As I am preparing for Baby #3 (who is due the end of March), I wrote down the four baby "essentials" that I wished I had known existed with Juanito, my first!
If you are having a baby soon, you might enjoy the following list…if not, skip down, because I have an eye-opening article to share with all my readers!
1. Large cotton swaddling blankets: My favorite are the Carters Swaddling Blankets that are 100% cotton and 35 inches by 35 inches. With Juanito, I had and used the small flannel blankets because that's all I knew about. And Juanito wriggled out of them so easily! My grandma gave us two Carters ones for Rosie and now for Baby #3, we have a stash of 4! Rosie was just as squirmy as Juanito and couldn't wriggle out of the larger, more stretchy blankets. They're also super soft!
2. Nosefrida: This may sound gross, but these work SO much better for cleaning baby's nose than those bulbs. We still use it on our toddlers when they have colds!
3. Good thermometers: For newborns, just a simple thermometer is all that is needed and that is what I registered for. But I wish I had registered for a forehead/in-ear thermometer also! They can't be used until baby turns 1, but are SO much easier than trying to use a traditional thermometer on a squirmy toddler who is upset about getting his or her temperature taken.
4. Babywearing wrap or carrier: With Juanito, I didn't wear him very often. I had a sling, but it wasn't very comfortable, and we picked up an inexpensive carrier at a secondhand store and that wasn't comfortable either. I loved wearing Rosie because it allowed me to get things done! In fact, we both loved it so much that I just recently stopped wearing her since my belly is now large but Eric still wears her! I started off with a Moby Wrap, it was nice for the first 3 months until she got too big, although it was pretty hot for Florida. But the wrap I fell in love with (and the one we still use for Rosie as a toddler), is a mei tai! This is in-between a woven wrap (I tried and loved way woven wraps feel, but still felt it was too hot for Florida weather) and a carrier with buckles. The one thing for a mei tai is to be sure to get one with thick waist and shoulder straps, otherwise a heavier baby could be uncomfortable. Mine is from Chimparoo…they're a little expensive, but can be re-sold after use for about the same price!
This week someone shared this article: What Expectant Parents Around the World Pack in Their Hospital Bags… It's so eye-opening to see how so many moms deliver their babies (and I encourage you to take a few moments to read the article). While the items I shared above are incredibly helpful, they're not necessities…
I can't imagine having to pack my own tarp to cover a bed so that my baby would be born in a sterile environment. Nor can I imagine having to take a 15 minute walk, after giving birth, to get water to clean up with… This is such a reminder to pray and to give to help mothers and new babies. Compassion has a wonderful program, called the Child Survival Program, and they help mothers in the countries where they work:
And I can personally testify that It Really Works! We helped support a CSP in Peru for $20 a month and that CSP graduated! So I encourage you to check out Compassion's Child Survival Program.
Compassion has a program called the Child Survival Program…this is an amazing program that reaches children as early as possible, both in the womb and in the toddler years. These are the years in life when a child is most vulnerable!
Not only does the CSP help provide a chance for the baby to survive his or her most vulnerable years, the moms and dads who participate are able to learn numerous life skills. Eric and I have seen firsthand that these projects don't just change families, but they change communities. The CSP we helped support in Peru graduated from Compassion and the unemployment community dropped to 8%! If you want to learn more about the CSP, check out my posts here.
Now what does this have to do with Giving Tuesday? Get this--Compassion wants to fund and launch a brand new Child Survival Program in Gujarat, India on December 2nd! How amazing would that be! Please be praying for God to provide for this new CSP and for Him to provide donors, since this project will cost $25,000.
Now, why India? This is Compassion's answer:
"Because nearly one in every three newborn deaths in the world occurs in India. And because every year, more than two million children under age five die in India."
Isn't that so sad? I cannot even imagine… But instead of dwelling on the sorrow of that image, let's make a difference!
I encourage you to check out Compassion's page regarding the CSP in Gujarat India! There's an amazing video that you can watch too!
*All photos are courtesy of Compassion International.
Last week we received tangible evidence that Compassion's Child Survival Program (CSP) works!
In case you haven't heard of the CSP, let me share a little about it. You can sponsor a CSP project for $20 a month. The CSP works in a local church and provides mothers and babies up to age 3 with medical check-ups and immunizations, with nutrition that the moms and babies need, with training for the mothers on proper child care and all is done while sharing the gospel of Jesus with these moms. Once the children are 3-years-old, they are enrolled in Compassion's child sponsorship program!
