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AP: GTKY
OK, so since I haven't been around much on the EFF board since Evie was born, I don't know a lot of the nesties who might be venturing over this way...
Let's get to know each other better. Please introduce yourself & share a little bit about your AP practices in your family.
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Re: AP: GTKY
I'll start...
I'm Christine, married for almost 2 years & have a 10 month old daughter, Evie. As you can see in my sig I wear her a lot of the time (though much less now that she's walking), we CD, co-sleep, will continue to BF until who knows when & are on a modified immunization schedule.
As soon as we meet the "age requirement" (Evie has to be at least 18 months) I plan to apply to be a leader & start an AP group in my community because up to now there hasn't been one. We'd have to go to the UES of NYC, which can be over an hour commute on subways, in order to attend a meeting. So... until then I'm lucky enough to have a small group of other moms locally to GTG unofficially & discuss our AP issues, but I would be thrilled to "meet" other AP moms here as well!
I'm glad you found the way over!
____
I'm Stacy - married for nearly 3 years & Norah is 13-1/2mths. I try to wear her when I can (she's getting so big & she'd rather be running around usually), still BF, delay vacs (& are selective about what she's getting), CD, co-sleep (pt), no CIO... I'm sure we're not 100% AP, but we're at least part way there!
Rated "L" For Life Blog
I am Laura. I have been married to DH for 3 years next Wednesday and we have DS who is just over three months. We BF (hopefully extended), co-sleep, wear DS as much as possible, Cloth Diaper, no CIO, and we left DS intact. I am still learning more about AP everyday and I am just following my gut on parenting and found it most closely matches up with AP.
I'm Amber. Me and my DH have been married since 7/7/7. We have a 7 month old boy, the reason I breathe
We cosleep, babywear (alot of the time), CD, bf on demand, bed lead weaning to solids (at least trying, we puree sometimes), no cio, follow ds's lead/schedule on a lot of things
I am Lindy, married since 04, have a 15 month old son.
We cosleep, still nurse about 4-5 times a day, I use my ergo when he will stand it, he is really into riding in his vehicles. I will wean him when he wants but feel like I won't want to past age 3 but who really knows. No CIO, no spanking, no emotional games.
I am vaccinating but on my own schedule. My grandmother had a reaction to a flu shot and got guilliane barre from it. We tend to have strange med reaction in my family.
He is on a schedule for going to bed and attempting a nap schedule but he is transitioning to one nap a day and that is difficult.
I don't CD as I have issues with potable water stemming from elementary school propaganda. I am still mixed about it.
I am a neuro ICU nurse who currently works in recovery room with those patients postop.
I love to sew, quilt, do mosaic tile, knit scarves, visit, daydream, and read.
My son has torticollis and has been in PT to overcome that. He is doing very well, his head is shaped perfectly, he just still has a 5 degree neck tilt.
I live in the Twin Cities, Mn
I'm Ashlee and have been married for 2 years next month. We have an almost 9 month old daughter who is the light of our lives! She is a very spirited and strong willed child, "needy/clingy" if you will so the AP of parenting is really working for us. I just started learning about attachment parenting in the past month or so so we're not 100%..I never BF for example. But we CD full time, cosleep full time, no CIO, thinking about delaying vax, gentle discipline and babywearing. I hope to practice more AP when we have our next child in a few years, especially BF. I feel very strongly about letting babies cry [I did it once out of frustration and it was one of the worst nights of my life] and about forcing babies to become independent before they are ready.
I hope the Bump Gods make a board for AP..I usually post on PAL but It's hard for me to go there a lot because it seems mostly pro-CIO and I'm very against it and it creates tension I think. I love the girls there but I feel like I parent differently then a lot of them [except for the ladies who are on here-hello BTW!].
2 beautiful children
proud mommy!
Hi! I am from the EFF board, but I think an AP board is a great idea as well
I'm Hannah, and Seth is 5 months old. We EBF on cue, co-sleep, babywear, follow his schedule, no CIO, are delaying vax, and try not to "containerize". I also had a home birth, which was an amazing experience and was a wonderful way to start our mom-baby relationship. I am nowhere near the "model" AP-er, but I am trying to do what I believe is best for my LO. I'm glad there may be a board here soon to discuss these issues and ask questions!
