Saturday, May 30, 2015

Why do we Need More than One Wrap

my very humble stash
Yes, I have more than one wrap and it doesn't mean that I am boasting it. *peace yow* It is actually a very humble stash. Though some people don't understand us wrapping mommas why we need more than one, here are my reasons..

1. We need different sizes for different types of carries.
You need a size 2 if you want a quick rebozo, a size 3 if you want to do a hassle free kangaroo carry, a size 4 if you want an abbreviated Front wrap cross carry, size 5 for a full FWCC and size 6 to do your fancy back carry finishes.

2. We need different blends for different seasons.
You may need a 100% cotton wrap for cold seasons since they are mostly medium thick and medium heavy, and jacquard or a linen for a hot summer season.

3. They wont hurt your back and your budget.
You can have a wrap for as low as 250 php if you are good at DIY (you need a lot of research though) or a local handwoven wrap at 1,000-2,000 php or a nice imported wrap at 3,000 php. My cheapest wrap cost 400 php. 😊

4. We can't resist gorgeous designs.
Self explanatory.

Having more than one wrap is not a sin. It is not a "luho" either. It is for our convenience in carrying our little one. 

Friday, May 29, 2015

Wrapping Is Everything

One time, while I was breastfeeding my son, I felt back pain and I cannot do things I needed to do. I am a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) with no helper at home. Although my family and hubby offers to carry my baby, they can't stand carrying him for a long time. And because I'm exclusively breastfeeding, I cannot leave without my baby. Traveling is so hard for me before I knew babywearing. Indeed, carrying our little one is one of our job as a mom.
Until I found Babywearing Philippines. I learned a lot through the group. I thought all carriers I saw everywhere are safe but I learned that the common carriers that I see are the Narrow Based Carriers (NBC) and most of them are not safety tested. Of course I would choose a carrier that is best and can't put my baby into danger. So my first ever carrier was a Hybrid type.
Hybrid carrier
I love it because it is easy to wear but honestly I didn't used it often because it has a definite size and I felt that though I got the right size, its too tight. It's also not airy and I learned it will get sagged once baby is getting heavier. I switched to Meitai since it is also a two shoulder support and I wished that my hubby could wear our baby too as it is not so complicated to wear. I can adjust the tightness that I prefer. I was wearing it for the first time in like 2 hours, I noticed I always adjust it because baby was slouched. And after wearing it, God, I had the worst back ache in my entire life.
This time, I tried my luck for wraps. I was too afraid to use it because my baby might fall if I missed a step. When I tried wearing a wrap, I was surprised that it is actually easy. And I felt like "oh my GOD! thank you for inventing wraps!" . I can adjust the tightness, baby is on optimal position and no more back aches for me. Then I started to learn the different carries since wraps are the most versatile of all carriers. I learned rebozo, kangaroo, back carry and hip carries aside from Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC). It's one of my hobbies at home and we both enjoyed it. I also learned that we need different sizes for a certain type of carry (see my next post about Why We Need More Than One Wrap).
I'm practicing back carry here
My first 2 wraps were locally made. I'm happy that I support our local weavers. And then I started dreaming of an imported wrap. It is not easy to get since you need to buy them at online shops abroad. Then a lovely mama offered me to join her purchase on Little frog. When I got my first wrap from Poland I felt contented that I got to own a wrap that I dreamed of. And now, lucky are the mommas because they don't need to wish for a star to have their DISO Wraps because Wraps by Little Yeoh will make them available for us. They are authorized retailer of different imported wraps here in Philippines. The prices are almost the same with the prices abroad which saves you a lot and save you from visiting and pleading at Customs. They also offer lay away to their selected products. Plus the owner (Claud Arellano) is so accommodating and a babywearing advocate too.
Well that was a wrap on our search for the best carrier. When you found the right one that suits you, you can't stop loving it.
Our travels are easier with babywearing. I'm using Little frog Sunny Agate II.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Who's Too Lazy to Give Birth?

A woman was strapped in an operating table. She was given medications for her not to feel the pain in her ultimate battle.The baby was out. She was stitched again. I guess that's all you knew about Cesarean Section. Mother's just lie there and viloa! baby is out with no effort. Do you see them as lazy mothers?

