Don't Felt That Wool!!

Well you can felt if you want to, but you don't need to.  None of my wool is felted.  Not even my cashmere, or my night time wool.  I do sew a wet zone in my wool for a little extra protection.  If you have a good diaper under your wool, you will be fine.  Not felting means more wool to sew with (no shrinking), full stretch (useful over fluff bums), full cuddly softness, and no accidentally ruined wool that over felted (unless hubby washes your favorite pair lol).

Unfelted upcycled shorties.

Unfelted knitted night time longies

Unfelted wool rib knit

Unfelted wool jersey knit

Unfelted wool interlock romper

And Unfelted CASHMERE longies, the most soft, cuddly wool of all 

Dispelling the myth of the many moms who "couldn't" breastfeed.

*first off there are a few medical reasons a Mom can't breastfeed.  I will cover this.

I feel it is important to dispell the myths of why so many Moms supposedly couldn't breastfeed.  I feel this is important because such myths interfere with the normalization of breastfeeding and because the fact is breast milk is the natural, normal food for human babies and formula is a less healthy substitute.  It isn't just as good or almost as good. Breast milk is nature's norm so formula is less them normal. End of story.

All too often I hear expectant moms tell me they hope they will be able to breastfeed.  When I ask why they think they might not be able to 9/10 times they respond by telling me of all the moms they know or have heard of who "couldn't" breastfeed.  The fact is most moms who claim they couldn't, in fact could have if they had gone to Le Leche League, gotten a Lactation consultant (now free in many areas), or made the commitment to the lifestyle of a nursing mom.  By perpetuating this myth we further undermine breastfeeding by having new moms start off believing it's something only a few can achieve.  It is time to stop being silent for fear of mommy wars and people's feelings.  Mommy wars are nothing more then formula propaganda to silence the truth.  So hear it is; the cold, hard truth.

Legitimate reasons a mom can't breastfeed: * please note non of these are common.
√ cleft lip / palette.  Except in a minor case this will interfere with a baby's ability to latch.
√ mastectomy.  Obviously yes this will interfere with breastfeeding.
√ breast reduction.  Depending on how the reduction is preformed this can effect the milk ducts.
√ / x lip ties.  It can make breastfeeding difficult.  A doctor can easily fix this so please don't give up!
√ a very few life threatening, chronic illnesses.  Check with both your doctor and a licensed lactation consultant.


The myths:  if the below reasons are reasons you tell other moms you "couldn't" breastfeed, please help normalize breastfeeding by saying you decided not to breastfeed as the lifestyle choice wasn't for you.  
X) inverted nipples.  This is what breast shields are designed for.  See a Lactaion Consultant (LC) or go to Le Leche League (LLL) meetings for assistance.

X) small breasts.  Got news for you, size doesn't matter.  At best I am an A cup (when not nursing).

X) my baby refuses the breast.  Well then you shouldn't have been using bottles.
•Yes breastfeeding every hour or two all day and all night is tiring.  That is the sacrifice of being a mom, suck it up!
• yes you are expected to put your life on hold and not be out "having fun", using a baby sitter several nights a week, you're a parent now, get over it!
•yes you are expected to nurse in public, do other moms, a favor and help normalize breastfeeding.

X) not enough milk.  Unlikely.
• if baby has the correct number of wet diapers and is gaining weight you have enough milk.  In the unlikely event baby doesn't there are many natural, healthy, easy ways to correct this.  Get an LC and go to LLL.
• do NOT judge your milk supply on what you can pump.  Pumping is not as effective as nursing.
* note Many moms are using lactation aides to increase milk supply who do not need them.  Stop, please, cuz it is counter productive to normalizing breastfeeding.
*x* if you are regularly using formula this will cause you to not have enough milk.  Stop slacking, ditch the formula and nurse your baby.

X) baby nurses non stop so I " know " I don't have enough
• wrong, baby is constantly growing, spurt after spurt especially in first 4 months.  Every time baby grows, baby needs a larger supply and must tell your body to make the new supply level by nursing all the time.  Go to LLL and you will learn tonnes.

X) my milk is to weak.
•Nope, your just switching sides before the first breast is emptied so baby isn't getting all that healthy fattening hind milk.  Unless you feel a tugging sensation at the back of your breast, that breast isn't empty.  I don't care if the L&D nurse said to switch sides every 10 min, that info was given to the nurse by formula companies.  Go to LLL.

X) my baby nurses 45 min at a time / I don't have time
• yeah, it's not a 5 min job, sit down, nurse and enjoy your baby for as long as baby needs.

