My daughter was born in April 2017 and I struggled. I later discovered that I had postpartum depression and anxiety, which contributed to my fear, paranoia, and rage. I also felt trapped. I wanted to be able to do things with her, but due to her reflux and nursing problems, I was scared to leave the house or try to get things done in it.
I had received a couple of baby carriers from my shower, but I was nervous to use them. My postpartum doula visited the second week and asked if I wanted to be hands-free and showed me how they worked.
Suddenly, my whole life was changed! Instead of being nervous to leave her in her pack-n-play at home or in the stroller when I was out, I had her against me. I could feel her breathe, see her move, and knew that she was tucked away from germs and danger. I started to feel like I had my life back. I was hands-free and able to do household chores or peruse Target.
I was also introduced to the babywearing community in Cincinnati and discovered a group of other caregivers who shared common interests (babywearing being the biggest) as well as similar parenting styles and philosophies. All of the sudden, not only was I feeling freer, but also less alone. I started attending meetups just to talk to the other moms and get out of the house. It was a chance, once a month, to be around other people who just got it.
From there, I started volunteering, then joined the board. I felt like I had a part of my life back, the thing I had thought I had given up by choosing to stay home with my daughter: My own sense of self.
I like to think that babywearing saved me, not just by giving me freedom of movement with my newborn, but by opening up a whole new world of experiences and opportunities that awaited the new ‘mom’ version of me.
I loved babywearing. I learned about it from a Japanese friend. I have 4 children, two were preemies and it was so important for them. I feel like I could nurse them in the carrier ,etc. There was less crying, it was amazing