To kick off the growing season we met up with Laura Watt from Cubit’s, a Canadian organic seed company. Laura is excited to offer a seed-give-away on naturalmommy. Keep reading for details of how you can win her fabulous seeds for your 2012 garden!

Laura is from Toronto Canada and she has a passion for organic gardening and helping others to grow healthy, natural food. Cubit’s offers organic, rare and heirloom seeds on-line and they have a special interest in urban gardening and local food because they believe that anyone can easily grow their own produce. It’s fun, healthier than non-organic-store-bought-produce and good for the planet too!

Laura’s passion for gardening and helping people get passionate about growing food themselves is infections. Laura’s website, cubitsorganics.com, offers fun recipes and tips for what to do with all those delicious veggies and herbs after you’ve grown them! Check out her recipe for Canada’s Best Sandwich, found [here].

Some of Cubit’s seeds are truly unique, like their organic watermelon radish seeds which will turn any salad into a conversation piece. What is a watermelon radish you might be wondering? It is a radish that looks like a miniature watermelon! We also love Cubit’s organic carrot seed blend called Rainbow Carrots (featured in first image) and their beet seeds that create mouthwatering organic early-wonder-tall-top-beets (featured in second image).

What to win some of these incredible seeds?

All you have to do is like us on facebook, then, send us a message letting us know what your gardening aspirations are this year! Simple, eh?

Once a winner is chosen, Cubit’s will send them 6 packs of organic seeds to help them achieve their organic 2012 garden!

Winner will be announced at the end of May.

You will want to eat and drink light, healthy foods during labor. If you eat and drink during labor, then you don’t need an IV. Labor is work, calories are needed for your body to work effectively, and in order to have the energy you need to give birth.

Starving yourself and becoming dehydrated during childbirth can lead to complications. If you have to get an IV, It will keep you from moving freely during labor, but it is movement that helps you give birth faster and easier. The use of IVs can cause other complications, such as fluid overload and hyperglycemia for both mother and baby. And you can find yourself in the “cascade of interventions”, where one intervention leads to more interventions.

But don’t drink sports drinks or energy drinks as they can actually make things more difficult for you in labor.

The Ingredients used in these drinks can affect you and your baby’s heart rate and blood pressure. As these drinks contain very high levels of caffeine. Some brands have as much as 8x the amount of caffeine as 1 cup of coffee.

If your baby’s heart rate goes to high and stays high this can cause ‘fetal distress’ and you could end up with a c-session to get the baby out right away.

During labor you need you have a drink that is both refreshing and hydration. As well as gives you an energy boost.

Each one of the ingredients in this labor aid is important in labor.

Lemon juice is very useful in digestion related problems. It can give relief from nausea, heartburn and bloating. So often in labor women have an upset stomach. As well lemon just tastes good, and makes it more enjoyable to drink the labor aid.

The reason to use coconut water instead of just tap water is it’s packed with simple sugar, electrolytes, and minerals to replenish hydration levels in the body. It’s important to maintain your electrolyte level for proper cell function and for energy.

Sea salt helps with muscle contraction and expansion and re-hydration.

Bach flower rescue remedy, helps you stay calm and focused, with no side effect to you or baby.

Calcium and magnesium assist in muscle and nerve activities. These two minerals help the muscles to relax or contract. Calcium is involved in blood clotting, protecting you from losing too much blood, especially if you tear in childbirth.

Honey is used for its great taste and to give you energy.

Here is my recipe for “ Labor Aid”

¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 cups coconut water

¼ tsp sea salt

a few drops of rescue remedy

1 Tbsp of liquid calcium/magnesium

2 Tbsp of honey

Enjoy,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth’s Peaceful Birth Online Course can be found by clicking on the image below. Enter code: Nm134 during check-out and receive the naturalmommy 50% off discount for Elizabeth’s wonderful course!

