Tag Archives: Co-sleeping

Feb 10 2012
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Mommy Talk

You Know You Are a Crunchy Mama When…

almost every reference made in this video is totally sh*t I say!

Here is a list of my 10 favorites:

1: “Sorry if I smell like garlic, I’m trying to kick this cold”- Have you ever snuggled your baby to bed and realized they smelled like garlic bread? No? Huh…well, getting a hold of Gaia Herbs for Kids Ear Drops could help solve this problem. I recently learned about these through my friends whose babies have been battling ear infections. And they have worked wonders! For centuries garlic has been known to have anti-bacterial as well as anti-fungal and anti-parasitic properties. Mullein oil, another ingredient often found in ear drops, has an anti-viral action and also helps to work against inflammation and increases the lymphatic circulation. Make sure to consult your physician about this alternative method to conventional treatments.

2: “Who was your doula?”- Thank God for doulas! Before I got pregnant with Harper I was unfamiliar with the term, but after experiencing labor with a doula and a midwife by my side, I am a huge advocate of their work. If you or anyone you know is pregnant and expecting a baby, I would highly recommend having a doula at the birth. The support they provide both for the mother and the family is tremendous and can many times prove to be life changing. To read more on doulas, check out the DONA International site.

3: “I love the amber teething necklace“- If you have ever seen a baby with a necklace on and wondered why they are better accessorized than you, then chances are they were wearing an amber teething necklace. Amber teething necklaces are made for wearing not chewing. The Baltic amber helps to relieve teething pain. It also boasts other benefits such as boosting the immune system and offering anti-inflammatory and therapeutic properties.

4: ” Wait, I’m doing my kegels, hold on a second”- For those of us who have had the pleasure of giving birth, kegels have become our new form of exercise. And that is all I have to say about that…because divulging anymore information would be a bit TMI!

5: “I might eat the placenta, I might not”- Believe it or not, placentophagy is all the rage, in this culture anyways. But don’t worry, no ones frying it up and serving it for dinner. Or at least let me say, no one I know. However, people are dehydrating it, grinding it up, putting it in capsules and taking it in the form of a multi-vitamin. And why not? All the other mammals are doing it!

6: “48 hour water birth”- Ok, so maybe my labor wasn’t 48 hours but 31 hours is a good chunk of time too. And unfortunately I wasn’t able to have a water birth, but more on that later. I look forward to sharing my birth story with you soon.

7: “We don’t have a crib”- As we approach our one year anniversary of family cuddles, and celebrate Harper’s 1st birthday, I am still grateful that our crib was originally on back order. Not only did we save money by eventually canceling our order, but better yet, we get the chance to snuggle up to our adorable little girl every night. It doesn’t get better than that!

8: “Coconut oil, where’s the coconut oil?”- Because who needs diaper cream when there is coconut oil? And the number of uses doesn’t stop there. It is great for cradle cap, baby massage, digestion. Check out this link for the many health benefits of coconut oil for your little one.

9: “I think she’s pooping”- A day in the life of a family practicing elimination communication, is all about staying in touch with your little one’s bodily functions. Check out the above links to read more.

10: “It’s called the Business of Being Born“- I know I have mentioned this movie before, but it is a powerful display of knowledge. This movie was the turning point for me when it came to how I chose to bring my daughter into this world. I would highly recommend it to all people, but especially those who are pregnant.

To be honest, growing up, I could have never predicted I would be considered a crunchy mom, but now that I am, I couldn’t be more proud to say it…and all the other sh*t!

ps: Love this video and want to see more? Check out Mama Natural’s Blog

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Dec 16 2011
3 Comments
Babies

Sleepy Head

I woke up this morning with so many wonderful intentions for the day.  I made breakfast, did the dishes, started packing for our trip, made a grocery list, and right before we were getting ready to leave for the market, Harper decided it was time for a nap.  I had tried to put her down a few times before but she wasn’t having it.  So I wasn’t surprised that she was a bit overdue for some Zzzzzs.  I was a little tired myself so I decided to lie down with her and fell asleep.  Four hours later!!!  This was a record.  Harper has never napped this long in her short little life.  I guess she (we) really needed the sleep!  So our day really didn’t get started until about 4pm.  Which kind of negated any of my plans to cook, but I’m happy with chicken chili leftovers…mmmmm :)

Ever since Harper was born, we didn’t find it necessary to put her on an eating or sleeping schedule.  What we found worked best for us was to be in tune with and follow her cues.  Eventually she had formed her own sleeping and eating patterns.  This approach works best for us because then we are never fighting with her to go to sleep or forcing her to eat when she isn’t ready.  She eats when she’s hungry and sleeps when she’s tired.  It makes for a very happy family.

Because we aren’t working off a specific schedule, we go about our day and do what we have to do with Harper in tow.  The great thing about breastfeeding is that it is portable.  So I never have to worry about running out of food.  I am comfortable feeding Harper wherever we go.  Whenever she is ready to eat, I am ready to feed her.

