1. birthing plans, natural childbirth, hypnobirthing, or another dreaded scheduled c-section. i'm all sorts of confused, but really really leaning towards an in hospital natural childbirth with the help of a midwife/hypnobirthing specialist.
2. cloth diapering. this really appeals to pete and i. you probably think i'm being sarcastic but i'm not. really the only thing pete dreads about this new baby is the diapering. he hates no actually loathes everything about disposable diapers. mostly the waste, he can't stand it. and the cost really drives him crazy. he was the first one to buy something for the baby. he came home one day from costco with eggs, milk, and a huge box of diapers. gotta love the guy and feel bad for him. he was so upset that he had to pay $35.00 for those diapers. so our solutions is to cloth diaper our new baby while were at home and when we venture out of the home to use disposable diapers. this really has put both of our minds at ease for being a little more eco friendly and spending less on those awful disposable diapers. there are some really amazing products out there. we all ready have a set of g-diapers left over from hannah that we will use. but we are also looking into goodmamas line of onesize fits all cloth diapers. they look amazing, and so cute.
3. breastfeeding. i'm thinking of maybe breastfeeding longer then the recommended 12 months. GASP!!!! now that you are over the initial shock of that statement, i'm being serious. the average weaning age in the world is 4 years old. yes i am aware that i live in america. i'm not thinking four years but maybe a little longer then a year or whatever feels right. i know i'm crazy but it just seems like the best natural option to me. we will see how i feel in 18 months when its time to make the decision.
4." babywearing". this really appeals to me and seems like such a no brainer. almost to the point of asking the question of "does it really need a title and definition?". i mean doesn't every mom do this? i don't know. i think our babies spend to much time in carseats and other contraptions. swings, bouncers, saucers, jumpers, strollers, and on and on. i think we should avoid carseats and strollers as much as possible and "wear" our babies close. i all ready have one baby sling and am going to attempt to make my own ring sling here soon. but does it really warrant a name and is it really a way of raising your baby that is all that different? i don't know, but i have been reading some really interesting stuff and am definitely going to try out some of the things i have read.
*i've got baby on the brain big time and am really getting excited to get ready for this new little member of our family. have any of you looked into any of the above mentioned less then conventional options but i believe more natural? i would love your input if you have!
5 comments:
I think breastfeeding as long as you can is great! The longest my kids ever went was 14 months and then baby just was not interested at all which was a bummer.
I haven't cloth diapered but I have several friends that have who really liked it. The advice I remember they gave was to start after newborn phase because 1. they have so many bowel movements/pee etc that it's hard to keep up w/laundry(especially while you're recovering) and 2. newborns are just so small that even the cloth diapers that were supposed to fit their size didn't do a good job keeping everything inside.
1. You should try to do whatever feels right but you may want to have the drugs handy just in case:)
2.I've used cloth before it's fine when pee.
3. All for nursing but if your child walks up to you,lift your shirt, and starts sucking on your boob, I might make fun of you!
4.I love the baby wrap it's so nice and comfy. You can just make it out of jersey fabric no sewing required.
*Your such a great mom and can't wait for another little Lassen.
Congratulations!!!!! I LOVE Breastfeeding. Kortlen went 12 months. my longest. We both missed it, but are moving on.
LOVE baby wearing....did it with Taylor and Kortlen....Kortlen more, but he LOVED it, plus it freed up my hands for two other boys. :)
I'm a disposable diaper diva. LOL! I thought about cloth, but that was it...a thought.
I am so stinkin excited for you!!! !!!! EEEEEK!!!!!
You girls are awesome! I'm getting so excited and its nice to know other women that support and share the same opinions. Thanks for all your great input and ideas!
Rachel, I'm so glad you posted all of these ideas! Okay, here are my thoughts in regards to what you wrote:
1. I had a cesarean with Ezra. I have a really small frame and wasn't progressing at all and he was measuring big, and my doctor figured I would probably have to induce labor, go through labor, and have to get an emergency c-section in the end. So I opted to schedule one and save myself all the hassle. I still think it was the right choice, but I became really disappointed that I couldn't hold him right away. And I just read your last post about your birth plan. It sounds awesome. I am not sure if I will need a c-section every time, but if possible I think I would definitely explore some more natural birthing options.
2. Cloth diapering. I have always bought disposable diapers for Ez cause that was really the only way I knew of. Then Justin told me a few months ago that there is really a whole movement going on for cloth diapers. At first I kind of laughed because it seemed so old school. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. I sure don't like spending $30 a month on diapers plus they are really wasteful. Now I kind of feel like Ezra will be potty trained pretty soon anyway, but I think I will try cloth diapers with our next baby.
3. Breastfeeding. So I wasn't super excited to breast feed and it didn't really go well. I didn't try hard enough and I wasn't committed to it enough. I pumped for about a month and then ran out of milk. I hope next time I will be able to get the hang of it and be able to breastfeed for a long time. Sure it can be uncomfortable/inconvenient but not buying formula is another huge plus and it definitely benefits the baby. And hey, I say do it for as long as you want!
4. This is the one that I can attest to the most, since I have not done any of the other three things you mentioned. Babywearing. A few months after Ezra was born, my friend sent me a copy of The Continuum Concept. Among other things, it tells about the benefits of 'babywearing' and how it is such an ancient practice that has somehow become almost obsolete. I am a huge supporter of it and I am happy to see you are too! At least that's one less baby left stuck in some plastic carrier away from his/her mommy.
I don't know if you're familiar with the book, but it seems to be lining up pretty closely with things you already believe on your own, so you should definitely look into it if you haven't already. It totally changed (or rather, affirmed my god-given motherly instincts) to take care of Ezra the way that came to me naturally and I am incredibly happy I came across it. Check out the website and you can borrow my copy if you want! Sorry if this post is way too long, I keep assuming at some point it will just stop letting me type. Ha ha. But I'm so happy for you! Keep on keepin' us posted!
(http://www.continuum-concept.org/home.html)
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