This one time...I thought my nipples were going to fall OFF!

Breastfeeding, it's not supposed to be painful but is it?  Considering that most first time mom's aren't used to nursing a baby, practically around the clock, there certainly is a little room for error and some pain, although not "normal" is to be expected.

I'm an only child and my mother was a La Leche League Leader so when I got pregnant I was going to breastfeed, it just was what you do, for me at least.  My mom had some experience, some advice...She said you should sit in the bath, before you deliver, and use a wet washcloth to rough up your nipples. I laughed!

Sure, like that would really work! Ha Ha Ha!  Like I'm really going to sit in the bath and use a washcloth to do that!  An old wives tale I was sure.  Did I do it?  Absolutely not.  Who listens to their mother anyhow?

So baby came and I was nursing!  Yippee, see this was easy, piece of cake.  Until....maybe a few days or so into it.  I started to feel a burning pain when my daughter nursed, it turned into a searing pain, and then into an eye watering excruciating pain, a very bad I am now totally dreading breastfeeding my new baby pain.

I asked my mom in all seriousness "Is my nipple going to fall off?  Can it fall off?"  I was really worried.  It felt like someone was cutting it off with a razor blade every time my daughter nursed.

Turns out that having a baby gnawing and sucking at the breast takes a little getting used to, a lot of getting used to and there is a learning curve.  Sure, baby is getting milk and appears to be nursing just fine but is she latched on properly?  It's hard to know, especially since everyone's breasts and nipples are different.

We figured out that she wasn't latching on quite right, not enough of the areola was in her mouth.  Using my thumb to gently encourage her to open a little wider seemed to help.  It took a couple weeks for the latch to improve and the pain to go away.  I'll never know if I had used the washcloth method to rough up the nippples for a couple weeks before the birth if that would have helped but heck, hindsight is 20/20 and when I was in pain I seriously wished I had given it a try.

My advice is...

• Make sure you have a good nipple cream.  Lansinoh, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Coconut Oil...Something that will help relieve the pain and discomfort you might experience.
• Use cloth breast pads.
• Ask for help.  You may be modest but you just have to get over it.  If you're in pain past about day 10 you need to see a lactation consultant, doula or midwife who can take a look and make sure baby is properly latched on.
• Stay positive.  Once you've got the right latch and you've found your breastfeeding groove, it only takes a little while before you're poor nipples adjust.

Well I hope you're found my post a little helpful.  Don't forget, this too shall pass!

Here's a good couple of links if you need to check out latch-on techniques:
http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_images_latchon.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/basics/latch-resources.html

Julie, Cloth Diaper Geek

Tuesday Giveaway: Flip Trainers!

We're just so excited about the new Flip Trainers, we can't contain ourselves. We thought it would be fun to pass the time before they arrive at the Cotton Babies warehouse (we expect them in late November or early December) with a little giveaway fun!

To enter today's blog giveaway for your chance to win one of our prize packs, share the best (or worst) tips you have for potty training. Not training someone yet? Share your best diaper changing tip. Let's share what we've learned along the way and help other parents out.

Three winners will be selected at random from all eligible comments to receive a Flip Potty Trainer Pack in the color of their choice from Cotton Babies. Prize will be shipped once the Flip Trainers arrive and begin shipping from Cotton Babies.

Eligible entries must be posted no later than midnight Central time, Wednesday, October 26, 2011. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be drawn at random on Thursday, October 27, 2011 and notified via e-mail. (Please make sure Cotton Babies staff can see your e-mail in your comment or through your Blogger profile page.)

Cloth 101: Wet Towel Trick

Sometimes finding a good laundry routine for a front loading or high efficiency machine can be a little tricky. Today, we'd like to share with you a couple of our tips specifically for this type of washing machine.

• First, a full load of cloth diapers is 12 - 15 cloth diapers or covers and inserts. Putting more than this in a load can keep your diapers from getting as clean as they need to be. Your diapers need room to move around freely to get as clean as possible.
• We recommend washing every other day, regardless of what type of machine you have. This prevents bacteria growth and stink issues.
• If your little one is eating solid foods or drinking liquids other than water, formula or breast milk, we recommend rinsing your diapers before you put them in your wet bag or pail. This will also help to prevent staining and stink issues.
• If you are still having issues getting your diapers clean and you have a front loading machine, we suggest our "Wet Towel Trick". To 'trick' a high efficiency machine into adding more water to your laundry cycles, try adding a saturated towel (or two if they are small) to the beginning of your wash routine. Let the towel go through all the wash cycles (hot, cold and rinses) to make sure the machine adds the most water possible to every cycle.