When you sponsor a CSP, you receive regular updates via letters from Compassion. Also, a few times a year you receive a photo and story of a mother and baby involved in the CSP!
For more information, I highly recommend watching this video:
Now onto our exciting news--for the past 6 years we supported a CSP in Peru, the Jehovah Jireh CSP. And last week we heard that this CSP no longer needs Compassion's support! The CSP "graduated," per say, and now the community and church are able to care for their mothers and babies without Compassion's assistance. Not only that, but the unemployment rate in the community has now decreased to 8%! The mothers were given vocational training and now many mothers in this community are able to support themselves. This CSP was established 8 years ago and now Compassion is able to move their efforts to another community.
If you'd be interested in supporting a CSP, click here to check out the available projects!
When I was first married, we lived in a small studio apartment on my in-laws' property. I mean small...at least by US standards! It was about 400 square feet (possibly a little smaller) and had one small bathroom (no tub...just a shower) and a kitchenette. I learned really quickly how to creatively organize! It wasn't really hard to live there until our son was born (granted, there was no getting personal space in the house nor was it easy to have people visit, but it worked). But once our son was born, we realized how small our place was...and how hard it is when you don't have an actual kitchen in your house nor a washer. In many countries, families live in tiny "houses" but not just with a family of 3 (and 2 dogs)...many times families of 6 or 8 or 10 live in houses smaller than mine!
Not to mention that my house stayed dry when it rained and I had air conditioning and heating and clean water coming out of the faucets!
Prior to Juanito, I would just carry my laundry or my food for cooking into my in-laws' house. After Juanito, I had to try to figure out how to juggle carrying him and laundry the 200 or so feet into the next house. When I was tempted to complain, I had to remind myself that although I had to walk to the washer, I was still walking to a washer...not to a river in which I would have to wash my clothes. And I had a dryer in which to dry them! So if it rained, my clothes would still dry.
And I had to figure out how to give Juanito a nap while cooking and while carrying all my supplies. It was little stressful! I would load Juanito into the stroller and walk him until he fell asleep. Then I would run inside my apartment, throw all the cooking supplies into the stroller and hurry into my in-laws' kitchen. Usually jars and bowls would be falling off as I walked. But when I was tempted to complain about not having a kitchen in my house, I would remember other moms who had to cook over a fire outside.
And at clean-up time I was reminded again of the amazing blessing of water available in my house.
And washing the baby was a challenge too! The sink in our kitchenette was too small to wash Juanito in...and we didn't have a bathtub, so while he was little, I used a baby bathtub, crammed between the kitchen table and dresser, on the floor. I had to carefully fill large cups and dump them into the tub...all the while taking care that I didn't spill the water (it would soak into the carpet and cause the apartment to stink...I found this out the hard way when I forgot to plug the bath and ended up soaking the floor!).
And when Juanito was too large for the infant bath, we had to take a trip to the in-laws...with all the baby bath supplies! But at least I didn't have to wash Juanito outside!
And these are just a few aspects of being a mom in a 3rd world country. I was blessed with an incredible doctor and wonderful hospital when I gave birth...I was blessed with an education as to how best to care for my child (both when I was pregnant and after he was born). I am blessed with freedom of religion. I am blessed with incredible opportunities for Juanito as he grows up! I am blessed with a husband who has a good job and who provides for us. I am blessed with the opportunity to stay at home to care for Juanito. I'm blessed to live in a relatively safe area and that I don't have to worry about Juanito. I'm blessed with doctors readily available for when Juanito is sick. And the list goes on...
I can try to imagine being a mother in a third world country, but I know that my imagination will never even come close to what these women go through every day. Women who raise their kids in a third world country have my deepest respect! And I learn so much from the example of these joyful moms who raise their kids in situations I can't even comprehend and who all the while praising God! May God bless these incredible women.
Writing this reminded me of a few videos that I had watched which opened my eyes to some of the struggles of moms in third world country. I highly recommend taking the time to watch these.
These three videos show Compassion's work in the Philippines. Please notice the living situations of these families--and the joy that they exhibit!
So why am I sharing all this? First, to remind us to pray for moms in third world countries! While living the apartment, I found it easier to remember to pray. Now that I live in a much larger (at least compared to the apartment!) house, with fewer daily struggles, I forget to pray for these moms. Writing this post and reminiscing has inspired me to lift these moms up in prayer again.
Next, I want to encourage you to make a difference! You can help moms in third world countries...one way is through Compassion's Child Survival Program. You can give a one time gift here.
Another way is through buying jewelry from either of these Etsy shops: Conspiracy of Love & Made From Scratch 4 You. They both have beautiful jewelry and donate the proceeds to the Child Survival Program.
