I'll begin my post with a request that you all send positive healing vibes to my very good friend C; she has an infected kidney stone that is causing her extreme pain and she also has company coming to stay for Christmas and a thousand things she wants to do but can't because she's in too much pain. She's been to the doctor now all that will help is time and your positive thoughts ... think hard now, healing, soothing thoughts for my friend ... all together now, no slackers, just a minute of your warm wishes may be enough to help her further along the road to recovery.
Get Well Soon C!!
As I was saying ... busy day. First of all I had to impose on a sick friend, which I loath having to do. Lucky it was her husband that fed my kids at lunchtime rather than her ... thinking back I should have just packed them a lunch and had them eat at school ( Dang brain! You couldn't have given me that thought sooner??). I returned a baking dish (that C had given me full of yummy food) and dropped off an air mattress and pump for her company then realized I had forgotten my Heath Cards which was the only reason I was going anywhere!! So I had to go back to my house. While I was there I figured I'd better take my single foam mattress over to C's as well, I had told her I would loan her the single air mattress but I have no idea where it is. So I took it over to her house as well and then went on from there.
The place where I had to go to get the Health Cards for myself and my three kids renewed is about an hour's walk from my house and I ended up walking right by J's Parent's house so I had to stop in for 15-20 minutes and visit with his Mom since I know one of her favorite things to do is look out her front windows and it would have been rude to walk on by.
After that I went to the Heath Card place and that went amazingly smoothly (maybe everyone is busy shopping?) then I went to the bank, and to the clothing store where I got my Mom a gift certificate for Christmas. Then I walked back to our local mall(which is also where the Heath Card place is - the bank and clothing store are nearby but not in the mall) and stopped in at the food court for lunch. M was with me the whole time(riding in her stroller) and was very very good. In fact every time I heard another kid screaming I kissed her and told her she was a good girl and that I loved her. All together I spent about 2 and a half hours walking.
We finished eating and just missed the bus home so had to wait the full half hour for the next one, I forgot to bring a book so instead talked to a nice young man about random stuff(poor guy) until his bus came then I just played with M in her stroller. Our bus came and there was one other stroller getting on ... accompanied by two teenage girls. **Please note rant begins soon** We both ended up at the back of the bus and I asked how old the baby was ... she said a month and I said she should have been carrying the baby in a sling ... the girls both looked at me as if I had grown two heads and brushed me off. I spent the rest of my time on the bus looking forward and listening to their babbling and holding my tongue with both hands. I wanted to say a lot of things but I think I'll do my rant in the form of a lovely little comparison ... here goes ... picture it:
Two Moms Eve and Jane, they both have one month old babies. Eve has done lots of reading and research and talking to other Moms and has decided to breastfeed and baby wear her little one. Jane has opted for the mainstream way and formula feeds her little one and is always putting it in something other than her arms; car seat, baby seat, stroller, crib, bassinet, playpen and baby swing.
One day Eve is looking out the window while she breastfeeds her baby and notices how lovely the weather is; "Would you like to go for a walk Baby?" she coos at her nursing baby as it drowses at her breast, "Of course you would!" mind made up Eve makes a quick mental list of anything she may need while she is out, "You know we may want to stop somewhere for Mommy to have a bite to eat so I'll bring money and just in case we're out for a while a change of clothes for you and a couple of diapers." Once her baby is done nursing and mostly asleep, Eve puts it up on her shoulder to burp and slowly gathers the things she will need in a small shoulder bag. She picks up her baby carrier and gets the now sleeping baby settled into it. Gathers up the bag, puts on her jacket loosely since it is just barley cool enough for one and heads out the door. Soon she is out enjoying the wonderful day and looking at her baby every now and then and enjoying the view of it sleeping snugly against her chest. Because she has so little with her she is able to do pretty much whatever she wants, have a hot chocolate at the local coffee shop, grab a bus to the local mall and even do some shopping. Both she and her baby are happy and content. When the baby needs changing she changes it and when it fusses she breastfeeds(yes even at the table at the coffee shop, yes even on a bench at the bus stop, yes even on a bench at the mall). Eve and baby have a lovely outing and when they get home both are very glad they went out.
