Poor sick baby.

Gryffin went almost an entire year without so much as a stuffy nose. Then he got sick 2 days before his birthday with his first ever fever. He got over that virus after about 5 days. He kicked anemia in about 6 weeks. Then his first week at the baby sitter's house he got a cold and has had a stuffy nose and congestion for almost 3 weeks straight. Now he has the Roseola virus! I had to go and pick him up early yesterday because he had a red rash all over his trunk area. Took him to the doctor and after I told her he had a fever most of the weekend, she said she was certain in is Roseola. He had a fever friday, saturday and a really mild one sunday night. I thought it was from his molars coming in. The doctor said Roseola presents as 3 days of fever then a rash for anywhere from a few hours to a week. Well we are on day 2 of Rash Watch 2012. It is covering his entire body, including under his hair. The good thing is, it doesnt seem to itch or bother him at all, the bad thing is that I can't take him to the baby sitter's until it is completely gone. He has been playing fine, just a little more tired that usual. I enjoyed the extra cuddle time today but I really hope he is better at least by lunch time tomorrow so I can get back to work and he can get back to normal. Roseola is also referred to as the "three day measels." It's just a virus that kids get between 6 months and 2 years and there isnt anything that can be done about it. I'm so glad I kept him home for 13 months, seeing him covered in a rash is hard enough now, I don't know how we would have handled it at 6 months!

5

I wanted to update my blog but couldn't really think of a topic, so here are 5 random things from today.

1. Gryffin had a check-up today to see where we are with his hemoglobin, and it is up to 11! That is normal! So no more anemic baby. He has gained 13 oz in 3 weeks and has completely regained his appetite. So thankful!

2. My biggest pet peeve right now is this: when talking about my breastfeeding relationship with Gryffin and the amount of time that he nursed, please do not tell me "you are so lucky" or that I should be "grateful that it worked out." Would you tell someone that recently lost a lot of weight that they are lucky? Or would you tell them good job and congratulate them on a job well done? Yes. Having a successful, long term nursing experience is not luck and it doesnt just happen. I find it very rude when people write off my hard work and determination. I wanted it to work and so I did everything in my power to succeed. Don't rebound your own issues on to me and demean my efforts. I have never worked so hard or sacrificed so much as I did in order to successfully nourish my child for 13 months in the safest and most natural way possible. Ok, end rant.

3. I have been taking a women's multivitamin for a little over a week now and feel amazing! I wonder what I was missing that had me dragging for so long...?

4. Watched Wanderlust and The Woman in Black over the weekend, the first one was hilarious, second one has a seriously crappy ending.

5. Since I started working, I have been making our breakfast for the week on sunday nights.
            mini omelets: whip up eggs, splash of milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into greased muffin tins.
                                add whatever omelet toppings you like, I add sausage crumbles, baby spinach,
                                and pepperjack cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350. Bam! You have super
                                tastey, and portable egg muffin thingys for breakfast. I put them in a ziploc and just
                                throw one in the microwave each morning. Good way to start the day with protien.

-R

Working, Weaning, and Winning.

My big baby boy is 13 months old today! The last set of lab work showed a huge improvement in his hemoglobin and platelet levels! So we are quickly getting back to normal and I couldn't be more relieved. In other news, I started my new job at Everlasting Granite. I am actually really excited about this job. I will be working with some great people and with the recent buyout, it is seriously the best company in town. The benefits are wonderful! I was pretty worried about how Gryffin would handle going to the babysitter, since he has only ever stayed with my parents. When we dropped him off this morning he immediately started playing and was not the least bit concerned with us. They said he did great the entire day, which was such a relief to hear! I am so thankful that the babysitter is right behind our house, so we are able to get him at lunch and still have our family meal time in the middle of the day. It is still so important to me to be with Gryffin as much as possible, I hate the thought of handing him off to someone else, but I know the babysitter we have is wonderful and it is a home environment. More baby news: apparently Gryffin has decided it is time to move on from breastfeeding. I always said that I would nurse him as long as he wanted to, and I guess 13 months is his cutoff. He has not nursed in almost 48 hours, and has shown no interest in it. I am not having any pain or discomfort, so I guess my body was ready to stop too. It is a little bit heartbreaking that this part of our relationship is over, and I know I will miss it dearly, but I have solace in knowing that the bond we created will always be there. I can't believe that my baby boy is running around the house (literally), and talking, and going to a babysitter, and has weaned himself! Time really doesn't cut us a break. I am just very thankful and overwhelmed with the beautiful life I've been given. <3