I've never known CD as a requirement of AP, although it does seem to be an indicator often times, doesn't it
I'm a doula, active in my local AP and babywearing communities. My husband and I pretty much follow the 8 Principles as well as we can - we co-sleep, BF on demand, babywear, have child-led sleep schedules, practice positive disciple, etc. Maintaining balance is probably the hardest principle for me. I have a 3.5-yr old and a 1.5-yr old. Ideally, I would have had 5 years between the boys, but then I would have been well over 40 when (if) #2 came along and we chose to have him sooner.
NorCalMOMS bio* NorCalBOTB* babywearingBIO
Harmony Doula
I'm Emilie and I've been married just over two years. We just found out we are pregnant. We will co sleep (not buying a crib even at first), will babywear, breastfeed, and practice all the AP things that I can think of! we also will cloth diaper (bought my first two today!)
I'm Rachel, married to the love of my life for 3 years. ?Our little boy will be 1 on Saturday! ?We are a cloth diapering, BFing, no CIO, night parenting family. ?We both wore our baby until he chunked up too much to make that comfortable. ?We co-slept until DS decided to be a squirmy pants at about 9 months.
DS has been in daycare since he was three months old, and if I may toot the AP horn, he is the happiest, most well-adjusted, sweetest little boy in his room. ?(The teachers say so, not just me.) ?I think it's (in large part) because we AP, and he feels very secure wherever he is.?
I'm Meredith, married to Jesse and mama to Callum. I'm a babywearing nut (I'm a woven wrap mama and also have a weird pride in never having used a stroller except for running), we co-sleep, I EBF until 6 months when we started baby led weaning/solids (which is so much fun by the way!), kiddo is intact, we are skipping some vacs (although doing many on schedule), and we CD (although I guess that's not technically an AP thing). In general, i follow kiddo's cues in terms of naps and eating as much as possible. DH and I are both students - I'm working on my PhD in education but spend way less time on it than I should.
Very excited to have a place to hang out!
Breastfeeding Counselor with Breastfeeding USA
Babywearing Guide ** Newborn Carriers
Cloth Diaper Guide
Safe Bed Sharing Info
I'm Stephanie, married for 2 years and mom to Michael.
I ebf on demand and plan on bfing until ds weans himself, co-sleep, delayed the hep B vaccine at birth and looking into (and would love to hear from others) alternate vaccine scheldules. we do not use CIO (and never will). michael almost lives in his sling. we go on his scheldule (which is why i usually bump late in the night - he seems to want to stay actively awake until about 1 or 2am and then want to lay around in bed until 10 or so) . i stay at home and will do so at least until my youngest (i'd like 3) is in school all day
i think that just about covers it ;-)
Hi all! I am Heather. My partner is Dan. We have been together for 2 1/2 years and have an almost 9 month son, Danny.
I BF on demand and believe in child-led weaning (as much as DS loves it...he would probably BF until he is 14, so ask me again when he turns 2!), co-sleep, babywear (although, he doesn't allow it much anymore. He always wants to be on the move), ANTI-CIO and all baby training, balance..we struggle with. Basically just follow my instincts.
Not necesarily AP, but we also CD and make all of our baby food.
Can I just say that I am GIDDY over the posibility of an AP board. I don't have any AP friends-or support really besides my parents and DH. So I would LOVE to talk to some AP moms!
Hi ladies!
I am Aimee, DH is Joe, and our 5 1/2 m/o DS is Conn. We live in the UK at the moment, but will be moving back to the states very shortly.
I am a SAHM who EBF on demand, semi co-sleeps (he spends part of the night in our bed, and the rest in his bassinet beside us), BIG on babywearing, no CIO, and we can't wait to get Conn started on baby-led solids after he's 6 months old.
We don't co-sleep full-time because DH is a very heavy sleeper, and we have a small bed, so for safety reasons we only co-sleep when DH is on the couch or I'm awakish with DS. Conn is also fully vaccinated for his age, by choice and also because DH is military and we wouldn't have had a choice anyway. They do love to give out shots
. We also do not cloth diaper.
