Free Choice. . .A modern hippie? :-)

Since my pregnancy there are things that I've read or came across that has spark an interest in me. Some are the common interest while other works for some and not so for others. For, me it's more so what works for me and my husband and soon to be child, and if others benefit from it, glad I can help! :-) So even before I got pregnant, I knew I wanted to to breastfeed. I still will love the option to try but until our LO (little one) arrives, I will have to see how it goes for the two of us. Other than that, I don't feel there's much to discuss, for me the pros out way the cons, and if God allows my body to naturally produce for my child then I will be happy and blessed to do so. Nonetheless, I guess I should mention that when I say breastfeed, I mean when I'm feeding our little one. I don't want to take away the bonding from Ray or not allow our child to feel secure with her dad by solely breastfeeding myself. I do plan to pump and introduce a couple of bottles a day so that the opportunity for dad and whoever else to feed and bond with our LO.

Another decision I've made is that I want to use cloth diapers instead of disposables. After doing some research, it really became apparent that this is such a good idea. I'm not surprised by the opinions of others about this decision because I know how I felt the first time I had to change a child that mom chose to use cloth diapers, but after her first diaper change, I came to realize, it was not worst than a disposable and if anything just as easy.

**First off, cloth diapers have come soooooooooooooooo far.** Many of you are thinking of the old cloth diapers which are called "pre-folds" that Gerber now sells are diapers/burp cloths....however the new cloth diapers require no pins, needles, or folding. The kind of cloth diaper I plan to use are BunGenius 3.0 and Bumkins to ease into cloth diapers. They snap on in the same way as a disposable, and have a waterproof lining and absorbent removable insert. You can read all about them at their site. Plus they are super cute! I like the white, but I think I'd throw in some pink or designs to match with outfits!

Because I can not say it any better than a follow blogger Jess...I will quote what she had to say about cloth diapers...She wrote this at 3-4 months and now she is currently using them on her 4 month old son. "They are much more economical than disposable diapers. I really like how this site breaks it down. Basically, for a baby in diapers until two-and-a-half, you're looking at spending $2,500+ per child on disposable diapers. You can spend anywhere from $300 to $1,000 on cloth diapers (depending on how fancy or not you want them), and use them for all of your children. I have to admit, this is a huge motivation for me. Even though we can afford disposables, it makes so much more sense to invest that money elsewhere... like in a college fund for our child!*Cloth diapers encourage better hygiene and earlier toilet training. Because disposable diapers are mutant-ly absorbent, moms tend to change them less often. This leads to more diaper rash (as does the plastic-y material), and more bacteria / uncleanliness overall. Cloth is more breathable and soft, and babies have much less diaper rash because of it. Also, because disposables hold so much liquid, a baby can't sense that they're wet as well. As a result, they are less motivated to start using the toilet, since they associate urinating in their diaper as a way to relive themselves and not be uncomfortable. (A baby in diapers longer also = more $ and more waste, and possibly even lower self-esteem... think 4-yr old in diapers.) So, while cloth diapers are very absorbent and prevent leaks, your baby is still able to identify that they're wet. And being privy to wetness is great motivation to potty train sooner!*They are easier to clean than you'd think. For an infant that is exclusively breastfeeding, any waste can remain in the diaper - which you just fold up and put in your diaper hamper. When you're ready, you just throw your load of diapers in. When they start eating food, you just dump solids into the toilet first. This site has a good info about cleaning / caring for cloth diapers. There are also washing instructions on the bumGenius website, or on the site of whatever manufacturer you choose.*Disposable diapers result in ~1 ton of waste per child! Just thinking for myself, I'd like to have between two and four kids! And all of that is going into landfills. Now, I wouldn't call myself particularly "green" or anything (we recycle and in general I try not to be wasteful), but cloth diapers seem like something that could make a really positive impact. Someone at our small group made a comment a couple weeks ago, that even though we don't need to be extremist about it, as Christians we should all be environmentalists to some extent. God entrusted us with this world to take care of, and in a lot of ways we could / should be doing a better job. I thought that was a really neat and important thought, and I think this could be a good way for me to do that.Okay... I think those are all of my points about cloth diapers. Now, I wouldn't judge people for using disposables. I just think that helping to get the info out there can be help to change how we think. I know that once the baby comes, I will be able to stay home a lot as well as bring the baby to work with me... and I know that will help tremendously in being able to do cloth so easily. But anyway, something for all you moms / future moms to consider!" ~Jess

So that's my hippie moment....I'll be back this week to update you on week 29!