Anemia

well yesterday we found out that Gryffin has anemia, caused by an iron deficiency. The anemia test is standard at the 1 year check up, but before we even got to that point at his check up yesterday the doctor knew she wanted a full panel workup done on Gryffin's blood.
   About 5 weeks ago Gryffin fell and hit his chin pretty hard and has had a nasty bruise ever since, that combined with some bruising on his hips (lots of tiny broken capillaries) and the fact that he has lost weight signalled some warning signs. Up until now, Gryffin has been above the 90th percentile in weight and above 80th in height at each check up. This visit showed only a 1/2 inch growth in height and an 11 oz drop in weight in the last 3 months. The dr said that she actually isnt extremely concerned about the weight because he was very sick last week which made him basically not eat for 3 days, and she also said babies tend to stop gaining or even lose weight when they start to crawl. The fact that I am working on weaning him may also be playing into his weight loss.
  What she was mostly worried about was his bruising. So, after a really crazy day, 3 shots, 2 toe pricks, and 2 blood draws in two seperate arms, we now know that he is pretty severely anemic. She said that for his age his hemoglobin should be at or above an 11, usually when she sees an anemic kid they are at a 9, and Gryffin is at a 7.
   The good news is that his white blood cell count and his platelets are perfect. So there is absolutely nothing else going on. She said that she and the tech both looked over his results and the tech actually looked at his blood under the microscope and there were zero "bad" cells and everything else was in normal range. So this problem is purely nutritional. Anemia in breastfed babies this age is not uncommon. The iron stores that a baby is born with begin to run out around 6 months, so after that they should be getting their iron from other food sources. Well, Gryffin is a notoriously bad eater so that explains most of the problem. Also, any iron that he should be getting from my breast milk, is honestly probably not there. I do not eat much iron rich foods (no red meat for me, thanks) and the dr was actually concerned that I may be anemic also; and that is not the first time I've been told that....I bruise like an old peach.
   What we have to do now is give him an iron supplement daily, up his iron rich foods any way we can, offer food all day long instead of just meal and snack times, and give him pediasure milkshakes to increase is iron, vitamins, and weight gain. He took the supplement really well today and really loved the strawberry milkshake he had at lunch. I think most of the weight loss happened last week while he was sick. He was feeling so bad he wouldnt even nurse, and that is one of his very favorite things.
   The dr seemed really pleased by his blood work and we are all relieved because anemia can be fixed, the alternatives that we were looking at were much more serious. I am trying to not completely freak out because I know he is a super happy little dude. Despite the lack of physical growth over the last 3 months, mentally he has grown leaps and bounds. Every day he is smarter and more intune with what is going on. He has several words now including, "bye, hey, mama, daddy, ok, up, go" and he shakes his head "yes" and "no" when we ask him something. And he is crawling around the house figuring things out like putting his toys up and getting things out that he wants to play with. He is also a huge mimic, which is hilarious.
   I just hope we can turn this around as soon as possible and get him off the supplement and back to 100% healthy. For now, I will just be thankful that it is "just" anemia. God has blessed me with a healthy life thus far, and a healthy happy baby boy.

discipline

I was watching an episode of Super Nanny the other day and the mother in on the show repeatedly "spanked" and "popped" her 2 year old and 4 year old children. This got me really thinking about how people chose to discipline their kids. I really dont get the whole corporal punishment thing with children. When you really stop and think about it, the parent-child relationship is the only one in which it is ok to hit someone. It's never ok to hit your spouse, your friends, your siblings, you coworkers, you cant hit your parents or anyone else. But when a child does something you don't like, go ahead and hit them...it doesn't make any sense to me. What exactly is the lesson with spanking? When you do something wrong, you'll experience pain? There is no reason or logic to it. At any other point in your life you don't receive discipline in the form of physical pain. The look on a child's face when they are physically hurt by a parent is always the same, they are confused and also emotionally hurt. We teach our kids to tell on someone if they are hurt by them but then we turn around and become the ones hurting them. It seems to me that this is the lazy way of dealing with a child. I know that Adam and I will not be taking this route with Gryffin. I don't want anyone to spank me when I make a mistake so why would I do it to my kid?