Bishop states that his cookbook was inspired by Gary and Naty King, owners of Hazelmere Organic Farm, a sustainable family-managed organic vegetable farm in Surrey BC. The Kings supply much of the food for Bishop’s restaurant. The farm is about nourishing and educating the community about real, healthy food with a focus on healthy-lifestyle vs. a for-profit-business.

An excerpt by Gary King writes, “By late May…the Farmer’s markets begin, and we start to see dramatic increase in customers. I always look forward to this time, the sharing the food grown with love, effort and dedication and respect for the wilderness from which it comes, so that it can sustain our bodies and our communities.” (32)

The pictures Bishop has included about the King’s farm capture a way of life that is in-tune with nature and about respecting each other. They are having fun while looking after the earth.

King remarks on the importance of organic farming and on his working relationship with Bishop when he writes, “Once again we are reminded that food for all species is provided by healthy soil, and that the local farmland is where we get our food. Both of us agree that the taste and sustainability of local organic products are our preference, but that even those that are non-certified will make their way onto our table, as long as they are locally raised with care, but without genetically modified organisms (GMOS) or chemical sprays.” (152)

One of our favourite recipes in Fresh is a Shepherd’s (Lentil) Pie. It is delicious, healthy and a fun veggie twist on an old classic! If you want to make something truly decadent, try the Buttermilk Panna Cotta, an eggless Italian custard with orange and dried cranberry compote.

The sections of this cookbook are divided by seasons, which help highlight what is available locally at a particular time of year. Woven within this book is ideas for preserving the harvest, such as straight forward recipes for making your own fruit purees and fruit vinegars. There are tips for pickling your own vegetables, preserving herbs and for making pesto.

Fresh is a lovely ode to true Canadian produce and cooking. John Bishop’s interest in local fruits and vegetables is simply inspiring. He is dedicated to providing local organic food in his restaurant, Bishop’s, which has been opened since 1985 in Vancouver BC, Canada. He has written this cookbook in collaboration with two of Bishop’s chefs, Dennis Green and Dawne Gourley.

By: Jessica Carfagnini, ND,

Have you ever parented an itchy, unhappy child with an angry red rash? Perhaps your child had the rash with little bumps weeping fluid, or maybe she had the dry rash that cracked when she scratched it?  Eczema is an increasingly common health issue among babies and children and can be an endless source of frustration. What is eczema anyway? There are two main types.  Contact Dermatitis is an allergic reaction to laundry soap or another irritant in the environment.  This type of eczema can be usually be “cured” by removing the irritant. The other type of eczema, atopic dermatitis, is an itchy red rash that may be inherited from one or both parents. Allergies and asthma are linked to eczema so you may see any of these conditions occurring in members of the same family. Eczema, asthma and allergies are genetically linked and are all the result of a malfunctioning immune system. For this reason, they are sometimes considered autoimmune conditions.

Eczema is often treated with topical corticosteroids, which are usually quite effective in the short-term at suppressing the red itchy rash.  Unfortunately it thins the skin when used repeatedly. The rash usually returns, and in some cases the rash may go away with asthma appearing in its place. Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes a strong connection between the skin and the lungs, and Western Medicine is now starting to understand this connection via the immune system. Any type of steroid medication suppresses the immune system, and these medications have been a lifesaver for many people with autoimmune conditions. However, there are other options to balance and optimize the immune system and quell the fire of eczema.

To address your child’s eczema, first explore the role of food sensitivities.  Conventional cow dairy products in a baby’s diet or in the diet of the breastfeeding mother are one of the biggest triggers for eczema. Casein, a milk protein is often the molecule that the immune system reacts too, so lactose free milk won’t work! This is usually not an issue of lactose intolerance. Casein can travel through mom’s digestive system and into the breast milk, triggering baby’s inflammatory immune response…itchy red skin.  Baby may also experience gas, bloating, irritability and sleep disturbance, which are common food sensitivity reactions in all ages. If complete elimination of dairy does not help, explore gluten, egg or soy sensitivity. Your Naturopath can help you navigate this process skillfully and reduce frustration investigating the role of food sensitivities.

