Natural Mommas---HELP!!

The Little Lounge Coffee Corner - General Chat
1

I need help. I’m really a breast-feeding, cloth-diapering, herb-loving, non-vaxing mom at heart, but except for the last part nothing worked out for me. :unsure: I had an emergency C-section due to preeclampsia and didn’t see my first born until he was 3 days old. He couldn’t suck at the nipple and I pumped around the clocks for weeks without ever producing even an ounce of milk. Finally the lactation consultant just said to give up. I wanted to cloth diaper and never did enough research so I just went for disposables. I wanted to do all this natural herb stuff but it never happened. And I started vaxing but stopped (thank goodness) after a reaction.

Now I’m pregnant again with a little miracle baby from God, and I’m trying to do things that make me more comfortable. I’m going for a VBAC with a midwife in a birth center. I’m DETERMINED to breastfeed if it’s the last thing I do. But I’m sitting here feeling so overwhelmed right now and I haven’t been sleeping well and I feel like there are so many decisions to make and they all need to be made RIGHT NOW!!

Can you guys give me specific advice or, if not, at least some words or encouragement? I’m feeling pretty crummy!!

Here’s what’s on my mind tonight:

  1. Brewer diet for pregnancy. I obviously don’t want preeclampsia again and Brewer seems to work. Spoke with two midwives. One said it does work but don’t kill yourself to eat 100 grams of protein a day–that’s a bit much. The other said it does work but with my body size (ie fat) I don’t need milk or eggs but rather some powdered whey protein shakes. In my heart, I feel like I should follow Brewer. Drinking the four glasses of skim milk has been no problem–I crave it. Should I keep drinking the milk? Should I not have milk? Should I drink some powdered whey protein or stick with real food? I just don’t know!!

  2. Herbs. I just don’t know how to “do” them. Midwife said to get calcium/magnesium supplement and take 1500 grams. What I found was liquid. So I just drink it? Or do I mix it with something? One midwife (the one who called me fat) also said to drink red raspberry leaf tea, but I read online that it can cause miscarriage in early pregnancy?? Any experience?

  3. Cloth diapers. Seriously–too many to choose from. Really, really want to do it, but I’m just overwhelmed with information.

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Ok darling take a deep breath and relax. Although I’m not sure what vaxing is I’m right there with you on the rest of it. So lets start with breastfeeding. I’m still breastfeeding my boy who’s now 15 months. We had a good birth so I was able to start within 20 minutes of us meeting. Things did not go swimmingly, with mastitis, cracked nipples, over supply, engorged to name a few, but I too was determined to do it. I think the key is to be determined but not paranoyed. Work through problems as they arrise (which they will), and tackle the one that it there at the time. In Australia there is a breastfeeding associating that when you join give you a reference book. When I got mastitis early on I was able to flick through the book to the chapter on my symptoms and work through it. I went into hospital when my son was 6 months and almost everyone around me said “well you’ve done six months that’s a great start for him”, as if that was the time to give up. Fat chance. I asked the nurse for a breast pump and for two days kept pumping (and throwing it out because of the drugs in my system), and my son went on formula for four days. Honestly, just take it one day at a time and a bottle now and then wont kill them if something comes up. You cannot prepare for breastfeeding, so tackle this one once your bubba arrives.

Next it the Brewer diet. 100 grams of protein isn’t that hard to do. My dietician (as I’m overweight) recommends meat once a day the size of the palm of my hand, that’s about 125 gms. I would recommend thinking of your body right now as what nature intended. Pregnancy itself it a very primal function, just think our body grows an entire human being without any real conscious effort from us. So my advise with food would be to follow a diet as naturally as possible. Meat, eggs, nuts etc all contain protein and have done since the begining of time. Protein shakes with over pasturised, homogonised, processed milk wasn’t. I too craved milk when pregnant but think about it in terms of what is your body telling you. For instance I also craved salty food. Well meaners said go and have McDonalds chips they are really high in salt. I thought yes, but, it’s sodium my body wants not McDonalds, that’s just marketing. So I had capers and foods that were naturally salty.

Herbs, maybe see a herboligist but I only drank raspberry tea in the third trimester. My understanding is that is a muscle stimulant that is great for the uterus. It can help get this muscle ready for the birthing process, not something you want to do early on.