X) my baby has teeth.  Nope.
• babies should be exclusively breastfeed for a minimum of 6 months.  Sometime after that food can be introduced.  Breastfeeding (according to the world health organization) should continue till age 2, or longer.  Babies nurse with teeth.  It is quick and easy to ensure your baby won't bite while nursing.  They don't get milk if biting.  Go to LLL for advice.

X) I'm on medication.  Most meds don't cross the milk barrier in any significant amount.
•Get an LC, ask her to join you at a doctors appointment and together they can put you on appropriate meds.

X) I had to quit due to a bad cold.
• If your sick your body is producing the antibodies (which are in your milk) to protect baby.  Go to LLL

X) mastitis.
•Best cure for mastitis is nursing + antibiotics.  Go see your doctor and LLL.

X) yeast infection / thrush.
• go see your doctor and an LC if needed also.  You need to treat you and baby.  But you absolutely can still breastfeed.

X) baby won't nurse under my nursing cover.
• Then don't use the stupid cover! These were designed by formula companies to hide breastfeeding.  Help other moms by helping to normalize breastfeeding.

X) smoking tobacco or marijuana.
•Well we all know it isn't a healthy choice for mom, but it doesn't cross the milk barrier and you can breastfeed.  What is unhealthy is 2nd hand smoke though.

X) drug use or alcoholism
• yeah you shouldn't be breastfeeding.  This doesn't mean your body isn't able too.  It means you aren't putting your babies needs first and probably shouldn't be a parent either.  So no, I don't class this as unable to breastfeed, just choose not to cuz drugs or alcohol was more important to you.

X) baby's dad wants to use a bottle for bonding time.
•fact is bottle feeding simply isn't a bonding thing for babies on the same level as nursing.  The only activity that is as bonding is reading to your child.  So tell dad to read before you nurse baby.
• another thing is to have dad cuddle up to mom and baby while baby nurses.  Its comfy, sweet and really good for mom's post partum mental health.

X) I need / want to go on a diet.
• well you can breastfeed but you shouldn't diet.  Dieting is never healthy anyways.  Go see a dietician, learn to eat proper portions for a nursing mom and take baby on brisk walks.  Add a baby carrier instead of a stroller and you will burn more calories.

X) my baby is to fat.  Nope.
•There is no such thing as an exclusively breastfeed baby that is too fat.  Once they walk they will slim down unless you feed them unhealthy food and / or too much.

X) baby doesn't sleep through the night.  LMAO.  Get used to it.
• sleeping through the night from 6-18+ months is medically considered one 5 hour stretch.  Welcome to motherhood.
•a baby's tummy and digestive system is teeny tiny and needs to be fed regularly.  Giving baby artificial food to sleep longer is a selfish act that has zero benefit for baby.

X) baby won't latch well / cracked nipples.
• LLL and or an LC.  Poor latch is about a learning curve.  Get help fixing the latch and all will be better.  A good LC can fix this in minutes.
•babies naturally know how to latch.  Most do right after birth and then suddenly seem to forget.  They didn't forget.  You clothed them and put them in "nursing holds".  Go google " laid back nursing ".  It is easy, restful and the natural position.

X) I am vegan
• human milk, seriously it won't turn your child into a meat eater any more them it will turn them into a cannibal.  (I've only heard this once)

^^and on that note^^ do NOT tamper with the breast milk! Do not water it down, do not make your own replacement (home made formula), cuz it will be lacking even more of natures magic then formula, you do not have the science background to know what you are doing!

Again, things you can do:
√Look up your local Le Leche League meetings.
√Ask your health unit, doctor, midwife or hospital for lactation consultant.  They are fantastic trained help needed by most mom's because todays moms grew up not seeing breastfeeding.  It is time to normalize nursing.
√Look up Dr. Jack Newman (world known expert) and get his book.  If you live in Ontario then email him.  If you live in Toronto book am appointment.

Potty Training In Wool

So today is the first day if fall weather and a need to dress monkey rather then have him run around in nothing but his monkey undies.  Also my timing for sitting on the potty is off due to having just 3 whole hours of sleep last night.  (Life if moms).  But the good news is I got to see how effective wool is over (non water proof) training pants.  And it is amazing.  Monkey undies are not as absorbent as diapers.  This is so my toddler can learn that peeing in underwear is not ideal.  His wool longies stayed dry.  We will have some happy easy fall potty training without the worry of multiple clothing changes.

Fastest Way To Dry Wool

Weather you are cleaning and lanolizing wool or dying wool the biggest issue is it takes so long to dry!!

Well I have good news for you! I dry my wool in about 2 hours per piece.  Interlock fabric or longies.  I simply place it on the back of a fan and the wetness is sucked out.  I can wash and lano my full stash and have every piece dried by bed time.  Now you can too.