Update :)

I have been seriously neglecting my blog! A little update on my sweet baby Gryf:
He has 4 precious little baby teeth, the 4th of which is being stubborn and keeps dissappearing into his swollen gums. He is a crawling MANIAC! He is everywhere all the time. He even wakes up in the middle of the night and tries to crawl across the bed. He turned 10 months old this past sunday and seems like such a big boy now. He is more like a little kid and less like a baby everyday. He pulls up on everything and has started to try to stand up without holding on to anything. We have good days and bad days when it comes to eating though. If his teeth are bothering him he just wants to nurse but if we are lucky and get a pain free day, he eats like a champ! We have gone the Baby Led Weaning route with solid foods, so he gets small chunks of whatever we are eating, and he loves to feed himself. He wants nothing to do with being fed from a spoon! I do keep some organic baby food puree's around just to amp up his fruit and veggie intake. I buy the Happy Baby and Plum brand organic pouch food and snack puffs only, no GMO's for my baby boy. Gryffin is also turning into a little talker. He jibber-jabbers all day long, and usually ends his stories with "da-da-da-da-da-DY!" like his is telling me something about his Daddy :)
In other news, I may be going back to work soon! I am really excited and really nervous about it. I planned to stay home with Gryffin for his first year. I think it is so important to develope a secure bond and attachment, and the first year of a baby's life is SO important, who better to see them through it than mama? Well, we are approaching Gryffin's birthday pretty quickly so I am looking into opportunities to go to work. I am so thankful that I have such an amazing husband who has worked so hard to make it possible for me to spend this year with Gryffin. It is also very comforting to know that financially, me working isn't necessary. So I dont have to feel rushed to find something. But, Gryffin and I are bored and a little stir crazy. I'm ready to get up and going everyday and I know he is ready for a change of scenery. He loves to play with other kids, so I know he will really enjoy the interaction with the other babies at the daycare we have lined up for him. I am really happy with who is going to be keeping him, and so grateful that he won't have to go to a big "school" type center, that is just not for us.
I am also really happy to report that we are still nursing away! I dont think Gryffin will be near ready to wean at a year old, which is fine, but I am starting to introduce milk to him throughout the day now. He doesn't drink from a bottle at all anymore and hasnt taken a paci since he was 4 months old, so we dont have those habits to worry about breaking (thank goodness!).  He drinks really really well from a straw cup, he has no use for regular sippy cups. Also, we only give him water to drink. There is zero need for him to drink anything besides breastmilk and water. I dont understand why so many people think there is any reason to give a child juice. It is much healthier to give the actual fruit rather than the juice, which is loaded with sugar and who knows what other junk (several reports of high Arsenic contamination in juices lately). We definitely try our very best to give Gryffin only healthy food that will establish healthy eating habits. I hate when I see a toddler snacking on a Little Debbie cake and juice/sweet tea/ soda. That is not doing anything but setting everyone up for a fight later. You can't give your kids that junk to eat and then wonder why they wont drink water or eat fruit later.
Gryffin is waking up from his nap now, so Mama's gotta go!

<3

milestone!!!!

Today is a big day for Gryffin and I!