Jane looks out the window as she is propping the bottle for her baby in it's baby seat and sees it's a nice day out. "We should go for a walk!" she says to her baby as it sucks on the bottle. Mentally she thinks of the things she will need while she is out, "We'll need your diaper bag with diapers, clothes and a couple bottles of formula, I hope I'll be able to heat them up for you if we're out long enough for you to eat." thinking more she continues, "Oh and the stroller! I think that's it ... money and house keys. Yup ... okay, let's do this!" Jane checks to see how Baby is doing with it's bottle and then runs around getting everything ready, making the bottles and unfolding and setting up the stroller. She stops long enough to burp baby who ends up spitting up because it sucked in a whole lot of air with the formula and Jane reminds herself again to talk to the doctor about how much Baby spits up, maybe they need to switch formulas again. After changing her clothes as well as Baby's she pops Baby into the stroller, grabs the diaper bag with formula and goes. Jane wants to stop in at the local coffee shop but it is small and crowded and there is no room for the stroller between the tables, so she decides to go to the mall and do a little window shopping. After struggling onto a city bus with stroller and Baby she gets to the mall. Baby wants to eat again so Jane has to search for a while before she finds a place to heat up the bottle, Baby is getting fussy, it is really very hungry. Finally Jane gets a bottle warmed, checks it for hot spots wonders again how healthy microwaved formula is and props the bottle in the stroller for Baby and continues on her way. Baby, tired from crying, sucks on the bottle and falls asleep only to wake up later and spit up again, covering itself again. Jane then finds a bathroom changes Baby's clothes and decides that it's time to head home. Again she wrestles her stroller onto the bus and goes home. When they get there she is tired out and wonders why she thought it would be so nice to go out.
Comparison over.
Wear Your Baby!
OR
The Baby Wearer.
Both are excellent sites for information on carriers, how to wear your baby in different carriers and even video clips of baby wearing pros. If you have a baby under two, know someone that is going to have a baby or has a baby under two or are ever going to have a family of your own PLEASE take the time to read up on baby wearing. Baby wearing and Breastfeeding are only complicated if you make them that way. There is no excuse to not try.As I was saying ... busy day. First of all I had to impose on a sick friend, which I loath having to do. Lucky it was her husband that fed my kids at lunchtime rather than her ... thinking back I should have just packed them a lunch and had them eat at school ( Dang brain! You couldn't have given me that thought sooner??). I returned a baking dish (that C had given me full of yummy food) and dropped off an air mattress and pump for her company then realized I had forgotten my Heath Cards which was the only reason I was going anywhere!! So I had to go back to my house. While I was there I figured I'd better take my single foam mattress over to C's as well, I had told her I would loan her the single air mattress but I have no idea where it is. So I took it over to her house as well and then went on from there.
The place where I had to go to get the Health Cards for myself and my three kids renewed is about an hour's walk from my house and I ended up walking right by J's Parent's house so I had to stop in for 15-20 minutes and visit with his Mom since I know one of her favorite things to do is look out her front windows and it would have been rude to walk on by.
After that I went to the Heath Card place and that went amazingly smoothly (maybe everyone is busy shopping?) then I went to the bank, and to the clothing store where I got my Mom a gift certificate for Christmas. Then I walked back to our local mall(which is also where the Heath Card place is - the bank and clothing store are nearby but not in the mall) and stopped in at the food court for lunch. M was with me the whole time(riding in her stroller) and was very very good. In fact every time I heard another kid screaming I kissed her and told her she was a good girl and that I loved her. All together I spent about 2 and a half hours walking.
We finished eating and just missed the bus home so had to wait the full half hour for the next one, I forgot to bring a book so instead talked to a nice young man about random stuff(poor guy) until his bus came then I just played with M in her stroller. Our bus came and there was one other stroller getting on ... accompanied by two teenage girls. **Please note rant begins soon** We both ended up at the back of the bus and I asked how old the baby was ... she said a month and I said she should have been carrying the baby in a sling ... the girls both looked at me as if I had grown two heads and brushed me off. I spent the rest of my time on the bus looking forward and listening to their babbling and holding my tongue with both hands. I wanted to say a lot of things but I think I'll do my rant in the form of a lovely little comparison ... here goes ... picture it:
Two Moms Eve and Jane, they both have one month old babies. Eve has done lots of reading and research and talking to other Moms and has decided to breastfeed and baby wear her little one. Jane has opted for the mainstream way and formula feeds her little one and is always putting it in something other than her arms; car seat, baby seat, stroller, crib, bassinet, playpen and baby swing.
