Let’s face it. Babies are champions of dispelling urine, poo, vomit and more. It comes with the territory of babyhood & Parenthood. Parents are frequently daunted with the task of trying to figure out a safe yet effective way to clean up the after math in the war zone. Many over the counter cleaning agents contain harsh chemicals and allergens and residues that can cause skin and respiratory irritations. Here are 3 amazing eco-friendly agents/techniques that take down the competition in performance, economics and sustainability. They can be used on blankets, clothing, cloth diapers, bedding and more.

On the Shelves
Charlie’s Soap Laundry

This 3 lb bag of laundry powder can do up to 80 full wash loads. That’s only 1 TABLESPOON per large wash load. Charlies’ Soap is one of the very few brands that have a high performing detergent in a concentrate earth & people friendly solution. Made from a unique blend of biodegradable coconut-based detergents and high-grade, completely soluble, Green River washing soda, this product is available on the shelves of several green stores in your area such as the Green Depot.

$12.95-$15.49

On-line
Nature Bright® Laundry Booster and Stain Remover

This powerful chlorine-free, laundry booster is an effective alternative to chlorine bleach. The natural enzymes and active oxygen within the all natural stain remover re-brightens laundry, de-stains upholstery, and way more. Nature Bright is an excellent laundry pretreatment on organic stains like juice stains, blood, grass, poo, vomit and more. It outperformed Oxiclean® Versatile by 50% on grass stains in third-party performance tests*, performs in all temperatures, even cold water, is biodegradable, contains no phosphates and is safe for septic tanks and graywater.

Available from your Shaklee distributor at Member’s Price $ 9.30 Non-Member Price $10.95

Natural DIY Solution

The most common stains generated by babies are protein-based stains. Difficult protein stains can be removed by pre-soaking and then rubbing the stain in cold water before washing. NEVER use hot water; it will only embed the stain in the fibers of the fabric making the stain hard to remove. Put one cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle to remove uric acids and other traces of stain makers. After you have rinsed the stained textile, spray with diluted lemon juice and then dry the textile in direct sunlight. The sunlight will naturally brighten up the fibers and your stain will be gone.

While this documentary is only 7 minutes, “Do You Doula?” is a short documentary film with a powerful message. Brawny Lads Productions created filmed & edited the piece for a video challenge sponsored by Birth Matters Virginia. There are 43 more short films in the contest for which I will be reviewing, highlighting and voting for over the next few weeks. Check out the rest of the films here on Birth Matter’s Facebook page and help them pick the winner.

“Do You Doula” discusses the role of doulas and the importance of doula support during childbirth in a very moving way. The black background and the way it is shot transfers all of the viewer’s attention to the stories shared by the interviewees. Though there have been several documentary style films which highlight the birth world, i.e. midwifery, home births & hospital births, to my knowledge, there has never been any documentaries style films specifically telling the story of doulas.

Watch the film here via you tube. Share your opinions here on The Green Doula and on the Film Maker, Marcus Adams’s Youtube page.

The International Breast Milk Project (IBMP) is an organization that helps mothers in the United States send their breast milk to infants in need, who have either lost their mothers or whose mothers are not able to breast feed due to HIV infection, untreated tuberculosis, serious illness, and/or severe anemia or malnourishment. IBMP is the only international organization to provide breast milk to infants in developing countries. The recipients of the donated breast milk are infants of South Africa. It is estimated that 1.5 million children in South Africa have lost their parents due to HIV/AIDS, and many more have mothers who are unable to breastfeed because they are ill.

The organization estimated that it will be sending 262,655 ounces (7,767 liters or 2052 gallons) of healthy breast milk by the end of this year. This calculates to feeding 2,188 babies one bottle of milk a day for 30 days. New mothers, this is a meaningful, yet simple way to help make a difference. Help this orgization reach their goal.

Jill Youse, Executive Director of IBMP explains the donation process as follows, “Applications are completed online, blood work is done in the donor’s home, and coolers are shipped directly to doorsteps, making the process seamless and easy for a mom with a new baby at home.”

Do visit the website to learn more!

The same dynamic duo who presented America with the must-see documentary, The Business of Being Born, has just released a wonderful book entitled Your Best Birth. Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein have compiled a collection of wonderful birth stories shared by familiar faces such as Cindy Crawford and Laila Ali, distinctions of the commonalities of child birth and more.

The book is introduced with a foreword by Jacques Moritz, OB-GYN, Director of Gynecology at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital and Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University. It is then divided into 4 sections, Know Your Options, Putting Your Dream Team Together, Interventions: The Slippery Slope and Take your Birth Back. I commend the duo for also including a chapter on Birth and the Sexual Abuse Survivor.

This book stands out from the crowded world of the pregnancy book shelves. It is not intimidating in its size and it is filled with quality substance that is easily digestible. Whether or not, you have seen Lake’s and Epstien’s The Business of Being Born, this is a wonderful book for women to read if they are pregnant or are planning to be pregnant very soon.

Make sure to join the sister website of the book, Mybestbirth.com , to share your stories, participate in forums, and become a part of a supportive community.

Help the R Baby Foundation raise funds for grants that have the potential to save thousands of babies’ lives. The R Baby Foundation was co-founded by parents Phyllis & Andrew Rabinowitz. The couple lost their beautiful daughter,Rebecca, after just a few days of birth. Doctors diagnosed her symptoms as a common cold, and she was repeatedly sent home. Had her symptoms been treated, she may still be here today. They as well as the wonderful team behind this non-profit charitable organization are fighting to ensure optimal care for little ones across the country.R Baby Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that newborn babies, primarily those in the first month of life suffering from viral infections and other infectious diseases, receive the highest quality of care and service through supporting education, research, treatment, training and life-saving equipment.

Here are some alarming facts from gathered from the organization’s website:

FACT: 1 in 141 babies die in the U.S. each year. Babies within the first 28 days are twice as likely to die as older babies. Source: Center for Disease Control

FACT: There are approximately 20,000 newborn deaths within their first month of life and close to 30,000 in the first year. Source: WebMD

FACT: Babies born in the US are twice as likely to die than many other developed countries, including Sweden, Japan and Spain; the United States is ranked 36th among 196 nations.
Click Here to see how the US ranks in Infant Mortality Rates…
Source: World Health Organization

I would like to extend my gratitude, respect and honor to all of the thousands of Doulas around the globe. Hand-Maidens, Birth Coaches, Best-friends during Labor, a shoulder to cry on or a hand to squeeze, Resources, Hearts filled with an abundance of compassion, patience and grace, Selfless Spirits who put amazing mothers-to-be and their partners first, Witnesses of the most beautiful experience and magic in the world, be proud and acknowledge yourself for all of your hard work, devotion and time.

To learn more about what a doula is, what they do and why they are being celebrated this month, visit the DONA site.