Mama To Mama

something else :: receiving blankets

The Caps are coming in! I've added a Cap Counter in the right column, which will keep a running total of the hats I've received. I've been so moved by these packages - from all over the world, from grandmothers to mamas, mamas to be and fathers, and children alike. Thank you all for the beautiful work you're doing, and for sending along those Caps!

Many of you have asked 'what else' you can make to contribute to this project. After some talk with the folks at Konbit Sante about the most pressing needs for birthing women and newborn babies, I've decided to add receiving blankets to this phase of the project. So if making a blanket appeals to you in addition to or in place of a cap, please read on for some specifics.

Requirements for the Receiving Blanket:

• The blanket should measure between 34 and 36" square. This size allows for proper swaddling, while also being large enough to provide a bit of warmth and coverage as the baby grows.
• Keep in mind that the blanket will be touching the gentlest of newborn skin, so keep the fibers to natural materials, please. Suitable fabrics include: flannel,100% cotton, terry, etc.
• In keeping with the spirit of the project, please try to use repurposed fabrics if they are available to you (bedsheets, flannel shirts, clothing, etc in good condition), or fabrics you have on hand.
• While two layers is appropriate, these are meant to be lightweight receiving blankets and not quilts. Please do not add batting or filler to your blanket.
• In the interest of keeping the spirit of the project through the whole process - creating with intent - only newly-made blankets should be submitted. If you have a pile of receiving blankets you no longer need, perhaps they could be cut and pieced together to create something new!

Basic Instructions:
Cut your two pieces of fabric to 36" square. Place right sides together and pin around the edges. Beginning in the middle of one side, stitch around all four sides, stopping 4" before you come to your starting point (leaving an opening). Trim corners and seam as necessary. Turn blanket right side out through the 4" opening. Use your fingertips to push out the corners. Press blanket. Topstitch close to the edge of blanket, around entire four sides. This will 'close' the opening you left and 'finish' your blanket.

The blankets provide a lot of room for creativity and interpretation in the making. You can stick right to the instructions and make a simple two sided cotton blanket. Or...feel free to piece a side, add embroidery, add decorative stitching or whatever else you would like to do to make a beautiful and functional blanket that will be given to a Mama and baby upon birth!

The deadline for the blankets remains the same as the Caps - December 10th. The address again:

Mama to Mama
c/o SouleMama
PO Box 8190
Portland, ME 04104
USA

Thank you!! And if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them in the comments here.

the importance of infant caps in Haiti

I've received several emails and comments asking an important question regarding infant caps in Haiti - Given the warm climate in Haiti, is it really necessary for newborns to have infant caps?

I turned to the folks at Konbit Sante for this answer for all of us:

"This is a really reasonable question, because Haiti does have a tropical climate, but there is more at play here than the ambient temperature....What people also need to remember is that Haiti has the highest infant mortality rate (and maternal mortality rate) in the western hemisphere...by far. This is  because the health and nutritional status of many (and in the poorer areas, most) mothers is very compromised during pregnancy, and therefore so is the health and nutrititional status of their babies. What our nurses have found is that the newborns, especially the premature and low-birth-weight babies are often very cold. A full-term healthy newborn has a store of fat which supplies sufficient calories to carry them for several days, and help them grow and thrive. Premature, and low-birth-weight babies don't have this. Even though it is warm in Haiti, the ambient temperature is usually less than the body temperature, and if these compromised babies have to use their calories to maintain body temperature, it is not going toward growth, and lessens their chances to survive and thrive. So in the context of an otherwise healthy population, the caps would not be so critical, but in the areas in which we are working, and for the newborns we have connections with, they are important.

Now obviously, the caps are not a panacea. They only assist with one small piece of the puzzle. This terrible situation is the result of the abject poverty in which many (most) women in Haiti live. They need adequate support in their lives and throughout their pregnancies, so that they have every opportunity to be healthy and have healthy children. They need economic opportunities, decent and accessible healthcare, access to education, etc... These caps will be used as part of safe birthing kits which are being provided to traditional birth attendants, who currently are the primary support to the majority of women who give birth at home. It helps improve the care they can render, and is also a way to strengthen a collaborative relationship with the Health Center, which improves referrals for women at high risk, etc... So it is part of a bigger picture and effort on the behalf of these women and their children, and there are certainly other types of support that would be helpful."

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And a reminder to those looking for other ways to contribute to this project, I'm hoping to roll out a Phase II soon with more crafting help we can offer. In the meantime, financial contributions to the work of Konbit Sante are always welcome and immediately helpful.

Thank you for your efforts, your enthusiasm and your crafting for this project!!!

Questions & Answers about the Caps to Cap-Haitien Project

Can I send knitted Caps?
Yes, but....this is important! Due to the climate in Haiti, we can only accept hats knit with cotton yarn. (If you have a link to a simple newborn knitted cap, please let us know in the comments of this post.)

Can I send gently-used newborn Caps?
This is a very lovely idea, but I think for right now, the answer is "no, thank you." I'd like to keep the project focused on handmade, repurposed and 'newly-made'. (I have some grand ideas for a Phase II - so stay tuned - this might change!)

Can I send a newborn cap I've made using another pattern?
Yes, of course. We're looking for simple caps - the ones put on right at birth to keep the baby's head warm. It must fit a newborn size head.