Having a VBAC can be really helped by doing hypnobirthing (calmbirthing in Australia). I did it for my first baby simply because I wanted a natural birth and knew if I worked myself into a state I could really make things go wrong. It’s basically about staying focussed, breathing through contractions and self talking. If you keep telling yourself it could go wrong and have a ceaser you just might, but if you self talk is positive and focussed on your goals you are more likely to succeed. I highly recommend this technique. My son was posterier and didn’t turn. He was born naturally with only a little gas in a bath. Using this technique I reduced the birth from a predicted 24+ hours to only 10 and a predicted ceaser to vaginally.
Hope some of this helps. :slight_smile:

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My best advice is not to plan and hope for so much. It will only make you feel worse if you cannot do the things you want to do so badly. I know this from my own experience. Everyone tells you to have a birth plan, but I was advised by my midwife to not have one, and I agreed. Your birth will never go as planned! Mine was the total opposite of anything I wanted or expected. Just relax and let things happen. I know it’s hard, but trust me, you will feel better later if things don’t go as planned.

I’m sure you will have success with breastfeeding this time. Things rarely happen the same as the first time. You can always find your local La Leche League to help. I hear they’re great, and you can have a consultant come to the hospital or your house if you need help. They will never tell you you can’t or to stop. Their goal is to help you successfully breastfeed.

Raspberry leaf tea can cause contractions and soften the cervix, so don’t use it until the end of your pregnancy. Take a good prenatal vitamin and a DHA supplement.

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You really can do it. For your first baby, don’t stress that breastfeeding wasn’t successful… you did your best and you gave your baby your love and nurturing and that is the most important thing that a baby needs. I’d also definitely advise going to the La Leche League. They are very very supportive and knowledgeable. Many women who weren’t successful to breastfeed talk about poor milk supply. Cracked nipples are a sign of a poor latch and with a poor latch, the breasts aren’t stimulated properly to make milk. A good lactation consultant can teach you what signs to look for to know that your baby has a good latch each and every time. Pain and anxiety can hinder the let-down of the milk… a good lactation consultant knows how to put you at ease. Giving a newborn the bottle in those first few days can confuse him… (it requires a different sucking technique)… if supplementation is absolutely necessary at first, then it is better done with the patient use of an eyedropper or something. Still, a good lactation consultant can help sort out a ‘confused’ baby too. Many many women whose first experience wasn’t so great go on to have a long and wonderful breastfeeding relationship with their subsequent babies after they get the support they need. Those first few weeks is the hurdle… after that it is almost always smooth sailing and the easiest thing to do… you’re going to love it.

As for the preeclampsia and pregnancy nutrition, I am no nutrition expert but fairly well read… also I am healthy (about one 1-2 day cold every couple of years… no other health issues… bp 110/60). I can only offer a couple of thoughts to think about. What do all the ‘natural mommas’ in nature eat? they aren’t drinking the milk of other species… they’re all weaned! We are afraid that we won’t get enough calcium, but why are the industrialized countries that have the highest consumption of milk also the ones with the highest incidence of osteoperosis? There is loads of high quality calcium in dark green leafies, many fruits, and nuts like raw almonds. Also, I recommend to eat as much of your food as close to it’s natural state as possible. All those other mammals in nature eat unprocessed, uncooked food and I’m pretty sure they are not suffering from diabetes, heart disease, varicose veins, morbid obesity, cancer, or preeclampsia. We are killing ourselves with our overprocessed food. (warning… radically change your diet suddenly and you will feel a few days uncomfortable as your body adjusts… but eating healthier is better for you and your baby of course and your body will soon feel much better again). Also I highly recommend getting regular exercise… going for a long walk everyday is an easy thing to do and so good for you. Your circulatory system moves your blood by the pumping of the heart, but your lymphatic system that moves the junk out of your body is only ‘fueled’ by the action of your muscles. Also, exercise releases chemicals into your brain that help you relax and have less up and down of your emotions and less anxious feelings.