Gryffin was born at 38 weeks and 1 day. Today Gryffin is 38 weeks and 1 day old.
That means, that as of today, my body has sustained and nourished my child on the outside for the exact same amount of time as it did on the inside. Gryffin has thrived beautifully on exculsive breastfeeding, with zero "formula."
Nothing has ever made me feel more proud of myself and my body than this. Knowing that I have given him the very best nutrition there is makes me feel so confident and sure of my body and it's ability to care for my child. It may not be the most beautiful or perfect body out there, and it really isnt even in the best shape that it could be, but it has served it's purpose wonderfully.
It is not news to anyone that I believe breast is best. And in all honesty, I find formula to be repulsive. I am not trying to make formula moms feel guilty, everyone is intitled to their opinions and I really do see the pros to formula feeding (I just personally wouldnt want to drink the stuff, so why would I make my baby drink it?). There have been tons of times in Gryffin's life where I really, really want some one else to feed him. I want to be able to go out without worrying about pumping a bottle for him, or where I will be able to discreetly nurse him. However, I know that what he truly needs is breastmilk, and dispite my own selfish desires, I have stuck it out.
I dont talk about nursing near as much as I used to because I have found it to be a very hot topic. People have been down right rude and hurtful to me when I express my joy and pride in my nursing relationship with Gryffin. But today is a day to celebrate.
We have worked through sore, cracked, bleeding nipples. We made it through almost constant nursing (Gryffin nursed every hour, on the hour for the first 7 weeks of his life). We worked past 2 supply drops where I thought I would never be able to produce enough to satisfy him. I have learned to develope a thicker skin when it comes to comments and negative people. I have kept my mouth shut when someone told me that "nursing is the same as formula, you arent doing anything special."We made it through horrible Post Partum Depression, which made the sound of Gryffin's cries drive me insane and the thought of holding him to nurse made my skin crawl.  And here recently we are learning how to nurse with teeth...and biting...very hard, scream inducing biting. I would have chopped my own arm off if I needed to, in order to insure we make breastfeeding work.  All this may seem trivial to some, but I am proud of us. Very proud. Gryffin is getting the best of the best and breastfeeding is a gift that lasts a lifetime. I could go into the science of it, and all the amazing things that breastmilk does, but I wont because that is not the point. The point is, that even when it was rough, we kept going together. There have been very few things in my life that make me proud of myself, so I am not going to miss the opportunity to express my happiness at this milestone!

why we dont give Gryffin medication

So lately a few people have asked about teething relief and other types of medicines in regards to Gryffin. And most of them are pretty surprised to hear that we do not give him anything.  So I thought I would blog it out and explain our views on the topic.

   For teething we give Gryffin an ice cube wrapped in a wash clothe and secured with a rubber band. This numbs his sore gums and makes him a pretty happy kid. He loves to kick back with an ice cube and a lot of the time he will knock right out. We have given him Hylands Homeopathic teething tablets a few times when he was super irritated. You dissovle the tabs in water and then rub the solution on his gums. It is mostly camomille and lavender I believe. We absolutely do NOT use baby Orajel. There have been many cases in which the gel spreads in the childs mouth, making it difficult to eat, and more dangerously making it difficult if not impossible for the child to breath. Gryffin also wears a necklace made of Baltic Amber. Amber is a tree sap resin, which when heated by the body releases natural oils into the skin which act as a natural pain reliever.
   We do not use Tylenol either. Recent studies are showing a correlation between infant tylenol use and asthma. Not to mention the effect acetometephin has on the liver. Many people have asked me "well what do you do when he has a fever?" Well, first off, Gryffin has never had a fever. But secondly, I firmly believe that fevers serve a purpose. When the body heats itself up it is trying to kill off an invader. Fevers kill germs. When a fever reducers is given, the body is not able to kill the germs, therefore the illness lives longer and you stay sick for longer than you would if you had allowed your body to do it's job. When I was pregnant with Gryffin, I got terribly sick with sinusitis and my sinus were completely compacted and infected. Due to my pregnancy, I did not take any medication other than extra Vitamin C. I did nasal rinses several times a day and put paroxide in my ears. I was sick for 9 weeks, complete with a intermittent fever and mucous that was a pretty shocking shade of lime. But, my body fought the illness on its own, as I beleive it needed to.
   As for antibiotics, I do not condone the frivolous use of antibiotics whatsoever. I think antibiotics are handed out for every cough and sneeze these days and it is not helping us in the least. Antibiotic use in children can be extremely dangerous. Increasing their immunity to them, causing the antibiotics to not be able to help when a child is seriously ill. Also, overuse of antibiotics in children is a known cause of hearing loss. Something that children are quite often given antibiotics for is ear infections. Contrary to popular belief, antibiotics do not help an ear infection. First of all, 75% of ear infections are viral, therefore not helped by antibiotics. Secondly, most ear infections are caused by a build up of fluid in the ear, which can not be cleared up by antibiotics. On the other hand, Garlic Oil and a warm compress (and a trip to the Chiropracter for those old enough) will do the trick nicely. I puposely sought out a pediatrician that agreed with my views on antibiotics.

