Wearing my beautiful girl (and her big sister, too)

I have decided to write a bit about my experience with wearing my children, mainly my daughters since I didn't discover the great carriers till then.

I hope to put a picture or two of me wearing my kids, but right now I don't have any on this computer, and I feel I should write right now.

When Zach was tiny, someone gave me a snugli or some similar front pack. He liked it much more than a stroller, but it was not extremely comfortable for me, and I gave it up before he was one. Choosing instead to carry him in my arms or hope he would accept the stroller when we were out and walking.

Then I came across a ring sling at the D.I. (Deseret Industries), and decided to try that out. I didn't have a clue how to adjust it or get him in there comfortably. I didn't use it much. It was winter, Zach was a year old, and there was not much time we were out for very long.

Around this time, I had a visiting teacher who wore her little boy in a wrap all over the place. She did not know a ton about how to do it, but I know from what she said someone was giving her pointers. She also looked at how to do back carries and just figured it out. I remember her figuring out how to get her son off her back somewhere other than at home in my living room on my couch. I thought that must be comfortable, and sometime after that started looking at websites for how to make and use different carriers.

When Zina was tiny, I read how and made a pouch sling from a tight old t-shirt. She love to be in it looking out at the world. She looked like a little kangaroo joey looking out like that. And I loved it till she got a bit heavier and the stretch of the t-shirt pouch put her farther away from my body than was comfortable.

Then I learned how to make and use a wrap. I practiced in front of my husband putting Zina on my front mainly for a long time. I felt so great being able to wear her and chase my son. Plus, I only had a single stroller, and my son turned 2 just after Zina was born. I loved my wrap and ventured to put her on my back. She loved it! It was so comfortable for both of us. I remember spring of 2009 wearing her in my homemade wrap on my back and letting her eat off my plate. She felt secure, and I didn't have to worry about her falling off the bench (we were in a school cafeteria). Some people thought it was wierd, but she was safe.

This last summer I attended the International Babywearing Conference in Rigby, Idaho. I was 30-some weeks pregnant and feeling huge. I brought my 2 1/2 year old Zina and decided to try one of the carriers from the lending library. I tried a Baby So Smart mei tai, and LOVED it. I hadn't worn Zina much lately because she wanted up and down so much, and that was a lot of tying and untying the entire wrap. She loved the mei tai, but wanted up and down a lot, too. It was easier for me to do the up and down with it. And I hardly felt like I was carrying her that way. I was sold on mei tais!

Now, with Eliza, I made a pouch sling that I really like for more short term wearing. She is about 12 lbs, and that feels better on both shoulders. I also use my wrap, but it is not my favorite. I bought a mei tai like the one I borrowed from the lending library this summer and am loving wearing Eliza. At 2 months, I am working on getting her on to my back by myself so I can do everything I need to do truly hands free. I wear her on my front quite a bit. We go for walks. At under 1 month I discovered how to nurse her in the wrap. And just this last week I figured out how to nurse completely hands free in the mei tai while walking through wal-mart and not flashing any breast while I was at it. That was amazing to me. How else would I be able to take both my new baby and toddler to a crowded store and meet all their needs? How else would I be able to exercise and chase the other two so easily?

I am so thankful to those that have taught me to wear my babies. I am grateful that I am not the only one that feels the need to keep their child near and still be able to do day to day things. I know that not everyone will choose this way of parenting. But this needs to be able to be a choice for others.

For more information on babywearing and others experiences, please visit here and here. If you want to share your babywearing story, post a blog and link it to these two sites. It may inspire others. And at "Adventures in Babywearing", there is a giveaway for one of those that links there story.

*Edited to add: Also share it at Wrapsody to win a microfleece wrap. I would have posted this without the chance of a giveaway, but with it makes it even better!

Eliza is here!