Looking forward to getting our own board!
so nice to meet all of you ladies!!
i am gretchen, married for almost 4 years to my wonderful michael. we went through 2 years of IF and m/c and had our precious LOs as a result of IVF. michael jr. and daphne rose are 3 months old and amazing. i am a SAHM, i EBF on cue, babywear like a madwoman, and we semi-co-sleep. (DD spends most of the night in our bed, DS is already STTN and sleeps next to the bed in the co-sleeper, waking once around 5-6am usually to nurse. DD nurses several times a night.) we do have a nursery prepared and plan to move the babies there eventually, when we feel we are all ready.
we believe in baby-led sleep schedules, i never plan to do CIO, don't think i could stomach it as it goes against my instincts as a mom completely. i hope to follow BLW with introing solids. i also plan to BF until each LO is ready to wean (although like another poster said, my little guy might want to keep going forever so we'll play that by ear. it is my goal not to wean either of them on my own schedule.)
we are in the process of making the transition to CDs. it is something that overwhelmed me when i was pg, the thought of CDing twins, but now i am ready and only wish i had done it from day one.
that's a general picture of our AP style. what i love about AP is that you don't have to follow every principle to be considered AP. i look forward to getting to know you ladies better!!
My Blog
Our successful cycle was IVF #2: Microdose Lupron Flare Protocol - 2 beautiful blasts transferred.
email me: gretchela@hotmail.com
Hi everyone!
I'm Chris, married to my H since '05 and we have an almost 18 month old daughter. I'm expecting (a boy!) in December as well :-)
AP to me is just common sense. I believe in being as respectful of children as I am of adults. Just because they're short doesn't mean they don't matter as much!
Audrey's life began with a low intervention birth. She was EBF until around 7ish months then we started BLW with solids (I highly recommend this, BTW. So much easier!). She's still nursing but only once a day now for a few minutes :-( I know there isn't much, if any milk at this point in my pregnancy but I still love the snuggling. I don't know if I'll tandem nurse once the baby is born - I'm playing it by ear.
We coslept full time until 9 months. At that point she started to sleep a slightly longer stretch in the beginning of the night so she started out in her crib until she woke (then she'd come to bed with me). Around 14 months she was in her crib fulltime. Now she STTN and is in there full time. I miss her in bed with me but love that she's actually SLEEPING now :-P
I love(d) babywearing but she's not down with it at all anymore. I'm looking forward to wearing the new baby. We selectively vax and will not circ this baby. I have pretty strong feelings about both of those issues.
I slightly regret not CDing but I had to go back to work FT once Audrey was 4 months and they were not on board with that. I was able to quit after about 6 months but didn't feel like the investment would be worth it since I was pretty sure she'd be an only (her conception was the result of a lot of fertility junk). Well, lo and behold - I'm pregnant again but am still on the fence with CD. I went back to work 3 days a week a few months ago and love my job and the balance it brings to my life. I expect to return to work two days a week after the baby so we're weighing the pros/cons of part time CDing.
To me the most important part of AP is the empathy and respect of everyone in the family. I believe in natural consequences for "discipline" and will not spank. I like the theories in Alfie Kohn's "Unconditional Parenting" and try to incorporate his philosophies in our day-to-day life. We're pretty laid back parents and let our kiddo lead the way on most things.
So excited to have a group here, even if it is a pirated board!
I'm Jade. DD is almost 2. DH and I have been married for almost 6 years. I was wondering how our parenting philosophies would mesh as we're from 2 very different countries (I bet you won't need more than 2 guesses to figure out where he's from.
But it's been *great*. We've been on the same page about everything so far. Whew.
It hasn't been an easy go for us in certain areas of AP, though. lol. As someone eluded to in another post here, AP starts before birth. I had a great 'crunchy' pregnancy. Wanted a med-free birth. Laboured at home for 20 hours then ended up at the hospital with a cesarian. (Yes it was necessary. My midwife recommends them extremely rarely.)
