Babywearing Review

If you know me well, then you know I'm a bit of a "babywearing" enthusiast. Babywearing is beneficial for babies and parents in so many ways. Here is a great article, but basically it helps babies' physical, emotional, and mental development, promotes bonding and attachement, reduces crying, can help with mother deperession, and frees up your hands! With Eli, I really got into it as a hobby and tried out all kinds of wraps, slings, and carriers. With Owen, I don't really have time to do it "for fun," so I have pared down to what really works and is most convenient. I have been asked by a handful of people lately what my recommendations are, so I thought I would just do a review here as an easy reference. Keep in mind, everyone has their own personal taste and these are what has worked best for me - it is not an exhaustive list of what is available. Also keep in mind, I am not a millionaire, and no I DON'T still own all of the carriers that I have tried or have pictures of, lol. I have bought and sold quite a few things through the "for sale or trade" forum on The Babywearer. Most are available online or in natural parenting stores. A few (like Moby and Hotslings) are becoming available in mainstream stores like Target and BRU. These carriers are designed to be more comfortable for you, and better for your baby's spine and hip development than other "mainstream" carriers like Snugli and Bjorn. Ok, here's the breakdown, in order of preference.

#1 Soft Structured and Asian Inspired Carriers
If I could own only one carrier, it would be my Ergo. It is a buckle carrier, but holds the baby in the proper seated position. It is EASY to put on, works on your front and back, is COMFORTABLE even with heavy kids because it puts the weight on your hips, and works for mom and dad. It is very practical to use and comes in decent colors, though is not as "cute" as some other carriers. I recommend purchasing (or making) the "sucking pads" because babies do tend to suck the straps - then you can wash the pads instead of the whole carrier. I also like the hip pouch you can attach. There are other brands similar to Ergo but I only have personal experience with Ergo and Beco. I am tempted by the new Beco Butterfly II (I tried an older version that was very comfortable) because it has been designed to make it easier to get the child on your back. It also has a built in insert so you can use it with newborns (you can't use the Ergo with newborns). Keep in mind I have no personal experience with the Butterfly, but it seems like a good choice for someone who wants only ONE carrier that will work from newborn to toddler. Becos also come in really cute prints, Ergos come in several solids, with a few limited prints. Both carriers can be purchased from multiple vendors.

Eli 20 months in Ergo.


















Owen 11 weeks in Ergo.



















Some people prefer a similar carrier that is tied on instead of buckling. It's called a mei tai style carrier and is a traditional Asian carrier. I had one called a Babyhawk for a while. They are very cute and fairly comfortable, but not as quick to put on because you have to tie the straps rather than just buckling them. More comfortable than a one-shouldered sling, but not as comfortable as the Ergo, which puts the weight on your hips. Buying one new is fun though, because you get to pick your fabric and strap color, so it's custom just for you!

Eli 2 months in Babyhawk.

#2 Pouch and Ring Slings
If I only owned two carriers, then in addition to the Ergo I would add a ring sling for the newborn days (and longer if you don't have babies as heavy as mine!). I find a one-shouldered carry is not that comfortable for me after 12-15 pounds (2 months for my babies!) until the child is older and ironically heavier, but can be worn in a "hip carry" with it. It gives you a little hand to hold them, but they have some of their own strength to cling on and it doesn't pull so hard on your shoulder. Sewing a ring sling is SUPER EASY with the instructions from Sleeping Baby . My favorite fabric is linen, linen blend, or a linen look alike. You order the rings from Sling Rings . The owner of Sleeping Baby also makes slings to sell for a very reasonable price (sometimes even cheaper than buying the fabric!). There are many ways to sew a sling "shoulder" and I have one that she has made and really find it comfortable - you can find them for sale here. Again, there are many other brands available if you Google.

Owen 1 week in Sleeping Baby sling made from an Indio Natural wrap.

Owen 1 week in homemade sling from a Girasol wrap.



















Eli 25 months in homemade linen sling.



