I gave birth via CS in a day I will forever remember. You don't know how scary it is especially when you knew what exactly is going to happen (I assisted many CS operation). As much as I would like to give birth normally, it's not meant for me. I can't risk this baby who's been inside me for nine months. So, I decided to have emergency CS.

My bag of water got lower than the borderline and my baby was struggling. I can say I was lucky because I was adviced by my OB to return that day to have my ultrasound since my bag of water is always at borderline. I was hesitant to go to the hospital that time because no one can take me there. But my mom persisted. When its my turn for the ultrasound, the sonographer asked me a lot of questions and it was unusual to me to lie there for a long time. She said my bag of water is low. As a nurse I knew what that mean. I should give birth immediately or else.. and I became hysterical. I'm scared. The doctor asked me if I would give birth normally and they will closely monitor my baby but to my judgement, I can't take a risk.I heard 2 mothers lost their babies that week because of the same condition. So my husband signed that I will had the operation that night.

While I was at the Operating room, there's a lot going on my mind. Until I was sedated. Even I was sedated, I was scared. What if I feel the cut? Oh no! What if I won't woke up? But the Anesthesiologist reassured me. Then afterwards I woke up,still groggy and I saw my little baby. I was nauseous when a certain medicine is injected and sometimes vomited. The recovery was hard for me. I had cough and I worry the stitches would give in. I can't move a lot. And I felt the pain that I was so scared of. It reaaaaaly hurts! but I am thankful for my hubby for taking care of me and our baby while I was still recovering.
I am very jealous of those mom swho are brave enough to give birth normally. It's not easy too i know. But people should not judge us moms who gave birth via CS because every scars tell different stories. Are we lazy and didn't actually gave birth? What's important to me now is that I saved my little one.

Here's baby Brett fresh from the womb.


Brett at one day old.

Friday, May 15, 2015

How We Saved the Earth by Chaging Diapers


If I didn't bumped to a mom who was very into cloth diapering, I would have used disposables. Well, saving the Earth isn't my first concern by then. I admit, I was attracted by the cute prints that these reusable diapers has unlike the disposables that obviously look plastic and hmmm doesn't look nice at all. So I had my first purchase (so fluffy!) And joined Modern Cloth Nappying Pinays. I thought I would just settle for 3-5 pieces because I didn't knew using it exclusively would be possible. Until I was surprised I had 20 in my stash (and growing) before giving birth to my precious.
It's a One Size Fits Most (OSFM) so it can be used from newborn until baby will be potty trained. Great huh? Though I wasn't able to use it exclusively when Brett was still a newborn because he poops every after feeding. It's hard to handwash with all the poop plus I can't leave my son because he is breastfeed and kinda clingy. We exclusively used our CDs when he was 2 months old where he only pooped once a day at least.
I enjoyed every cloth diaper change. I'm always excited of the next cloth diaper Brett would wear. And thinking I saved the Earth for not throwing the soiled one, I saved my son's bum from rashes and I saved money because I can reuse them.
Newbies to cloth diapers be like "how do you save from it? It costs 220 per piece". Uhm yes, its costly at first but think of it as an investment and as long as you are using it, you get your money back. Plus if baby will be potty trained already, you can sell them or you can keep it and pass it on to your next squish. Since I am a thrifty momma I only buy when there are great deals like sale or free shipping. I also buy in bulk to have bigger discounts.
Some parents are not using cloth nappies because they find it inconvenient for them (it's okay, it's your child, your choice). They think cloth nappies have special washing care. Yes, they do. Since we want them to last long right? But it isn't what you think. Just stay away from fabric conditioners, bleach and brightening agents. They can damage the PUL and causes repelling (see Google) . We used the cheapest detergent powder to wash our nappies and it woks for us.
And if you will ask me if I spent most of my time washing nappies? No. Brett is breastfed so I just toss all his used nappies (even with poop) to a pail and wash them on the next day. I don't worry about the poop stains, just wash them properly and dry them under the sun- all stains will be gone.
I hope this post would help you somehow to choose cloth on your own baby. Don't be overwhelmed. I've been there too. You can visit my online shope @ Chuvaerma Boutique Facebook page. I sell cloth diapers too. Send me a message if you have questions. Happy Cloth Diapering!