Probiotics are now getting a lot more attention as research reveals their important role in balancing our immune systems. Humans evolved in symbiosis with all kinds of bacteria and micro-organisms and in modern North American Society we have simply become too “clean”. (Research the “Hygiene Hypothesis” for more info on this). When antibiotics first started being used in the 1940s they were considered miracle drugs, and they have saved millions of lives over the past few decades. Now we understand that antibiotics have unfortunately been overused and misused which brings a host of new health crises with it.

Every time you take antibiotics for an infection, it kills all of your bacteria, not just the bacteria responsible for your infection, but also the “good” bacteria that naturally lives in your digestive system. Without this balance of good bacteria to keep our immune systems happy and healthy, we develop a susceptibility to future infections and sometimes autoimmune conditions like eczema.  Bottom line – look into some dairy free-, soy-free probiotics for baby and for the breastfeeding mom, and avoid anti-bacterial hand sanitizers and sprays. Also, you may want to consider letting your child play outside in the dirt more and reduce the frequency of baths. Most kids will feel pretty happy about this!

There are Chinese herbal remedies that are safe and very effective for clearing up eczema in children and babies who have starting eating food.  Also, homeopathy is an amazing tool when it comes to treating almost any health issue in a baby or child. When it comes to herbs and homeopathy, your best bet is to talk to a Naturopathic Doctor who has some experience in treating children with eczema. They will be happy to help you out and can offer some reassurance as you take on the challenge of eliminating eczema in your little one.

To find an ND near you: www.oand.org, www.cand.ca

Photo: Baby Liam, who has great, soft skin because mom and dad work hard to limit contact with harsh chemicals and instead focus on natural products such as Natural Baby Care Ointment by Sacred Lotus.

Alexis chose the name for her apothecary by blending two words: Wort, meaning plant and Cunning meaning artfulness. In other words her focus is on working with plants in new artful ways, while retaining the ancient art of creating herbal remedies for health and healing.

We were so excited when Alexis agreed to offer a give away for our readers! She has chosen her Organic Bundle of Joy Postpartum Kit (featured in picture) which includes Herbal Sitz Bath, Sweet Nectar Milk Tea Blend, Blue Skies Postpartum Courage Blend, Labor & Postpartum Belly Balm and her Sassy Mama Tea Blend.

How does this give-away work? You must nominate a special pregnant woman in your life by sending us an e-mail or facebook message letting us know who you are nominating and why. It is as simple as telling us what you think is special about her and why you want her to win this special postpartum gift-set. We will be selecting our winner on Mother’s Day.

Want to win yourself? Get a friend or family member to nominate you! Once we announce our winner, Alexis will send out this amazing gift direct from Worts + Cunning Apothecary!

We also had the chance to chat with Alexis about her work and love of plants. Please read our amazing interview with her below.

Natural Mommy (NM): Alexis, how did you get started working with plants/herbs and what do you love about it?

Alexis: My story with plants begins with a koala – a real koala that I had the opportunity to hold and have my picture taken with when I was about 5 years old. For the next few years I knew that I was more than just a little girl, I was, in fact, a koala and set about exploring the world as I thought a koala would. I rode my tricycle around the city and in parks, picking leaves off trees and bushes and eating them. I figured out pretty quickly which plants tasted good, others that were not so palatable, and my parents (bless them) realized that they could not stop my koala-ness but began to educate me about poisonous and non-poisonous plants. We would move to a new place and my mom would take me around the yard, showing me what I could and could not eat. So it began, my lifelong journey with plants from koala girl to herbologist (though there is still a bit of koala left in me).

My plant work continued beyond eating leaves to brewing batches of plant materials in plastic buckets in my backyard. Then I began creating herbal body products in junior high school under the label “Aphrodite’s Own” designing labels on MS Paint and giving them as gifts to friends and family. During college I was given a copy of Deb Soule’s Avena Botanicals catalog and realized that I, too, could be an herbalist and dedicate my life to working with our plant allies in re-enchanting our world. A few years later, I opened WORTS + CUNNING APOTHECARY and have been serving as a community herbologist ever since!

