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Miracle Diapers Is Now The Cloth Diaper Foundation

empowering families, improving the environment

As Miracle Diapers has grown so has the number of families they assist. In 2009, they helped over 450 babies directly, more than 100 babies through sponsorship and local distribution, and assisted other charities with the same mission as well!

To better serve those families Miracle Diapers reaccessed it’s structure and practices. They have:

             • New leadership with Roxanna Jolly—CEO and Lisa Johnston—Operations Manager and Board Chair

             • Relocated their headquarters to Katy, Texas

             • Restructured  how they process and accept applications

             • Opened a retail store for fundraising

             • Founded a new membership program

             • Welcomed several new board members from the cloth diapering industry

In it’s fifth year Miracle Diapers wants to continue moving forward and has decided to take on a new name that better describes the organization and it’s mission.

Miracle Diapers is now The Cloth Diaper Foundation.

“We felt that a more appropriate name would help the community have a better understanding of who we are, as we have often been mistaken for a diaper manufacturer. Our desire to move forward and build a  legacy of support for the cloth diapering community will be reflected in our new name: The Cloth Diaper Foundation.”

              -Roxanna Jolly, CEO, The Cloth Diaper Foundation

Monetary donations fell last year do to the economy. Which means there are more families out there for The Cloth Diaper Foundation to help! While diaper donations are always appreciated, we must be able to financially support organizational growth.  Let’s make this happen together and spread the CD love.  Visit http://clothdiaperfoundation.org today to find out how you can help!          

Addendum to Press Release: To assist in fund raising efforts, in the month of February, Tracy Whittemore and Lisa Adkins from The Cloth Diaper Company have so graciously offered to match, product for product, each Cloth Diaper Company product sold (Drybees, Wahmies, Rocky Mountain Diapers) in The Cloth Diaper Foundation Retail Store with an equal donation to our organization.  (Example – Purchase a Rocky Mountain Diapers OS Pocket, CDC will donate our organization a RMD OS Pocket, Drybees for Drybees, etc.)

Empowering Families. Improving the environment.

There have been too many terrible tragedies involving babies in the past couple of weeks.  Innocent babies are dieing at the hands of their own mothers. 
Postpartum depression is real and can turn deadly very quickly.  Sleep deprivation combined with hormonal changes can effect the mother’s emotions towards her new baby.  According to the MayoClinic, an estimated 10% of new moms experience postpartum depression.  Though rare, an extreme form of postpartum depression, knows as postpartum psychosis can also develop. 

Not sure if it’s Postpartum depression or just the “Baby Blues?”  Check out this symptom guide from the MayoClinic staff:

Baby Blues – these symptoms usually fade away a few days or weeks after giving birth.

Mood swings
Anxiety
Sadness
Irritability
Crying
Decreased concentration
Trouble sleeping

Postpartum Depression – resembles Baby Blues but symptoms become more intense and lingering.  May effect mother’s feelings towards and care of the baby and interfere with daily activities.
Loss of appetite
Insomnia
Intense irritability and anger
Overwhelming fatigue
Loss of interest in sex
Lack of joy in life
Feelings of shame, guilt or inadequacy
Severe mood swings
Difficulty bonding with the baby
Withdrawal from family and friends
Thoughts of harming yourself or the baby

Postpartum Psychosis – typically develops withing first two weeks after birth.  symptoms are very severe.
Confusion and disorientation
Hallucinations and delusions
Paranoia
Attempts to harm yourself or the baby

If you’re experiencing the above symptoms, seek help immediately!  You may feel embarassed to admit you’re depressed.  There is an unrealistic expectation for mothers to handle everything with style and grace.  But, even the best mothers sometimes need help.  Don’t let embarassement stop you from getting the assistance you need.

If you suspect Baby Blues, talk with your spouse, family, friends, or neighbors.  Sometimes, just talking to someone about what you’re feeling can help.  Ask for help with the baby.  Hire a postpartum doula or infant nurse to give you some support.  Or ask family members to help with the baby so you can take a relaxing bath or a nap.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed, get help!

If you suspect Postpartum Depression and the symptoms don’t go away after a few weeks or you find your feelings are interrupting daily activities, call your doctor.  It is not shameful to get medical help, if needed. 

If you suspect you’re developing Postpartum Psychosis, seek immediate medical attention!  Behaviours associated with postpartum psychosis can pose a danger to yourself and your baby.  Don’t try to “wait it out.”  Get help now!

Postpartum depression is a reality for a large number of women.  But, if you’re honest with yourself about what you’re feeling, you can get help and feel better.  Your baby is too precious for you to be too proud to seek help.

(Symptom list from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postpartum-depression/DS00546 )

There is no doubt that we need healthcare reform in America.  Every family has a story about healthcare costs, loss of coverage, or refused coverage.  If you don’t, you’re one of the lucky few with great insurance. 

President Obama has been committed to reforming healthcare.  This Monday, he’ll be addressing the American Medical Association’s House of Delegates as part of the administrations efforts to legislate healthcare.   The AMA has pledged to decrease the annual healthcare spending growth rate by 1.5 percentage points, or about $2 trillion dollars over the next decade.

Part of this commitment, is to work to curb “overuse” of some services, including caesarean sections.  That is exciting news.  Parents who’ve strived for a natural birth, have often run into a cascade of interventions heading full-force towards a caesarean birth.  These mamas often have to cajole and argue to get the birth they want.  If these doctors are truly committed to reducing the use of caesareans, they’ll need to move towards supporting more natural labor/birth practices!  At least, that’s my hope. 

The healthcare system needs to provide more information on caesareans and their risks.  More and more women with little or no risk-factors have been choosing scheduled c-sections for convenience, fear of pain(?), bodily changes, and other reasons.  I’m almost certain that they have received very little information from their OB about the risk and consequences of having major abdominal surgery, not to mention the effects on the infant. 

This is not to say that all caesareans are bad.  Of course, there are valid medical reasons and the health of the mother and baby should always be the first priority.   But if it’s possible for doctors to reduce the instance of surgery, I’m all for it.

Here’s hoping President Obama will make a difference in the minds of these doctors.

The full story is here at the Chicago Tribune.

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