Tuesday Giveaway: New bumGenius Colors!

To celebrate the new bumGenius colors that are beginning to leave our warehouse in the bumGenius 4.0 cloth diapers, today we are hosting a giveaway where you can win one of these great new colors!

The new colors are Mirror (turquoise), Dazzle (orchid purple) and Sassy (deep tangerine).

To enter today's blog giveaway for your chance to win one of our prize packs, share with your online friends about which of the new bumGenius colors you like best (Mirror, Dazzle or Sassy) and report back here telling us how you shared! Three winners will be selected at random from all eligible comments to receive a bumGenius 4.0 cloth diaper in the color of their choice from Cotton Babies.

Eligible entries must be posted no later than midnight Central time, Wednesday, October 19, 2011. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be drawn at random on Thursday, October 20, 2011 and notified via e-mail. (Please make sure Cotton Babies staff can see your e-mail in your comment or through your Blogger profile page.)

New Product: Charlie's Soap Hardwater Treatment & Laundry Booster!

Did you know that we carry Charlie's Soap Laundry Treatment and Hardwater Booster?  Did you even know that there was such a product?  Well we do, and there is!

What exactly is it and how can you tell if you need it or not?

Charlie's Soap Laundry Booster & Hard Water Treatment uses a biodegradable phosphate that leaves no residue on your clothes while softening your wash water. 

Certain phosphates can safely eliminate these problems and be environmentally friendly. They're only a problem with overuse.

If hard water is an issue, why not use an environmentally-safe product from Charlie's rather than take a chance with other detergents that put bad things into the environment?

The advantage of using Charlie's Soap with our new Laundry Booster & Hard Water Treatment is that you get the benefit of really clean clothes without a lot of chemicals left behind.

The Charlie's Laundry booster and hard water treatment works hand in hand with our Powder or Liquid to give you the best of both worlds. 

How to use it?

Simply add a 1/2 tablespoon per large load with your Charlies Soap detergent!  Your laundry will be whiter, brighter, softer and you can rest assured that they'll be clean, even if you have hard water issues.

MSRP, Just $18.99 for enough to treat 80+ large loads

Cloth 101: Why do I have to wash brights 6 times?

If you purchased a new bumGenius cloth diaper or Flip cover in Clementine, Moonbeam, Ribbit, Zinnia or the new Dazzle and Sassy colors, you may have noticed a small sticker on your diaper that states:

"IMPORTANT: Prewash dark color diapers 6 times separately before washing with any other products."

This means is that for these brighter, bolder colors, we recommend washing them with like colors for the first 6 washes to avoid any transfer of dye to other lighter colors. These do not have to be 6 consecutive washes before your first use.

We like to use the analogy of a brand new, brightly colored bath towel or pair of dark wash jeans. Much like these products, we suggest washing them separately or with like colors to avoid any possible color transfer.

If you have bumGenius 4.0 cloth diapers or Flip diaper covers, your diapers are fully prepped and ready to use after the first wash. We recommend washing them with like colors until they have been washed at least 6 times.

For bumGenius Elemental cloth diapers, you will need to wash your new diapers 5-7 times before they are fully prepped. Items with natural fibers contain natural oils that need to be removed before they will be fully absorbent. More details on how to prep your natural fiber diapers can be found in our Cloth 101: How to Prep Your Cloth Diapers post.

This Just In: New "Hoot" Print from Thirsties!

New at Cotton Babies this week! Whooo do you know that loves owls? Many customers have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this fun new print from our friends at Thirsties.

Easy to use and easy on the wallet, Thirsties Duo Wraps have an adjustable rise the allows a great fit twice as long. Two sizes will last from birth to potty training!

Completely waterproof yet breathable, pliable and comfortable for even the most delicate skin. Thirsties Duo Wraps' leg gussets provide advanced leak protection and the bindings are soft against baby's skin. Want to have fewer covers in your stash? The inside of Thirsties Duo Wraps can be wiped clean between uses.

Pick up "Hoot" in Thirsties Duo Wraps in both snap and hook & loop closures and also in the Duo Diaper.