NM: Can you tell us a bit about your natural mom products, such as your postpartum tea and how you came to create them and why?

Alexis: My first “real job” out of college was with Seattle Midwifery School and before that I practiced as a doula. I have been immersed in the birth world ever since – my partner is becoming a midwife and I live with other midwives (as well as a baby and puppy) in our fantastic little house. I wanted to create products that would serve the uniqueness of each part of a person’s pregnancy journey. I have tea blends for each trimester, for example, and a few different postpartum teas, including our Blue Skies Postpartum Courage blend. The process of bringing a new baby into the world is a story of unfolding, expansion, and great change and I wanted to create a tea blend that would lend courage to parents as they experience the incredible range of emotions that birth and a new baby brings.

Whenever I am creating any herbal products, I am working between plants and people to help facilitate the path towards wholeness. I can’t walk that path for any person who comes to me for assistance – but I can support their journey and hopefully introduce them to the plant allies that will best illuminate the way of healing. Birth is still a mysterious process in many ways – we don’t quite understand why it is a baby comes when it does – and plant medicine is very comfortable with acknowledging and working with mystery which is why I feel that herbal medicine can be so powerful during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.

NM: In what way do you think that herbs and natural substances are valuable to moms and babies?

Alexis: Herbal medicine when used consciously and with a bit of knowledge is generally very safe. What is wonderful, too, about herbal medicine is that it has been my experience that “less is more” when using plants to heal. In the case of parents and babies a little knowledge and small dosages go a long way in maintaining the health of a family. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), for example, is a wonderful herb to have in the home, it has little to no side effects (unless you have a ragweed allergy), and can be used for a wide range of complaints such as colic, rashes, teething, indigestion, insomnia, and more. The herb is simple to use as a tea, glycerite, essential oil, and salve, and by using simple, earth-based remedies a family can know exactly what they are putting in, on, and around their bodies.

Expanding on that last point, I think it is especially important for us to build personal relationships with our medicine and see it as an extension of knowing where our food comes from and who grows it. Growing some chamomile, peppermint, and basil on the windowsill or in the backyard is a wonderful way to introduce the whole family to herbal medicine, showing everyone where those magical healing teas, oils, and such come from! By observing how plants grow, what they look like, smell like, and taste like, we can also begin to learn more about what they’re healing properties are (this technique of observation to determine healing properties of plant is called the Doctrine of Signatures). Looking at chamomile again, the bright, cheery, sun-like flowers are useful to use when someone is upset or cranky – chamomile brings in sunlight where there is gloom.

NM: Can you tell us about your natural remedies and tinctures, such as your Lavender Flower Essence and how they can benefit moms and babies?

Alexis: Flower + Gem Essences are potent medicines that are safe for everyone to take since they have, by their very nature, no side effects. Flower + Gem Essences are similar to homeopathic remedies in that they are so diluted from the original plant material that no plant material exists in the actual dosage. That is why I feel Flower + Gem Essences are so valuable – if you choose the wrong remedy there is no harm and it is a wonderful way to “meet” plants and minerals and begin to build a relationship with them. Flower + Gem Essences primarily work on the emotional level, resetting any imbalances that may be in the psyche. This can lead to physical healing and restoration.

Lavender Flower Essence, for example, is indicated for folks who often get headaches from stress and tension and for those who are particularly sensitive to pressure from family and friends (parenthood, anyone?). Lavender Flower Essence instills a sense of peace within us, and is very useful during the second trimester of pregnancy in taking advantage of extra energy by seeking activities that promote stillness and reflection. After the birth, Lavender Flower Essence can help us unwind and mellow out, so that we are able to dream better and envision our future with more clarity. If you have a child who seems particularly sensitive, Lavender Flower Essence helps them turn that sensitivity into a strength, allowing them to find peace through their perceptions.