Enjoying the health benefits of being a ‘natural momma’ doesn’t have to be stressful or difficult at all. It doesn’t have to involve a bunch of supplements and concoctions and herbal remedies. Just keep it simple and close to nature. If you can eat 50% or more of your food in it’s natural state (organic is even better if you can afford… I can’t usually but I am still healthy and feeling good), then you will feel tremendously better and I really believe you can avoid preeclampsia and all the problems that created the next time around.

I hope some of this makes sense to you or is helpful and encouraging in some way… I hope the arrival of your next little miracle will be a much more enjoyable experience for you.

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First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! You have such a wonderful attitude, determination to do what will be the best for your baby. I know it is difficult, especially when there were some unexpected turns in your first pregnancy. But it is definetly possible.

One thing, – do not try to figure everything out right away. Do your best with your birth preparations, and just tackle one thing at a time. I’ve seen some mommies, who found out about natural birth only a few short weeks before their due date, got really inspired/convicted about it, did their best preparing their hears and bodies just for those few weeks, went ahead and did it. Of course it is not ideal, but just to show that it is possible.

You have a great advantage, – knowing what you want with your birth and for your baby; and having a few months to get ready for your birth.

I would just tackle each issue as it comes and pray not to feel overburdened or stressed.

First of all, Dr. Brewer’s diet. I did it and I will totally recommend the 100 gr of protein intake during pregnancy.

But I wanted to share that I am allergic to milk and eggs, so I did not include them in my diet. But even without them it was not that difficult to reach 100 gr protein intake. It is more about well balanced nutrition and protein then about specific foods.

For example some vegetables have a high protein count, I included extra nuts into my dishes, turkey has the highest protein count of the meats; I used whole wheat flower for cooking. Buckwheat makes great high protein sereal, and at the same time it is considered a diet grain, as it is the least fattening from all different grains. You can do the search, and there are websites there, that can help you figure out the protein count of different foods. Try keeping track for a few days and you will realise, that if you eat well balanced, fresh, whole food, you will have no problem having a good protein intake.

I was not able to drink milk, but am able to drink yougurt and kefir. If you like that option, it is actually much better choice, as both of these will help you to get extra calcium your body needs, at the same time keeping your gut in good health, and your immunity boosted. One thing that many do not realise, that there are differences between different types of youghurt and kefirs. First of all, choose plain, non-sweetened, with live culture. Secondly, compare a few different brands available, the difference of protein per serving can be very significant. Another trick I did, I made my own yogurt and added some extra natural powedered milk while I was making it, so there was actually more protein per serving…

Try cooking your own foods, and avoid commercial pre-made packaged meals, they have some extras that you would not want to have and some are higher in calories that are empty or fats that are not good. When you cook yourself, you can control that.

http://www.blueribbonbaby.org has some good advice along those lines.

Oh, have to run to my baby now, but hope this helps. I will be happy to help if you have any questions… Another one, take an opportunity of Bradley Natural Birth classes, or get the book Natural Birth the Bradley Way or Husband- coached birth. It will be really big help…

:smiley:

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I’m an expert in not being able to breast-feed. my boobs were surgically reduced many years ago, so I have a valid reason. Trying to get milk out was never going to be an easy proposition even though no ducts were cut… If your boobs are au naturel, then take heart. but here’s what I’ve tried…on day 5 I took domperidone (I used the brand Motilium) to increase milk supply, prescribed by the doctor and recommended by the lactation consultant. There are also natural herbs to help…just look up “breast-feeding after reduction” or similar…anything that can increase supply in women of my situation can help anyone!!!

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Something I would be concerned about drinking that much milk is all the hormones. I don’t know if that would affect the baby, but maybe look for BST free milk. I found lots of different protein sources when I was pregnant. I really like the idea of having a variety of foods rather than loading up on a few. That way I am also getting a variety of the trace elements. I craved nuts when I was pregnant, especially almonds. They are a great source of protein, calcium and omega fatty acids. Here http://www.citracal.com/Calcium/Foods/Nuts-Seeds.aspx are some ideas for calcium and protein rich foods. I also drank a lot of protein shakes, but I was pregnant with twins and didn’t have any more room in there for food. The shakes didn’t leave me feeling full (read over stretched.)