One day Eve is looking out the window while she breastfeeds her baby and notices how lovely the weather is; "Would you like to go for a walk Baby?" she coos at her nursing baby as it drowses at her breast, "Of course you would!" mind made up Eve makes a quick mental list of anything she may need while she is out, "You know we may want to stop somewhere for Mommy to have a bite to eat so I'll bring money and just in case we're out for a while a change of clothes for you and a couple of diapers." Once her baby is done nursing and mostly asleep, Eve puts it up on her shoulder to burp and slowly gathers the things she will need in a small shoulder bag. She picks up her baby carrier and gets the now sleeping baby settled into it. Gathers up the bag, puts on her jacket loosely since it is just barley cool enough for one and heads out the door. Soon she is out enjoying the wonderful day and looking at her baby every now and then and enjoying the view of it sleeping snugly against her chest. Because she has so little with her she is able to do pretty much whatever she wants, have a hot chocolate at the local coffee shop, grab a bus to the local mall and even do some shopping. Both she and her baby are happy and content. When the baby needs changing she changes it and when it fusses she breastfeeds(yes even at the table at the coffee shop, yes even on a bench at the bus stop, yes even on a bench at the mall). Eve and baby have a lovely outing and when they get home both are very glad they went out.
Jane looks out the window as she is propping the bottle for her baby in it's baby seat and sees it's a nice day out. "We should go for a walk!" she says to her baby as it sucks on the bottle. Mentally she thinks of the things she will need while she is out, "We'll need your diaper bag with diapers, clothes and a couple bottles of formula, I hope I'll be able to heat them up for you if we're out long enough for you to eat." thinking more she continues, "Oh and the stroller! I think that's it ... money and house keys. Yup ... okay, let's do this!" Jane checks to see how Baby is doing with it's bottle and then runs around getting everything ready, making the bottles and unfolding and setting up the stroller. She stops long enough to burp baby who ends up spitting up because it sucked in a whole lot of air with the formula and Jane reminds herself again to talk to the doctor about how much Baby spits up, maybe they need to switch formulas again. After changing her clothes as well as Baby's she pops Baby into the stroller, grabs the diaper bag with formula and goes. Jane wants to stop in at the local coffee shop but it is small and crowded and there is no room for the stroller between the tables, so she decides to go to the mall and do a little window shopping. After struggling onto a city bus with stroller and Baby she gets to the mall. Baby wants to eat again so Jane has to search for a while before she finds a place to heat up the bottle, Baby is getting fussy, it is really very hungry. Finally Jane gets a bottle warmed, checks it for hot spots wonders again how healthy microwaved formula is and props the bottle in the stroller for Baby and continues on her way. Baby, tired from crying, sucks on the bottle and falls asleep only to wake up later and spit up again, covering itself again. Jane then finds a bathroom changes Baby's clothes and decides that it's time to head home. Again she wrestles her stroller onto the bus and goes home. When they get there she is tired out and wonders why she thought it would be so nice to go out.
Comparison over.
I didn't even talk about what either Mom would have had to deal with if she drove ( a lot of the same, really) and I didn't talk about cloth vs. disposable diapers (I'll get into that another time). For more information about baby wearing please go to:
Wear Your Baby!
OR
The Baby Wearer.
Cass :)
3 comments:
Yikes - poor C ! Let me know if she needs anything, please.
Oh - and don't give up on humanity yet - Hubby and I had all three kids at Costco this morning - with little W in my flag sling of course - and I go no less than 3 compliments on it !
Wow my thoughts go out to C.
I did the breast feeding with two of my three....but tried with all three my first wanted nothing to do with it-I highly recomend it to anyone not only for the reasons you stated but it is the healthiest option for both mommy and baby. I also did slings for my infants-under 6 months. When they started walking they got to walk since we don't walk to places it works out for us. You made very good points there...but I don't think anyone should put an infant in a stroller when they know they are going to end up in a cramped place at all....I really don't think iddie bitties need to be in strolers any how. but what ever.
I gotta say...I'd be mad at Eve for changing her baby on a food table in the coffee shop. People eat there, there should be no intereaction of bodily fluids with an eatery table, baby or no. Eve could take her baby to the bathroom and change her.
You don't know if the teen had a bad back or something. I carried my son in a front-sling thing when he was small, but I had to switch to stroller after I slipped a disc in my back. And some people can't breast feed. Or she might have been the sitter and not the momma. Be careful how far you judge others that you don't know.
However, devil's advocate said, I do agree that babies should be kept close to the body of the momma when possible and should be fed as naturally as possible. In principle I agree completely, but I think it's a slippery slope to pass judgment.
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