As the same as all my posts, this is not meant to be an attack on parents who do medicate. I simply believe in searching out all possibilities before flooding the body with foreign chemicals, especially a tiny little fragile baby body. I am finding that there are safer, homeopathic rememdies for most common issues that are cheaper and faster, with no side effects.

A great resource to use on this, and many other topics is www.kellymom.com

Thanks for reading!

attached

  I am currently reading Mayim Bialik's book "Beyond the Sling" and I really love it! It is about attachment parenting (breastfeeding, babywearing, co sleeping, etc.) and it is so nice and comforting to hear how similiar her stories are to my own. I have been getting a little bent out of shape lately when it comes to Gryffin's neediness. But reading her book helps to remind me that he is my child and he needs me. A baby does NOT have the ability to manipulate and cannot be "spoiled" or held too much. When he cries it is because he needs something. Even if he just simply needs to be held. Yes, a baby can NEED to be held, not just WANT to be held. When a human is that tiny, their wants are needs. So when he is whiney and needs me to hold him, I stop whatever I am doing and I hold me sweet baby, because he needs me too. I believe in being present and here for him. I do not believe a child needs to be "trained." You train an animal, not a baby. Letting a baby cry until he "soothes" himself (really until he is just too tired to ask for you anymore) is just teaching him that you will not be there for him when he needs you to be, so he should just move on.
  I am really enjoying learning how to parent Gryffin in the most loving and kind way I can. A lot of times I find myself wanting to share these knew things I'm learning with other parents, but I am quickly finding that most people do not want to hear it. Or they think I am judging them. Who am I to judge anyone? I'm only 8 months into this! I really just truly like to share and teach, and possibly help a mom and baby understand each other better. But alas, I will keep my mouth shut because most of the time I am misunderstood as being too pushy or judgemental. I am so incredibly thankful for my sweet and devoted husband who lets me share my passion and love of learning with him. If I didnt have at least one person to share these discoveries with, I am pretty sure I would explode. 

Happy Parenting!

<3

recipes!

So yesterday I made a wonderfully delicious soup! Here is the recipe:
http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2011/05/turkey-italian-sausage-and-cheese-tortellini-soup-and-giveaway-winner.html

I added a bit more garlic because I LOVE garlic. Also, having fresh basil makes a difference! Love having my cute little basil plant for recipes like this. And I didnt use turkey sausage, I used mild italian sausage instead.

Today I made Naan! Which is a traditional Indian flat bread. Super easy! Recipe:
http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2010/09/naan-127-recipe-016-serving.html

It wasnt as pretty as hers but it was tasty! I used it for the burgers we had tonight in place of tortillas.
For the burgers I made fresh pico de gallo (roma tomatoes, jalepeno, red onion, cilantro and lime juice). And in my meat I add bread crumbs, one egg, horseradish sauce, mustard, ketchup, oregano and red pepper flakes. Makes the burger soooo flavorfull! Top the burger with pepper jack, pico, bacon and lettuce, slap in between the fresh Naan and YUM!

Now I am going to go eat a spoon full of Nutella because I have 100 calories left for today :)

Search for the perfect chicken pot pie.

