What is a cloth diapering mama's profile? - Page 7

[Mizelenius]

Breastfeed: YES . . .no end in sight!
Co-Sleeping: YES . . .first few hours in crib until Fiona wakes up and we go to bed.
Intact: No son, but planning on it if we have one! (Had to really convince my DH about this one. He isn't convinced, just tired of arguing.)
Unmedicated Childbirth: YES, but at a hospital with an OB.
Vegetarian: YES, but only me. I do eat cheese and eggs from free range chickens, though. (And chocolate, which has dairy!)
No/Selective Vaccinations: NO, we vaccinate.
Environmentally Conscious: YES, for the most part. However, we drive a lot.
Homeschooling: NO, but our children will attend a (public) school that my own mother started, so it will be OK!
Gentle Discipline: YES, but I'd really like to use more TCS methods.

[LaffNowCryLater]

Veggie, co-sleep, gentle discipline, and environmental. Ds's birth was medicated b/c he was induced due to a birth defect called Hydrocephalus. (His head is larger than normal). As it was I did get to wait till 40 wks, and had him 2 days after my due date.

[mamapup]

A little note before I get started. I am a new mother. My ds is 4 months old today. I am doing the research necessary (this site was HIGHLY recommended) for getting started with cd.

Breast feed/EBF- Yes, and I plan to nurse until ds weans himself (even if that means going tandem). **I didn't go through all I went through in the first 10 weeks just to quit!** Our next challenge is to keep it going when I go back to work part-time next week.

Family bed/co-sleep - yes - the first 6 weeks in bed with us; up until last week in a cosleeper attached to the bed (dh's insistence), last week started sleeping in the crib in his nursery (we were waking him up constantly when we went to bed and when tossing and turning at night - since he's been in his crib, he's been sleep 6-8 hours each night). When he wakes up in the morning, I bring him to bed to nurse and snuggle until wake time. Will probably end up putting ds to bed when he's older and allowing him in with us when he comes to us.

Intact sons (for those with boys!) - no, I'm Jewish and dh wanted the circ.

Unmedicated childbirth -yes (except for a local for an episiotomy). Ds was born in the hospital, all others will be born at home. Modesto Doula was our doula and absolutely critical to helping me stay unmedicated! (Also my introduction to cd!)

Vegetarian/vegan diet - We eat minimal red meat for health reasons. Otherwise, we aren't vegetarians. I am dairy free.

No-/selective vaccinations - Only vaccinations with no thimerosal and no Hep B or Chicken Pox.

Environmentally conscious (reduce, reuse, recycle, downsizing, etc.) - I should be better, I try to reuse and recycle when I can. I hardly ever used paper towels until ds and I fought thrush. Now I use them after washing my hands, but will go back to cloth once we emerge victorious!!!

Homeschooling/unschooling - I want public school, dh wants private school.

Gentle discipline -yes, but that's been easy so far.

Other - Baby sign language (although he's not signing back yet), and babywearing (THANK YOU Modesto Doula!!!) - love it!


__________________
-mamapup

[megtell]

I love that we are all sooo different!!! I have btdt, my oldest is 11. We EBF, are very enviromentally aware, and would never think of laying a hand on our children. We are in the process of buying an electric car.

The kids sleep in their own beds after about 4 months (but no cio, we are pretty flexible on this one) , we fully vaccinate, we eat meat and it's up to dh if we have a son if he is circumsiced. I would never dream of doing another birth unmedicated.

I totally support every mama here and so long as they believe in their path, that's what matters! Empowered Momming!!!!!

[Matt's Mom in MT]

Ok, since you asked.....

We breastfed for a month, then had to stop for medical reasons, didn't co-sleep because none of us slept like that, had ds circumcised, eat meat (though I don't), have all our vaccinations, don't recycle, are planning on public or private school.

Guess we don't fit the cloth diaper "profile" at all, but I sure do love my diapers.

[MilitaryDoulaMama]

We...

CD
co-sleep at times
delay vax (with DH in the military I think we should be vaxed)
Paleolithic eating (Raw foods...no dairy or grains)
recyclers
cloth pads

[~Tookasmama~]

We:

~breastfeed
~co-sleep
~ unmedicated, homebirth with my two boys - dd was born with in a hospital with some medication
~ our boys have their entire penis'
~ we plan to homeschool
~ we reduce, reuse, recycle, as much as possible
~ use gentle discipline
~ and I should have checked other too, as we're EC'ing too.

[TracyMom2Three]

Well, I haven't used cd's for all 3 kids and I didn't use them exclusively.

As for the others..let's see:

we co-sleep
my youngest ds in intact (my oldest who's 20yrs is circ'd)
I bf'd all kids...including ebf'ing. (my oldest son to age 3 and my 22 mo is still bf'ing)
we recycle
we plan to home school
use gentle discipline
don't vax
my 2 youngest were born via a c-section
we eat meat and use dairy products

Did I miss anything?