Many of my t-shirts have some other fiber content besides cotton - is this okay?
Yes, sticking to a mostly-cotton jersey is best, but many t-shirts do have a bit of something else in them and that should be fine.

I'm having a hard time sewing with the t-shirts - the hats are too stretchy and wonky using a regular sewing machine. Do you have any tips?
I've given a few ideas in the PDF, but would welcome more tips on sewing with jersey on a conventional machine in the comments here if anyone has any to share. Also - you may want to try a different t-shirt - sometimes the very stretchy ones are just too stretchy for working on a conventional machine.

Can I send a hand sewn Cap?
Yes! I don't have any experience with hand sewing jersey so I don't have any helpful tips for you. But if you can hand sew a sturdy-enough stitched newborn cap, send it along!

I don't sew or knit, but I want to help. Is there a way I can donate to the project?
Konbit Sante has a secure server on which you can make a donation in any amount you choose. There's also a mailing address if you'd prefer that.  

How can I spread the word about Mama to Mama and the Caps to Cap-Hatien project?
You can write about it on your own blog, link to the MamatoMama.org website, and use this button as you wish (right click to download to your own computer for hosting, please!). You can also subscribe to the MamatoMama.org website to keep abreast of updates here as well.

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And lastly, on the topic of Haiti in general, please take a moment to read this post on Sew Liberated with some wonderful, informative resources and personal thoughts on the situation there. Thank you, Meg!

And thanks to all of you for your enthusiasm and support of this project! I will keep you posted with updates in this space.

The Caps to Cap-Haitien Project: A partnership with Konbit Sante

(Photo courtesy of Konbit Sante, in the Haitian area where Safe Birthing Kits will be distributed.)

Mama to Mama is honored to introduce our first project. The Caps to Cap-Haitien Project: A Partnership with Konbit Sante, will initially provide newborn jersey caps to be distributed in Safe Birthing Kits in northern Haiti.

I invite you to join me in sharing your creativity, time and energy to aid our Caribbean sisters. Our life circumstances may be so very different from one another, but as women and mothers, we share so very much in common - the most basic being our desire to keep our children safe and healthy from the moment of birth onward. Please read on to find out how you can contribute to this project in a simple but meaningful way.

In northern Haiti:

• Just 1 in 5 women receives skilled medical care during childbirth.
• Haiti has the highest maternal mortaility ratio in the Western Hemisphere.
• 1 in 40 women will die as a result of pregnancy complications, unsafe abortion, or obstetrical emergency.
• Twelve percent of children die before the age of 5.

About Konbit Sante:

Konbit Sante is a Maine-based volunteer partnership working to save lives and improve health care in northern Haiti. In Haitian Creole, a konbit is a traditional method of working together to till your friends' and neighbors fields as well as your own - a cooperative effort. Sante means health. The name defines their committment to address the staggering health problems in northern Haiti where most lack basic care and live without running water.

One aspect of their work involves OB/GYN care . Konbit Sante is working to assemble Safe Birthing Kits to be distributed by traditional birth attendants in the desperately poor Fort St. Michel area of Cap-Haitien. These kits - consisting of plastic sheeting, hand sanitizer, a sterile piece of string and razor blade, and these newborn baby caps - have the potential to reduce infant and maternal mortality, and give babies a safer, healthier start.   

The Caps to Cap-Haitien Project

How you can help:

Download the Caps to Cap-Haitien PDF, where you'll find the pattern for a Simple Knot Newborn Cap. The cap can be sewn on your sewing machine, using t-shirts you have available to you. The project is suitable for any level of sewing ability - even children, with help.

Deadline:

While the intent is to create an ongoing relationship with Konbit Sante and the mothers of Northern Haiti, the initial goal is to gather as many caps for the Safe Birthing Kits as we can by December 10th, 2008.

Mail your finished hats to:
        Mama to Mama
        c/o SouleMama
        PO Box 8190
        Portland, ME 04104

Thank you for your interest and help in this project!

Amanda
MamatoMama.org

an introduction to Mama to Mama

There are so very many reasons why we craft. We craft out of necessity, we craft out of love, we craft for pleasure. And we craft, sometimes, to bring a little peace to our lives, to our hearts, and to our everyday moments. Taking that just a step further, we can - and do, like so many crafters before us - turn our crafting into peace for the world beyond our homes. The simple act of creating something with intention and heart - for someone in need, can have a beautiful effect on the lives of others. We can, indeed, do something to create a more just and peaceful world...all with the simple, mindful and crafty work of our hands.

I'm honored to announce the launch of Mama to Mama. A website, gathering place and hopefully source of inspiration and action. I have the honor and joy each day to write about the daily joys and little bits of peace in my daily life. And yet, sometimes it's far too easy to get overwhlemed at the sadness, violence and despair in the world. It's easy to feel hopeless and powerless against it all, and lost in trying to explain the world to our children. But we needn't throw our hands up. There are simple ways that we can improve the lives of others. Simple ways that can involve our craft and our families. It is my hope that Mama to Mama can provide a place for making that connection and action happen, and for sharing some stories of success and beauty.

Like most beginnings, I'm not entirely certain where this will go, but I look forward to the journey, and sharing it with you.

Read on to find out about the intial project of Mama to Mama- The Caps to Cap-Haitien Project, and see how you might participate in sending a bit of handmade love out into the world.