Baby Wearing!

The most important thing for a new mother to do is rest. In many societies, new moms will be surrounded with family and friends for weeks to recover and bond with her baby. However, with the go go go mentality in the US and the lack of decent maternity leave for most new moms, this isn't possible. Taking at least 2 weeks and not doing anything (laundry, cleaning, cooking) is recommended because you could do damage, whether you had a baby vaginally or by Cesarean Section. So let's say you've gone two weeks and your house is now a wreck and you have a baby you can't put down without listening to screams? This is where baby wearing comes in!
Baby wearing is one of my favorite tricks to multitasking as a parent. Not only can you do what you need, many times babies are content just to be snuggled into you. You don’t have to give them the voice and eye interaction like a baby who isn’t being held or carried. You have so many options on how you want to wear your baby, including slings, wraps and mei-tais. Each option is dependant on what you want exactly and how long you plan on wearing, however you can make every one of these carriers with a basic knowledge with thread and needle. Let's break down these carriers to make it easier to choose one.


• Bag Sling

• Not recommended!
• You can't breastfeed using a bag sling (or if you can, I've yet to figure out how.)
• The most recognizable bag sling is the Infantino SlingRider baby carrier.
• These carriers basically hold the baby in a position that puts them at risk for oxygen deprivation, respiratory distress and suffocation.
• Not only does the design keep the baby's chin curled onto its chest making it harder for the baby to breath, the design also makes it very difficult to keep the baby's face away from the fabric.
• Because the sling is so deep, it's very hard to monitor what your baby is doing without stopping and opening up the sling. The point of wearing a sling is to be hands free, and having to stop and check your babies positioning is counter productive.

• Ring Slings

• This is my personal favorite.
• Allows simple breastfeeding, even for smaller babies. With the excess fabric, you can also cover yourself and skip a nursing cover if you desire.
• A ring sling is a very simple long piece of fabric with 2 rings (comparable to those ring belt "buckles") on one end that you use to tighten or loosen the fabric and change the size.
• You can make these or buy online or websites like Etsy. (Please be sure to thoroughly inspect the workmanship of anything you buy online, you're counting on this to hold your baby securely!)
• The best part about the ring sling is you can hold your baby in several different positions -- forward facing, on your hip, lying down. It's very versatile.
• The downside is it can start to hurt your back after long periods of time.
• I buy my ring slings from Etsy. My favorite seller is here.

• Wraps

• My second favorite because its so versatile.
• Allows breastfeeding in many different positions without needing a cover.
• This one you can make at home without even knowing how to sew! It’s basically a very long piece of fabric that is wrapped into different positions and your baby is tucked in.
• It can be complicated and is time consuming until you get the hang of it.
• Best for long term carrying, it doesn’t cause backaches like a ring sling if done properly.
• Youtube is your best resources with wraps – you can learn so many different wraps.
• Remember not to put your baby forward facing with their weight on their genitals. While it’s not common for this to cause complications, it can. There are plenty of other wraps to use to avoid this!
• I have a wrap from here.
  

• MeiTei

• A Meitei is a mix of a wrap and one of the backpack style carriers. It’s a square piece of fabric with 4 long straps from each corner. You tie the straps around you and the big square piece basically holds your baby in.
• You can wear your baby on the front or the back of your body.
• Less versatile than a wrap, but easier to put on.
• Not as easy to breastfeed in it compared to a wrap or sling.
• I personally go here to buy MeiTeis. There is also a neat pattern for a hooded one here I’d like to try.

In addition to making it easier to multitask as a new parent (yes, dad can wear the baby too and it’s a great bonding experience!) there are other benefits to baby wearing.

• Babies cry less!
Babies who are carried cry 43% on average and 54% less during the evening. Who
wouldn’t want that? Also, the difference between crying and non-crying babies in
differing countries is the ones who are carried more cry less! They’ve got something
right!
• Babies feel safe!
Babies don’t cry to take advantage of you, they cry because they need something.
Sometimes its food, or a diaper change, but often its just comfort they need. Wearing
your baby teaches your baby that you’re there to keep her safe and meet her needs.
When a baby grows up feeling safe and secure, they also become independent earlier.
• Babies learn better!
When babies are comfortable and safe, they can learn more. This happens when being
carried and changes their perspective of the world as well.
• Babies grow better!
A baby is dependent on mom for 9 months to survive and then many times they’re
expected to just figure it out. When a baby is carried (whether by mom, dad, aunt,
uncle, etc.) their bodies get in tune with yours. Your breathing, your heartbeat, your
voice all sooth and help your baby’s physically development. (especially preemies).

Please excuse the mess

I'm working on my page, so you may see some funky stuff. Please disregard it. :) Everything will be normal and pretty soon!

What to Expect When You're Expecting

If you've read this book, you must be
a) scared to death
b) laughing your butt off

I received this book at my first (and only) OB visit when I was pregnant with Logan. Anxious to be a good mommy, I read it front to cover. And wanted to hide under a rock. The author suggest such things as not jogging because it uses too much oxygen, avoiding swim caps because they could fry your baby and to gain weight steadily or you could harm your baby. The part that really got me was the epidural, basically that my provider would decide if I needed one. I'd have to buy a new copy to give you the exact wording because well -- I threw the one I received out. As with other readers, my favorite suggestion is if you have to deliver alone -- to run to your neighbors house for help or to lay on the floor on your back and wait for help. Do you see yourself laying on the floor in pain waiting for someone to show up while you push out a baby? Me neither, especially when so many other ways are proven to be safe and effective! This book seriously needs updating. However, since it wont be, there are several books out there that are much better. I've compiled a list of my personal favorites:

• The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth (Henci Goer)
• The Birth Book (Sears & Sears)
• The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth (Sheila Kitzinger)
• The Happiest Baby on the Block (Dr. Harvey Karp)
• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (Ina May Gaskin)

These are just my top 5 -- if you'd like a specific book or looking for a specific concern, please feel free to contact me and I can find something for you!

Interview!

So tonight (5-6 pm) I have an official telephone interview with the MCU (midwifery college of utah) registrar. I'm so excited! I was really nervous because I got it in yesterday (the day before it was due) and my essays weren't horrible, I don't believe they really portrayed what I expected them too. Hopefully they liked them! Wish me luck!

So I've officially started!

After having Logan, I decided that I wanted to be a midwife. Since we currently live in Wyoming, I wasn't sure it would be a possibility until legislation passed recently allowing certified professional midwifes to practice. Yay! I'd been putting off my application to Midwives College of Utah because I didn't know if I was ready to move just to be a midwife. Well, now I can practice IN Wyoming, so today I logged on to work on my application and realized tomorrow is the due date! I busted out some sub par essays but hopefully I'll be accepted into the school and be on my way to be a midwife! The program looks very interesting, I can take classes like herbology, massage and some other out of the box classes. It's set up in trimesters and the load is only about 8 credits a semester, so I'm hoping to increase to about 12-15 and get the degree over with. I think the hardest part will be to find a preceptor, but I believe I read that I can do most of it through MCU if I'm in the area. I'm really looking forward to this -- so much I had a dream about having a baby last night in a tub. It was interesting to say the least. Hopefully someone will find this interesting, basically this blog will record my experiences on becoming a midwife.
Bon Voyage!