Review: Be Organic Cocoa Butter Diaper Cream

Every mama out there knows how important it is to have a reliable diaper rash cream. From the day the baby is born until the next couple or so years of his/her life, they'd be using diapers, be it disposable or cloth, everyday. Lucky are those moms whose children mastered potty training earlier. As for me, I've been trying to potty train my son but we still get accidents because he tends to forget where to pee especially when he's busy playing. I have no choice but to have him wear diapers during bedtime and when we go out.

Over the course of two years, we have tried a few diaper rash creams with Dermablend Zinc Oxide as the most favorite one. While we're okay with Dermablend, I'm always drawn to organic products so I decided to try Human Heart Nature Natural Nappy Cream. We finished two tubs of it and I knew in my heart I want to try something else so I got Be Organic's Cocoa Butter Diaper Cream.

Product Description

Our natural diaper cream/balm is made from all natural ingredients like cocoa butter, beeswax and olive oil to nourish, repair and create a barrier to protect your little one from wetness and irritations. Calendula is especially useful in soothing rashes, insect bites and other minor irritations.

Review: Dermablend Zinc Oxide 10% Cream with Aloe

For every mother with a child who uses diapers on a daily basis, a diaper rash cream is very important. In our case, I've been applying it to my son's bum and thighs before putting on his diaper, particularly the disposable one. That's what the pediatrician ordered before discharging us when I gave birth to him.

One of the products she recommended is zinc oxide. There are various brands of zinc oxide in the market but I got this Dermablend Zinc Oxide 10% Cream with Aloe since It is also the same product my nephew (a year older than my son) uses and they've nothing but good words for it.

Product Description

Dermablend Zinc Oxide 10% Cream with aloe helps prevent diaper rash. Protects chafed skin due to diaper rash and helps seal out wetness.

Review

Packaging and Appeal. The product comes in a white plastic tube with screw cap. The cream itself is white with just the right consistency. It is a bit thicker than the Nivea Body Lotion thus easy to apply. It doesn't leave an oily feeling either.

What I Like... and Dislike About Being a Hands-on Mama

It's been four months since I gave birth to my darling son and so far I'm surviving. LOL! Motherhood is such a lovely experience especially when your child makes eye-to-eye contact with you or clings to you and would never let you go. But honestly, it's not a walk in the park thing. While there are lots of wonderful things being a hands-on (and yayaless) mama gives, there are also some things I dislike about it. Here they are:

1. Lack of sleep

Like most mothers, I find the first couple of months difficult. Aside from having to deal with my CS pain and recovery, I also kept on waking up to feed my child (breastfeeding mama here!), make sure that he is not cold or overheating, check for soiled diaper, and often, to check if he is still breathing (yes, I'm one paranoid mama). Lucky if I can get a three-hour uninterrupted sleep but that is not the case usually. Thankfully, now that my son is a bit older, he no longer needs to be fed every hour or so. Additionally, the number of times he poop has now decreased to once or twice a day from around five times a day when he was younger.

2. Lack of or less me-time

When you become a mom, the concept of "me" seems to disappear instantly. Almost everything you do is dependent on your child's needs, schedule, likes, etc. For moms like me who doesn't have a helper, it is already a luxury if you can enjoy a 15-minute bath time and surely it is hard to find time for a waxing session, bonding with your girlfriends or other activities you used to do before the baby. And now that my son is already four months old, there is nothing in the world that he wants but to be with me, to latch, to see me, hear my voice and maybe even just to smell me. If there is no trace of my presence around, he becomes fussy and will eventually cry. My husband suggested that we get someone to help me take care of him so that I will have time for myself but I think I am not yet ready for him to develop strong attachment to people other than myself, my husband and our families. :D Anyway, this phase won't last long (maybe just five years or so) so I'm willing to sacrifice. I know I can get as much me-time as I want when he is already of school age.

3. Can't leave the house immediately
Mothers are emotional human beings particularly when it comes to their children. Being away, be it for an hour or a day, can be a real struggle and that makes leaving the house difficult. Additionally, it is motherly instinct to ensure that everything is in order before leaving - sterilize feeding bottles, prepare milk, give bath, feed, etc. So when I need to leave the house by 9 am, I should be awake not later than 6:00 am to give me enough time to do all the things that I need to do.

