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Babies: 3 - 6 Months
DreadLoc
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Why do you parent the way you do?
DreadLoc
member
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to?
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo?
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)?
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home?
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby...
Why do/don't you let your child cio?
Why do/don't you feed your child solids?
What else do you do, and why?
Please ladies, this is just for informational purposes. Please respect the fact that everyone has a different parenting style, or at least if you want to flame, please do so on another thread.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Why do you parent the way you do?
The Blog
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? Nothing went as planned.But it all came out okay
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I BF for the bond and because I believe it's healthier.But she gets abot 6-10ozs formula a day.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? I started cloth for "green" purposes,also financial.Now I love them and I'm addicted!!
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I was laid off when pregnant and decided to stay home.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby...I use my stroller so I can carry all my sh!t in it
Why do/don't you let your child cio?I think it's wrong and I wouldnt want someone to do it to me
Why do/don't you feed your child solids?she's too young
What else do you do, and why?uhm,.. who knows
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? My mom went med-free with my brother and I. I didn't give it much thought until I got pregnant, then I started researching and decided that it was something I wanted to do. I had the natural birth that I wanted.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? There is no doubt about it that breast is best. There are times where it is a struggle to keep my supply up, but it's worth it, not to mention it is free.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? I use cloth diapers because the amount of trash we would accumulate with disposables makes me sick. Plus we are saving a ton of money and they are so stinkin' cute!
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I went back to work because we would have to make serious lifestyle changes for me to stay at home and I just don't think we are ready to do that. I work for a great company and I worked hard to get where I am. I don't want to just walk away from that right now. There is talk of me going part time here in the future though.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... I use a Moby and a sling to carry her, they are comfortable. We will probably do rear facing in the car for 2 years because if you google internal decapitation, I bet you will too!
Why do/don't you let your child cio? We will let her fuss for a few minutes but I know the difference between her full out crying and just fussing. I don't let her scream or cry herself to sleep, but I will give her a few minutes to fuss and she usually finds her thumb and passes out.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? We felt that she was ready for solids. Her growth percentiles were dropping and the pedi said it was okay to introduce solids at 4 months. We did and she is doing great on them. She only drinks 20-24 ounces a day and she showed signs of needing more.
We have started doing a little bit of elimination communication. If I know she is getting ready to poop, I put her on the toilet. Not only is it easier with cloth diapers for her to go in the toilet but it certainly can't hurt her either!
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? He's on cereal right now and it's because he's been giving signs of readiness for a couple of weeks.What else do you do, and why? Love my baby and hold him when he needs to be held.
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? My mother happens to be an OB/GYN and she pushed for me to elect and schedule a c-section the moment I found out I was pregnant. Because I knew that unless medically necessary, a c-section was not what I wanted, I elected to have a home birth. Luckily everything turned out as planned and DD was born calmly at home med-free.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I BF. I have not had any supply issues and I plan to BF for as long as DD wants.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? I use CDs because I sew my own and it is cheaper than buying disposables.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? DH lost his job in Oct., at the time I was a SAHM. Without any job leads we opted to go back to school. I am now a full time midwifery student.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... I mainly BW. If DH is with us he wears DS and I wear DD. If I am out on my own, I use a sit and stand stroller. We have convertible seats for our vehicles.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? I have let DS CIO but i did not start until he was 15 months and able to understand the reason behind it. I would not let DD CIO until she is older.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? DD has been sitting at the table for meals with us since she was 3 months but had not shown any interest in food yet until a few days ago. She had some asparagus and some watermelon in the past week but just a taste not a full feeding. As she gets older and able to grab her own food we will introduce more foods.
What else do you do, and why? I would consider myself pretty crunchy and happen to follow a lot of the AP principles.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? I will start at 7 months. What else do you do, and why? We bed share ,it works best for our family. Everyone sleeps better/
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to?
My "plan" was to have a baby, vaginally if possible, but I was fine with a c-section if I needed it. I figured I would probably want an epidural at some point, and I trusted my doctor's judgment about episiotomies. Everything happened the way I wanted it.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo?
I breastfeed because it's good for her, it's been incredibly easy for both of us and I really love doing it.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)?
I tried using cloth diapers because they're cheaper, especially considering we want more children, and because of environmental concerns. I continued using them because I love them. They are so much fun and they never leak!
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home?