Disposable diaper low down - can they be green?

The law suit against honest company which (amoung other items) includes their diapers sparked an interest in me as to what is in their diapers and can disposal diapers be "green" or "natural" diapers.  Honest brand diapers aren't the only ones claiming to be green or natural, G diapers make a similar claim.

Sodium polyacrylate.

The claims:  honest co and g diapers make slightly different claims.  G diapers call their diapers "green".  Their claim is relatively safe, their diapers biodegrade pretty quickly.  That is generally what it takes to call ones self green.  Of course the other side would be, is the process of making the diapers a green process?  But most of today's consumers aren't looking at that.  Hopefully in the near future.  Honest co claims " natural". To me that is totally different.  To me that implies natural only products.

Screenshot of materials used in honest co diapers, from their site.

Sodium polyacrylate: this is the substance that makes disposable diapers absorbent.

 Both G diapers and honest co admit it is in their diapers.  It is a chemical compound.  Making it is not a natural process, not sure if it is a green process.  Both honest co and g diapers use this polymer.  Honest adds wheat and corn to it and calls it a bio core.  I would agree that is misleading.  Why is corn and wheat added? No reason that benefits the chemistry (function) of it.  My guess is simply advertising. -and is that GMO wheat and corn, or organic wheat and corn, unnecessarily added to the diaper core?-   Sodium polyacrylate is in all disposable diapers.  Its a white powdery substance that turns to a weird gel bead substance when it has absorbed wetness.  It is also what is in all disposable feminine pads.  It used to be in tampons till it was banned for causing toxic shock syndrome.

It has been deemed by the governments of Canada and the US to he safe in cosmetics, fake snow, diapers and feminine pads.  Not safe in tampons, workers should wear gloves and masks because long term exposure (8+ hours a day) could cause skin irritation, lung problems and possibility of cancer but not conclusive.  It is only fatal if ingested in large amount.  That isn't likely unless you baby / toddler eats their diapers.  Not common, but not unheard of.

For me this all means there is no disposable diaper or feminine pad I want on my children's genetials.  End of story, but that's me.  And yeah, I wouldn't call any product containing it natural.  I however won't argue with the green claim since it does biodegrade.  Hopefully soon green will mean more then that alone.

Photo sources: link, link, honest company and wiki.

A Day Of Poop :(

Monkey has been sick all week (my 6th kid, but 1st sick baby) and his main nourishment has been breast milk.  He only had a few bites of solid food per day.  Makes me so relieved I am breastfeeding.  I don't know what a bottle mom would do.

The return to (nearly) ebf has meant ebf style poop...and no mom ever complained of that lol.

Well....until today
  We were just less then 24hrs into snack sizez meals of solid food, so still ebf style poop.  Monkey had plans for that poop and twice pulled off hka undoes and pooped on the ground.

As bad as it sounds it is rh a good and bad situation.  Taking off undoes to poop is awesome awareness.  Getting him to poop on the potty, and trying to get dishes done without him pooping on the carmwt will be a whole new challenge.... Starting tomorrow.  I  also fortunate he is back into potty mode follow a week of being sick.

sewing pattern copy right laws - myths debunked: link share and discussion.

First off, here is the article

Ok so a quick over view and thoughts. Basically everything you were told you "couldn't do" you can.  The only thing the copy right law protects is the printed pattern.  The article explains why. 

What you can't do:
•You can't sell someone else's pattern as your own. 

What you can do:
•Make as many things from one pattern as you like.
•sell items you make from that pattern. 
• not give credit for the pattern
•sell items with "licensed" prints (ie Disney).
• modify the pattern. 

•trace your favorite diaper, make a pattern from it and yep, even sell it.  

Unknown:
•sell a modified pattern.  As in when I modified monster bunz pants to be a romper, shorties or soaker.  I don't know if that then makes it my pattern or hers at that point but I don't supply my modification.  I do tell others how to do the same and that is totaling legal. 

Why have you been misguided?
•Money basically.  People want as much as they can. 
•misunderstanding.  People create something and assume the copy right covers more then they thought.
•ego.  Lots a people, especially with today's internet age want to be the big guy, and they feel that most when telling people what they can't do.  In a perfect world their ego would be flattered telling you what they can do, but sadly most aren't there yet. 

So:
get sewing, selling and whatever else you wish to do just like the big designers out there.  Stop paying extra for "rights to sell", you have that.  Don't buy cottage licenses. Don't avoid the new frozen fabric prints.  Once you create it its yours! 

Enjoy.