Dr. Mom to the Rescue!

We recently got wind about a very cool local mom who is not only doing good in our community but also being quite innovative and generous while making this difference.

Meet Dr. Mom Hawaii aka Dr. Deb Nojima, who is also a pediatrician with Castle Medical Center. She has been offering home visits in lieu of parents taking the standard route to the Emergency Room. Since we here at Baby A love old-fashioned traditions (i.e., cloth diapering, for example), we applaud anyone who also brings a bit of retro-culture back to life. We on Oahu are so lucky to have the option of having house calls by a doctor once again because of her.

Below, Dr. Nojima kindly took time out of her busy schedule to have a conversation with us about her new medical service as well as thoughts about being a mom.

BA: We love the idea of revisiting the days when a doctor made house calls. You shared a bit about how you were inspired in your personal message, but was it like a revelation you had one day to try it? How did you start this service?

I really was inspired by the incident with my croupy 2 year-old, which was really scary for me even being a physician! I also take the "mom" part of Dr. Mom Hawaii as seriously, if not MORE seriously than the "Dr" part. We moms are really, really BUSY. Not only are we caring for our kids, but we often do most of the housekeeping, financing, shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc. If you work outside the home, then you must fit that into the mix also. Our schedules are tight and sometimes an important need like a sick child can throw our lives into chaos! The last thing that you want to do after a hard day's work is pack up a sick, feverish, tired child into the car and rush down to an ER where you might have to sit for hours for treatment that may have been urgent but NOT a true emergency. Then, after all is said and done, you come back home and try to get everyone fed, watered, and to bed to start another day at the crack of dawn.

I was hoping that I could be of some help. Imagine the same scenario, except that your child can stay home and rest while you are still able to care for the rest of your family's needs. I show up at the agreed upon time and diagnose and prescribe treatment for your child AND to write an on-the-spot doctor's excuse note for school and your place of employment. On top of that, you are able to ask all your questions and feel absolutely comfortable with your child's condition and what you can do to make it better without feeling rushed or harried.
 
BA: What's been most gratifying about offering this service?

Meeting people and families where they are the most comfortable is extremely rewarding to me. I also feel that parents are more likely to ask questions in a familiar environment which is conducive to learning and exchanging vital information. I love to talk story with other moms. I find I learn a lot from them and find each interaction invaluable!

BA: Do you foresee a trend to bring home visits by doctors again, or are you pretty much the only one (on island or elsewhere) doing this?

There has been a small but growing movement of concierge type services where a patient pays a "yearly fee" for the right for visits from their doctor at any time during the year. Most of these memberships are quite pricey in the thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. The yearly membership fee ensures that the doctor keeps the number of patients low so he/she is available for her or his exclusive clientele. I "tweaked" this model a little. There is no membership fee but I only see "ill" children. I don't do well child check-ups or vaccinations. These very important appointments are best provided by a patient's primary care physician who may chart a patient's physical, emotional, and intellectual development over a long period of time.

I don't think other physicians will be interested in doing this type of work UNLESS a yearly membership fee was involved because the "take home" pay per hour of work is less than 50-75% of what an office-based physician can make. Most pediatricians these days see between 5-8 patients in an hour. I can only fit in about 4 patients in a typical "8 to 5" work day and that is only provided that the visits are geographically close to each other. Throw in the extra cost of insurance, gas, and wear and tear on a vehicle and many docs would say it's not worth it.
 
BA: What's your favorite part of being a mom?

Being a mom is JUST fun. I credit my boys for making me a much better person and in turn, a much better physician. It takes more than knowing how to use medications and diagnose illnesses to be a good doctor. Communication and LISTENING is the KEY. Before a physician asks themselves how to treat a particular patient, they must ask why the patient (or rather the parent of the patient) is seeking care and prioritize a patient's and the parents' concerns. Being a mom helps me to do that as a doctor.

On a more personal note, I love the fact that my boys treat and live each day in the moment. They teach me every waking moment that "the here and now" is invaluable: so laugh, joke, jump, play, make weird noises, be yourself, cry, run though the mud, make your hair crazy, LIVE IT ~ life is NOT a spectator sport!

