After some thought I did decide that I will be live tweeting my homebirth! Due to the unpredictable nature of labor I don’t know when/ how often I will update.  I have told my husband what I want done and he will take over updates once I get to a point where I would rather not be tweeting.

So, here are the details:

Follow me on Twitter if you aren’t already. @KimRosas

Watch my updates.  When I do go into labor, I will begin tweeting with the #twitterbirth hashtag.  If I am lucky, no one else will be tweeting their birth with this hashtag as well.  This way, you could search for it (or just read my stream) to see all of my updates.

Not on Twitter and you don’t want to join?  I will be choosing some updates to also be shared on my Facebook Fan Page (Facebook.com/dirtydiaperlaundry). If we update with less frequency I may share them all.  I just don’t want to overtake anyone’s feed!

In addition, I will post to the blog once I go into labor (a pre-written blog post will go up just reminding you to follow Twitter/Facebook for the updates.)

I will be signing my updates as -K, my husband will be -S, and if my doula gets in on the action she will be -M.

You are welcome to root me on by tweeting back at me or by commenting on a facebook update.  I will keep Tweetgrid open to view replies for a good morale boost if I need it!

Less than 2 weeks until my due date, so let’s just say I should definitely have a baby within the next 4 weeks!

My next birth experience will be in roughly 107 days, at a hospital located about 15 minutes from my home, and will hopefully be attended by my Midwife, my husband, and my doula.

Things I would like to be different from my first birth.

• I do not want to be induced again.
• I do not want to be chained to an IV pole and fetal monitor
• I do not want to have limited access to a shower (I had none)
• I do not want to be barred from any food from the start of labor until giving birth. (I did not eat for over 24 hours and all I could think about was food, not my labor or my baby)
• I do not want to receive pain medication (I did receive an epidural.  Though the nap was nice, I am hoping having food, not being induced, and laboring at home more will prevent this)
• I do not want to be told when to push.
• I do not want my baby to be prevented from nursing within the first 45 minutes because he is breathing a tiny bit funny.

Things I want to be the same as my first birth.

• I do want my husband by my side (at my beck and call)
• I do want A Lindt Chocolate bar in my labor bag for after delivery (Since I had gestational diabetes last time.  I test in 3 weeks)
• I do want the most delicious tuna sandwich in the world after delivery, especially if it is at 4 am.
• I do want great nurses who are supportive and helpful.
• I do want to delay the cord clamping.
• I do want to pull my son out myself once the shoulders are out and put him on my chest.
• I do want a lactation consultant to check with our nursing progress, even though I am an experienced breastfeeder, my son won’t be an experienced nurser.
• I do want to cuddle my adorable new son, who will be rooming in with me.

I am looking for an almost entirely different experience that my last.  I am hoping that my midwife will allow me to go into labor naturally even if I have gestational diabetes.  I also just met with my doula and I believe she is going to help tremendously with attaining a natural birth.  The only concern I have currently is who will watch my son while I am in the hospital.  We do not have family (or friends really) in the area.  My son relies on me to fall asleep for his naps and at night.  He also sleeps with us the majority of the night.  Me being gone will be hard for both of us.

Now that I have a great support team in place all I need is to wait for my son to arrive.  Hopefully that will be on 10-10-10.

This post is part of “All About Wool Week” on Dirty Diaper Laundry.

Before I say this, let me state that my husband has been Phenomenal with cloth diapering thus far.  Though hesitant at first, he has managed to learn almost all of the crazy terms I throw around like “AIO, Pocket, Fitted, WAHM, etc.”  For some reason, he really likes the “WAHM” one and tries to throw it into conversations.

When I decided I was going to dive head first into wool he was already skeptical of how it worked.  I described it to him, saying simply that wool is water resistant and the lanolizing process helps it, and he didn’t really get it.  Fine.  He doesn’t have to.  The first morning my husband changed our son when he had a wool cover on was……. interesting.  He came into the bedroom asking directions.  Half asleep I tell him, “Just pull it off and let it dry.  Toss is over the crib rail.”  “What do I do with the diaper?”  Put it in the pail, like always.”  So he does.