I quit my job when I was pregnant for many reasons. I intend to go back to work at some point, but there's no rush. I was worried I'd go crazy at home, but I like it so much more than I thought I would.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby...
I carry her in different things according to what's convenient for the situation. In a restaurant - car seat. Walking in the park - stroller. Walking to the coffee shop - wearing.
Why do/don't you let your child cio?
I don't let her cry it out because I know how to soothe her and there's no reason why I shouldn't.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids?
I don't feed her solids yet because she's only three months and not ready yet. I plan to follow her cues and start when she gives us indications that she's ready.
What else do you do, and why?
I have baby-free time nearly every day when I go running, and try to have a longer stretch of 2-3 hours at least once a week. My husband and I are also very diligent about our relationship. We keep in mind that our goal is to always love each other as much as we did when we decided to have this baby.
Nothing went as planned. At eight days overdue I had a balloon catheter inserted to help the induction I was supposed to have the next day. That night, my water broke and I went into labour naturally. It was slow so they gave me Oxytocin, which made DD's heart beat drop. This all led to a c-section in which we found out she had moved her position. A vaginal delivery would have resulted in back labour.
I breast feed for the obvious benefits, and DD took to it easily (thank god).
I use disposable diapers because cloth ones seem a little overwhelming to me. Call me lazy. Props to all the CD moms on here!
I'm staying at home and finishing my degree online. SO will also be taking Paternity Leave a little further down the line.
I love wearing her to keep my arms free. We go for walks in the stroller and if she gets fussy when we're shopping, I'm okay picking her up or having someone I'm with picking her up and carrying her for a bit.
To each their own, but I don't believe in CIO. DD cries because she needs something.
It's too early for solids.
I'll be pumping once in a while very shortly. It'll be helpful for when we go out, or when SO wants to feed her.Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? I had planned on a natural, drug/intervention free birth. Hired a doula, took 12 weeks of Bradley classes, had my birth plan in my file at the hospital, was all ready to go. Then DD decided to be breech and wouldnt turn for anything, so scheduled a c-section. THEN ended up with a c-section the week prior to what we had originally scheduled due to my BP being high. So no, it did not go as I had planned. But it was fine.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I do a combo. Would like to EBF, but am not able to pump enough during the day for what she needs at DC. So she is supplemented with formula. I chose to BF because I feel that breast milk is best.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? Disposable, because I just really had no desire to deal with cloth.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I went back to work because we need my income to maintain the lifestyle that DH and I have chosen to live.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... We use a stroller, but I'd like to find a wrap/sling that I like just because they seem so convenient. I have yet to find one that I like though.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? I will not let DD CIO because I feel that you can instil healthy sleep habits while still comforting and soothing yoru child. I dont think there is any benefit to letting your child cry themself to sleep.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? We plan to do BLW starting at 6 months, so, skipping purees and going straing to solid finger foods. However, DD has a voracious appetite and we have started working on cereal, just in an attempt to help fill her up until we can start solids. I've done my homework, and BLW is what makes the most sense to me.
What else do you do, and why?
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? I chose to plan for a med-free birth. It was important to me to not take the risks that interventions can bring for the baby and myself, and I wanted to have the experience with a clear mind. It did NOT go according to plan. My water broke and labor didn't start. I was ruptured for almost 48 hours before we determined what was happening. I had to be induced to avoid danger to the baby from not having enough fluid. I couldn't manage pain in bed, so I had an epi. I'm happy with how it turned out, though. My daughter is healthy and happy, and I don't feel I missed anything in the experience, except the pain, of course. LOL.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I breastfed for 6 weeks, but I EFF now. Breastfeeding was just not for us in the long run for personal reasons.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? We use sposies. Cloth, though cheaper over time, was a much bigger investment up front than we were prepared to spend. For us, it's easier to drop 20 bucks on diapers every few weeks than hundreds at once, and probably more down the line as well. Plus, we ended up having to use day care, and they won't do cloth.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I work because of $. I would stay home if I could.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... I carry Sophie all sorts of ways. Sometimes in the Moby wrap, sometimes in the stroller, sometimes in my or someone else's arms. Whatever is most convenient or comfortable for both of us at the time.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? I will never do CIO. I believe that a crying baby has a need and that need should be met. I also don't feel that sleep should be entered stressfully, but restfully and peacefully.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? She isn't yet old enough.