Similar in feel and fit as the best selling Duo Wrap, Thirsties Duo Diapers are completely waterproof yet remain breathable, pliable and very comfortable for your baby’s delicate skin. The ultra-soft microfleece liner on the inside protects baby’s skin from wetness and also resists staining. The handy sleeve design features openings on both sides of the diaper between the microfleece and waterproof layer. The duo openings featured in Thirsties® Duo Diaper enable easy insert stuffing from either side of the diaper and also make for easy cleaning. There is no need to remove the soiled inserts when washing -- your hands will remain clean! Simply toss your soiled Thirsties Duo Diaper in the laundry and the inserts will agitate free from the diaper in the washing machine.

For other great new products added to the Cotton Babies catalog, be sure to check out our What's New category.

bumGenius and Change 3 Things Giveaway!

Happy Tuesday! To celebrate our bumGenius Buy 5, Get 1 FREE sale, we're giving away some of our favorite bumGenius items today!

We love hearing about how you spread the news of cloth diapering with other families, especially when you are sharing the vision behind our Change 3 Things campaign! Each prize pack for today's giveaway will include a bumGenius 4.0 cloth diaper, a Change 3 Things t-shirt and a bumGenius 4.0 cloth diaper in Bubble, Sweet or Artist Series to share with a friend interested in cloth diapering!

To enter today's blog giveaway for your chance to win one of our prize packs, share with your friends about Change 3 Things and report back here telling us how you shared! Three winners will be selected at random from all eligible comments to receive a prize pack from Cotton Babies.

Eligible entries must be posted no later than midnight Central time, Wednesday, October 12, 2011. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be drawn at random on Thursday, October 13, 2011 and notified via e-mail. (Please make sure Cotton Babies staff can see your e-mail in your comment or through your Blogger profile page.)

How UnderCover Mama Saved My Baby from Chickenpox!

A few weeks ago I noticed 2 itchy spots on my belly and back. I thought it was mosquito bites but had no idea how they got to my belly! Someone suggested it was poison ivy but again, almost impossible. A couple days later it turned into a blistery rash. As we were going out of town the next day, I decided to go to Patient First being that it was quite uncomfortable and I wanted to make sure it wasn't contagious.

The Doctor at Patient First took one look at it and announced, "That is definitely Shingles."  Shingles?! I thought that's for old people! She said that she's seen a few young people with it lately. So am I contagious? Only if someone comes into direct contact with the lesions. But I am nursing a baby! She said my baby was likely already exposed so there's nothing I can do about it anyway. Someone can contract chickenpox from shingles, but they wouldn't contract shingles. But my 8 mo old nursling has not had the chickenpox or the vaccine, and he's the only one who has been in direct contact with my belly!

Her only advice was to keep it covered, wash my hands, and take an antiviral. I was taken off work for a week as I'm a midwife and don't want to expose my patients - just in case. I called my pediatrician who wasn't concerned. It's not dangerous for a baby at 8 months to get chicken pox.

So we went on our trip as planned. And my baby never got the chicken pox!

I attribute it to my Undercover Mama! I LOVE the Undercover Mama and wear one all the time! It is great because it just hooks to your regular nursing bra and is much cheaper than a nursing tank. I like that it keeps my belly covered while I'm nursing as I wear a lot of T-shirts. I also wear it to sleep because nursing in bed makes for a cold tummy! I think because my Undercover Mama kept my belly covered all the time, my baby was never exposed to the shingles lesion.

Another great benefit of the Undercover Mama!

Cloth Diapering Boys vs. Girls, How do they compare?

Guest Post by Bert

You wouldn’t think that there would be that much difference between girls and boys when it comes to cloth diapering. Incorrect. I have learned over the past few weeks that stuffing a nighttime pocket diaper for Lady Bug is completely different than what I had been doing the last two and a half years for Buggie.

You see when little boys pee it fills the front of the diaper. Not rocket science, I know, but I promise you this never occurred to me! That’s the main reason I’m writing this…because I’m thinking that maybe you didn’t realize this either. Anyways, when little girls pee it fills the back of the diaper. And that, my friends, affects how you stuff your pocket diaper if you are using a newborn/doubler sized insert.

With Buggie we stuffed the diaper with the doubler insert in the front. Worked brilliantly with him and as he aged and his bladder grew we simply added more layers. Okay it was only a hemp (I LOVE hemp for a nighttime diaper by the way. It’s not bulky but it holds a lot of urine.) layer but it did the trick for us. So our diaper for Buggie looked like this:

Trust me that did not work for Lady Bug. We’ve had leaky night diapers for about a week and a half. Ben and I could not figure out why this kept happening. We were about ready to contact the diaper manufacturer and ask if other parents had this problem. That’s when it dawned on me. Was the extra insert even getting wet? So I grabbed her sopping wet diaper and pulled out the inserts. Sure enough the back of the diaper was soaked and the front part where the doubler insert was placed was practically dry. No wonder I’ve been changing crib sheets and mattress pads every day this week! It wasn’t the diaper’s fault. It was me! And let me tell you what a relief that was.