Sage Mamas Making A Difference

Daniela Kittinger of the Farm to Highchair Project 

fresh pureed foods for baby

Debuting a new healthy baby food business in our community is Daniela Kittinger, mom and muse behind the Farm to Highchair Project. The Farm to Highchair Project is a unique and wonderful endeavor to bring fresh, healthy -- and oftentimes organic -- meals for little ones made with tenderness, care, and lots of flavor. Many of you may recognize Daniela as she is a familiar face at Baby aWEARness, helping out at our events and classes.

We are excited to highlight her efforts and ingenuity to pull together this noble project.

Daniela shares about her inspiration behind the project:
I truly believe that food is at the core of community health. Like most people, I enjoy modern conveniences, but I’ve noticed that many come at the expense of healthy lifestyles and a healthy community. The obesity epidemic, environmental degradation, and entire communities left voiceless and disenfranchised—could these all be somehow connected? Food is not only what links us all together, I also believe it is at the root of many of our society’s woes.

The idea for Farm to Highchair was born when I began feeding my baby solids. I knew that with my love for and commitment to all things food, that I could not feed him over-processed, store-bought substitutes. Not when Hawai’i farmers have so much fresh, locally-grown produce to offer year-round!

That being said, I do live in the real world. I understand that—even with the best of intentions—today’s busy moms simply don’t have the time or energy to make baby food from scratch every day. So I’ve decided to give back. The Farm to Highchair Project aspires to provide healthy, freshly prepared and conveniently available baby food, from Hawai’i farmers. Everyone deserves the opportunity to give their keiki the healthiest possible start!

For more information, check out her website here, or pick up a flyer at the store next time you're in. Currently, the project is seeking testers to help with product development.

Sage Mamas Making A Difference

Gwen Trowbridge
Founder & CEO of Baby Guru, LLC

As we gear up for Gwen to teach Sign, Say & Play, a baby sign language workshop starting September 2nd at the store, she was also kind enough to take a few moments out of her busy schedule to share some thoughts about being a mommy of two healthy and handsome boys as well as a career woman. Gwen was also one of the twelve finalists in our very first Hot Mama Hawaii Contest earlier this year. We have a lot to learn from her example of poise and wisdom.

Baby Guru has such a great concept and mission (I especially love the Mommy Personal Shopper service). How did you even begin to start your own business while still being a new parent yourself?  
I was the Marketing Director for PacificBasin Communications (Publishers of HONOLULU Magazine, Hawaii Business Magazine among others) and I loved my job, but was struggling with balancing my career with my family after I had my first son. I wanted to find something with more flexibility, which meant taking the leap to start my own business. I also wanted to make sure it was something I was passionate about because otherwise I would regret taking time away from my family for my career.  At that time I was having a difficult time finding resources and classes for new parents so I decided to try to fill that void. I was actually pregnant with my second son while I was getting trained and certified for a lot of my services and it reinforced my determination to launch this company to help parents keep their keiki safe, healthy and happy! It’s truly a labor of love!

It's natural for parents to always be thinking of ways to take care of baby that we often forget to take care of ourselves. As a working mother, how do you balance your work life, personal time, and being a caretaker?
It is so true that it is difficult for moms, whether working or stay-at-home moms, to take care of themselves. It’s a struggle for all of us to fulfill our expectations to be the best parent, wife, friend, worker, etc. I talk to so many moms in my business and we’re so hard on ourselves and often each other! I have to remind myself often of the advice I give to other moms...we’re a better mom, wife, worker, and every other role we take on, if we take time for ourselves. It’s important to do those things that fulfill you beyond your family and career... whether it’s going to a yoga class, having a shopping day with your girlfriend or a date night with your husband. There is always more work to do esp. when owning your own business because it’s hard to shut it off. I have to force myself to put it aside and focus on my family and also schedule time for myself separately. If it’s on my calendar like an appointment I’ll make sure it happens!

When you have that free moment to indulge yourself (hopefully at least once in a blue moon), what is a sans-kid activity that you like to do?
I recently trained with Team in Training to run the San Diego Marathon in honor of my mom who is battling leukemia. As a non-runner it was a huge challenge for me, but running became an indulgence for me because it was time alone and a way for me to incorporate fitness back into my life. And to pamper myself I love a good pedicure!

What's your favorite part of being a mother of young children?
It’s those moments where they make you feel like the most important person in the world, like when my older son Tanner said the other day that I am cooler than all the Transformers in the world (I actually teared up!) or when my baby Chase holds onto me like a koala bear and we’re almost one person. It makes all those tough moments disappear!

