I am a twenty-something first-time mama. My little boy stepped onto the scene sixteen weeks ago and it's been a non-stop adventure ever since. Labour was...arduous to say the least. It took 25 hours of mind-numbing (unfortunately the ONLY thing that was numb) back labour- but, as every mother knows, it was more than worth it. We've cloth diapered since his first day of life, making many changes and learning a lot along the way.
I had made the decision to use cloth diapers well before my son was even a twinkle in my eye. I remember telling W years ago that the two things I knew I would do as a mother were cloth diapering and breastfeeding. I was cloth diapered as a baby and my mother had always sang its praises, so it seemed a natural choice for me. W was resistant in the beginning, having diapered his two daughters in disposables, he questioned their absorbency and convenience. On the question of absorbency: of course they are absorbent! I have no idea where this rumour of leaky cloth diapers came from... it's just plain silly to think that three layers of paper and gel is more absorbent than layers of cotton flannel. On the question of convenience: Today's cloth diapers are not the intimidating flat cloth and pin combos of yesteryear. There's no trick to it anymore. Most diapers have either snap or aplix (velcro) closures and have the same fitted look as disposables. The only real difference is that you toss one in the trash and the other in the washer.
Even though I always knew I'd do cloth diapers, I was in no way expecting the overwhelming number of options that I'd have to sort through. It was truly shocking! As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I started researching and shopping around. I had no clue how many different brands, styles, sizes and systems there were. My first trip to the store had me standing in the aisle completely paralyzed by choice. It was like I'd just been sent to the store to pick out shampoo for the first time. There were fitteds, all-in-ones, pockets, envelopes, pre-folds, flats, organic, bamboo, stay-dry, microfiber, covers, wool, hemp...it went on and on. Then on top of that were all of the accessories: diaper pails, pail liners, diaper liners, wet bags, special detergents, boosters, washable wipes, etc. In no time at all, I was completely obsessed with cloth diapers. It was the only thing that interested me. All I did all day was read reviews and watch how-to videos. I scoured websites for deals and sales. W often pointed out how it seemed that all of my nesting instincts had manifested in the form of my cloth diaper obsession.
Through the course of my pregnancy, I narrowed down the brands and styles that I wanted to try. After much consideration, I decided to use Kissaluvs Cotton Sherpa fitted diapers for my son's first weeks of life. Once he had outgrown his Kissa's, we switched to bumGenius and Flip which we have used exclusively ever since. It was a long, windy road to get here and I've learned a TONNE about CD's along the way, which is why I am here. Two weeks after I discovered I was pregnant, I found out that a friend of mine was also pregnant. Three months later, another friend became pregnant. Two months after that, another friend from University confided that she, too, was expecting. In my seventh month of pregnancy, my sister announced that she was pregnant! And now just a couple weeks ago, I received an email from a blogger-friend that she was a few weeks along and interested in cloth diapering. We're talking six pregnancies all falling in the same year! As the first of the group to deliver, I often find myself giving tips and advice, especially when it comes to the uncharted territory of cloth diapering.
So here we are now! I've started this blog so that I can share as much information about cloth diapering as possible. Anyone who has any questions that aren't addressed on the blog, feel free to email me and I will be happy to answer to the best of my ability. In addition to cloth diapering, I'll be addressing natural pregnancy and birth, as well as breastfeeding. As many of my friends and family know, breastfeeding has been a struggle for me from day 1. It took twelve weeks (yes, that's right!) to establish a breastfeeding routine that worked for me and I did just about every single possible thing to get there.
If there's one thing I've learned in the past sixteen weeks, it's that motherhood is one hell of a wild ride! At least with all these layers of cotton flannel and microfiber, I always have a soft landing.
Diadima xo
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