egg did not make this baby.  Sperm-meets-egg was 11th September 2007, and the embryo was transferred on 6th April 2012.

Well, what day was your original transfer date? I guess by that I mean that if your original fertilization date was sept.11 and they did the transfer on sept. 16th then they also would have frozen your other embryos that day. So, they would have frozen 5 day old embryos. So, you could subtract the 5 days from april 6th bringing you to april 1st 2012. Does that make sense? If it was a three day transfer you had last time then you could do the same math using 3 days this time.

I would think that would be your best bet of getting closest to calculating your 120 days. 

[stegenrae]

Re: CD'ing...I've used Fuzzibunz almost exclusively with my first two (and a hodgepodge of things at the newborn stage, but my fave was fitteds and gussetted covers, with prefolds a close 2nd). BUT I'm thinking I"m going to go back to basics. A couple of friends used old-fashioned prefolds and wool covers at the same time I was fb'ing it up with DS2. I found myself infinitely jealous of the simplicity of their system. One of those friends happens to be selling her stash right now, so I've pretty much called dibs. (all the wool covers are handmade by her and our other friend, too!) I long for an easier wash routine that doesn't involve everything short of BURNING the damn inserts every year or so. I'd love fitteds, but the greater expense over prefolds just doesn't justify it for me. In short, I think I'm going old school. (And cheap!) 

ETA: I wanted to go to bed half an hour ago, but I am up right now because I have to do a load of diapers/pee clothes. My 4yo has no aversions to peeing on himself, which is insanely frustrating, as one might imagine. Also because it means he's over 4yo and I'm still doing friggin diaper laundry. ARGH!

Hm, so it occurs to me that since we have a front-loader, our routine is somewhat different:

1) Rinse and Spin with WaterPlus and Extra High spin speed (no additives)

2) Speed wash with no spin, WaterPlus, using a full cup of OxiClean in the load itself and a Tbsp dish soap in the liquid detergent dispenser. Cold water...(this is my soak)

3) After 8hrs minimum, Sanitary Cycle (w/ Steam) with a cup of baking soda in the load itself and another Tbsp dish soap in the the detergent dispenser.

4) Speed wash on Hot, no detergent, WaterPlus, with white vinegar filling the softener dispenser

...I break several CD "rules," but this is the only way that has consistently worked. And I've experimented over the course of nearly 7 1/2 friggin years. :sigh:

Back to your regular programming. :P

Edited by stegenrae - 7/22/12 at 9:37pm

[mamaharrison]

Originally Posted by tropicana74 

Well, what day was your original transfer date? I guess by that I mean that if your original fertilization date was sept.11 and they did the transfer on sept. 16th then they also would have frozen your other embryos that day. So, they would have frozen 5 day old embryos. So, you could subtract the 5 days from april 6th bringing you to april 1st 2012. Does that make sense? If it was a three day transfer you had last time then you could do the same math using 3 days this time.

I would think that would be your best bet of getting closest to calculating your 120 days. 

agreed. That is how I would do it ; )

[lulubikes]

Rae - I'm totally focused on prefolds and wool covers too! I've been given some random prefolds and covers, but I plan to fill in the gaps by making my own prefolds and wool covers from old clothes! It may be a bit ambitious, we'll see :)

I'm debating on the wool cover pattern right now. If anyone has a good pattern to recommend, I'd be interested. I was going to go with the pull-up variety (there are several patterns out there), but lately, I'm thinking that if I made them more of a wrap style with aplix, that would be more convenient.

Here's the method I'm following for the prefolds: http://fernandfaerie.com/frugaldiapering.html

I'm debating on the size to make the prefolds. It seems that prefolds don't all come in the same size...

Here are some preshrunk dimensions of various brands:

NB 11"x11" up to 14" long

Small 12.5" x 13.5" up to 16" long

So which size do I make? Also, do I go for a NB size or just skip to small? This is my first baby, so I'm not sure how big of a baby I'll have. I suspect it will be in the 9 -10 lb range. I was 9 1/2 lbs and my brother was also similar. My DH was smaller, probably around 7, he doesn't remember and we haven't asked his mom yet. At the 20 wk ultrasound this baby was in the 64th percentile by estimated weight so if we project that, it puts the baby at 9 to 9 1/2 lbs... but I know ultrasounds are not very accurate anyway.

I was thinking of going with something in between... like 12" x 13"

Any thoughts on this from you more experienced moms? I posted this question on diaperswappers and no on responded :(

I have also loved the topics on this thread, mamaharrison, I had no idea you could do a back carry with a NB! I have a moby knockoff carrier already. Do you think it would be sturdy enough to do one of those back carries?

Thanks!

[cieloazul]

Lulubikes - I don't have a link bookmarked but I've seen some clever DIY wool wraps made using felted old sweaters. The ones I saw were the pull-up style but I think it would be easy enough to come up with a variation that ha aplix closures since really tightly felted wool wouldn't need much in the way of seams.

While we're on the subject of soakers, could someone please give a little soaker 101? I think they're super adorable but I don't quite get how they work or how you use them. TIA

[lulubikes]

Cielo - I've been totally researching this and at the moment can't find a good website that summarizes it. But here is the rundown. Also, I have not personally used them, as this is my first baby.

Wool soakers come as wraps or pull ups that are shorties or longies. They can be knitted, crocheted or sewn from wool fabric, old wool sweaters or old wool blankets even. They can be felted or not (as long as the fabric is not too open).

The beauty of wool is that it is naturally antimicrobial, repels liquid when lanolized and can absorb something like 30% of it's weight in liquid before leaking... and breathable!