We also make custom Flower + Gem Essence blends to fit the specific needs of an individual – we’re all unique, we all deserve to be treated as such and to have our medicines be made just for us. Also, we’re just beginning to stock the Apothecary with single herb extracts and blended extracts, such as our Ease After-Pains Tincture for helping to manage postpartum pain.

I think the greatest benefit of herbal medicine for parents and babies is the ability to be create your own healing remedies and to bring up children with a sense of enchantment about the world – that we are all made of the same star-stuff and we can know ourselves better through our relationships to the many creatures known as plants, animals, and minerals, that we share this beautiful green earth with.

“On Tuesday, Ontario women moved a step closer to having that third option when Premier Dalton McGuinty announced plans to launch the province’s first two birth centers.” (Toronto Star)

A birth center is a place where women can give birth with a midwife, aimed at expectant mothers who want to give birth naturally within a community setting. Many women do not want to be in a hospital, but are also not comfortable giving birth at home. A birthing center would offer another option for them to consider.

Many midwives and midwifery advocates feel that birthing centers are long over-due. Many women are not comfortable in hospitals since hospitals are places with diseases or bacteria associated with illness. Pregnant and birthing women are not sick and there are a lot of women who question the institutional and medical structure that puts birthing women in the same facilities as those with illnesses. Also, hospitals have a very high rate of interventions like c-sections and birthing centers aim at reducing these high numbers by focusing on natural childbirth.

Birthing centers will result in cost savings to the health care system since the sites itself will need less cost to be maintained and they will also reduce medical interventions, which are costly. McGuinty stated that if this pilot project is successful, than it will lay a foundation for more birth centers throughout the province. Further to that, birth centers will likely allow more women to access midwifery care since as seen in the Toronto Star, midwives are forced to turn away approximately 40 percent of the women who are seeking care, partly due to the cap on the number of hospital deliveries they can attend.

Bottom line is that birthing women need safer places to give birth and more options for them to choose from. If a woman wants a midwife and a natural birth, there should be more structures in place that support her. Our current structure of giving birth in the hospital is inadequate for many women and costly to the medical system.

Many places in the world, like the Netherlands, have had birthing centers for many years and have a reputation for excellent, cost-effective maternity care.

A big step forward for Ontario midwives and birthing women!

As she says, “there is more to keeping kids safe than just teaching the stranger-danger concept.” She takes a positive, no-fear approach and challenges traditional safety-strategies. One of her tips is to teach kids which strangers are safe: “If you kids get separated from you at the mall, tell her to flag down the first mom with kids she sees.” In other words, other moms are safe strangers. Another thing to tell kids according to Fitzgerald: safe grownups don’t ask kids for help!! (They go to other grownups if they need assistance). Good one!

Fitzgerald’s web-site offers tips and safety rules for kids. She also has a “did you know?” section which is devoted to teaching parents about predators. Importantly, she helps parents know what they should tell their kids and encourages open dialogue between parent and child. She also encourages parents and kids to go with their gut feelings. When you get a bad feeling about someone, trust your instincts! Also, listen to your kids when they get a bad feeling because they might be picking up on something that you’ve missed.

Check out Safely Ever After [here].

A kid’s science project highlights the importance of eating organic food. What is happening to our food without our knowledge is simply appalling. We also love the idea of educating kids on the importance of natural living. Check out this video and see just what we mean!

]]> http://www.naturalmommy.com/2012/02/what-potato-would-you-like-to-eat/feed/ 2 http://www.naturalmommy.com/2012/01/natural-remedies-for-labour-birth-postpartum/ http://www.naturalmommy.com/2012/01/natural-remedies-for-labour-birth-postpartum/#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:02:45 +0000 NaturalMommy http://www.naturalmommy.com/?p=1178 By Jessica Carfagnini, ND of Thunder Bay Naturopathic Clinic

Botanical tincture
This is a botanical tincture that can be taken 6 weeks prior to delivery. Mother’s cordial
Caulophyllum, Mitchella repens, Chamaelerium luteum, Vibernum opulus (equal parts of individual botanical tincture, can be compounded – see Resources below). Dosage: 1 tsp 3 times/day, take in warm water. Continue until onset of delivery/labour. This tincture helps prepare the uterus for delivery, and also increases the effectiveness of contractions.