[stacey31]

We practice all of the choices. It all just seems to go together somehow. I have to say that I don't personally know anyone who does it like us so it gets lonely sometimes. Thank goodness for the Mothering boards!!

[BigBelly03]

The only thing I would add to the list is being a SAHM / WAHM often goes hand in hand with being a CD'er. Although a while back when I did day care in my home I had a couple of cd babies in my day care, they used a diaper service though. Although I cd'ed all my babies, the four older ones were born in a hospital and they wore the sposies before coming home. My son however went straight from the womb into flannel and wool practically with his homebirth--although we didn't put anything on his bum for a few hours...I always think of cd from birth as another advantage of birthing at home

[JewelsRae]

I just parent the way that feels right to me.

I have always used cloth diapers, but I don't use mama cloth.

I am not a vegetarian- I like meat and cheese!!

I exclusively breastfed my son till I introduced solids at 6 months, but I am his only milk source still at 15 months.

I am extended breastfeeding and pregnant.

My ds was born unmed hospital birth with midwife and doula, and we are hoping to have this one at home with the midwives.

We co-slept till ds was 5 months old at which point he just would not sleep in our bed anymore and was much happier in his crib. But he is still welcome in our bed if he wakes up in the night.

Ds is NOT circumcised. I don't believe in CIO, I wear him in a sling, and he is completely NON vaccinated.

Man we are sure FREAKING out the inlaws!!!! :LOL

[penny31]

I am not very crunchy at all, but am a lot crunchier than the general population, I think:

Breast feed/EBF - I pumped and gave Eliza expressed breatmilk till she was 5 months old (supplemented with formula). She did finally learn to latch on at 2 months old (not well though), but I had gone back to work by then and so only actually BF'ed her once a day or so, and DH fed her the expressed milk and formula from a bottle. Our many problems with BF'ing are a HUGE sore spot for me
Family bed/co-sleep No, unless Eliza won't go to sleep in her crib for some reason (rarely). I LOVE sleeping with her when the situation warrants it, but DH thinks it is a bad idea : and I haven't fought that battle yet (I just got him to agree to CDs, so am trying to take it easy on him )
Intact sons (for those with boys!) I wouldn't have wanted to circumsize Eliza, had she been a boy, but DH would have. I probably could have convinced him not to though...
Unmedicated childbirth Heck, no... I had all the bad stuff, I was induced with cytotec and pitocin (twice! I got sent home the first time and had to come back a week later), had my water broken, got several shots of fentanyl, got an a epidural (that didn't work on half my body) and ended up 23 hours later with a c-section. YUCK. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have let them induce me, but I was a week late and Eliza was 9 lbs., 5 oz. at birth. To be honest, I don't envision trying a VBAC next time, either. I found labor really horrific and would much prefer a c-section (I know, I know, but OUCH!). Oh, I did have a midwife, though. That is crunchy-ish, right? LOL
Vegetarian/vegan diet No, we eat meat, dairy, whole nine yards
No-/selective vaccinations We have vaccinated on schedule
Environmentally conscious (reduce, reuse, recycle, downsizing, etc.) Much better than the general population, but still not a ton
Homeschooling/unschooling No, Eliza will go to private school, but I am intrigued by the idea and would consider it if I was a SAHM. DH is Eliza's SAHD though, and he would probably just teach her football plays or something, LOL.
Gentle discipline YES, totally.
Other... I make all Eliza's baby food from organic ingredients. DH and I eat organically about 1/4 of the time. I don't use a sling, but did use the Baby Bjorn quite a bit. We try to use cloth as much as possible (napkins, kitchen towels, etc.) Hmmm... I can't think of anything else right now.
XOXO

[Periwinkle]

Here are mine:

* Breastfeed -- As much as I can with 1 y.o. twins that is. This well is running dry! Used to be a lot more. They were exclusively BF'd until around 6-7 months, which to you all (and me, before twins! LOL) may sound like a drop in the bucket, but was quite a feat that involved 10+ pumping sessions of 30+ minutes each per day around the clock to maintain supply. We supplemented with formula for a couple of months. Now they're drinking cow's milk. Still BF'ing but I think it's more comfort nursies at this point than sustenance.

* Co-sleep -- No. We couldn't when babies were first brought home from hospital (preemies, apnea monitors, etc., etc.). Probably could have switched after a few months, but babies sleep next to each other and their room adjoins ours, and it works nicely for us. Never CIO.

* Unmedicated birth -- Well it was unmedicated and totally "natural" until ds (Baby B) became transverse after dd was born, so after trying to move him, he came out c-section. Yes ladies, that's right... a vaginal delivery AND a c-section!

* Vax -- We selectively vax and delay/alter the schedule for those vaxes we do choose.

* Circ -- Ds is circ'd. Cultural, and husband's choice. Not sure I'd back that again knowing what I do now, but it is what it is.

* Vegetarian -- No.

* Homeschool - No plans to.

* Reduce, reuse, recycle - As much as we can.

* Gentle discipline - Definitely.

