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Vancouver Cloth Diaper Services - why go 'green'?

10/27/2014

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5 Reasons to Use a Cloth Diaper Service

“Disposable or cloth diapers?” is a big question on many new parents’ minds. What they may not be aware of is a third option: a cloth diaper service.
Here are five reasons to use a cloth diaper service:

Convenience

“Cloth diapering would be appealing if I didn’t have to clean the poop!” This is a common sentiment among new parents. Thankfully, companies such as Happy Baby Cheeks are around to offer the best of both worlds. Once a week, they come around to your home to pick up your bag of soiled cloth diapers (poop and all) and exchange it for a bag of clean ones for you to use. No mess, no fuss, no ick.

By using a cloth diaper service, you also save time and energy by not needing to have to watch for diapers to go on sale. And you never run out of diapers.

Better for the Environment

According to Environment Canada, a child will use an average of 7,000 disposable diapers by the time they are two years old. And approximately 90-95% of babies use single-use, plastic diapers every year. This generates 7.6 billion pounds of garbage each year—enough waste to fill Yankee Stadium 15 times over, or stretch to the moon and back 9 times. Every year. Using a cloth diaper service keeps those diapers out of the landfill.

Additionally, a cloth diaper service uses commercial grade laundering equipment to wash the cloth diapers. This uses four times less water and power than washing your own diapers at home.

Better for the Baby

Disposable diapers rely on chemical products for absorption. Your baby’s skin is an organ and absorbs all harmful chemicals that are in disposable diapers, particularly since your baby wears a diaper 24/7. With cloth diapers, you will never have to question what’s in them.

Since cloth diapers cut out the chemical exposure, babies using cloth diapers generally have less diaper rash.

Better for Toilet Training

Cloth diapers are more conducive to toilet training. Babies are born with an instinct to know when they have soiled themselves. Disposable diaper companies pride themselves in keeping your baby dry, but in doing so, they train your baby to ignore their bodily functions. When it comes time to toilet training, parents have to re-teach their child the physical awareness that they originally knew in the first place! By using cloth diapers, babies remain aware of the feeling of wetness, which can lead to earlier success in toilet training.

Simplifies Cloth Diapering

There are so many types and brands of cloth diapers available out there, getting started can be completely overwhelming, especially if you need to get used to caring for a newborn. The cloth diapers offered by Happy Baby Cheeks are simple and intuitive to use – eliminating the trial and error of finding the right type of cloth diaper for your baby.

Cloth diapers also require several stages of cleaning and special rinsing and washing instructions, which can feel complicated. By using a cloth diaper service, the company takes care of all the cleaning for you. They also PH balance test the diapers at the end of the cycles and check to make sure there is no detergent residue left on the diapers, giving you peace of mind that your baby is getting the best.

About the Author

Nichole is one of the owners of Happy Baby Cheeks Cloth Diaper Service. She lives in Surrey, BC with her husband and kids. 
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Acupuncture in Labor

10/20/2014

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Here is my guest blogger for this month! A new idea I thought of as a way for my 'doula' families to learn about other professionals I collaborate with in the 'birthing' world. Enjoy her story.....

'When I tell people what I do, I find they ask lots about acupuncture in labor. It’s probably hard to imagine if you have never been to a labor! “How do women lie still?” is usually the first question they ask. Well...they don’t. Usually we work around the positions they find comfortable, which can include standing, being on all fours, sitting on a birth ball...

The next question they usually ask is, “Does the acupuncture help with pain?” Hmmm... I find this question hard. Not exactly. Acupuncture can be used for many many things in labor, but I hesitate to say it stops pain. I never want a woman to think that when I walk in the room I will be providing anything resembling an epidural, because it is not like that at all. Acupuncture helps women cope better. As my dear partner Renee says, “There is a difference between pain and suffering.” I think this is where the relief of acupuncture lies.

Take this story as an example. I once was called on to a labor where the mom had been in labor for 24 hours, and she was stuck at the starting gate--just 3-4 centimetres dilated. Her ability to cope was waning, and a change needed to happen. I did some acupuncture to help her cope and to help things progress. Within 20 minutes, everyone in the room could feel the shift. A calmness had returned...but the mom wasn’t so convinced. I removed the needles and stayed to observe. She got herself into the birthing tub, but her coping was again starting to wane. I did the same acupuncture points, and again calmness returned to the room. This time the mom looked at me and said, “I think it’s working!” And it was--she had her baby 3 hours later.'

You can reach Shannon at
info@acumamas.com, 778-323-3973
website: www.acumamas.com
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    Author

    Debra Woods, Dakini Doula
    I am a seasoned birth doula, postpartum doula and a parenting & childbirth educator.
    Since 1989 I have been supporting Vancouver families during the childbearing year and into early parenthood.
    I write about a variety of topics related to pregnancy, birth, parenting and baby care.
    I share information from local Vancouver health professionals.

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