Then BFing was a chore. I had a reduction years ago. I spent thousands on trying to kickstart my girls. (I swallowed handfuls of pills/capsules a day!) We ended up having to supplement after only a week. But all the supp was given via an at breast supplementor.
We bedshared exclusively for a while... Coslept in the same room for over a year and a half. DD still finds her way into our bed late at night/early in the morning.
She was worn a *LOT* in the first 18 months.
We've done EC with great success from the very beginning. Loved that part of it.
Just wondering where to go from here! We're registered in a very good preschool for the fall. (Reggio Emilia.) Would love to talk about preschool with other moms who are concerned about/interested in good early childhood education.
SO thankful for this board!!!
DH & I have been married 3 years. We found out 6 months into TTC that he is infertile, and a year later we used donor sperm to conceive.
I gave birth to Callum ("Cal") on 12/13/08 at a hospital with the help of a midwife and my DH but no drugs. It was the single most painful/difficult, but at the same time most rewarding/exhilirating experience of my life.
I BF Cal on demand. I work FT now, so I have to pump twice/day so he can have BM while I am at work. He started solids at 6.5 months - we only feed him fresh, organic food that we prepare ourselves. We use a modified baby led approach.
He was left intact. We have delayed the Hep B vaccine.
We wear/carry him often.
He does not have a schedule except that which has evolved by his own doing. He sleeps when he is tired. We go to him when he wakes up (unless he is happy - he does like some alone time).
We co-sleep, and bedshare for a few hours in the mornings.
We CD.
I feel very strongly about all of the above and am glad to have a place where there are other like-minded people!
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
Hello, ladies! My name is Heather, and I usually post over on the PAL board. I am super excited about having a board for AP. My significant other and I have been together for 3 years (known each other for 6), and we just welcomed a baby boy into our family at the end of June. I have a 13 y.o. son as well, and he's thrilled to be a big brother.
Gabriel was born med-free, using the Bradley method. We chose to delay the Hep B vaccine, and I am looking into a modified vaccination schedule for him.
We chose not to circ, but due to a condition called hypospadias, he will have to be circumsized at some point, probably around 4 months old (the doctor will use skin from his foreskin to make the repair).
I BF on demand (with the occasional bottle of pumped BM for daddy to share in feedings), and I am planning doing so for as long as he wants to nurse; we'll start introducing solids at 6 months, and follow his cues from there.
We mostly co-sleep---when Gabriel goes to bed for the night (around 10pm), he goes into his crib (which is in our bedoom). He wakes up to nurse between midnight and 1am, which is about the time I am going to bed, and I bring him to bed with me, where he spends the rest of the night. I do not believe in rigid schedules, and absolutely not in CIO---he sleeps when he's sleepy.
I babywear (and love it). This is generally how I take Gabriel out in public, and people never fail to comment on how "cool" it is. He loves being in the wrap, and it is a no-fail soother... most of the time. If I could just master breastfeeding while he's in it, I'd be set!
I really wanted to CD, but unfortunately, it isn't practical for us right now (we live in an apartment w/o our own washer/dryer). If that changes while Gabriel is still in diapers, I will me re-evaluating my current stance on CD.
I think that pretty much sums it up for now!
I have a brand new baby boy (3 weeks today!), and in our house AP is just what comes naturally. My husband and I would just rather hold him than put him down, period. If I have something I need to do, I usually wear him, not out of obligation, but because I just like having him close to me. He always sleeps the best in the Moby anyway
At night we cuddle him to sleep, then put him in his bassinet beside our bed. He comes into bed with me for BF, then back to his bassinet in between feedings until his 6 am wake up when I feel like I am rested enough that having him in bed with me will be safe (ie, I will not be sleeping too deeply to keep him safe). He stays in bed with us until we wake up for good at around 9.
I SAH, which is personally the most important part of AP for me. I hope to SAH until Moses goes to kindergarten, but if for some reason it doesn't work out financially, then I will put him in home daycare so that he can have that attachment relationship with whoever is taking care of him. I have worked in day cares and personally don't believe they're right for our son because of how impersonal the care is.
That's all I can think of for now, I think I've rambled on long enough
ETA: DH and I will be married for 3 years in Sept.