If you are past 36 weeks (i.e., 9 months), taking evening primrose oil 500 mg capsules up to 2-4 times a day with food can help initiate labour by increasing prostaglandins in your body.

Walking and light exercise can also encourage the baby to orient her/himself in mom’s pelvis.

Homeopathic remedies

For mom

Caullophyllum 200 CH – dissolve 2 pellets under your tongue every ½ hour at onset of contractions for 2 hours. After two hours, then only use if the cervix is not dilating, as needed.

Arnica 200 CH – dissolve 2 pellets under your tongue every ½ hour for labour pains.

Pulsatilla 200 CH – dissolve 2 pellets under your tongue every ½ hour to turn the baby or if mom is crying, praying, or feeling clingy during labour.

Kali-carb 200 CH – dissolve 2 pellets under your tongue every ½ hour for low back pain during labour.

Arnica 10 MK – dissolve 2 pellets under your tongue every ½ hour for pain during active labour, after the cervix is almost fully dilated. Also useful for after birth – dissolve 2 pellets under your tongue every 2-3 hours.

For baby

Arnica 200 CH – dissolve 2 pellets on baby’s tongue right after birth. This will help with the trauma of the birthing process.

Botanicals

Prenatal tea
Red raspberry, alfalfa, nettle (dried herb, equal parts), seep 1 tsp in a cup of hot water. Drink with juice or another sugar source for electrolytes and nutrients.

For perineal healing

Cold compresses – for a bruised perineum in the first 12 hours after birth. You can also soak wash clothes in the perineal healing bath (see below), store them in a plastic container in the fridge, and sit on these cool wash clothes over sanitary napkins.

Traumeel or Arnica cream – to be applied around wounds to improve healing of a bruised perineum.

Perineal healing bath:
Calendula officinalis, Hypericum perforatum, Symphytum officinalis (dried herbs, equal parts of each)
2 tbsp of each, add to 3 cups of water. Bring to boil and cover herbs. Let herbs seep for 15 min. Strain the herbs. After it has cooled, transfer the healing bath solution to a squeezy bottle or plant sprayer. Squeeze on perineum after using the washroom. Only use during the first week after labour.

Hypericum oil – to be diluted in olive or almond oil, apply over stitches if necessary.

Resources

Riverdale Homeopathic Resources
1331 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, (416) 778-0085
A very comprehensive homeopathic dispensary. They will mail you up to 5 homeopathic remedies (each multi-dose remedy costs $6.95 + tax and shipping):

Thuna Herbals
298 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, (416) 461-8191
A very comprehensive herbal dispensary

Ambrosia Natural Food
55 Doncaster Avenue, Thornhill, (905) 881-7811
They carry a wide range of herbs and supplements.

Body Mind Science Resources
1255 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, (416) 502-2665
They carry a selection of homeopathic remedies.

Alissa Tarita-Havenaar’s company was created from her own personal desire to live from the land and to offer reusable, biodegradable alternatives to many of the items used by moms, such as nursing pads. Her goals include keeping materials as local as possible. In her quest to be sustainable, Alissa uses 100% wool materials and organic cotton knits, organic flax seed, and biodegradable materials. She also uses recycled (aka upcycled materials) like vintage buttons. Materials, like vintage buttons add to the uniqueness of her pieces.

Alissa’s business is a one-woman enterprise and out of her creativity is born one-of-a-kind items, made by her, for moms and babies. Her business represents her commitment to the planet and helping others to live a chemical-free life. We just had to talk to Alissa about her business, her values and her future goals.

NaturalMommy: Alissa, what are some of the reasons why you use local materials in the products you create?