So the wool can't be superwash - that strips the fibers of some of it's natural features. You take a new soaker and you lanolize it. There are all kinds of methods online. I'll include one at the bottom of this post that I thought sounded good. Once your soaker is lanolized, you can use it. I've seen reports of people using it for 2 weeks - month before washing. Each time you wash you have to hand wash or it will felt the soaker (even if it is already felted). It seems that most people relanolize at that point too. If the soaker gets stained, you can spot wash with olive oil soap. Because of the beauty of wool and lanolin, they don't smell. So you really only need a few covers at a time. 2-4 is what people say. 

Many people say that because the wool is breathable their babies get less rashes. I also heard someone suggest using a wool doubler at night - mostly as a way to keep the urine away from the baby. The wool goes next to the baby, then a regular doubler, then the diaper then the cover.

Others that have used wool - I'd love to get more feedback! I'm super enthused about it as you can see!

Lanolizing your wool is EASY!

1. Boil water in your tea kettle, or in the microwave.

2. Take a pea sized to tsp sized dab of lanolin and put it in coffee cup
   or similar sized container.

3. Add a small squirt of baby shampoo or your favorite wool wash.

4. Pour the hot water into the cup and stir (tea kettle works good!).

5. The water should turn milky white. If you still see a grease floating
   and the water is not milky white, the water was not hot enough
   or you didn’t add enough shampoo to emulsify the fat.

6. Pour the milky white water into your sink of warm water, and add
   wool cover. Gently work the lanolin water into the cover. You can
   let it sit for a bit, then come back and drain the water. GENTLY
   squeeze excess water out of cover then roll in a towel to remove
   most of the water. A salad spinner or spin cycle on the washer
   works good too! Hang to dry.

7. Two things that can accidentally shrink your wool are going from
   one water temperature to another too quickly~hot to cold OR cold
   to hot~and vigorous agitation.

[mamaharrison]

Personally, I think that pull ups work best for covers especially with a kiddo who is able to undo aplix themselves, which some will and some won't, but pull ups aren't inconvienient at all, IME. You do have to make them MUCH bigger than what you would imagine though. I have many friends who have done DIY out of upcycled wool sweaters like this http://knockedupandnursing.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html these are the easiest, IMO. 
Also, soakers--do you just mean covers? Like fleece or wool soakers? They are VERY easy. We use fleece because I am wool sensitive and we use something like these http://spoolsawaitin.blogspot.com/2008/12/owly-fleece-soaker.html Very basic and simple. We have had the same ones since DD was 1 year old and she is 3 now--they are just now getting to be a tight fit. You have to make them pretty big to fit over your cloth, but the plus is that they last forever then with no need to size up--unless you have a super growing kid, which I do not, my kid never gets bigger only taller :/
We used soakers as her 'shorts' when she was little and now that we only diaper at night we use one cover at night and usually no need for a change at all with a MEOS diaper or Goodmama and she is a super soaker. I dig soakers for sure ; ) Way better than covers, IMO, for at home days and nighttime--soft and cute and not plastic {even though fleece isn't exactly an eco fabric}. If it is a good quality soaker and it has double layers in the groin then you can't feel any wetness through the outside. As long as you change your LO after every pee and not let them sit in it then you can use the same soaker all day, IME. I like them though because I can still feel that Bub is wet right away vs. being in a cover and then having pants over it. For a NB you can have a onesie over it or a sleep sack no problem, but once they are bigger then it just seems redundant to put bottoms on over it--DD wore colored soakers under her dresses and just acted and looked like bloomers ; ) 

As far as prefolds go--these are pretty much the gold standard in my large CDing circle--so I would go by these sizes. http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/diapers.htm You can never guess how big or small babe is gonna be. So, you can always be prepared by having the small size, but it also doesn't hurt to just skip NB size--they really only use them for 4 weeks {most that is} and it goes by so fast that it isn't annoying to have prefolds a few inches bigger than necessary. Also, prefolds can be folded in so many ways that larger sizing is more versitile. Have you considered flats? they are even cheaper ; ) 

I would recommend doing any back carries with a moby or stretchy wrap. i know some have and do, but it isn't something I find comfortable of super secure. Woven wraps are much better for helping to support babe and your body while wearing. Of course, everyone is different. Also, the moby is SOOOOOOOOOO much hotter, IME, than a woven wrap. The stretch can cause you to get a loose wrap and can hurt your back/body. Also, just isn't secure for a back carry because it stretchy as you wear and that will leave bub less than supported.

[lulubikes]

Mama harrison - thanks for all your advice! I got that Moby knock off at a garage sale, only $10 but now I kind of wish I hadn't... after reading about your experience with woven wraps and that website you recommend, I totally want a woven wrap. I'm thinking of making one actually if I can find the right fabric - my mom thinks she has some that I could use.

That fleece soaker link is made from Katrina's pattern, which is also recommended for wool - I'm planning to use that one. Good advice on the aplix/wrap issue. Seems like that is for an older baby though. I think I might try some wrap style woolies for the younger sizes. I only plan to make enough diapers/covers to make it through 6 months or so. I hope that I'll be up for doing more sewing by the time the baby grows out of those. If not, I'll have to buy some!

[Jackies]

lulubikes, I'd keep the stretchy wrap too. It's good to have a variety around. I tried four different types of carriers with DD. The needs change as the babe grows. I agree a back carry is not a good idea with a stretchy wrap, but I'm planning on using one for front carries. I'm in a cold climate though.

I'm loving the diaper suggestions. I'm using a service, so it will be prefolds and covers for us. I plan on buying a few pul covers and knitting or sewing the rest.