We used to go to Adam's Grandmama's house every wedensday and sunday to eat with the family. And every few weeks she would make chicken pot pie. This wasnt like frozen Marie Calender's junk, it was homemade and delish! I have been trying to replicate it for a while, and since she passed away it has kind of become my mission in life to make her chicken pot pie.
     Well saturday night was another failed attempt. My potatoes didn't cook through and the pie itself was too dry. On to another reciepe!
     This week's menu consists of : Quesadilla burgers with spicy cauliflower poppers, beef chili stuffed zuccinni, and italian sausage and cheese tortillini soup. I will post reciepes as I make them! I am hoping to find time today to make Naan. I want to have it for my avocado chicken salad this weekend, we'll see.

     Here is the link to the reciepe for the Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Bake that I made last week, it was SO good! I shredded the chicken and browned it instead of leaving the breasts whole. I thought it was easier to spoon out that way.
     http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/dinner-recipes/chicken-and-spinach-tortilla-bake

Gryffin.

Adam and I decided we were ready for a family in the summer of 2010. We had been married almost 2 years, and it felt like the natural next step. Everything Adam and I do begins with a discussion and a plan. We are not the type of people who let things go awry. After doing some soul searching and calculating, we decided that July would be my last pack of birth control.
      I will never forget the morning I found out I was pregnant, we had just moved back to Elberton the saturday before, due to circumstances out of our control, and we were pretty overwelmed. It was Tuesday, November 23rd at 10 am. I woke up and thought I might as well take a test because I had one pack left. I did the whole pee-stick thing, went and made some oatmeal, watched Will and Grace, then went back to check the test. Two pink lines! I remember bursting into hysterical laughter because of course I got pregnant just in time for everything to turn upside down. The next 8 months would be the worst and best of my life.
     We were faced with breaking our lease on our apartment in Athens (which cost a small fortune), moving back to our dinky house in Elberton, and completely remodleing the house to make it baby friendly. The loan process was stressful to say the least, and the actual construct was a disaster. If I knew what I do now then, I would never have put us through that. I would have left the house exactly the way it was and bought a chest to keep Gryf's clothes in. I wish more than anything I would have been allowed to enjoy my pregnancy the way I was supposed to.
     We had had a girl name picked out for months, and were having a terrible time coming up with a boy name. The week before our gender scan it just came to me out of no where, and I was so surprised I hadn't already thought of it! Adam and I became fast friends when I was a senior in high school and one of the key things that we bonded over was the Harry Potter novel series. It may seem silly to most people, but we both truly adore the books. Gryffin's name does come from Gryffindor, and we chose his middle to be Alaster because we wanted a strong traditional name.
     I went into labor with Gryffin on a tuesday morning. I woke up and knew right away that something was going on. I got our bags together, showered, did some laundry, and straightened the house up. Around 11am I laid down to time my contractions, they were only about 30 seconds long and 5-6 minutes apart. They were not bothersome at all at that point. I had my 38 week check up that day at 2:30. When the nurse checked my blood pressure she said she definitely thought I was in labor because my blood pressure was elevated (I had no addition pre-eclamptic symptoms so that wasnt really a concern). My midwife checked me and I was 3 cm and 75% effaced. She told me it was "pre-labor" and that I was definitely not having a baby today, I should go home and rest.
     We drove the 40 miles back home, all while my contractions were getting stronger and stronger. By the time we got to our house, I was in a fair amount of pain. I sat on the couch and started timing my contractions, now they were 1 minute long and 3 minutes apart, back to Athens we went!  Got to the hospital and was put in triage, and moved to a regular birthing suite by 9 pm. I had practiced physically and prepared mentally for a natural birth, I had my heart set on it. However, when I was hooked up to the monitors it became apparent that Gryffin was in distress. His heart rate was dropping with every contraction. Because of this, I had to lay on my left side and not move. That is not was I had learned to do. I was prepared to walk the halls, use a birthing ball, get in a warm tub, and squat to relieve the pain...not lay perfectly still in a bed. At 4 am on wedensday my midwife came in and told me she felt I had no choice but to receive the epidural and rest, because my labor was not progressing at all (which, of course it wasnt because I wasnt moving). I was now 18 hourse in and only 4.5 cm.
     I let her break my water, which was excruciating and led to my decision to get the epidural. Sitting on the side of the bed with my knees tucked up to my chest while enduring back to back chart topping contractions was the worst experience I can remember. After the epidual, I slept for 3 hours and woke up in a much better mood. Luckily, I never pushed the button that would give me more pain medication so by the time I woke up, the epidural was wearing off. I could feel the contractions again, I could feel that Gryffin had finally moved down and that it was time to push.
     My midwife came back at 8:05, told me it was time, and started to prepare the room. Gryffin was born at 8:42 am on Wedensday, July 20th, 2011. I am so thankful that the epidural was wearing off and that I was able to push instinctively. I have thought a lot about that night since, and I wish I had had the clear head and drive to request that I be allowed to get out of bed and try to force my labor to progress. I have carried immense guilt and disapointment about the decision to have the epidural. Next time I will know to trust my body and not be persuaded, I guess that comes with experience. Maybe next time I will be in a place where a home birth will be possible, or maybe at least a birthing center. I will have my natural birth someday!
    