He tells me a few mornings later that he is no longer changing our son in the morning if he had wool on the night before.  Fine, I will change him.  I wasn’t about to switch back since he had been completely leak free since starting using wool.

This kind of worked, but there were mornings that I begged him to change our baby so I could grab 20 minutes of extra sleep.  I think it is fair since I have to wake up umpteen million times to nurse our son, something he is exempt from.

A few weeks later I wash a load of diapers.  Routine.  This happens 3-4 times a week.  On this occasion I empty my dryer and see a very bright and familiar color: teal.  I don’t have any diapers this color that should be in the WASHER or DRYER.  I only have the one Sbish wool soaker in that gorgeous color.  My heart skips a beat.  “Please don’t be what I think it is.  Please…. no…. not the Sbish soaker in the Dryer!!!”  I hesitated to actually pull it out because until I did it was a theory.  Once I pulled it out it was reality.

My wool soaker was washed on HOT, rinsed, and dried on low heat.  Panic set in.  It looked a good bit smaller than it did before being tortured.  I went upstairs and ran for my other Sbish soaker.  Yes, upon comparing them there was definitely a steep difference in size.  I tweeted like crazy that day about my anger and frustration.  I was worried about reviewing an item that was possibly not usable anymore since it shrunk.

Then, this tweet came.  I believe @Fentonlee sent it.  “Did the lanolin make your diapers repel?”

Ummm..  uh oh.  I didn’t even think of that.  The soaker had lanolin on it, of course.  Lanolin makes the soaker waterproof.  Diapers that are waterproof = not good.  I did the booger sucker test.  I filled it with water and squirted it onto my suedecloth lined diapers.  Beads of water danced around merrily.  I tried pushing the water drops in, since sometimes the water beads up but technically they aren’t repelling.  Rather than permeating the suedecloth the beads broke into more, tinier beads.  Ruh Roh.

FUMING, I called my husband at work to B*tch/ vent.  “Why on earth did you put a wool soaker in the pail?”  “Because, I dunno.”  The conversation turned into me crying because not only did I have a tiny soaker, I had to strip my diapers.  Stripping my diapers= 12+ trips up and down 2 flights of stairs.  It is a day long process when I am being efficient.  2 days if not.

That evening my husband brought home Pizza Hut for dinner.  Yes, I can be bought with food.  My stomach is the way to my heart.  The next day I had forgotten the entire incident and life went on.

Now, my husband doesn’t really change our son in the mornings or if he is wearing wool.  In fact, lately he hasn’t really changed him at all!

Ladies, if you have wool or are thinking of trying it keep my story in mind.  This was not the worst case scenario.  Imagine if your custom knit 100.00$ woolies were washed.  Then just change the baby yourself and save your wallet and your heart.

P.S.  The Sbish soaker does still fit!  It is slightly felted (which means it is even more waterproof) but can be finagled onto him.  They probably won’t fit for too much longer but it wasn’t the end of the world.  Here he is in them A.W. (After Washing).

Yesterday morning it was my turn to sleep in.  Hallelujah!  This meant my husband got to do the first diaper change of the day.  Well, I had very few diapers to choose from that were clean.  There was a load of clean, dry diapers in the dryer… which is in the basement.  I believe the choices available for my husband were fitteds, g diapers, gro baby, and a straggling pocket.  He chose a Piddle Poddles fitted.  

A bit after this change my husband brings my son in to my bed for me to nurse him.  This is how this conversation went.

“He is wearing a fitted.  He needs a cover.  This isn’t waterproof.”

“Oh, ok.  He is hungry.”

“I will feed him when he has a cover on, I don’t want pee to leak through in my bed or on me.”

Shortly after: Husband enters.

“Here.”

“This isn’t a waterproof cover.”

“What do you mean, it is a cover.  There are now two layers of fabric.”

“Yes, but this is a G Diaper cover, not a waterproof cover.  Go get a Gro baby and just use that as a cover.”

He was able to find a gro baby and put it on our son.  I don’t actually own “covers”.  I use fitteds coverless around the house for when I want my son’s junk to be able to breathe.