If using a calcium supplement, look for calcium carbonate with vitamin D. Calcium is best absorbed in an acidic environment, calcium carbonate is acidic, and vitamin D also helps absorption. Divide the doses, for example take half in the morning and half in the evening. Also take calcium with a meal, some people find stomach upset and the fats help absorb vitamin D. I took a DHA supplement with my vitamins, look for algae based DHA supplement when pregnant or breastfeeding (fish based has possibility of mercury and flax isn’t as good.)

As for diapers, here http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=221 is a great forum for diapering. Here http://www.zany-zebra.com/diaper-fabric.shtml is some info on different diaper fabrics. Check here http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/diaperrashcreams.htm for info on diaper creams and cloth diapering. I used prefolds, because of the price, with PUL/Velcro covers when they were babies. I switched to fleece covers when I figured out my son is allergic to PUL. I sewed the fleece covers from this http://katrinassqs.blogspot.com/2007/10/free-soaker-pattern.html pattern, I think it takes me about 30 minutes per cover and costs about $3. Here are some things I have learned in my experience:
• Velcro gives the most adjustable fit options, means fewer blowouts. Good for newborns, but not necessary when they get older and growth tapers off. Easy to take on/off newborns, but more difficult when baby starts to wiggle. It does need to be hand washed to last.
• Pull up covers are great with toddlers, faster to take on/off wiggly toddler, usually toddler’s stool is more solid so blowouts are not a big of a concern. (except when sick then I use disposables anyway because I run out of covers fast)
• I hear that snap covers are a good compromise between the two; that you can actually adjust the snaps to a particular size, then leave them there to pull on/off. I haven’t actually tried them. I think snaps would be ok to run through the washer/dryer but check.
• I prefer fleece covers to PUL or wool because they don’t need to be hand washed. I do however use PUL when they are sitting for long periods because fleece will compression wick, but this isn’t a problem when they are running around.
• Careful about the diaper cream you use, I ruined my diapers using Desitin (fish smell) and had to strip them.
• If you have a front loading washer, I hear pocket diapers are hard to get clean.
I also used a diaper service for the first 9 months, a gift from my mom. If I had it to do over again, I would probably only use the diaper service 3 months, or until they were big enough to fit into one size diapers, then have invested in one size fits most all in one diapers. I hope this helps you make your decision.

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Texaslady- First Congrats!!! Good decision not to vax. Don’t let people talk you out of it! Remember in TX it is very easy to get an exemption, just print the form off the state web site. Dont let some school bully you into vaxing!( but I think your homeschooling anyway, right?) Do you live in DFW? If so, I can recommend a great dula who does hypnobirthing. She was awesome for my daughters birth! For breastfeeding info, check out kellymom.com I don’t know about brewer diet, but red rasberry leaf should only be used in late pregnancy! Exercise is great for both you and the baby! Maybe this would be a great time to start Doman’s physically superb program with your first born. With this heat though you have to get going early! Mine get up with the chickens, so we get out of the house by 7:30 am for our walk/runs. By the way incase you are interested in starting the physically superb program, Doman recommends Nike and new balance for tiny childrens running shoes. Nordstroms is having their annual summer sale this month and have a coulpe great pairs of nikes on sale for boys, not much selection for girls though. They are like $26 instead of the regular $55.

Pm me if you would like the info for the dula/hypnobirther, she also knows alot about herbs! Good luck.

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Hi Taxaslady. Congratulations on your second miracle from God - I’m still waiting on my second miracle :smiley: . I don’t know about your other questions, but I can tell you about my experience with breastfeeding.

My bubs is 15 months today. I was determined to have everything natural, the birth, no drugs, own made baby food, except diapers lol . Unfortunately I had to have an emergency cesarean & did not get to hold my new baby until a few hours later :frowning: . Luckily for my my bubs was and still is a “super sucker” as my hubby loves to call her, but my milk didn’t come in for the first 3 months. I was determined to breastfeed & kept at it, but because bubs did not get enough milk from me I had to give her formula as well - I was under the impression as soon as you give a baby a bottle they won’t want the nipple again - luckily I was misinformed!!

The doctors & clinic nurses told me that its fine if I stop trying to breastfeed as we’re not in a 3rd word country & if my bubs does get sick (as a lack of antibodies from my breast milk); we have medicines to get her well again. I ignored them & when bubs was 3 months old she refused the formula milk - that’s how I knew my milk was in & bubs is still breast feeding today :slight_smile: .