Baby wearing safety!

One of my friends got a new wrap and it made me think of some baby wearing safety tips!

First, never use a sling or wrap that is made of a stretchy material. It can give way and not support the baby.
Second, and I see this waaaaaaaaay too often, there is really only ONE position a baby should be carried in while in an infant carrier, and that is facing IN. The baby's legs should always be "froggied" which is when their knees are above the hip. If the baby is worn facing out, it puts too much pressure on the groin and puts baby's hips in an unnatural position. Here is some info a friend of mine posted a while back:

Proper Positioning in any Baby Carrier: Upright Facing In

This positioning applies to any carrier – ring sling, pouch, wrap, mei tai & soft structured (buckle) carriers and to babies of all ages. If the carrier does not allow for this positioning, it is not suitable. Older babies (6 months+) should be carried in this same position on your hip or your back.

We recommend always ensuring that your baby is positioned in your carrier as follows:

Vertically, on your chest, with baby’s bum at or above your navel
Knees above bum, in a frog legged or M position
Spine rounded
Head turned to the side, with baby’s chin well above his chest to avoid closure of the airway

The fabric of the carrier needs to be properly tightened to support your baby in this position. Fabric should be spread from one knee to the other & must not block the baby’s mouth or nose in any way.

You may notice that the manufacturer’s instructions provided with your carrier suggest positioning that does not meet these requirements - forward facing or cradle positions specifically. We recommend against wearing your baby in either of those positions.

Research consistently shows us that when babies are held vertically skin to skin on the parent’s chest, their heart rate, respiratory rate & temperature are stabilised*. Additionally, they cry less, breastfeed more effectively & grow more quickly*. Dr Nils Bergman, a physician & researcher who has extensively studied the immensely beneficial practice of keeping babies in their habitat - vertically, between the mother’s breasts, says: "The baby is in the right place and therefore has the right behaviour."

The cradle & the forward facing positions continue to be taught by some manufacturers & educators, but we recommend you avoid using these positions. They make it difficult to position the baby safely, are ergonomically incorrect for the baby as well as the wearer & appear to contribute to breastfeeding problems.

Babywearing is a wonderful tool that gives babies the minimum they expect - to be carried by their mother. It is also a learned skill that requires a bit of background knowledge to safely perform. Please always be certain that your baby is safely carried, you are always responsible for your baby’s safety.


Babywearing is a wonderful bonding tool, when done correctly! Happy babywearing, friends!

