Cloth Diapering One Year Later

I've been cloth diapering my little guys for a year now, so I thought I'd write down some of the tricks I've learned since the last time I posted about cloth diapers.  I am still so happy with our decision to cloth diaper.  I'm going to put in a little disclaimer here and say that I really, really am not offended or disappointed if you don't cloth diaper too.  I do not want you to feel bad if you use disposables.  There is nothing wrong at all with them.  Cloth diapering is just something I happen to enjoy.  People might not consider using cloth so I want to share my experience in case you would like it too.  I also still get lots of questions about cloth diapers (which is awesome!) and wanted to write about the things I get asked about most often.

First of all, I have completely switched over to Grovia diapers now.  I am so grateful that I was able to try out lots of kinds and find what I liked before I invested in a whole set.  I still love prefolds for little babies, but now my boys are too big for the ones I had and too wiggly for me to bother with snappis and folding.  I'm a big fan of Grovia's Hybrid Diapers.  These are an all-in-two system with an insert that snaps into the cover.  They are easy to use and you can use the shell multiple times.  I love the soft, stretchy TPU that the covers are made out of, instead of the stiffer PUL that most other diaper covers are made of.  I love the snap placement on the snap covers and the soft, much-cuter hook and look strips on the velcro covers.  My favorite insert is the No-Prep.  It is the most absorbent.  I also use Organic Cotton.  I don't like the Stay Dry because they do not hold nearly enough for my boys.  I've heard that Grovia is discontinuing the Stay Dry inserts so it seems they agree with me.  We use the hybrid diapers for daytime.  For nighttime, I use the Grovia ONE diaper.  It is seriously so amazing.  This diaper will keep my babies dry all night long.  It is extremely absorbent and less bulky than the other nighttime solutions I have tried.  I'm a huge fan.

One thing about cloth diapering that took some trial and error was the wash routine, but now I've got one set that is easy and works great for me.  I do a 'light wash' with line 1 of regular powdered Tide, then a 'heavy wash' with line 3-5 of Tide (depending on load size) and either 1/2 cup of Borax or a capful of Calgon.  Borax and Calgon are water softeners.  My water is very hard, and so the combination of Tide and a water softener is what is needed to get my diapers clean.  If I feel like my diapers need a little extra clean, I use a Grovia Mighty Bubbles pod or 1/4 cup of bleach.  Then I hang all the shells to dry and put the inserts in the dryer with wool dryer balls.  Do not use dryer sheets or anything with fabric softeners on diapers ever.  We just moved to a new place that has a water softener, so I'm going to have to tweak my wash routine by taking out the Calgon and see how it goes!

My advice for cloth diapering on the go is to bring along a wetbag that has a zipper and a carrying strap with a snap.  As long as you have that, it's just as easy to cloth diaper away from home as it is to use disposables.  I also pack a small spray bottle with water in it and some cloth wipes.  You can usually dispose of the poop in a toilet, but if you don't have access to one, I like to use a second wetbag to keep those ones separate.  This makes it easier to take care of when you get home.

I think that's all the extra tips I have to share with you today.  Cloth diapering has been so great for our family.  I am so grateful that I have not had to buy any disposable diapers ever!  Let me know what other questions you have about cloth diapering.  And those of you who do cloth diaper, what are some of your best tips and tricks?  I'd love to hear them!

10 Tips For Surviving the NICU

 

Being pregnant with twins, I knew that NICU time was very likely, but I certainly wasn't ready when they were born at only 30 weeks.  For the next 51 days (7.5 weeks) my babies called the NICU home. 

Your first time in the newborn intensive care unit is extremely overwhelming and sometimes even terrifying.  Here are some tips to help you survive your baby's stay.

#1-Be there when you can.  Don't feel guilty about when you can't.  Be realistic.  No one can be at the NICU for every care/feeding time.  Do not feel bad if you can only make it once a day or even have to miss some days.  I didn't have any other obligations besides pumping, sleeping, and eating and I was still only able to be there 3-4 out of their 8 care times each day.  I know it feels like you should be with your babies 24/7, but they need a mom who takes care of herself.  

