Dirty Diaper Laundry Blog Carnival

Welcome to Dirty Diaper Laundry’s first Cloth Diaper Carnival. “What you wish you knew then that you know now.”

I didn't start out cloth diapering Eliza when she was born. It is something I started looking into when she was about 6 months old. I am not sure how or why I started thinking about cloth diapers, but I did and today we use our cloth full time.

So...what do I wish I knew then that I know now? I didn't know much at all so that isn't too tough a question. I decided I wanted to go with One Size diapers so that I could use them as E grew and possible for another baby. However, I made what I consider to be rookie mistakes.

Velcro
It never occurred to me how quickly the Velcro on my diapers would wear out. I only started with 10 diapers and I washed them every day! I thought I was saving money but I really wasn't. I was actually killing my diaper stash. If I had to go back I would certainly add some snap diapers into the mix. I now use Smartipants which have snaps and I LOVE them. I have also replaced the Velcro on my first batch of Bum Genius OS dipes.

Size Does Matter
The size of your stash makes a difference. I don't know what I was thinking with my 10 diapers. A bigger stash means less wear and tear. Less wear and tear means being able to reuse diapers with multiple children and possible even making some money by selling your stash when you are done with diapering. It may seem like a big investment at first but it truly will pay off in the end.

Variety is the Spice of Life
I bought all Bum Genius when I was tarting out. Actually, that is a lie. I did buy a sampler pack but quickly decided I liked Bum Genius the best. It turns out I really didn't get a good sampling of what was available. Since that time I have discovered many other types of dipes that I like. Fortunately, we now have social networking like Twitter and Facebook where companies can get the word out about their products. The downside is that I now have a small cloth diaper addiction.

Those are really my only regrets. I have learned a tremendous amount since I started out on this journey. I am sure I still have a lot left to learn- especially since I will be cloth diapering a newborn pretty soon.

There is no one best way to cloth diaper. Each and every family must find the diapers and the system that works the best for them.

Wordless Wednesday

A Surprise and Our Checking-in Visit at Hospital

My husband surprised me with this beautiful canvas on Saturday. It puts a smile on my face every time I see it hanging on the wall. Thanks babe.

On Sunday we had our checking-in visit at the hospital. We filled out a bunch of boring paperwork and spoke with one of the nurses. Just sitting in the waiting area in front of the nursery was giving me an anxiety attack. I was fine getting to the hospital and walking to the mother/infant care unit- but once I got there my heart started racing. My husband thinks I am nuts but I just can't seem to help my fight or flight response. I think part of it was the memories of being in the hospital with Eliza and the other part was the anticipation of the birth of this baby. I don't usually handle new situations/places/people all that well. It takes me a little while to situate myself.

I think I asked just about every question I planned on asking. However, I did forget to ask if it is a teaching hospital. I have no intention of being the guinea pig for teaching about checking the cervix. I'll pass.

Here are some of the other issues we discussed.

Wearing My own Clothes

The simple answer is yes. However, I would obviously need to wear something that is easily accessible and that could be ruined. I am sure I can find something on clearance at Target that both the staff and I would be comfortable with. The nurse was a little concerned that I might want to wear say a turtleneck and pants or a bedazzled gown?? I reassured her that this was NOT was I had in mind. I looked into purchasing a hospital gown but they are very pricey. My main concern with a standard hospital gown is that it is one size fits all-or most. If I plan on being up, walking around, using a birthing ball, etc it is going to be like a wedding gown on me. Someone is going to have to hold my train or bustle me up. The nurse said she didn't think the gowns were that big. I am estimating she was probably at least 5'8 and so of course things don't seem as big to her.

Vaccinations

The baby will not receive the Hep B vaccination while in the hospital. This is something Peter and I have discussed and we believe this particular vaccine can wait. The other issue was the Vitamin K injection. I was hoping they offered the oral alternative-but they do not. So, I think (not yet 100%) Peter and I will opt for baby to receive the standard injection.

Routine IV
I asked if IV's are routinely given to all birthing mothers and of course I knew the answer before I heard it from the nurse. Not every mother who is giving birth needs an IV but they give you one anyway. I asked if a Hep-Lock is an option and it is, but I need to speak with my doctor about this on Friday. Hopefully, if there are no issues I can hydrate using clear liquids and will NOT get the IV unless necessary.


Fetal Monitoring
The nurses response to this was it all depends on the baby. Of course this means the hospital has a CYA policy. I hope to have intermittent monitoring if all is well with baby.