Baby Guru must be evolving as you are evolving, learning, and growing as a family. Anything new or exciting on the horizon we can look forward to? New classes or services, or events?
I am very excited to be working on a cookbook that will feature recipes for baby purees & toddler foods with a regional flare. I will be writing all of the tips, how to's and overview of food safety, benefits of making homemade baby/toddler food and recipes for basic baby purees; Pediatrician Dr. Michael Sia will be writing the sections on food transitions, nutrition and allergies; and local chefs who are also parents will be providing recipes on complex baby purees, finger foods and toddler meals. The daily experience around the dining table is an important one; it’s where a family gets its nutrition and where the family unit is cherished. I hope this cookbook will inspire parents from the start to emphasize the importance of both by cooking healthy, homemade meals. It will be released in summer 2011 by Mutual Publishing. This cookbook is my next baby!

Sage Mamas Making A Difference

Sway Davis of Naughty Nappies™

As we gear up for our anniversary celebration on 8/28, we want to build the excitement with some sneak peeks along the way.

We will be having a fabulous sidewalk sale during our anniversary event. Six local vendors -- all talented, unique crafters -- will be selling their lovely handmade wares (seemingly a rarity these days). Be sure to stop by to see their creations, everything from toys to jewelry to hand-painted organic tees.

One of our favorite mamas participating at the sidewalk sale is Sway of Naughty Nappies™.

Self-described as "ecologically fashionable, cloth diapers made with love," Naught Nappies™ is quickly building a following of moms. If you're looking for some cool, hip, one-of-a-kind original diapers with the couture touch, then Sway is the one to seek.

Recently, Sway was kind enough to take a moment from her sewing to chat with us about her life as a cloth-diapering mom who also happens to make cloth diapers for a living:

BA: Please share how Naughty Nappies was born.

NN: We started cloth diapering our baby when he was about 2 or 3 weeks old. We used Dolphin Diaper Service for about 2 months and decided we were going to slowly start building our own stash because we realized it was really easy to wash the diapers ourselves. However, after a while we wanted something other than green and navy.

Babies are in diapers most of the time. Because of the warm weather here in Hawaii, our son always runs around with just a t-shirt and a diaper, and I thought, why not make them fun and fashionable? It was actually my husband who really pushed me to make our first homemade diaper. The first few were made out of old t-shirts. It was exciting and fun for us to see our little man run around with a Transformer diaper on his bum. I kept on with the diaper making and thought it would be cool to have these available for other moms as well as a way to bring in a little extra income.

BA: How do you balance your business, crafting, and mommy life?

NN: I don't! (LOL)Although important, finding a balance in life right now is still a tough thing to do... Our son is now 13 months old and we don't call him Danger Baby for nothing. My husband works long hours so our baby is mostly with me. He requires constant attention when he's up and about so I usually work only when he's napping, after everyone's gone to bed or before he wakes up in the morning. I've never been a morning person, but I found myself liking getting up early, sip on some coffee and sew, it's peaceful.

BA: What inspires you to create, in work or in life?

NN: It just kind of come to me; "stuff" would just pop up in my mind. I've always been interested in fashion and have always wanted to design and make garments. I guess this is a starting point for me, and a lot of times I think of my diapers as "clothes" when I design them. NaughtyNappies Couture line is one example.

I love going to fabric and crafting stores! I'll walk around and look at something and think: "What can I do with this?" "How about that?"

I'm still trying to make that "perfect" diaper, one that's more then just putting fabric pieces together, one that's going to really "wow" but you can throw it in the wash everyday instead of requiring tender care due to delicate materials.

BA: Your diapers are so cool and hip -- people must stop you in the streets and ask you where you bought them, right? What do they say when you tell them that you made them?
  
NN: Thanks for thinking that =). Well, the few that do think it's really awesome, once in a while you get people asking if I make adult sizes... LOL

BA: Anything new from you we can look forward to at the sidewalk sale on August 28th?

NN: Aside from regular pocket diapers, I will have a very limited numbers of NaughtyNappies Couture available. I will have some organic fitteds as well as will debut our Danger Baby products, which will be mommy and baby-related items, such as organic breast pads and shoulder straps for bags and strollers.

