National Breastfeeding Awareness Week

In celebration of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week I thought I should post about some of the reasons that I am still breastfeeding Henry at 7 months old.

1. The UK government guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, which I followed (not an ounce of formula, I'm proud to say!).

2. It's the best food for him - not only nutritionally, but it also contains antibodies to fight illnesses and stem cells so he can reach his 'full genetic potential'. Hence breastfed babies have a higher IQ at age 6 than formula fed children.

3. It gives him comfort and has helped him to be a secure and  independant baby

4. Even though we have begun weaning, he still gets the majority of his nutrition from his milk

5. It means he is less likely to get stomach upsets, colic and reflux. Babies tummies aren't designed for processed & powdered cows milk.

5. Henry likes it!

6. I love the special bond that it gives me with him. It is a kind of comfort that he can only get from me & it is what makes me feel like his mother.

7. So much emphasis is put on why breastfeeding is best for the baby - but us mums benefit so much from it too. It helps me to get my figure back, it releases happy hormones to make me feel all 'loved up' with Henry and it lowers my risk of breast cancer.

8. It's convenient! No mixing up formula, lugging around bottles or steralising. Can you imagine doing all that in the middle of the night?! I co-sleep when I need to, if he needs feeding I just lift him onto the bed next to me & I can dose off again while he feeds. What a life saver that has been!

9. It connects me with other bf mums - attending support groups in my opinion is a necessity. It gives you a chance to get help with any problems and some of my closest mummy friends I have met through bf support groups.

10. I just love it! I love Henry and I love being able to provide for him. Nature is truely wonderful...

Cloth Nappy Review: Upsy Daisy Night Nappy

Value for money: *****

Ease of use: *****

Fit and containment: *****

Comfort: *****

Overall: *****

I've recently been using an Upsy Daisy night nappy which is like a pocket nappy, but without the PUL waterproof fabric. The outer is bamboo, although other options are hemp or soy fabrics, all of which are very absorbent.

It comes with a giant insert that you fold into 3 before stuffing into the pocket. There's also an extra booster, but I've not needed it yet. In total there are 10 layers of absorbent material using this design and it is very quick drying considering the level of absorbency.

The inside of the nappy is fully fleece lined to keep the moisture away from baby's skin. 

I use this with one of their fleece wraps, which is water-resistant so allows some of the moisture to evaporate, keeping the nappy more comfortable for a longer stretch. Here's Henry in his Upsy Daisy night nappy and wrap in Hot Rod fleece!

I'm really pleased with it and Henry has gone 12 hours in it with no leaks at all, so it's definitely up to the job! It's made in Wales by a work at home mum, so it's got less airmiles than most nappies too! 

See www.upsydaisynappies.com for details of these nappies. 

I also have a night notions (www.weenotions.co.uk) on order so will let you know how that stands up to testing soon! :o)

Breastfeeding: Number one tip

I'm feeding my gorgeous Henry and can't help thinking how very glad I
am that I persevered with breastfeeding. In the early weeks it was a
real pain (quite literally!) as we had problems with the latch and not
to mention the tiredness and frequency of it all.

But with the help of Milk & Biscuits an La Leche League we found ways
of improving the latch and now I love it!! I am developing a
beautifully intimate relationship with Henry that I can't imagine I
would get from bottle feeding. I love it when he lies back to take a
break from feeding and gives me a huge grin, when during the bedtime
feed his hand brushes my waist or he looks into my eyes while gripping
my finger tightly in his tiny hand. I love that only I can give him
this special comfort and that as a result I am the centre of his
universe and he is the centre of mine.

So I'm going to share the best tip I had in the hope that it will
encourage a few more new mums to stick with breastfeeding for a bit
longer.

I can't remember where I read it, but the trick is to pull the baby
close to you, hugging him so that his tummy presses against you. Pull
his hips in close and think about his legs wrapping around your body.

I've had a lot of good tips on getting a good latch, but this is the
one that's made the most difference to our feeding and has made it so
enjoyable. I hope it helps you too!!

Cloth Nappy Review: Bumgenius v3.0

Value for money: *****

Ease of use: *****

Fit and containment: *****

Comfort: *****

Overall: ***** 

I've just tried out our first Bumgenius V3 and I love it!! It's the fab Ribbit bright green colour and looks great. I've only used 2 part nappies before and I can't get over how slim fitting the BG is!

Henry has done a nice big poo in it too which was completely contained. I love the airflow wraps for containment and was dubious about pockets as there's only one layer of protection from an explosion, but it coped fantastically!!

I want to get a few more now as they're particularly good for out and about.  You just stuff them when they come out of the wash and they're as easy as disposables!

Gotta get some BabyLegs now to show it off!

Eco-cleaning for lazy people: Removing stains from cloth nappies

I've just discovered the bleaching power of the sun!  Henry's Diddi Diapers were quite yellow with breastfed poo stains, as the one on the right in the picture shows.  The Diddi on the left has been through the following cleaning process to remove the stains:

1. Dissolve 1 cup of borax in a bucket of warm water and soak nappies over night
   
2. Wash nappies in the machine with half the manufacturers recommended amount of non-bio washing powder
3. Run nappies through a second complete wash cycle, without powder to thoroughly rinse out the detergent
4. Place nappies in direct sunlight to dry

The nappies were much better after the washing, but much of the staining was removed by the sunlight.  I placed the nappies inside in front of the window today and within 1 hour the difference was noticeable, even with the January winter sun!

Eco-cleaning for lazy people: Homemade Furniture Polish

I use this to treat my wooden kitchen work tops every month or so.  I find that the wood dries out through everyday use and cleaning, so I clear them off completely and treat them to this moisturising lotion - afterwards they have a lovely silky shine and the colour of the wood deepens again.

• Half fill an old jam-jar with olive oil ( I use a cheap light one, not extra-virgin as I worry about the colour staining)
• Top up with white vinegar
• As an optional extra add your choice of essential oil
• Put the lid on tight and give the mixture a really good shake.  It'll separate out again so you have to shake it every time you use it
• Dip a clean, dry cloth into the mixture and wipe over the surfaces
  
• You might like to use another clean, dry cloth to wipe off any excess oil

It smells a bit like a chip shop when the polish goes on, but as it dries any odour disappears.  I've also used this successfully on other wooden furniture, including garden furniture.

Eco-cleaning for lazy people: Homemade Multi-Purpose Cleaning Spray

I wish the supermarkets sold white vinegar in bucket sized bottles, because you can use it for practically everything!

I have spray bottles (empty ecover bottles) that I have washed out and half filled with white vinegar.  I top it up with water to dilute the vinegar and sometimes add a few drops of essential oil.  Lavender and Tea-Tree have great anti-bacterial qualities, but if you have a cat you might like to use Tea-Tree sparingly as it can be toxic to them.

The vinegar cuts through any grease, so it's great for most household cleaning tasks:

• Wiping down worksurfaces (gentle enough for wood)
• Cleaning the hob
• Cleaning the bathroom
• Wiping down cupboards
• Cleaning mirrors
• Cleaning tiles
• Cleaning the inside of Mimi's litter tray (once it's been emptied!)
  

Before getting into homemade cleaning products I had tried every brand of eco-cleaner I could find and this works much better than any of them.  It's much cheaper too!