Overnight Diapering Problems...

Sigh... as all my loyal readers (all 5 of you ;) know, I am a cloth diapering user and proponent. However, this past week we've been having problems with our overnight diapering: My little man developed an irritation on his pee-pee that was bleeding!!! YIKES!!!

Thankfully it was just a little dot here and there, but it's been consistent every few days with a little drop of blood on his diaper in the morning. NOT what you want to see.

I'm not sure why it's been happening, but we took him to doctor and they gave us some ointment to put on it, and recommended either using disposables or "softening" the cloth diaper in some way so it wasn't so irritating. We've gone down to one liner during the day, which has seemed to help, but the overnight has been the issue.

For now, the plan is to switch to disposables for overnights until the irritation is gone, then to try some different cloth diapering solutions and see which one works best. I found this page on the Cotton Babies website that was helpful, so I ordered 3 BumGenius stay-dry diapers with some extra microfiber inserts and hemp liners to try. I also decided to try the hook and loop (aka Velcro) diapers instead of the snaps as a) we've only been using snap covers and b) they seem more adjustable, so we will hopefully be able to get a good fit.

Here's hoping this works! Anyone else have any overnight ideas for me to try?

Breastfeeding... not for the faint of heart!

Joseph is now about 5 and a half months old. He's had two teeth since he was 4 months old, and now is teething again with the top two and two more on the bottom coming in. (Poor little man!)

I find it interesting that one thing people always seem to say regarding breastfeeding is that "it will get better." I heard it back when I was struggling to get started with breastfeeding--when sore, cracked nipples and cluster feedings from 10 pm to 1 am threatened to destroy what was left of my sanity--and now when my sore, cranky little boy occasionally chomps down when he's in pain. My philosophical wondering is if it will "get better" then why does it have to suck so much in the first place? ;)

I know that breastfeeding is best for a variety of reasons, but I am honestly VERY tempted to switch over to formula from time to time. Now that we are on more of a feeding schedule it's not nearly as bad sleep-wise and sanity-wise as it has been, but it's still a huge commitment (no doubt made more stressful by having to pump and try to keep my supply up while I'm at work four days a week). Also, we are pretty sure that Joseph has a dairy allergy, so all cow's milk dairy products have to be avoided while I continue to breastfeed him. This has been a challenge to me, both personally--I really and truly enjoy cheese and yogurt and even just plain old milk--and in regards to my cooking--how can I suddenly change the ingredients I'm used to using and still make good food that tastes good too?

Thankfully there are others who have gone through similar issues and have succeeded and who are willing to share their wisdom with me, but it is hard sometimes. I wonder if I was a stay-at-home mom if I would have the same qualms about continuing to breastfeed? I think it would be easier in many regards. But I'd still really miss eating cheese.

However, perhaps this ban on dairy is a blessing in disguise... after all, no dairy means no chocolate, no ice cream, no fatty (and delicious!!!) cheese fries from Outback, etc.