Alissa: There are a few reasons. First, it keeps the cost of materials low. I purchase all of my wools from local second-hand stores. Convenient since at present I can walk to the store, (saving gas money from my pocket and from added carbon emissions into the air,) and second, all donations to the stores will usually be made by the local people in the community. Thus, the materials in their own way are from the community made back into items for the community. I was purchasing organic cotton form the United States, but have since decided to go strictly with recycled materials over organic. Although there is a huge market right now for things strictly certified organic, I feel that buying used over newly organic is genuinely a greener choice. The material is already there and does not require raw materials to be processed weather organically or not.

NM: How do you create your wool longies and in what way are they a good choice for babies?

Alissa: I take the materials that I have collected from local second-hand stores, from people who send me their scraps of wool in the mail (Thank you Janet from Victoria BC), and locals who have old sweaters and blankets, then fit them to desired patterns that are beautiful. I serge the majority of the lines and use my sewing machine for the others. My mother-in-law, Astrid, taught me how to needle point this year so I try adding some of that practice when it seems right.

As for the choice: wool is ideal for night time diapering.

I come from a one-use diaper family. My mom had five kids under six and I am pretty sure I was bottle fed too. In saying that, I never realized the inconvenient truth about diapers until I worked at a diapering boutique in Victoria, BC. It was such a mind blow to realize that chemicals are responsible for the soakage of urine in plastic diapers (and usually the cause of most diaper rashes). This chemical, which is not found in reusable diapers (a big wOOt to that!), removes urine from the baby’s skin so the baby doesn’t notice they have peed themselves. (Also a reason that babies who cloth diaper potty train faster since they are aware of their wetness). At night time however, you want them not to notice, and be able to sleep!! In saying that, wool maintains the temperature of urine to the baby’s body temperature and thus allows baby to sleep through the night longer than with a regular insert.

Lastly and most convincing, when urine (acid) mixes with the natural oil in wool called lanolin (base) the formula creates a soap that self-cleans the diaper….so just dry completely between use, and you can usually go a week without washing! Really? YES!

NM: How was your business, The Wooly Owl created and why?

Alissa: I have never had a hobby. Ever! I always would be inspired by my husband as he has always had a pastime that gave him pleasure, from WW2 History to painting Warhammer Figures, John has an artistic output.

I started sewing just two years ago back in Victoria BC. I applied at a studio that made handmade skirts and clothing, one that favoured that real 1920’s city/farm girl look that stirs my fashion sense. I was rejected since I could not even tell you how to attach the needle to the machine. Janet, my neighbour, insisted I buy a pattern, she gave me some lessons and from there it just took off.

After the diapering workshops, I truly found wool and realized its potential as a super fibre. As my life changed to be more conscientious, community based, and self reliant, The wOOly Owl was born as the stepping stone to a home based, farm-life way of being. From my machine, I can create something artistically inspired which can provide to my community a locally made item that is available to local people, and a great addition to a trade and barter economy.

NM: Since you make all of your pieces yourself, how do you balance your work life with your family/personal life?

Alissa: Honestly, I am finding the overlapping of my sincere life to my actual job very difficult to separate and move towards my ultimate goal of doing the wOOly Owl full time. There are so many people out there who are itching to make huge changes in their lifestyles yet feel somewhat unable to make that leap of faith. For me, when I read the ETSY pieces on Shop owners who “quit their day jobs” and who solely sell online, I feel frustrated that I am yet to be in any financial position to go full WOOlY Owl, that I still depend on my full time retail job, yet inspired that the more time I put into this craft, the sooner I can “quit my day job” and follow through with my own dreams. My Husband John is always behind me and supports me through and through. For me, sewing is like a good book, so if I am not diligently studying about how I am going to plant my veggie garden this year, John will find me at the sewing machine.

NM: The Wooly Owl is also an expression of your environmentally-conscious approach to business. Can you tell us what having a green business means to you and why you think it is important?

