Cloth Diapers

by reneeisorym 48 Replies latest social family

• 

  whyamihere

  I am convinced healthy breast milk makes a big difference in children's health. I don't know why so many young mothers have such a difficult time with it. So many have said they didn't have enough milk.

  To be honest, this statement got to me.

  I was a young mother who was unable to breastfeed. Why? Stress. As we all know stress can not only depress someone, it can physically change someone. As it did me. It wasn't just the stress of a 60 hour labor(50 hours no medication) - parents going through a divorce, the possibility of leaving a cult, being shunned...etc etc etc. Not to mention being alone with a child all the time, husband didn't take time off of work(or school) to adjust to the new baby.

  This happened to me, I did everything I could to try and breastfeed. I didn't give up, weeks of trying every day, all day - over and over and over. I went to a lactation specialist, I had nothing to give to my daughter. I felt like a failure. To this day it haunts me, the what if scenario plays in my head all the time. What could I have done differently? I don't know.

  Maybe some mothers just couldn't breastfeed, like myself.

  Side note - My children are very healthy. They didn't get the chance to partake in Breast milk, but they don't suckle on Ronald McDonald's tit!

  As to cloth diapers?.....ummm Good Luck? lol
• 

  Scully

  With all the other parenting things you will absolutely need to be doing with a new baby, extra laundry in the form of $h!tty diapers is one chore you can scratch off your list.

  Just counting wet diapers alone, you are looking a minimum of 6-8 diapers in a 24 hour period. Most babies poop every time they eat, and in the early weeks they eat 8-12 times a day too.

  Successful breastfeeding and establishing your milk supply requires sufficient REST between baby's feedings. You sleep when baby sleeps. You are not going to have time or energy to launder diapers every single day. It takes at least 4-6 weeks for your milk supply to be established, and you are not going to have a lot of time for anything else besides the necessities.

  You'll get more bang for your buck if you splurge on the disposable diapers in favor of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. That was the best compromise for me when my kids were little - breastfeeding requires no bottle sterilizing, no mixing, no storage, and the disposable diapers eliminate a great deal of laundry expense and time. Time is your most valuable commodity when you have a newborn, so anything that you can do to save yourself time, even if it costs a little extra financially, is money well spent.
• 

  mrsjones5

  Maybe some mothers just couldn't breastfeed, like myself.

  Which is totally understandable Whyamihere. Those of us who've breastfed know that it is no easy task, it takes time and patience and unfortuately there are some Moms who cannot physically breastfeed (thank God for formula for those Moms). Nothing said here about breastfeeding here was meant to make you feel uncomfortable, you did what you had to for your child and you, yes? And your children are healthy, yes? Then you did a good thing and you're a good mother.

  What I don't like is after having a baby the way hospitals push formula on new mothers (like that cute little diaper bag with the canister of formula - how convenient!), how the nurse will encourage new moms to let them give their babies a little sugar water not for the benefit of the babies but to keep the babies quiet and make their jobs easier. I only let one of my children stay in the nursery (because that last one wore me out), the rest roomed with me, but the nurses were under strict orders not to give my baby sugar water and to bring him to me every 2 hours to nurse.

  Josie
• 

  Mulan

  I'm surprised no one has mentioned landfills. Where do all those dirty diapers go?
• 

  skeeter1

  What I don't like is after having a baby the way hospitals push formula on new mothers

  Before our last baby arrived, Similac sent "free jars" (and the big ones) of formula. They push worse than illegal drug users.

  And, yes, nothing is meant to make those who could not breastfeed feel bad. You are not a bad mother.

  Breastfeeding, even if you have a good milk supply, is hard, it hurts, nipples crack/bleed, breasts get infected, it embarrasses some folks, you get dirty looks, etc. If you can get over the first month, the pain goes away and you learn how not to expose yourself in public. Then, it's easier.

  My comments were meant to encourage the new mother to breastfeed. So many give up due to lack of support & the ever, available formula. Only, they don't realize how much money that formula is going to cost. I read that it was about $4k/year.
• 

  skeeter1

  Breastfeeding averages about 500 calories a day for the nursing mother.

  Breastmilk has so many complex compounds, that it's impossible for factory derived formula to duplicate.

  Skeeter
• 

  Snoozy

  I used cloth in the 50's and 60's. Disposables were too expensive!

  I also had a wringer washer and no dryer! When it rained we had a utility room full of wet diapers...

  Then there was the time I stuck the diaper pin thru my baby sons skin ...........................................................He just stared at me and then let out the most blood curdling scream........................................ Me bad!

  Snoozy..who switched to disposables a little after that.
• 

  Nowman

  I have three children and I 100% belive in disposable diapers, its more sanitary. I could not imagine putting cloth diapers (even with little remnants of poopies) in my wash. I would still feel as if it did not come clean enough, you know?

  To each his own...

  Nikki
• 

  reneeisorym

  I tried reading through some of the mom forums and it seems like all the moms posting were for cloth diapers. I think this forum has given me a much more balanced view. This thread has some great information in it.