What else do you do, and why? The only other parenting "thing" I am passionate about is spanking; NOT spanking, specifically.Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? I wanted a c/s. I got a c/s. Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? Pretty much, yup.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? FF
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? We were going to go with cloth and purchased cloth from a friend, but my parents keep buying us disposibles, so we're using those. We're thinking, "Hey! Free diapers!"
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I went back to work because I have to. We can't afford the childcare right now and DH is only working 1/2 time.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... We keep them in their infant seat and DSNG when we're out and about and other people usually hold them when we're at people's houses.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? We haven't thought about it yet. The girls are STTN right now and we also still need to research all the methods.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? We don't because we haven't been given the OK from the pedi yet.
What else do you do, and why? I don't really know how to answer this. We don't do a lot of what other moms do (at least what other Bumpie moms do) because there are two of them. We let them nap on their boppies. We sometimes prop their bottles while they're eating. We let them sleep at night with a blanket over their legs. We're not high-maintenance parents and they're not high-maintenance babies.
Unable to even.
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Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? Jake was breach, and my Dr. doesn't recommend versions, so I had a scheduled c-section. 20 min, no labor. AWESOME!
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? Formula, I just sceeve BM.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? Disposable, I do enough laundry.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I had to go back to work, for $$ and sanity, it's not in my blood to stay at home.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby...We don't "wear" him, its however its the easiest for him to get around at that moment.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? I don't need to let him CIO - he's been sleeping thru the night for the past month. I stopped swaddling at 2wks. and he's slept in his crib from the first night we brought him home. And I think this is the reason he's been sleeping 10 hours from 3 months old.
I would let him CIO, but only at 4 months, if needed.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? Ped. didn't recommend it. When she does, we will.
What else do you do, and why? Try and be the best Mommy I can be!
Please ladies, this is just for informational purposes. Please respect the fact that everyone has a different parenting style, or at least if you want to flame, please do so on another thread.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids?we started solids last week and it is something that he needs to learn.What else do you do, and why? I read to him so that he has a love for books, I don't let him watch television because human interaction is more effective than anything. I won't let him have juice because their is no nutritional value and I thank God everyday that he is in this world.
Please ladies, this is just for informational purposes. Please respect the fact that everyone has a different parenting style, or at least if you want to flame, please do so on another thread.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? BF. I pump 3x a day at work and for now my supply is ok. I only work 3 days a week. I believe it is the best thing for her and plan to do so until 12-18 months.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? Cloth. DH wanted to at first and I was completely against it. I researched it and it was overwhelming. But the more I looked in to it, the more I wanted to. We can afford sposies, but why when cloth saves us SO much money. We use fuzzibunz OS and I LOVE them! I hate that she is in sposies 2 days a week at daycare. Also, she has sensitive skin and too long in sposies and she get a rash.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? Work 3 days a week. I work for the state so I have great health insurance and we need part of my income. When DH is done with his CPA this winter, I will be staying home permitted he can get decent insurance through his job when he goes full time after school is done.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... I wear her around the house if I need to get stuff done and she is fussy. I like to wear her out, but it is so freakin' cold here that it isn't worth it to take her out of the infant carrier to go grocery shopping, so I leave her in when grocery shopping or at Target. I will wear her as much as possible when it is warmer.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? I will never do this. I do not believe in it and feel there are better ways to help your child sleep if there is an issue.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? Too young, but we will not be starting until she is 6 months.
What else do you do, and why? We bedshare. After 2 1/2 weeks home, DD would not sleep ANYWHERE besides our arms. So one night I put her in bed with us. We tried every night to put her somewhere else and she just would not do it. I went from hating it and being so paranoid, to realizing we all needed sleep to loving it. She still wakes once in the middle of the night to nurse, so I side lie nurse and go back to sleep. Until she drops that feeding, I need sleep. When DH and I want time, we put her in the crib when she goes down at 7 or 8 then bring her in bed with us when we are done and ready to go to bed. He enjoys it too. There is nothing better than waking up to cuddling with your DH and a smiling, happy baby.
We'll be making our own baby food. I cook for DH and myself and will be for her. Saves money and is healthier.
I follow some AP stuff and am a little crunchy. I NEVER thought of myself that way, but I'm only crunchy when it comes to her!Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? We're go with the flow kind of people, so that's what we did for both births as well. So, yes, everything went well, because our goal ways "Everyone comes out healthy".