Along the same lines, we are lucky that Harper is able and willing to sleep wherever we are.  Her favorite spot is on her daddy’s shoulder but she also loves to sleep in her carrier.  She gets the best rest at home in our bed, so our preference is that we can get her to sleep before or after we go out, but in the case that she gets tired while she is out, she gets adequate naps on the go as well.

For Harper’s nap and bedtime routine, she usually likes to nurse herself to sleep.  However, there have been plenty of times where she has nursed and then decided she was going to put herself to sleep by sucking on her hand or singing to herself.  Lately, she has wanted her dad to put her to sleep.  He will usually bounce her around the room patting her back, with her head rested on his shoulder while singing to her.  Once she is asleep he puts her onto the bed and lies with her for a little while until she is completely out.  Sometimes her best sleep is when her dad puts her to bed.

When it comes to sleeping through the night, Harper got the hang of this early on.  However, I have always fed her 2-3 times during the night.  She never really wakes up but she starts to stir and will be rooting around looking for food.  As long as I get her to latch before she wakes up, she eats and is back to sleep in no time.  This is a huge benefit of co-sleeping.  The less hustle and bustle that occurs around a nighttime feeding, the more successful we have been at getting Harper to sleep for long stretches at a time.

I believe it is important to continue to nurse Harper when she wakes throughout the night.  Breast milk is natures perfect food and therefore digests very easily.  As growing and developing little babies, they need as much nourishment as their bodies can get.  When babies are asleep their bodies are working overtime and therefore they require sustenance to keep the fires burning.

Sleep is always a hot topic with new parents.  Getting used to being more flexible with your sleep schedule is the biggest adjustment of having a newborn.  There are many different approaches to teaching our little ones how to sleep and stay asleep.  As a mom who subscribes to the theories of attachment parenting, I have found Dr. Sears’ approach to sleep the most helpful.  Here is a great link that offers some suggestions on how to help your baby get the best rest.

At the end of the day, it is essential to remember that when it comes to babies, everything is a phase.  As soon as you think you have your little one figured out, they change and grow and you are back at square one.  The biggest lesson I have learned is to just go with the flow and be patient.  They are only little for a short time so do your best to savor each moment, even the sleepless ones.  And if you get the chance, take a break and lie down with them for a snooze once in a while.  Getting in some cuddle time with your baby is the best feeling in the world!

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Oct 19 2011
9 Comments
Babies

Family Cuddles

There is nothing sweeter than waking up to your little baby girl snuggled up against you. It’s one of the many joys of parenting.

Looking back, before giving birth to Harper we never thought about her sleeping in bed with us. To be honest, we were not very familiar with the notion of attachment parenting or more specifically of co-sleeping. We registered for a crib, decorated the nursery and planned on her having her own room. And then she arrived. I didn’t want to put her down. I wanted to cuddle with her all the time. She had been in my womb for 40 weeks and it didn’t feel natural to have her lying in a plastic bin next to me. They strongly discourage co-sleeping in the hospital for “safety” reasons, so my husband and I would take turns sleeping, while the other would hold, hug and caress her.

When we arrived home from the hospital we had planned for Harper to sleep in her co-sleeper. It was a last-minute purchase we picked up when we began to learn more about attachment parenting. We knew we wanted her close by and thought the co-sleeper would be a safe alternative to having her in the bed with us. Plus, her crib was on back order so we figured it would be a useful temporary bed.

The first few nights were rough. Which is normal for all new parents with a newborn. But we started to notice some patterns. Harper wouldn’t sleep longer than 1 hour at a time in her co-sleeper. However, she would sleep for hours on her daddy’s chest, her favorite spot. Well, they say necessity is the mother of invention, and in this case necessity was the mother of creating a new environment to foster better sleep patterns for all parties involved. It wasn’t long before Freddie suggested that Harper move from the co-sleeper to the bed with us. Lucky for us we had a California King, so there was plenty of space for the three of us to be comfortable.

Harper began to sleep longer stretches but it seemed that she still was not comfortable. The new “safety” suggestions for babies is for them to sleep on their backs. But as I mentioned earlier, we noticed that not only did Harper sleep better when she was near us, but she slept better on her belly. We spoke to our midwives about it and they suggested we have her on her belly when she naps as long as we were keeping an eye out for her. The difference was night and day. As soon as Harper began sleeping on her tummy she would sleep for 8 hour stretches, and everyone, including Harper, was much happier.

Harper is approaching her 8 month birthday. And what I have come to appreciate about being a parent is that there are so many different ways you can accomplish the same result. Suggestions from books, doctors, family members and friends can be helpful when raising your children. But ultimately the decision is up to you. As a parent, I have learned that instinct and intuition drive the majority of my decisions, and they are always spot on. For our family, co-sleeping and belly sleeping were the solution to our sleep problems. In addition, as a nursing mother, Harper and I are able to accomplish nighttime feedings with little to no interruptions to our nights sleep. And the more we read about co-sleeping, the more we learned about the abundant benefits which helped to reassure us of our decision.

In hindsight, I am glad that her crib was on backorder, because at this point, it would have been a waste of money and space. We plan to co-sleep with our daughter as long as it is working for our family and we will approach (or not approach) the crib situation when the time comes. Until then, I am going to savor every moment with my little girl, whether awake or asleep.

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