<3



Bibliography used to develop Proper Positioning

-Skin contact (kangaroo care) shortly after birth on the neurobehavioral responses of the term newborn: a randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics 113(4):858-65.
-Tessier R, M Cristo, S Velez, M Giron, JG Ruiz-Palaez, -Y Charpak and N Charpak. (1998) Kangaroo mother care and the bonding hypothesis. Pediatrics 102:e17.
-Anisfeld E, Casper V, Nozyce M, Cunningham N.
(1990) Does infant carrying promote attachment? An experimental study of the effects of increased physical contact on the development of attachment. Child Dev 61:1617-1627.
-Quebec Coroner Jaques Robinson warning as reported in The Globe & Mail, Feb 05 2009
-Bergman, N.J., Linley, L.L, & Fawcus, S.R. (2004). Randomized controlled trial of skin-to-skin contact from birth versus conventional incubator for physiological stabilization in 1200- to 2199-gram newborns. Acta Paediatrica, 93, 779-785.
-Charpak, N., Ruiz-Pelaez, J.G., Figueroa, Z., & Charpak, Y. (1997).
Kangaroo mother versus traditional care for newborn infants <2000
grams: A randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics, 100(4), 682-688.
– Hunziker UA, Garr RG. (1986) Increased carrying reduces infant
crying: A random-ized controlled trial. Pediatrics 77:641-648 -Durand, R., Hodges, S., LaRock, S. Lund, L., Schmid, S. Swick, D., Yates, T., & Perez, A. (1997). The effect of skin-to-skin breast-feeding in the immediate recovery period on newborn thermoregulation and blood glucose values. Neonatal Intensive Care, 10, 23-29.
-Messmer, P.R., Rodriguez, S., Adams, J., Gentry, J.W., Washburn, K., Zabaleta, I., & Abreu, S. (1997). Effect of Kangaroo care on sleep time for neonates. Pediatric Nursing, 23(4), 408-414.
-Christensson, K., Siles, C., Moreno, L., Belaustequi, A., de la Fuente, P., Lagercrantz, H., Puyol, P., & Winberg, J. (1992).
Temperature, metabolic adaptation and crying in healthy full-term newborns cared for skin-to-skin or in a cot. Acta Paediatrica, 81, 488-493.
-Wahlberg, V., Affonso, D., & Persson, B. (1992). A retrospective comparative study using the kangaroo method as a complement to standard incubator care. European Journal of Public Health, 2(1), 34-37.
-Meyer, K., & Anderson, G.C. (1999). Using kangaroo care in a clinical setting with full-term infants having breastfeeding difficulties.
American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 24, 190-192.
-Gray, L., Watt, L., & Blass, E.M. (2000). Skin-to-skin contact is analgesic in healthy newborns. Pediatrics, 105, 14.
-Ludington-Hoe, S.M., Lewis, T., Morgan, K., Cong, X., Anderson, L., Reese, S. (2006). Breast-infant temperature synchrony with twins during shared Kangaroo Care. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 35, 1-9.
-Insel, T.R. (1997). A neurobiological basis of social attachment.
American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 726-735.
-Carter, S.C. (1998). Neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 23, 779-818.
-Lamb, M.E. (1982). Individual differences in infant sociability:
Their origins and implications for cognitive development. In H.W.
Reese & L. P. Lipsitt (Eds.), Advances in child development and behavior

For starters...

Hello! I am weirdly excited to start this blog adventure! I will start with a little intro to let everyone know the theme of the blog so you will know if you'll want to check back or delete this url from your browser history. I am 23, have been married for 3 years, and have a 7 month old baby boy named Gryffin (yes, his name is a Harry Potter reference, we'll talk about that later). While a was pregnant with G I began reading and learning everything I could about pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care. Little did I know my ideals would soon dramatically change when it came to those topics. When I first found out I was pregnant I joked that my worst fear was that I would get to the hospital too late for an epidural. I had also not given much thought to breastfeeding, or any other aspects of infant care. Things changed pretty quickly! As Gryffin gets bigger, the way I do things becomes crunchier and crunchier :)
   One major focus here will be my breastfeeding experience. I am very proud to say that we are still going strong at 7 months with zero formula supplementation!
   Also, I am learning more about how to lead a healthier lifestyle by removing all processed foods from our diet. By the time Gryffin is a toddler I want us to be a completely whole foods family, with no artificial foods or dyes. I am having such a blast learning how to parent in a more holistic style. I hope I can use this blog to share it with others! :-)


p.s: I chose the name "Bonzai Mama" because Bonzai is synonimous with "gung ho," "dedicated," "eager," and "proactive." That's me!