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I breastfed DS for 6 months. I wanted to BF longer, but he was losing weight and my supply was disappearing. I BFed DD for 8 weeks. I stopped b/c she was eating every hour and it was causing me to neglect DS.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? We're doing a cloth/disposable mix. DS is entirely disposable diapered (hopefully he'll be PTing soon too). DD wears cloth during the day and disposable at night. We CDed DS for a few months and really liked it, so when I got PG again, I decided to make the switch. We only stopped CDing DS because (at the time) he grew out of that size and we thought he would be PTing soon. Obviously that didn't happen.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I SAH because I want to and we could afford it. No real reason other than that.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... I carry DD in her infant seat when we're out running errands b/c she can't sit independently yet and she actually likes the carseat. When she gets to heavy for the carseat, I'll start wearing her until she can sit in carts on her own.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? We will do Ferber at 6 months if necessary. Thus far, she's a much better sleeper than DS ever was, so we might not need to. We have had to Ferberize DS several times, and honestly, he's not scarred for life from it. Even when he was old enough to yell our names (heartbreaking), he still wakes up happy and refreshed the next day.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? We will start solids when she's showing signs of readiness. We will skip cereal and start with bananas or avocado. In the case of DS, this meant that we started at almost 6 months old. DD is starting to show some interest now, so we might not have to wait as long.
What else do you do, and why?
We were always relatively relaxed about things with DS. People used to comment that we act like he's a second child instead of a first. We don't obsess about germs, the order that solids are given, choking hazards, babyproofing, etc. We do what seems reasonable and don't worry about things.
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? I practiced hypnobirthing hoping to go med-free because I didn't like the thought of not being able to walk and wanted to avoid the intervention spiral. I had an epi after dilating to nine and pushing for several hours without meds. Cervix swelled, dilation regressed, kid wouldn't descend. Pitocin followed the epi. Healthy baby, vaginal delivery. Can't complain.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I reluctantly breastfeed because my kid is really good at it. I'd have zero qualms about switching to formula, but we're gonna stick with this as long as it's working.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? I use disposables because we're on a septic and all of our municipal trash is incinerated.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I'd be working to pay for daycare. I do freelance projects from home instead.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? We have a convertible car seat, so I use the Ergo or the stroller when we go out. Strangers' comments about babywearing make me laugh. "You carried him for nine months, can't you let go?" I'm so not an attachment parent. I hate Dr. Sears. The Ergo is dead useful, though.
Why do/don't you let your child CIO? Still too young. In a couple of months, if he's fed, clean, and safe, I see no problem with letting him cry it out. Right now he happily goes down in his crib every night. Fingers crossed that doesn't change. I have let him cry a couple of times when I needed a five-minute break or he kicked off while I was in the middle of something (showering).
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? Still too young. We'll probably start with fruits and veg around six months instead of the rice cereal at four months. Need to research this more.
What else do you do, and why? I do whatever works because I value my sanity over what other people think of me.
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? I'm a big believer in natural childbirth being the best way to deliver a low risk baby. No narcotics being administered to the baby and no interference with the natural process. Everything did happen how I had hoped.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I just always figured breastfeeding is what you do if you're blessed with the supply and ability to do so.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? CD, best for the environment, no chemicals on baby, save money.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I work. I have no choice in the matter.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... All of the above, actually. Different things are convenient at different times. I like having options.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? I can't really answer this because CIO hasn't even been a consideration with Lilly. She's a good sleeper.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? It's not even close to being time yet.
What else do you do, and why? I go with the flow, but err on the crunchy granola side of things. It's just my way.
Please ladies, this is just for informational purposes. Please respect the fact that everyone has a different parenting style, or at least if you want to flame, please do so on another thread.
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to?
I planned for an unmedicated birth. However I had a placenta abruption and had to do an emergency c- section.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo?
I breastfeed. Because that is best for the child and cheaper than ff.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)?
I thought about using cloth. But ultimately decided not to...I opted for the easier route.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home?
I stayed home because I was only working 3 days a week and with 2 it would not cover the cost of daycare. I either had to go fulltime or stay home...and I have always wanted to stay home.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby...
I carry her in a moby wrap. Because it is the easiest with 2 little ones and because she loves it.