For Lady Bug the doubler needs to be placed towards the back of her diaper for optimum pee absorption. Her nighttime diapers need to look like this:

Noticed how the doubler is not in the front? That’s the key my fluffy fanatic mamas! I also will be using a hemp doubler on top of a regular insert. That diaper will look like this:

And as she grows and her bladder grows her nighttime diaper will probably be the same as Buggie’s was. It’ll look like this but with the doubler in the back:

Happy absorbent diapering my friends! I hope this spares you of many late night sheet changes. Don’t worry; I was happy to be the village idiot on this one!

Elizabeth (aka Bert) Anderson married her college sweetheart in 2005, and started her journey into motherhood in 2008 with the birth of her son.  She started blogging in 2009 as a way to keep track of her thoughts on being a first time mom, especially her struggle with postpartum depression, and as a way of reaching out to other moms who are struggling with the same things.  This June, Bert had another first in her motherhood travels - a little girl!  Even though she's newly a mother of two, Bert maintains that no matter how many children you have you will always be a "first time mom" because there's a first time for everything!  Visit her blog, at FTM. Bert is a contributor for She Thinks Media.

This Just In: Bee All Natural skin care products

New at Cotton Babies: Bee All Natural skin care products. Bee All Natural was founded in 2009 when Rachel Nonis couldn't find the quality skincare products she was searching for. Tired of buying "natural" products that were petroleum based and filled with perfumes, she set-out to develop skincare products that would be safe for every member of the family.

Rachel, daughter of an organic dairy farmer, already believed in the connection between diet and health. She wanted the products she chose for her family's skincare to reflect the same quality and goodness as those that she chose for their nutrition.

The ingredients in Bee All Natural products are certified organic and are all "food grade" quality. Each product is made from scratch and never use pre-made bases. Packaging each batch herself, Rachel even designs and prints her own labels and carries each order to the post office or retail location. We are pleased to bring these fine products to our Cotton Babies stores and warehouse.

Bee All Natural Organic Baby Powder is talc and fragrance free. The Baby Body Butter has no preservatives, mineral oils, or petroleum. The avocado oil and shea butter in the body butter are extremely gentle and easily absorbed by skin. Baby Body Butter comes in both natural and lavender scents. The Intense Hand and Foot Salve is great for healing dry or cracked skin and has a great peppermint scent.

For other great new products at Cotton Babies, be sure to check out our "What's New" category.

Jenn's Thoughts: Cloth diapers are changing things.

Our team is settling back into the office after the excitement of the 2011 ABC Trade Show, one of the largest juvenile trade shows in the industry. This is the show where buyers from retailers worldwide go to see the latest and greatest product innovations. It's always exciting what new things are being brought to the table, we've hand selected some new fun products of all kinds and they will begin arriving at Cotton Babies over the next several months. We were personally thrilled to present the new bumGenius Freetime and Flip Training Pants to retailers as well as giving them a look at our new colors and the Genius Series prints!

The cloth diaper industry has continued to grow over the past several years because as many of you have discovered, cloth diapers are a solution for so many families for a variety of reasons. Jenn Labit has shared her thoughts on where the cloth diaper industry is headed in 2012 on her blog. Jenn's blog is an insightful look at her business, culture, life as a mother, and much more. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, please take a look at what she's been thinking about lately!

Last week, Jenn shared her thoughts on where the cloth diaper industry is headed in the coming year.

"The cloth diaper industry has a recent history of being a ‘kitchen table business’ with a strong focus on small, home based businesses and female bread winners. At first, it was fueled by entrepreneurs with a strong focus on waste elimination and reducing our dependence on petroleum. As the cloth diaper industry has grown over the past few years, it has become clear that the population buying reusables was widely varied to include:

• the family who can’t afford disposables

• the every day family living on a budget

• the fashionable mom who wants diapers to match her baby’s wardrobe

• the green family who wants to lower their overall environmental impact

• the family who wants only the best for their new baby."

Read more of this post at JenniferLabit.com

Earlier today, Jenn posted "People who make me smile... Judge Jimmy Edwards" in which she shares about a local St. Louis organization that Cotton Babies will be working with in the future to educate young parents about the benefits of cloth diapering. Read more about Judge Edwards and the beginning stages of this project here .