Cloth Diapers
I hadn't given much thought to cloth diapering in the hospital. However, when the nurse heard we did cloth diaper she said they would use our cloth diapers in the nursery if that was our wish. However, there is always a chance that something could get mixed up with hospital laundry. Since I am renting the diapers I am not sure this is a risk I want to take. I might use them while baby is in the room with me and use sposies when the baby is in the nursery. We haven't made our final decision yet. I would love input from someone who DID cloth diaper in the hospital!


Other than that we had a pretty uneventful weekend of getting ready for baby. Pete has a busy month with photo shoots in August so we are trying to get as ready as possible before baby arrives.

Pregnancy Update

Here is my big belly at 35+ weeks. Had my OB appointment this morning and all was well. My Strep B came back negative which is good. The doctor said the baby has dropped. I hadn't really thought about it until she said something. The I realized that a few days ago I started to have some painful twinges and pressure down lower. I also have been more energetic-probably because I can breathe a little easier.

It is hard to believe that I had Eliza at 38 weeks. That is just about 2 1/2 weeks from now. I don't feel as ready as I did with E. I had A LOT of time on my hands before E was born. I spent an entire summer puttering around and being pregnant. I think my hospital bag was packed 8 weeks in advance. We are getting there this time around-but don't think my house will ever be ready-not when I have a toddler to chase and clean up after!

I know a lot of women get to a point when they feel ready to have a baby. I actually love being pregnant and never reached that point with E. In my opinion pregnancy is the easy part. It was the fourth trimester that was tough. Aside from starting to feel uncomfortable at night I really can't complain. However, I do a great impression of a cockroach on its back trying to get out of bed at night.

I am working on getting mentally prepared for the birth. I have been trying to deal with the negative feelings I still harbor from Eliza's birth. I know I need to get control of my anxiety and fear if I am going to experience natural childbirth. Pete and I have a prebirth hospital visit on Sunday and I hope to get some questions answered. I want birth in my own clothes. I was just not comfortable giving birth in a hospital gown that was huge on me.I know they have a jacuzzi tub at the hospital. I asked my OB today if women actually use the tub or if it was just something they advertise. She said that women do use it which was reassuring. She also mentioned I let them know in Triage that I want to go natural so that they can try to assign me a nurse leans towards natural childbirth.

and that's all for now because it is nap time and this pregnant momma needs to enjoy her rest while it is still an option!

Wordless Wednesday

Weekly Feed Your Stash Giveaway @ Cloth Diaper Blog

This week Cloth Diaper Blog has an AWESOME Giveaway. Make sure to check it out!

This week’s giveaway is for ONE (1) winner and he/she will receive a few goodies:

(1) Box of Tiny Bubbles Diaper Detergent - Dye & Fragrance Free, Residue Free, Completely Biodegradable and COMPLETELY (no half-way here) Phosphate-Free! You won’t find any optical brighteners or fillers in this very gentle diaper detergent. This ultra-concentraged High Efficiency (HE) detergent can wash 30 diaper loads in a top loader and 60 (you read right!) in a HE front loading machine! All packaging is made from recyclable materials!

(1) Gro Baby One Size Diaper - Recognized for reducing diaper waste and cost, the Gro Baby Diaper GROWS with your baby to fit children from infancy to toddlerhood.

(1) Natural Colored Washable Diaper Wetbag - Water resistant wetbag closes with a drawstring and toggle. It is approximately 12″ tall and 12″ wide and packs up easily with an elastic cord and gusset

Smartipants are as Clever as Promised!

I broke down and ordered a 3-pack of Smartipants. I purchased these with my money, they were not sent to me to review for free. Alas, I wish they were- but they weren't! If I didn't like them I wouldn't spend my precious time writing a post about them. I am trying to win a free three pack in their monthly photo contest, but that is completely unrelated to this post. I bought the boy 3-pack-call it wishful thinking-but I would LOVE the girl 3 pack for E! She is now going through the night in cloth-no more sposies here at all! Woot Woot! I needed some more dipes because I currently have a bunch out of rotation awaiting new velcro. Smartipants have been getting lots of buzz in the cloth diaper world and they are very reasonably priced ( 3 for $36.95) so I figured I would give them a go.

Smartipants claim to be smarter than your average cloth diaper and I do have to admit they boast a clever design. Here are just some of the features that make Smartipants a wise cloth diapering option.

Snaps!

Now that Eliza will lie still to get her diaper changed snaps are definitely the way to go. It is a pleasure not having to unvelcro all my cloth diapers after a wash. The diaper has lots of snap to help you get a perfect fit. The snaps are guaranteed for two years

Patented Smart Sleeve

One feature that is drawing lots of mom's to this diaper is the Smart Sleeve. You do NOT have to remove the insert prior to washing. It comes out every time.This isn't something that bothers me too much, but it can be pretty gross if you are changing a heavily soiled dipe. The Smart Sleeves has worked well so far and the inserts have come out in each wash. You can also order a 10-pack of Smart Sleeves for $20 so you can double up at nap time or at night.