Why do/don't you let your child cio?
She is to young. Ultimately when she is older I will let her, because she will have to learn to put herself to sleep...but it makes me so sad.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids?
She doesn't need them yet...I am hoping not to start until she is 6 months.
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? I chose to have a natural birth center birth because I don't believe in taking the easy way out and I hate medication. Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? Kinda...the only thing that went "wrong" was my back labor and I didn't have the water birth I dreamed of. But I would do it over again in a heartbeat.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I breastfeed because it's the normal way to feed babies. And it's cheap and I love the snuggles.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? I use cloth diapers because for us, the upfront costs always trump the long term cost, and although I'm no 100% eco-friendly the thought of all the disposable diapers in the landfill make me sick.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? We live for free at my husbands job so our living expenses have dropped significantly. No need for me to have a job and we can still save a ton.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... I love wearing her in my Ergo and I just ordered a wrap
For me, wearing her is the most convenient and I do hate walking around with a lot of "stuff"....it makes me feel cluttered.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? I don't have the balls to let her cio. For me to just go about my day with her crying for her mommy makes my heart sad, and that's for any baby.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? Although the pedi gave us the thumbs up at 4 months, I have a feeling they tell everyone the same without taking into account each child's behavior and readiness. So I'm just relying on instincts to be able to tell when. And she's not ready.
What else do you do, and why? We bed share because it's the best way for everyone to get sleep. And we just do what we feel is best for my babe and don't pay no mind to anyone who tries to tell us different. We're her parents and we know her better then anyone else.I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living my baby you'll be.
- Robert Munsch
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to?
I wanted minimal intervention (no induction, etc.) and I wanted to go with the flow. I wanted to move around as much as possible and use the birthing tub. Ultimately, my water broke (I was 1 cm), I was put on Pitocin (meaning tethered to the bed), had an epidural at 3 cm when my uterus was going nuts and was fully dilated in less than two hours. Loved my birth experience and wouldn't change a thing.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo?
Breastfeed because I was willing to try it since it was best for her. Turns out I really like it.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)?
Disposable because it's the easiest and I didn't want to deal with cleaning cloth ones.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home?
Financially I don't have a choice, but I would have gone back anyway. I love my career.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby...
Depends on the situation, but I do them all at one time or another.
Why do/don't you let your child cio?
I definitely would not want to do this, but I can't really speak on it because I haven't gotten to the point where she is completely inconsolable. She is a good sleeper.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids?
Not old enough, but we will take our time with this anyway.
What else do you do, and why?
I just enjoy her. Being a mom is a wonderful experience, but I don't let it consume my identity. She is an addition to our family, not an extension of us! She is her own person and I am approaching it that way. I can't "build-a-person." She will be who God made her to be -- we will just guide that process as best we can!
Nothing went as planned, ended up with a c-section...still upset about the whole thing.Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo?
I FF. Tried BFing while in the hospital and was later told I shouldn't have because of the medications they had me taking. My original OB was not happy about that.Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)?
We use disposable. Sheer convenience. My favorite ones are Huggies Pure and Natural...makes me feel better that I'm "sort of" putting an effort.Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home?
DH and I were laid off in 2009, but he got his job back. I was never able to land a job, so I just stayed home.Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby.
If it's the grocery store or to someone's house, infant seat. Outings where we'll be walking around, stroller. At home we just carry her.Why do/don't you let your child cio?
I let her CIO once. I exhausted all other methods to try to get her to stop, and it just didn't work. She hasn't needed to, but if it gets to the point that there really is nothing I can do and it doesn't need to be taken seriously enough to go to the doctor, I will let her fuss it.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids?
Too young right now. What else do you do, and why?
I let her sleep in the bed with me only because when I put her in her crib I have to put her in a coat. My room becomes freezing at night (scared me once when I woke up to check on when she was in the crib, ice cold and still sleeping...I about died and I cried and cried.) I am slowly starting the bed-to-crib transition, and it's been good so far, but I just don't want her to freeze.