Hope you feel better soon!! :wink:

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[color=green]I recommend this site…http://www.cottonbabies.com/

My son is 16 months and has been using cloth diapers since he was 3 months. With a lot of research in diapers I went with the premium size Indian prefolds (softest) and haven’t had to buy new ones. He is in the 60th percentile…its all about how you fold them;)…Anyway I don’t recommend getting the bum genius diapers because of the price and you have to do more washing loads with them, the plastic probably breaks up over time…it just seems too complicated in my opinion.
I got:
40 Indian prefolds
3(6 covers) packs of plastic covers (Bummis whisper pant)
2 snappies
You need a large bin that shuts tight.
Laundry detergent that doesn’t have brighteners, softeners…etc
I use the ECOS brand of magnolia and lilly scent…cheapest at Costco you get 210 loads with HE washing machines.
Don’t bleach them…use hot water and then cold rinse. If you have a sanitizer option definitely use it :slight_smile:

I only have to wash the diapers once a week! Its so easy to use them once you get used to them. I do recommend disposable diapers for diarrhea times…ITS A MESS that gets all over if your not carefull, (if you are a very eco conscious person then tough it out and use them if the baby has diarrhea, I did…kinda haha). The Indian prefold are very good quality diapers. I really hope you take my advice :slight_smile: If you have any other questions email me lava08k@yahoo.com…dont hesitate :smiley:
Paola

PS: I know the smell can be very over whelming but you only have to deal with it once a week! I put the dirty diapers in the bin with out water…I don’t think its necessary to use water for pre soaking…it cleans just fine in the washer.

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Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Snappis, they work great for fastening prefolds. I also wanted to mention that I only got 24 regular size prefold diapers per kid, fits 15-35 lbs, and they are wearing out after less than a year. It is only enough to get me through 2 days and have enough left over to use while doing laundry. There isn’t enough to stock my diaper bag too. They may be wearing out faster than normal because my washer (front loading, extra large capacity, water saving washer doesn’t have enough water level to soak the diapers) doesn’t do a great job of cleaning so I have to run everything twice. Anyway, I wish I had gotten 3 or 4 dozen per kid instead.

I also heard, from my neighbor, that she had problems producing enough milk to breastfeed and later found out it was because she was scheduling rather than nursing on demand.

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Hi!
Congrats! I hope everything goes for you just as you hope it does. I hope that you can try to stay calm, though! It’s important, for your blood pressure to stay calm! I was induced for my first baby because of high blood pressure (and thus fear of pre-e). I managed, with my second, to have a wonderfully natural experience, labouring at home, and only showing up at the hospital already ready to push – half an hour later, there was my second little boy! Anyway, all that is to say that it could very easily be the opposite of your first experience, take heart! :slight_smile: And either way, you get a lovely little baby in the end.

As for breastfeeding – good for you for being so determined that that’s what you want to do! I’m sure you can do it – maybe you could try to make sure to have breastfeeding support in place so that as soon as the baby is born you have someone ready to show you what exactly to do and how to do it to make sure that everything goes smoothly right from the start – like a lactation consultant or someone from la leche league on standby! :slight_smile: Besides that there’s nothing that you can do in this moment so try not to worry about it. Oh, and as a natural, pro-breastfeeding mama, have you ever wondered why there are so many different little bottle emoticons, but not one single breast?? :slight_smile: can you imagine a boob winking at you? lol :biggrin:

As for cloth diapers, on my first son we used Fuzzi Bunz, which were really great diapers (though pretty expensive – we borrowed). I guess the cost is nothing compared to how much we’d spend on disposables though! Anyway, we started with those but my son has really sensitive skin/eczema, and eventually got a rash from the detergent in the cloth from washing them (i tried EVERYTHING to clean that detergent out thoroughly, and the rash never seemed to get better as long as we used cloth, and i’m talking ugly burnt looking red rash). I still think that they’re great diapers if your kid doesn’t have those skin problems though. I also tried the bum genius one sized diapers that you have to stuff with an insert. They were good too, but even more expensive. BUT you only have to buy one batch, rather than three sizes worth, which is cool. For me, though, I find both of the above kind of bulky, though. It reminds me of when I got my first period and I felt like I was walking around with a huge sofa cushion between my legs, the maxi pad was so big, you know?? My very favorites have been g-diapers. you can get them at health food/whole food stores, london drugs (in canada), or online too (though shipping to Canada is expensive – i didn’t read where you were from). for me they’ve been a lifesaver. I know that die-hard cloth diaperers will rale against them since they have the flushable inserts and they will say that it’s not as good as cloth. Maybe so, maybe not. For me they were a great alternative to disposables since we couldn’t use cloth on my first son after the bad rash. With my second one, i’ve used the G-diapers with cloth inserts when we’re at home, and the G-diaper with the g-brand flushable inserts when we’re out (i like it better than carrying around a big wet diaper in my diaperbag). That’s been working great. And the g-diapers don’t seem as bulky as many of the alternatives. And they’re pretty cute too, though they don’t have the cute pictures and stuff that some other diapers have. I think that the website is www.gdiapers.com or something like that. They have been the best of the ones that i’ve tried, and with them you can do a little bit of disposable for when you’re out or away (though they breakdown when you flush or compost, rather than stay for 500000 years in the landfill) or do cloth inserts exclusively with them, if you prefer. I also love that you don’t have to wash the whole diaper EVERY time you use it, like you do for many cloth diapers. You can just pull out the insert, and/or the plastic snap in liner, and refill it. That also saves a lot of laundry, which I do enough of with two boys!

Anyway, good luck with everything!

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I second you on G-diapers, they are great with cloth inserts! We do not use diapers per se, but if I would be diapering these will be my choice.

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skylark -

So you’re doing diaper free – Elimination Communication? I did that with my first son (never exclusively - he still wore diapers for pee when we were out, but not at home) after he got that really bad diaper rash I talked about above. I didn’t have to change more than five poopy pants/diapers between the time he was 4 months old and one year! He just figured that out so quickly (and never had to sit in his own poop waiting to be changed!). He would pee as soon as he heard the cue noise, but he would also pee if he was wearing a diaper without the cue sound. I never did figure out his cues for peeing, but he learned very quickly what to do, so I just took him regularly and it worked out wonderfully!

Now with number two he just started solids and I have just started taking him now, though probably again not when we’re out. He’s doing pretty good! I think that he’s starting to figure out the cue sounds. I suspect it would have been easier to start younger, but I just didn’t feel that I would be able to respond immediately to his cues. And it was winter and SO cold to have a diaperless/clothesless baby! :frowning:

Any tips for figuring out a baby’s cue sound? I watched and watched with my first one, but I just didn’t see him do ANYTHING to signal that he was about to pee.

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With my daughter, when she was born she waited to go pee or poo till we were changing her diaper. She would squirm and move, doing her little caugh-like newborn cry, as if she need to be changed, and then we would start changing her, her diaper was dry and she would go between diapers. So when she was about 2 weeks old we got her a tiny potty, and she used it ever since.

Her cues… She really tried to communicate, so that made it very easy. Ay first as newborn she would just squirm and caugh/cry, as if she needs to be changed, her diaper would be dry and we put her on the potty and she would go within seconds, sometimes a few minutes, when she figured out that it was fun to sit on the potty and to get all the attention :smiley:

In the middle of the night she would just start moving her legs, that is the sign she wants to go, nowdays she rarely even fully wakes up, just goes on the potty and falls asleep right away ( even sometimes not opening her eyes on the potty, which is really funny)

When nursing, and needing to go, she would just stop the nurse and start moving er legs very fast to ask to go potty.

For the last 4-5 weeks she invented a new way to communicate, she shakes her two hands in her own invented “potty” sign". She does it more and more, and trying to get our attention… Here is the thread w discussed it a little while ago… http://forum.brillkids.com/general-discussion-b5/connection-between-right-brain-trainingearly-learning-and-acquisition-of-skills/

As far as EC and actually training… I am afraid I am not an expert and it looks like you have more experiene then me :slight_smile: In our case she trained us :yes:

We do travel a lot and were in the cold climat as well. From what I undestand it does not really matter ( at least in our case), because we never had her going around naked anyway, she was wearing her normal clothes and underpants, the only difference was that she was not wearing a bulky diaper ( but I do not think it would make her warmer anyways :slight_smile: ) She usually would wait for a reasonable amount of time from the time she shows that she needs to go, which gives enought good time to get her undressed and bring her to the potty or to get off the free way for a potty break or find a place to do it when out. So I was not having her undressed… But I guess in some cases that can make it easier , if you are training, that what I read on the EC thread on the mothering.com website.