* Other - 1.) Babywearing - in early days, they kangarood right on bare chests - they used to nap like that for a few months. Then Baby Bjorn (which allowed same). Around 6-7 months, we started using a sling instead. Now we do side-carry when out and about in Maya sling. They love it and so do I! 2.) We buy organic or locally grown as much as possible. 3.) Limit use of modern medicine (antibiotics, etc.) unless absolutely necessary. 4.) No TV or videos for dd and ds... ever. 5.) Use only green cleaners for household/laundry. 6.) No CIO. Hmm, there's probably more but I can't think of any!

[crayon]

We do pretty much everything- For use it all goes hand in hand. We use cloth, BF, sling or backpack, co-sleep, dont vac, if we ever have a son he will be intact, and are open to homeschool.

We dont do a lot of recycle because it is not offered much around here. And we are not veg/vegan we do eat meat- but we think that is healthy too.

My DP also works from home and I go to my office a few hours a week but other than that I am home too. We made that a priority form day one! It is very important to us that we both watch our children grow up.

[DecemberSun]

Wow, so nice to read through and see what choices everyone makes, and what works for your families...

Breastfeed: Yes, and since DS hates bottles, I am soooo lucky to be able to stay at home with him!

Co-sleep: I always thought this was somehow "bad" for kids, like they would turn into spoiled brats just because they're allowed to cuddle up next to Mama and Daddy in their nice warm, soft bed... But now I know I was wrong, and I love co-sleeping! DH wouldn't mind having our bed back, but as soon as DS is nightweaned, we'll talk about moving him into his own bed... LOL.

Unmedicated birth: NO! I had preterm labor probs, and as soon as I got off the prescribed Terbutaline at 36 weeks, active labor began! Only, it took 51 hours to get going... so, I had an epidural!

Vaccs: We vaccinate- having foster kids in the house, we are mandated by the state to have current immunizations, and I agree with that.

Circumcision: DH and DS are intact! (As well as my dad, 3 brothers, father in-law, etc...)

Vegetarian: No... I LOVE eggs, and seafood! Don't drink cow's milk, but DH loves it- yuk...

Homeschool: I was homeschooled and went to public school, so I'll just wait and see what the kids want to do.

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle: YES! This is so important! I was surprised to see how many people on here don't recycle... I'm not judging, but I was definitely shocked!!! We don't have recycling in our area, but we save it all and haul it into town once a month or so. It's a messy job, and it's a pain in the butt, but almost everything we use is recyclable nowadays! Jars, cans, bottles, cereal and cracker boxes, shampoo and lotion bottles, etc... We end up having more recyclables than garbage at the end of the day. OMG- I just recently realized how much packaging is wasted on kids' toys! It's insane!!! And don't even get my started on junk mail...

Gentle discipline: This is a toughy, having 3 small children, LOL! But, we aren't allowed to spank our foster kids, so I'd hate to start spanking DS out of the blue, and not spank the other two...

Other: I've taught a bunch of my friends, DH included, to NOT LITTER! I don't work outside the home, so I hardly ever drive. I use cloth diapers and wipes now, thanks to MDC! I hate disposable products, like plates, cutlery, baggies, etc... I save all my plastic grocery bags and use them for garbage bags. We use natural cleaning products as often as possible- I try not to dump chemicals down my septic tank anyway, since they kill off the natural bacteria and could cause plumbing problems. DS has always hated being alone, so I've used my sling or Maya Wrap or Lil Snuggli or whatever else since day 1. I think thats it, don't want to sound all "high and mighty" here but we're pretty confident that our natural living choices are going to make a difference (even if it's microscopic) in the future of our planet. We have kids who need to live on this planet for generations to come, and I think about that fact on a daily basis!

[Jilian]

I BF, co-sleep, DS in intact, I had a natural birth, I am env. conscious, and plan on using gentle discipline. I also wear DS in a sling and practice AP. I'm starting to lean more toward organic foods now too.

[liam's mom]

Breast feed/EBF - Yes

Family bed/co-sleep - Yes

Intact sons (for those with boys!) - Yes

Unmedicated childbirth - No, but I tried. I planned on delivering at a fsbc and had complications--ended up with a c section.

Vegetarian/vegan diet - No.

No-/selective vaccinations - Yes, we're refusing/delaying

Environmentally conscious (reduce, reuse, recycle, downsizing, etc.) - Not really

Homeschooling/unschooling - Thinking about it (ds is only 3 months)

Gentle discipline - I plan on it.

We also wear ds in a sling and hold him as much as possible, buy organic when we can, and do not believe in CIO under any circumstances.

[DesireeH]

I bf, co-sleep, Jev is intact, no vax, gentle discipline, yes.

Natural birth, no......made it 18 hours then panicked and got an epi.

Recycling: yes

Homeschool: Dont know yet. Probably. Definately if we live in this town (bad school system).

And we eat meat. I was a vegetarian for 5 years but when I got married that went out the window!