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? I had planned for a natural childbirth with as limited interventions as possible, I just believe it's best and wanted to "prove" my ability to birth in that manner (just being honest). I ended up with a c-section due to LO being breech and if we have another I'll just elect for the c-section because it was such a great experience.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I EBF because it's best. I plan to do extended BF if she wants.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? I bought cloth, used them for about a week and stopped. I just really don't like it and didn't really see any cost savings. I wanted to CD for the environment and cost. I go back and forth every day but I really didn't like the extra laundry and the poop in the washer. Honestly though, diapers only cost $40 a month from Amazon so I'm not really saving a ton since our water is so expensive. If I can PT by 1 1/2 that will only be like $600 vs the $250 I would need to spend to have a complete collection.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I have to SAH because we can't afford daycare and I am very opposed to in-home. I just don't feel comfortable leaving LO with a stranger. I had a very traumatic in home DC experience as a child and cannot deal with the lack of oversight.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... I am trying to carry her more. I have an Ergo and Moby and much prefer the Moby. H has a Baby Bjorn he will wear her in for short trips (he doesn't like the Ergo). I definitely believe that wearing the baby is the best, it provides them stimulation and comfort. I don't like her in the infant seat all the time. We also use all plastic contraptions as little as possible.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? I let her "fuss it out" on days where I know she's exhausted but won't let herself sleep. Otherwise I give her 2 minutes if she starts when it's bedtime and then I'm in there.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? We are skipping purees and doing BLW, I feel it makes more sense.
What else do you do, and why? We also bedshare. I was never opposed to it but it happened very organically and both H and I really enjoy it. I'm definitely very crunchy granola in my parenting and toy choices, I just feel that a more "back to basics" approach could be a good thing for everyone.
Francesca Pearl is here! Josephine Hope is almost 3!
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? because i believe in doing everything as naturally as possible, especially living in a society that has gotten so far from what is intended. even though i prepared for the worst, it did end up going exactly the way i planned [natural birth, 2 hour labor start to finish], despite the fact that my doctor and everyone else said it was not possible.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? i breastfeed because it's the best thing for my baby [because i don't have any communicable diseases or other problems that would make donated milk or formula a better choice]
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? i use cloth diapers and am trying to get into ec more. i always planned on using cloth ever since i was little, probably because i have a tendency to try things that seem the simplest and most natural.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? i stay at home because i am lucky enough to be able to do so and i always planned on staying at home so i spent my life preparing to do so.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... i carry her most of the time and put her in a carrier [ergo, wrap, sling] if we're out for a longer period of time. i personally hate infant seats and don't want to expose my child to more toxins than necessary [another reason i try to spend very little time in the car].
Why do/don't you let your child cio? i don't because she is a great sleeper on her own and i also like to see how her sleep naturally progresses.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? i will feed her solids [not cereal or purees] when she is old enough to feed herself so that the risk of choking will be much lower.
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to?
I chose to have a natural birth and to not receive pitocin. I also wanted to hold my child right after birth. Nothing happened the way I wanted to at all. I had to get everything I did not want because of my irregular contractions. I couldn't hold my son because I was so weak, I kept fainting.
For the future, I will not make a birth plan. Nothing goes the way you plan in such an unpredictable setting. I'm fine with that.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo?
I breastfeed the first month and ended up formula feeding after. My son was having a difficult time feeding. I ended up pumping, which led me to an infection and then my breasts seem to be in agonizing pain everytime, I did it. So I decided to formula feed.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)?
I choose disposables because, truthfully, I hate doing laundry. :-) We could afford the diapers also. so no worries.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home?
I decided to be a SAHM because I was getting paid hourly before I became pregnant and decided to quit. I do not have a job and my husband doesn't mind me staying home. Plus, I want to see my 1st child's first steps and words. :-)
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby...
I do all of the above. My back is in horrible shape and try to alter the way I hold him due to that and the fact that if he sits to long in one place, he becomes fussy.
Why do/don't you let your child cio?
Embarassingly enough, I have no idea what Cio means.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids?
I feed my child solids because I find it foolish to hold off on it. He's a human, we should eat like them. lol
What else do you do, and why?
I hold off on him going to the crib. In his bassinet he is so enclosed but in his crib, there is a lot more space. I think this scares him a little.
I also will not give him a flu shot. Everytime I have gotten it, I had the flu right after. Also someone I know had giam beret from it.
Please ladies, this is just for informational purposes. Please respect the fact that everyone has a different parenting style, or at least if you want to flame, please do so on another thread.