This is the diaper in question, a Piddle Poddle fitted, OBV, with variegated rainbow serging

I am lucky enough to have a husband who supports my cloth diapering addiction, in practice and in the financial department as well.  Sometimes, we have “misunderstandings” such as these, where I suggest a specific diaper be used, and he has no clue what I am talking about.  Or, I don’t request a particular diaper and he picks one that won’t work for the situation at hand.  At least he knows which diapers are “nighttime” diapers (the thick ones heh) and which ones to use during the day (most of the time.)  I have heard stories from other moms whose husbands refuse to change a cloth diaper, so I consider myself pretty lucky.  Thanks hubby!

P.S.

I was able to sleep in to 10:30.  I was a happy mama!

Getting your husband (or Significant other) to change a dirty diaper, let alone a cloth diaper, is a challenge for some moms and moms to be. The general population is unaware of the “modern” cloth diaper. I remember when I first told my husband I wanted to CD his response was, “Then you will be changing all of the diapers.” And honestly at the time I was ok with that. I would have rather changed them all myself than use disposables.

Almost 5 months into our journey into cloth diapering and I can proudly say that my husband has been onboard since day one. Why the 180? Because I schooled him on the ease of cloth diapers. He appreciates the money we are saving, and I think he even likes that we are being green as well.

Most likely if you are looking into cloth diapering you are being bombarded with options. Prefolds and covers? Fitteds and covers? All-in-ones or All-in-twos? Pockets? G Diapers? Whoa…. what? I did months of research online before I made my pick. My husband was on board with my choice of Bum Genius One Size Pocket Diapers. When I told him I was using prefolds and covers for the early weeks he declared “No.”

Guess what? My husband did learn to put a prefold and cover on!!! I showed him how, he watched attentively, and at times he even used his new found knowledge to change our son’s diaper!

Men are not as hopeless at diaper changing as we think. The one advantage I had was this: Before our son my husband had never, ever changed a diaper. There was no comparison. He could imagine that disposables were easier, but in reality he had no point of reference. For dads who have changed diapers before, you may have a harder time convincing. Here is my advice to get them onboard:

1.  Stats.  Use the tool at your fingertips!  Find the cost of cloth diapering with the method you will use and compare it the total cost of disposables until potty learning.  While the initial investment is high, the overall cost is low.  And don’t forget, you can find online stores to register for cloth diapers for your baby shower.

2. Ease of Use. If your husband is dead set against cloth, I wouldn’t go running for prefolds and wool!  Ease him into it with All-In-Ones.  They go on the exact same as a disposable and there is no pulling inserts covered in poop out of the back.  Drying time is high but it could be worth it for some extra help!

3. Health benefits. If you have ever seen a bad diaper rash on your children or friend’s children you know how awful they look, and undoubtedly feel. While not 100% rash proof, cloth diapers are much better for your baby’s skin.  Most likely, your child will never get a rash.  My son has yet to have any rash or irritation from our diapers.  

4. The Green Factor.  Not everyone cares.  But let your husband know that by using cloth you are doing yourselves and the earth a favor.  

5. Trash Duty.  Does your husband end up taking out the trash?  Imagine the amount of bags you will be throwing away each week.  Do you throw out 3 or 4 now?  Just wait… you may just end up taking a bag a day out to the garage.

6. The Stink Factor.  Poop stinks.  Fact.  bags of garbage full of poop stinks.  Fact.  A weeks worth of garbage bags full of poop stink.  Fact.  If you wash your diapers every 2 days you will keep your nursery smelling fresh as a daisy.  The nose has it!  Cloth FTW.  

7. Per my husband- Do the laundry! I yelled over at my husband, “What made you decide to do cloth with me?  And he answered, “You do all the laundry.”  While this might sound sexist, it is more a testament to my husband’s personality.  He isn’t a laundry kind of guy.  I am a SAHM so I have the luxury of doing it all myself.  If this is you, then by all means do the diaper laundry.  Your husband will never know the work involved in cloth diapering.  If not, then do what works for your family.  Who knows, you could have a husband who might not mind.