** Sage Mamas Making A Difference**

Lauren Rabb, Muse and Mom Behind The Felt Commissary

Here at Baby Awearness, we firmly believe in all things cute and lovable as well as eco-friendly. We are excited to add handmade felt food toys to our growing toy 'n play section (Also keep an eye out for July's "Let's Talk Toys" segment that's posting soon). Next time you're at the store, you'll have to take a look at these beautiful and well-made felt creations. They would make treasured additions to any child's toy collection.

Local mom and crafter Lauren is proudly married to her husband, a Navy man who just passed his 10-year mark this month. Their family is comprised of two young toddlers, their dog Kona, and their newest addition -- a foster St. Bernard named Rook.

In this debut post of our new monthly column Sage Mamas Making A Difference, Lauren shares some thoughts about being a busy momtrepeneur and the inspiration that started The Felt Commissary:

What inspired you to start making your own toys?
I was inspired to make my own toys because of all the recalls on toys that were being made in China. I only had one or two recalled toys but that scared me. Plus I had just spent my hard-earned money to buy toys that my son couldn't play with. I had seen a few felt toys around but they were extremely expensive and almost looked like something I wouldn't want my child to "mess up." So I jumped online and got some ideas from other craft sites and began experimenting.

My first few ventures weren't very pretty. I tried to make an eggplant and it turned out looking like a giant purple chili pepper... it was funny! I really couldn't help but laugh. As I started to get the hang of it, I really enjoyed the sense of pleasure I got from other parents' responses. I got a lot of "you could sell this," though I really didn't think I could until I started to ask people who weren't familiar with eco-friendly toys if they would be willing to pay for handmade toys. When one mom in particular, who told me she would rather spend money in a store "the easy way," saw my felt foods, she became an instant convert! That was validating and nudged me into the direction of turning my craft into a business venture.

On your label, it says you use eco-friendly materials. Where do you get them? Do you make your own felt?

I don't make my own felt... I would love to but I don't think I could keep my prices as low as they are if I were to do that. I get my felt threw local craft suppliers and I try and make my foods around the various colors that are in stock, which can sometimes limit my creativity. I also use locally made fiber-fill. I am a firm believer in helping the local economy.

How do you balance your crafting and business while being a mother?
This is the hardest part of the whole thing! I really have to scrape together little bits of time to make felt toys. I cut out pieces while I am waiting on noodles to cook for mac and cheese, or I sew while my husband and I catch up on our DVR-ed episodes! I really try and make the best of the little bits of time I have. However, I often find myself sitting up late at night crafting these little gems because I can't turn my creativity off long enough to go to bed (LOL).

Can you offer any ideas to parents and kids out there on creative ways to play with their felt food toys?
These felt toys have a wide array of uses. I use them to teach my son (who is 2.5 years old) and soon my daughter (who is 4 months old) about wise food choices. Instead of calling bread just bread I talk about wheat bread. I know he is only 2.5 years old but he seems to like when I explain things in an adult fashion. I also talk to him about carrots and strawberries and then show him our garden and I can see the light bulb go on as he makes the connection at the dinner table when he points out the food on his plate and the felt food on the floor! My husband and I joke that my son is a self-made fruitarian. He doesn't eat meat and would eat fruit for every meal if he could!

Also, the felt foods help sometimes to introduce new items. I also use them to teach colors and counting as well as chores. My son loves to pull out ALL of his felt food and pretend to cook, wash and eat them, but when it comes to the clean up part it can be more difficult. But by being specific it has really helped. For instance, I tell him to "bring me the carrots" and he does!

What is your favorite felt toy food so far?

Wow, I feel picking a favorite felt food is like picking a favorite child. I love them all. I just made pop-sicles or "pops" as they are called at my house and those turned out great! I love the corn in the husk as well as the peel-able bananas! However my son couldn't make it through a day with out his "appies" or apples, real or fake! I can't wait to see what my daughter's favorites are!

Any new foods to look forward to?
I am having fun creating new food that should be in the store soon! I have cupcakes and green apples as well as cherry pie slices. I am also crafting pizzas with removable toppings! That should really be something to look out for!

Baby A: Thank you Lauren for taking the time to make such wonderful handmade goodies to share with us all as well as for inspiring us with your story.
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Sage Mamas Making A Difference is a new monthly column that is now part of Baby A's blossoming blog. If you know of any inspiring moms in our local community, or are one yourself (modesty not required), drop us a line at lani@babyawearness.com so that we may feature your story and endeavors about how you're making a difference right here in paradise. (LL)