#2-You can breastfeed if you want to. I think I was lucky because I picked a hospital that was very pro-breastfeeding.  After my babies were born one of the nurses came to tell me some things about the NICU and she said that regardless of my long-term plans for breastfeeding they wanted me to start pumping because giving preemies their mom's colostrum is so important.  I was spoiled by getting to use the NICU lactation nurses for help whenever I wanted.  I've heard some people say they didn't get good breastfeeding support in their NICU and formula was pushed on them, and that makes me sad.  I want you to know that it really is possible to get your NICU babies nursing!  Of course there are things that might make it not work out, but for the majority of you, with lots of determination you can make it happen.  It was really, really hard in the early days.  They were several weeks old before we even got to try latching.  Soon before they went home we had worked up to two breastfeeding attempts per day.  After they came home, we slowly worked up the amount of times we tried every day.  I would try to nurse them, then finish their feeding with a bottle, then go pump.  It was exhausting and took so much effort.  But I knew it would pay off when I could finally ditch the pump.  I've heard some people like exclusively pumping, but I was not a fan.  It took until a couple weeks after their due date before I got them both exclusively nursing.  If you make it that far, celebrate!  If for some reason you don't, it's okay, I promise your baby will be just fine because they have a mother willing to try so hard to do the best she can for them!

#3-Don't feel like you have to let anyone visit.  Having a baby in the NICU is an experience that no one can really understand until they've had their own NICU baby.  It can be extremely overwhelming.  If what you need is to be alone with your baby and having other people there will cause you extra stress, then that is what you should do.  Everyone else can see the baby when he/she is healthy.  This time is about your new little family.  You really should be limiting their contact with other people as much as possible anyways, especially during the winter months.  Having a baby in the NICU is something that you can only understand once you've done it yourself.  You don't need to take the advice of people who haven't had NICU babies. 

#4-Ask people to come with you if you want them to.  On the flip side, if you need emotional support, ask for it!  There are lots of people who would love to be a shoulder for you to cry on when you need it.  They might be able to help you feel happy about your baby when they come ooh and aah over them and remind you that you can be proud of the little baby you gave birth to.

#5-You are the mom, so you're in charge.  It is so easy to feel intimidated in the hospital environment.  There are nurses who have done this a million times and doctors who have studied premature infants for years, and that can make you feel like you don't really have a say in anything that happens to your child.  I definitely believe that you should listen to and consider what your baby's care providers have to say, but the bottom line is you are the mother and you get to make the decisions for your child's care.   If you don't feel comfortable with something, speak up!  I've noticed that opinions differ even between different nurses and doctors, so you don't have to take everything they say as gospel.  Do your research, and trust your mother's intuition.

#6-Don't be afraid to ask questions.  Your baby might be hooked up to a million different tubes and being given all kinds of stuff.  You will probably feel very confused by it all.  Your baby's nurse is there to help you!  Ask her what each of those things are for.  Knowing what is going on can really help you feel more comfortable there.

#7-It can be hard to feel like a 'real mom' when your baby is in the NICU.  Your baby might not look like what you expected a newborn to look like if they were born premature.  It might be hard to feel connected to them when they are covered with all kinds of wires and tubes.  When nurses spend more time than you do taking care of your baby, it makes you feel more like a visitor than an actual mother.  Asking for permission to touch or hold your baby is strange and makes you feel like you're simply a guest there.  These are all normal feelings.  But know that you are just as much of a mother as any other mom.

#8-Kangaroo care/skin to skin.  Start skin-to-skin as soon as possible.  It is so good for your babies and for you too!  I liked to wear a hospital gown with the opening in the front so I didn't feel as exposed.  There are so many benefits to kangaroo care, especially for premature/ill infants.  There are websites dedicated to this so I'll let them explain the pros of skin-to-skin.

#9-Get enough sleep.  If there could be a silver lining to having a NICU baby, it's that you get a few days, weeks, or months to recover from childbirth before you have a baby to care for 24/7.  You might not get a full night's sleep, especially if you are waking every 3 hours to pump, but do your best to get as much rest as possible.  You are already under so much extra stress because of your baby's condition.  Adding sleep deprivation to that will not help anyone.  Take care of yourself so you can give your best to your baby.

#10-Take it one day at a time.  Sometimes it feels like your baby will never get to come home.  There was a day that I was getting extremely frustrated about that, and then the next day I was told they would be coming home the following afternoon.  Your NICU stay will feel endless, but I promise your time will come and soon the NICU will be a distant memory.  You can do this! 

Did you have a NICU baby?  Leave your tips below!