Or for $20 a month, you can help support a center. Eric and I help support a center in Lima, Peru. It's so encouraging to hear updates from the project about how Compassion is coming alongside these mothers and helping them!
Let me introduce you to a few projects that you can support:
"Baan Klow Tow is a small village located in a rural part of western Thailand. People in this community are extremely poor, and the poverty is especially hard on young mothers. Because of the remote location of the village, transportation to the nearest town is difficult. Only 5% of women have their babies in a medical clinic or hospital."
"In this community, infant mortality is high. For every 1,000 babies, 83 will die. But infant mortality is just one of the many issues for mothers and babies living in poverty northwest of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia. Sixty-eight percent of families only make $156 per month, which is not nearly enough to provide appropriate care and development for their children."
"The average age at which a woman in this area first becomes pregnant is 16 and she has to travel 3km to receive any medical care. The Nyaruhanga Child Survival Program (CSP) is bringing hope to these women who desperately need it. Women and their children who attend the Nyaruhanga CSP receive many benefits."
"Mothers in a small community in Santo Domingo get pregnant at a young age. This is due to a lack of education and opportunity. As a result, they are unable to deliver healthy babies. Most of these infants will grow up with inadequate development. They will also be presented with a lack of education and opportunity. The cycle will repeat."
If you would like to see more Child Survival Projects, click here.
All photos are courtesy of Compassion's Flickr Albums.
My poor little guy has been sick. I feel so bad for him when he's sick! He's pitiful and doesn't want to sleep unless someone holds him. It's so sweet how he likes to cuddle with us, though! But I am so thankful that I live where we have doctors when we need them, that we have medicine available and that we have so many resources. It reminds me to pray for those parents and babies in third world countries. And it inspired me to share with you how we can help parents and babies who are in need!
Compassion has a program called in Child Survival Program, which, according to Compassion:
[H]elps save the lives of babies and mothers in poverty utilizing local churches to assist mothers of at-risk infants and toddlers. Mothers can give their children a fighting chance for healthy development with the supplies and training provided by your donations. Your donation will supply:
- Prenatal care
- Nutritious food and supplements
- Ongoing health care
- Infant survival training for mothers
- Spiritual guidance and education
- The loving support of a local church
The Child Survival Program costs $20 a month to support and you can support centers in Thailand, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Tanzania and Uganda. Eric and I sponsor a CSP in Peru and my parents sponsor one in India. We receive two to three letters a year sharing the difference that the CSP is making in the lives of the families involved.
We've received letters from the pastor of the CSP and also from women who's lives were changed via the CSP. It is so neat that just $20 can make such a big difference!
We recently received photos of our little Mary, from when she was enrolled in a CSP in Bolivia! We started sponsoring Mary after she graduated from the CSP.
While these photos are not of Mary, they are of one of her classmates, Daniela, as she and her mom participated in the CSP activities. Aren't the kids so cute?
We also have photos of Daniela's graduation from the CSP!
These photos of Daniela (who was at the same CSP as our Mary!) confirm to me the benefits of the CSP in the lives of the families involved! The one downside to the CSP is that you are not able to correspond with those involved. But if you're the type who wants to correspond, you can now sponsor babies! These babies are still involved in Child Survival Programs, the difference is that instead of giving $20 towards a program, you are able to give $38 towards a specific child and you are able to write to the child's family. If you're interested in sponsoring a baby, here are some babies who need sponsors. If you aren't able to sponsor a baby, please take a minute to pray for each precious child and his or her mother.
This is two-year-old Nshimiyimana from Rwanda. His birthday is November 12 and he lives in an AIDS affected area. To sponsor Nshimiyimana, click here. Update: Nshimiyimana was sponsored!
Uwera, also from Rwanda is 1. Her birthday is January 11! To sponsor her, click here. Update: Uwera was sponsored!
Meet two-year-old Germayoli from Bolivia. Her birthday is May 1 and she enjoys playing with friends. To sponsor Germayoli, click here. Update: Germayoli was sponsored!
This little guy, Aldemir, is also two-years-old and from Bolivia. His birthday is July 26. To sponsor Aldemir, click here. Update: Aldemir was sponsored!
Dipu is one-year-old and he's from Bangladesh. Dipu's birthday is January 8! To sponsor Dipu, click here. Update: Dipu has been sponsored!
Ellma is also one-year-old and from Bangladesh. Her birthday is January 30. To sponsor her, click here. Update: Ellma has been sponsored!