Motherhood is not just about dislikes though. The likes actually outweigh the dislikes in my case.

My Labor Story

It's been a little over a month since I gave birth and obviously, I got my hands full with everything motherhood related thus explains the scarcity of my posts. But to celebrate our little duck's first month, I am sharing to you my labor story.

It all started on the 25th of April, I was 39 weeks and 4 days (based on my first ultrasound) back then. I went in for my regular prenatal check up. As per my OB, I was only 1cm dilated (been 1cm dilated since my last week's check up). My OB advised that I be admitted on the same day for I'm already overdue based on my last ultrasound (EDD is April 18). Besides, she won't be around on the next few days so she wanted that I give birth before she leave. I know I could have resisted and instead wait for labor to come naturally but since I already wanted to give birth and I never wanted other doctos to handle me, I agreed.

After my check up, I went home and got ready. We left the house at around 5 PM and arrived at the hospital past six in the evening. We could have arrived earlier if it weren't for traffic congestion caused by road repairs.

At the emergency room, I gave the ER personnel the letter with instruction from my OB. I was attended to by the ER nurse and I couldn't recall the number of times I was asked the same set of questions such as the first day of my last menstrual period (LMP), allergy triggers, past pregnancies/miscarriages, etc. I think every resident OB and interns asked every patient the same questions. I wonder why this is so. I think they could have shared the info to each other so that they never have to ask the patient the same questions again and again.

After changing into my hospital gown, blood extraction for my labs and monitoring of fetal heart rate, I was wheeled into the OB ward. The OB ward of IDH is air-condiioned with one sink and CR that can accommodate six patients at a time. When we got there, there were just two other patients so there are spare beds for our "bantays" to sleep in.

At around 10PM, I was wheeled into the labor room for the non-stress test. After the test, IV fluid infused with oxytocin (for induction) was attached to me. Despite the oxytocin, I felt nothing. Still no sign of labor whatsoever. FHR and vital signs were monitored regularly.

Quote of the Month: May

Yes, this is so true. I may have “mothered” some of my nephews but bearing my own child is a different thing entirely. With my son, I get to experience the highs and lows of pregnancy - the joys of hearing my son's heartbeat for the first time, the kicks and movements especially during the last trimester, the anticipation, the labor pain (ended up having C-Section), the sadness and fear when told he is to be left at the hospital for a few more days and the overwhelming happiness of finally taking him home after a few days of limited interaction. The experience is one for the books and my heart is filled with gratitude for this opportunity.

As a Young Mom

My mother and brother often describe me as suplada and maldita - a moody and brat girl who gets everybody's attention by just rolling my eyeballs, raising an eyebrow or stamping my feet. I'm often caught having row with my bro on just about anything - from unequal number of pillows to unequal amount of money given.

But that was when we're still young... When our baby arrived, I realized that I learned a lot. I learned that:

• you can't always get what you wanted. Sometimes you have to step down your level and do the things you don't usually do (wash his behind after potty, give him a bath, etc.).
• you will know that Shaun the Sheep is shown right after Mr. Bean and the episodes shown in the morning will be shown again in the aftertoons (afternoon). You will soon realize that you no longer need channel guide because you already mastered the show times and find out that you too is already hooked watching cartoons.
• there is mama egg (chicken egg) and baby egg (quail egg) as well as mama spoon (tablespoon) and baby spoon (teaspoon). Any larger stuff is called mama stuff and its smaller size is called baby.
• sleeping with only one pillow can be as comfortable as sleeping with four pillows (I love to sleep surrounded by pillows) if you're sleeping beside the kid.
• you cannot get everything you want by just rolling your eyeball or locking yourself inside the room. Sometimes you have to do something silly and make a fool out of yourself to get the kid's attention.

The most important is...

• you may not always get what you want but you can still be content and happy with what you've got - the love of a child.

ooppppss!

one more thing... you never have to carry the child in your womb for nine months for you to become a perfect mom. Your good heart and willingness to do the job will suffice. Right? ;)