(One of Eliza's first pictures, with Grandma's hand and in my arms)
So, I am slow at this blogging thing. Eliza Lida Robinson was born on August 2, 2010 at 6:41 a.m. She weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces and was 21 inches long. She is bigger now!!
(WARNING: Birth story follows. Pictures are all decent, though, if you want to scroll through them and not read. More pictures under the story.)
We planned to have Eliza at home with a midwife because I have always been interested in that and I got a bit frustrated with who I was going to have deliver at the hospital. The midwives were not worried about my past history of having my water break with no contractions immediately following, so that eased my bit of concerns. We were prepared for my labor to be pretty long because that is what often happens when someone has had pitocin in a previous labor.
I was sure I would go into labor as soon as I had gotten everything done I wanted to do that was family related: two family reunions and a bridal shower. The bridal shower was Saturday, July 31. I was feeling really pregnant and wondering how long I could go feeling that way. Sunday, at choir practice, I felt great and even joked that I would probably go late just because I wanted to be at Brad and Lisa's wedding days after my due date.
Early Monday morning, at about 2:30 a.m., I woke feeling kinda labor-y. I don't know how else to explain it. I knew than that I would have her that day. I called Cathy, the midwife, and told her how I was feeling. She told me to try to get some sleep and call when I started contractions. Well, I went back up to bed but couldn't really get back to sleep because I knew it would be that day. I told Steve not to go to work that day because I knew she would be born that day and I didn't think I could get to Steve where he is working. (They have no cell service there and I would have to send someone to get him back, and he was working about an hour from home.) I started having contractions probably between 3:15 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., but I tried to ignore them.
After about 5 contractions, I decided I should time them because I wasn't even dozing between them! I timed two contractions, and that is when they went from 7 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart! I had been told to call when they were 7 minutes apart and not stopping. I called Cathy back, and she told me that she would just take a shower and be on her way. I was sure that would be fine, since I was prepared for a long labor. These contractions were strong from the beginning. Not long after I talked to Cathy, I remember thinking, "If I was in the hospital and this labor was very long, I would probably get an epidural." They felt like the transition contractions felt with my other labors. And it was a lot of back labor, like it was with Zach. Not too fun!
Well, at about 5 I told Steve I wanted him awake. He got up and going and did a few last minute things I wanted done before the baby was born. Then I sent him down to make us breakfast because I had been told that I should eat during labor. I was getting hungry, which should have been a sign that I was getting close because I have never been hungry till nearly transition. During this whole time, I had been timing contractions on the cell phone. It helped me to get through them with a lot of control to know how far apart they were and how long they were. When I saw that they were 2-3 minutes apart before Steve got breakfast done, I threw the phone across the room to our bed. I didn't want them to be so close and the timing was not helping anymore. I didn't want to be alone anymore, so I headed down to be with Steve and wait for breakfast to be done.
About then, at 5:45 a.m., Cathy called and told me she was just past Idaho Falls on her way. I knew that meant more than an hour drive, but I still thought that my labor would be long. Cathy was slightly concerned because my contractions were so close, but I was about to eat so she thought we had a bit of time left.
As soon as we got off the phone, Steve finished the eggs he was cooking for us. I took a bite and the contractions changed. I still thought I just needed the bathroom since I had been in it about every 5 minutes since contractions had started. I told Steve to bring the food up to the room and headed up to the bathroom I was most comfortable with. I knew as soon as I was there that it wasn't a bathroom I needed, but the contractions were getting pushy. When Steve came up, I was sitting on the bed freaking out a bit. I knew there was no way the midwife was going to get there in time! I told Steve I felt pushy, and told him to go get his mother! This was between 6 and 6:10 a.m. I screamed-yelled, but pretty quietly while Steve went to get his mother. During this time, I calmed myself down telling myself that I had done this before twice and that women have done this for centuries with or without assistance. I also reminded myself that Steve's mother had 7 of 9 of her children at home, many without a midwife present.
My mother-in-law came up and told me that everything would be fine. About then, my water broke! That freaked me out again because I have been told that things go faster after the water breaks. That was not the case with me. Contractions completely stopped for 5 or 10 minutes. I told Steve to call Cathy and let her know what was going on. He did and she gave him a bunch of instructions in case she was not there when Eliza was born because the phone is corded and would not reach where we were. He came back upstairs and I had him put the batteries in the camera. Then I remembered his brother has a cell phone that will work in the house (ours won't). He got it and called Cathy, who was quite relieved to be able to talk me through things. She told me not to hold back and that everything would be fine. My mother-in-law told me that I didn't have to push. By this point we were past that choice!
I got a bit worried at one point and asked Cathy where she was, and she said nearly American Falls. I felt better knowing she was on her way and could hear us. I didn't actually try to push, I just let my body do what it was supposed to do. When I felt Eliza crowning, I told Steve, "She is right there, LOOK!" He did, just in time to help guide her out. She was born in less than a contraction from crowning to entire body.
Steve handed her to me, and I was so happy to be holding her! Steve and his mother were a bit worried about her breathing, but she was breathing fine right from birth! After a few seconds she cried, which is more than my other two had done. Cathy told us that she was born at 6:41 a.m. according to her clock. I put Eliza to the breast because she was rooting and demanding to be fed right then! Cathy got there 20 minutes later, and I was just laying there feeding my baby and had delivered the placenta. An hour after that, the student midwife that was to assist got there.
People have said that should be traumatic to me, but it was a wonderful birth. We have a plan to get the midwife there in time if we decide to have another baby at home, and everything went well. My plan if we had been going to have her in the hospital was to get there at the last possible second, so I would have probably had her in the car. I would much rather do it at home than in the car.
Enjoy the pictures that follow. I would label them, but Eliza is wanting me again! I will post more soon, I hope.

Update

Well, I keep waiting to have pictures to post with my writing, but my computer deleted everything on it as I finished school, and my mom's computer was having problems with its pictures, so I guess no picture! Plus, I better post this soon or it will be REALLY old news!

We are expecting again! This time, a summer baby. I am excited about being able to go outside and not need to bundle the baby up this time! I am due August 13th. Also, we just found out last week that it is a GIRL!!!! A wiggly, kicking, never stop moving girl! If anyone thinks boys are more active in the womb, it is not true for my family! Zach was pretty quiet, only pushing and stretching. Zina kicked and had hiccups and rolled. And this one kicks and moves and makes me feel like she is going to burst right out sometime, and I am only about halfway along! Wow, what a mover!

We are still living with Steve's parents, and it is pretty good. I am starting to wish for a place of my own again. I miss doing things on my schedule and in my own way. Steve is still looking for work, and I am looking a bit. I really want to be a stay at home mom. It is what I told myself I could do when I got done with school. It is what kept me going when it was so hard to be away from my kids. I just told myself, "when I graduate, I can be with them as much as I want". It will work out. I know it.