Leak Guard Technology
Smartipants have an isolated insert lining that prevents leakage. I haven't had any leaks yet and that makes me one happy momma! The outer cover is leak proof which helps to make sure your little one stays dry.


I think these diapers are an excellent choice for moms who want a smartly priced one size diaper. They are available in seven different colors and fit babies from 7lbs-35lbs; so basically from birth to potty. I must admit I was surprised at how well this diaper worked for the price. Shame on me, I was expecting leaks. Fortunately, this is one time when being wrong is a PLUS.



My one gripe.


I am not a huge fan of pastel colors. I would love brighter bolder colors and/or pattern options with this dipe. I hope to see some in the future.


If you are are a cloth diapering momma looking to expand your stash or are just getting started with cloth make sure to check out Smartipants!

If you would like to see your diaper fabulously photographed on this tush you can e-mail me at newmommyrant@gmail.com. Will work for cloth! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Books to get Ready for Baby!

Here are some of the books we have been reading in preparation for the new baby. I was disappointed that many books only showed bottle feeding so I found a few that also had images of breastfeeding. E really loves We Have a Baby, Baby on the Way and I'm a Big Sister.

We Have a Baby by Cathryn Falwell

The books is wonderfully simple. The repetitive text makes it a great candidate for little ones. The cut paper artwork is equally as engaging. It was an instant favorite for E.

Mama's Milk by Michael Elshon Ross

This is an amazing book. It is filled with beautiful photos of breastfeeding mother's and interesting breastfeeding facts. I learned that Kangaroo milk is pink!

Baby on the Way by Dr. Sears

Although the target age for this book is preschool - Grade 2 it is one of E's favorites. She will sit and listen to the whole book. It is a really great resource for an expecting family.

I'm a Big Sister by Joanna Cole

Eliza chooses this as one of her bed time stories almost every night. She loves the story and I believe this book has played the biggest role in her understanding what it means to be a big sister. My one beef is that the baby in the book is bottle fed.

Biscuit and the Baby

This is one of the first books I read to E about a baby. I think she was attracted to Biscuit at first but after reading this one a few times she was more open to other stories about babies.

Froggy's Baby Sister

Eliza is a huge Froggy fan so when I saw this at the library I took it out immediately. Froggy books are so much fun. I just hope Eliza doesn't think her baby brother or sister will be born with a tail and eat flies! FROOOOOOGY!

The best part about these book is that I didn't really spend $ to get them. Most of them I picked up on paperback swap (so I did pay for some shipping). The Biscuit book was given to us at the library during RIF week. We borrowed the Froggy book from the library.

George says it's a boy!

There has been lots of speculation about the gender of the baby.

My mom's friend George says it's a boy.

This is George eating a hot dog.

He did that test with a needle and thread over my wrist. It ended up going in circles which he said means I am having a boy. However, when I checked online that it said that means girl- which is MY prediction. My niece repeated the test with the same results- CIRCLES!

So what do you think? Will it be a boy or a girl? Do you know of any other fun gender prediction tests I could try?

Pregnancy Update 33 Weeks

Can you believe I am 33 weeks pregnant?

I have been pretty absent from the blogging world lately. I do stop by lots of blogs but just when I am about to comment I am usually pulled away for some reason or another. I have been busy doing summery things, taking care of E, hanging with my niece and getting ready for baby. I am hoping to get back into the groove very soon. I have a lot to say, I just can't seem to make myself sit down in front of the computer when the sun is beaming outside.

I had my 33 week check up today. Surprise Strep B test! Nothing like an unexpected swab in the hoo ha. I thought I was getting it at at 35 weeks. At least it is over and done now. I have gained about 28lbs so far- not too bad. I go back in two weeks and then after that I am headed to the doc. every week. I told them I don't want to know if I am dilated or not- since it doesn't really mean anything anyway.

I am actually hoping to bake until 40 weeks this time around. I did go at 38 weeks with Eliza (just 5 weeks from now!) but I know babies do better the longer they bake. Babies born at 38 weeks are twice as likely to have a problem with breathing, blood sugar, or bacterial infection than babies born one week later. Babies born at 39 or 40 weeks also tend to eat and sleep a little better. So let's keep our fingers crossed that baby #2 is cozy enough to hang out until at least 39 weeks.

and now time for pics!

Here I am at around 33 weeks with Eliza!

Here I am at 33 weeks NOW! Holy belly bigness.

Our New Stroller

We finally made a decision...The BOB Dualle in Orange. Here's what E has to say about her new stroller.

Wordless Wednesday