Alissa: I always feel good when I am preparing an item, say a pair of nursing pads. I wrap them up with these bright naturally dyed wool threads that I discovered (a glorious box stuffed full of 100% hand died needlepoint wool threads that are just beautiful) then I attach a button from Astrid’s collection and wrap them up in brown paper…

When I am out, I look around at all of the products that are made of plastic or have harsh chemicals in them, leaching toxins and pesticides -

…I think of the brown paper filled with naturally decomposable materials and how, when they are not needed, they will simply breakdown into the very thing from which they came…the earth. Simple. I am very proud that I could eventually grow vegetables from the things I make instead of being left with a tower of permanent plastic.

NM: How can moms benefit from using your re-usable nursing pads and why have you chosen wool as the main material for them?

Alissa: Dayna, a very good friend of mine is kinda my go to mom! As most people do not know, I do not have babies of my own. I have a gaggle of nieces and nephews on which to test my items (lucky them!) but I have none to my own name. I have been inspired by Dayna and learned that mothers are to be highly respected. To bear a child and to raise them with the utmost nurturing and love is truly something that is beautiful and that I deeply respect. I have learned so many alternative parenting strategies from her that were so foreign to me. I thought every child had a pacifier and yet I have now learned that babies cry for a reason and maybe their crying is a form of communication, that pacifiers should not be a tool to quiet your child. Alternatives…

Alternatives are good. I liked the bamboo nursing pads out there, but Dayna illuminated how awesome wool is as an alternative. Wool is naturally odour resistant which makes it an ideal breast pad. WOOly milk pads are backed with cotton and are fast drying and easy to clean. They are also capable of absorbing up to 30% of their own weight in liquid! Temperature regulating, these breast pads will also aid in keeping your nipples toasty warm or comfortably cool and won’t stick like other materials do! I also make exclusive wool pads for those adventurous ladies….

NM: Your products are one-of-a-kind pieces, made with care and respect for the planet and the moms/babies who use them. What are some of your thoughts on mass-produced goods and their impact on the environment?

Alissa: I think it unsettling how detached we are from our highest potentials. It is hard looking around at my community to see families that are so poor and stuck in financial crises. I look at the factories that have closed down and all of the individuals that had based their entire retirement on those factory jobs. Then I see others who have so much money that they are updating their summer cottage with $100,000.00 fireplaces. Children do not understand where their food comes from and we run to huge box corporations for material satisfaction. We have lost a plethora of skills and yet it is hard to find others interested in exploring ways to depend less on the grid and more on each other.

Mass production is a disease on all of us. Not only do items made overseas and sold from huge corporations sabotage local and community based businesses and local economy, somewhere along the line either the environment, the employee, or the quality of an item losses out. I am hoping to inspire others to always be learning. Learn how to can peaches, how to bake bread, and to discover the truths about factory chickens. Take a look around at your community and realize that your neighbour went to the food bank yesterday.

I know we are just talking about a reusable pad, but through its creation, I have gained a skill to cloth a community, and the journey of the wOOly Owl teaches me to walk my talk.

NM: What are your future goals for your business?

Alissa: What we do is who we are. The wOOly Owl inspires me as a person to really; truly and honestly take a second to think about how things are and to question why they are how they are. Bryan Kest said, “It’s not what you do, it’s how you do what you do.” I really take that seriously. It is easy to get caught up in the green movement of today. I think there is a market out there that is specifically geared toward the upper class that buys into the eco lifestyle based on an ego to appear vogue. I have been advised that I should make items for little dogs or I should sell my items in this or that particular community and take advantage of that clientele. I cringe at the thought of enabling a market that would rather buy something new and “organic” than to search for a simpler and less materialistic approach. I would rather offer affordable, local, and handmade items to those who truly need it most.

I hope that through the wOOly Owl, I can become a home based business that is interwoven in a life that is sustainable and self reliant. My husband and I just purchased an old farmhouse and some land. My garden seeds are on their way and I am even excited to say that I am going to try and grow my own wheat this year! I believe that we as human beings should never be forced to work our life around our job; I feel that our job should make time for our life. That we do what fulfills us and makes for us a simple life that is simple to live. And at the end of the day, when all is said and done, we live with good intentions, we inspire others to grow, and that we walk our talk.

To view the Wooly Owl web site, click [here].