Its so inspiring how you were able to train your little ones, you are doing great. I heard that it is more difficult to train when you do it a bit later, rather then starting right away when they are newborn. Our pediatritian ( which is very pro-natural and part of Dr Sears methods peds) said that that is the best way to do it, but she tried it with her son, when he was a few months old, and they had a difficult time, and she said she has to admit that she gave up till later for a lack of patience…

You seem to have lots of good exerience, I like reading the experiences of others, so in case our next one will need to be trained I will have some good ideas and advice. k2U!

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Skylark, just wondering how you found a ped like that? Is there like a network that one can find or something?

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Nikki,

We got ours by recommendation from our midwife, – attachment parenting, babywearing, EC, EBF ( exclusive breastfeeding), no vac. They even had their appoitments scheduled around the nursing times of their own babies and wore them in slings, when they were smaller, pretty amaizing… I believe Dr Sears website have references to peds who are open to no vac, which will mean they are more open to natural non-mainstream everything else… Also checking for the local midwives’ references will lead you to the best options in your area I think and mothering.com website, they have some good references in their local forums… It really does make difference to have a pediatritian who is very natural-oriented and open minded. I am a studied to be a doctor myself, so I know the other side…

On the other hand when we are abroad ( we travel alot due to our international work and we stay abroad for long periods of time), we just do our best with our own research and try to not go to the doctor, unless it is a real need and we did all we could do naturally, all that to say I hardly remember going to the doctor with any of our dozens of nieces and nephews, apart from broken limbs, ha :smiley:

18

Skylark, your pediatrician is amazing, I wish I could find someone like him

I consider myself a natural momma, breastfeeding, cosleeping, babywearing, cloth diapering, no vacs, gentle discipline

I started using cloth diapers when my son was 9 months old, with the next baby I’ll start from the beginning. So far I’ve used many different products and I really like pocket diapers and fitted diapers with diaper cover. My least favorite in pockets are Bum Genius, the best in my opinion are Happy Heinys and Tiny Tush. For a newborn I recommend fitted diapers with covers, this is what I’m planning to do. They are very easy to use.

Texaslady, don’t worry about breastfeeding too much, it will come naturally, just like someone mentioned earlier, the second time is always different and also easier, I bet this time you’ll do just fine :slight_smile:

Congratulations on your pregnancy :smiley:

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Cool! thanks for your reply – it’s great to hear your experience. I do notice that my son does that fast leg moving thing a lot too, but since it was really cold when he was born (like -35 degrees Celcius) I never had him naked long enough to figure out what he was actually doing when he signalled that he needed to pee. Maybe that’s why he does that leg movement! It’s funny, i was just thinking about that, and wondering what it was all about.

As for training my first one, I would just take him at sort of regular intervals, and if he did happen to pee while I was holding him over the toilet, I would just make the hissing noise (pssssss) and he began to associate all by himself, and then eventually started responding to that noise (even sometimes when his dad was holding him diaperless, and I would make the sound and he would pee on him – tee hee!). I’m going to do a diaperless day with my seven month old one of these days to see if the rapid leg movement corresponds to him having to pee.

That’s wonderful that you’re 100% diaperless. I think it’s a really empowering thing for a child to know that you trust them that much to be in control of their own bodies, and that they can trust you enough to respond to their signals, right from birth. Just imagine that!! I know it’s only the bathroom, but I think that it takes a lot of trust in your kids – and isn’t our society so used to not trust children to be capable of doing anything at all! To trust them that much right off the bat is a really great message! I’m aspiring. Not there fully, but aspiring!! I’m totally into it when we’re in the house, but I just have to take that leap of faith when we’re out and about in town – what do you do if your child signals, and there’s no bathroom available? Or what if you are responding to their sibling and can’t drop everything to take them to the bathroom right away? What’s your approach for being out and about? I’m really excited to hear how you do this, and to maybe give it a go myself!