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? I wanted to go "natural" ie no pain meds/epidural because narcotics scare me (for both me and babe) and I don't do needles in the back. I was successful at no pain meds for both of my inductions. Other than that, I just wanted healthy baby, healthy mommy, which I pretty much got (minus a subdural hematoma for DS and a PP hemorrhage after DD...but I'm a NICU nurse, so something had to go wrong!)
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? Breastfeed. It is important to me for them to have optimal nutrition, which I feel they get from breast milk. I don't have anything against formula and had to supplement DS.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? Disposable. Sadly, I'm too lazy for cloth
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I work FT plus a supplemental job. I make more than DH can/could without more education, so it makes more sense for me to work and DH to stay home (he's a SAHD). Plus I love my job and coworkers, which makes it easier (he hated his job).
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... Sometimes I wear DD, sometimes I use the infant seat. She doesn't care for being in her carseat much, so I usually have to take her out if she is awake, then I wear her. It is also easier to wear her with a toddler. That way, if hte toddler bolts off, I can chase him and not have to leave the baby behind (say in the shopping cart or something). Also, the infant seat is a bit heavy for me and hurts my back to carry.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? We let DS CIO when he was six months. He slept in his carseat until then. He was a horrible sleeper. It was the method that worked best for us as far as sleep training. I'm thinking DD won't need much sleep training. She is a great sleeper!
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? She is too young. We'll start around 6months, like we did with DS. DS gets solids, well, because he is 3!
What else do you do, and why? Um, I don't know where to start. I just do what feels "right" and works best for our family. Every family and every child is different, so different things work best for some.
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Miles Alister. 9.17.2007. 8# 6oz 21.5inches
Isla Penelope. 10.21.2010. 8# 3oz 21 inches
2 Months 11# 6oz 23.5 inches
4 Months 13# 6oz 25 inches
6 Months 14# 15oz 27 inches
9 Months 17# 10oz 28 inches
12 Months 19# 10oz 28.75 inches
"If you wanna win then you shoulda put a hat on it. Don't be mad when you see a knit cap won it. If you wanna win then you shoulda put a hat on it."- Fenton
Why did you choose the birth plan that you did? Did everything happen the way you wanted it to? Not exactly. As soon as we were told I was being induced 3 weeks early, and that I wasn't favourable, I threw whatever ideas about labour and delivery I had, out the window. I do pat myself on the back, however, for going through 27 hours of induced labour before begging for the epidural....with contractions coming every 2-3 minutes and registering off the charts.
Why do you breastfeed or formula feed or combo? I BF because I believe it is the healthiest for my child, for the convenience of it (not having to lug bottles around everywhere I bloody go) and for the bonding. I do, however, have to supplement with a bottle or two of formula a day.
Why do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers or no diapers (EC)? We use disposables at night (Earth's Best), and cloth diapers during the day.
Why did you go back to work or decide to stay at home? I stay home because I believe it's the best thing for my child.
Why do you carry your baby the way you do? Infant seat, wearing, stroller, or someone else carry baby... When in stores, in the Ergo. When out on walks or with DH, in the stroller.
Why do/don't you let your child cio? I believe in CIO. But he is too small for it. I believe it creates more strength of character and independence than not allowing them to attempt to self-soothe. Moreover, I believe that all we are doing as a society is raising children who don't understand the value of work, the meaning of "no", etc.
Why do/don't you feed your child solids? Alec has his 4-month check up at the pediatrician next week. I believe he is ready for at least a little bit of solids - I plan on asking the pedi.
1. I had a birth plan with DS and a vaginal delivery; however, I had a scheduled c-section with DD.
2. I BF DS for 16 months and I plan to BF DD for at least a year as well. I EBF because it's natural, has too many benefits to list here, and I enjoy the bonding it provides. DD was given formula while she was in the NICU, but fortunately, she took to the breast very well.
3. Disposable - convenience and DH didn't want to bother with CDng.
4. I will be going back to work in a couple of months, but I'd love to SAH later (if feasible).
5. Infant seat, stroller, and moby. Depending on the need and where we are.
6. DD is a good sleeper, and CIO has never appealed to me.
7. She's too young for solids, so we'll wait until DD is 6 months or when she is ready.
8. I don't feel the need to follow methods in books. They are ok for general guidelines or tips, but we are not the kind of parents that put too much stock in them. I trust my instincts and experience. I strive to provide a good balance of discipline/structure and warmth and affection for my children.