My first sling/carrier ever was a Hotsling that I got for Christmas right after Eli was born. While the pouch style sling is really cute, I did not find it practical for myself. I find that because I can adjust and tighten the ring sling, the baby feels more secure and I feel more comfortable. I think the pouches are cute for church or for very short periods of wearing. They are also easy to make.

Owen 1 week in homemade pouch.




















Eli 6 weeks in Hotsling.


















#3 Wraps
Now if I could add a third, "luxury" carrier it would be a wrap. Wraps are just fun, snuggly, and have the *wow* factor. There's nothing like tossing your baby onto your back and tieing him up in a cool wrap, however there is more of a learning curve so this wouldn't be your choice for quick and easy if you are inexperienced. If you have the time to learn and want to, then do it, it's fun! There are videos online that can teach you how to do some of the carries, in addtion to pictured instruction books. There are ENDLESS choices for wraps so I'll just try to make it simple.

Stretch wraps are comfy and snuggly for newborns and lighter babies. They can supposedly go up to 20 or 30 pound kids, but I don't prefer them past the first couple of months. Some good ones are the Moby Wrap and the Gypsy Mama Bali Baby Stretch. My first ever wrap was a Moby - it was easy to learn on and came with a picture book of instructions. My second ever wrap was the Bali Baby Breeze, also by Gypsy Mama but made of a strong gauze. It was great for the AZ heat, but not supportive enough for my HEAVY baby (20-25 lbs or so). It would be a great choice for a "starter" wrap though and is relatively inexpensive.

Owen 1 week in Moby.




















Eli 3 months in Gypsy Mama Breeze.



















Woven wraps are THE wraps to get if you want to get into wrapping. And again, there are so many different types to choose from. Three major ones that I have tried and liked are Didymos Natural Indios, Storchenweige or "Storch," and Girasol. Didy and Storch are "German woven wraps" and are machine woven in Germany. Girasols are hand woven in South America. They are different thicknesses and textures and people like them for different reasons. Girasol is great because it is a bit thinner (so cooler) but still supportive; also a little less expensive than some. I especially like my Storch for heavy babies and back carries. But if I could have only one wrap, I'd have my Didy Indio Natural since I don't wrap full time anymore. It's snuggly for a newborn, but works fine for wrapping bigger kids on a limited basis. And it's just pretty. I have the Green colorgrown. A couple places to find woven wraps are Attached to Baby and Slingzilla.

Eli 6 months in Girasol "Kiwi."



















Eli 13 months in Storch "Leo Natural."

Owen 3 weeks in Didymos Indio Natural Green.

There you have it! I hope this is helpful. It at least leaves little doubt about whether or not I'm obsessed. Feel free to email me or comment with specific questions, or visit the forums at The Babywearer for more advice, tips, and reviews.

PS. If you click on the pictures you will get a larger version, and can see the pattern/weave in some of the wraps that otherwise look like a solid color. Oh, and sorry the layout got messed up on this post!

Family Pictures

My sister in law Ashley took our family pictures while we were in Utah. She's just getting started with photography, but I think she did an awesome job! Thanks so much Ash! And thanks to Skyler for freezing his hands off throwing snowballs so Eli would look at the camera =).

It's a long slideshow, it was hard narrowing down my favorites... Eli is two years and Owen two months in these pictures. Brad and I are 20-somethings!

Chunkalicious

That's Owen! At his one month check today he weighed in at 13 pounds 1 oz and is 23 1/2 inches long. So he's gained 3 pounds and an entire inch in TWO WEEKS. He is "off the charts" for percentiles. He fills out his 3-6 month clothes, so I am going to be packing only 6-9 month outfits when we leave on our trip next week. And I thought Eli was a big baby... Owen is on his way to outdoing him by far. Oh well, at least fat rolls are cute on babies. He can hold his head up like a pro, is giving us some heart-melting true smiles, and is starting to have longer awake periods during the day. Last night I think he slept for a four hour stretch too, but I practically nurse him in my sleep and rarely check the time. So far he is still sleeping tucked right next to me... apparently he feels that being swaddled and laid in the co-sleeper is a much inferior setup.

I've been trying some natural light photography with my new camera (Kodak Easy Share, oh baby!) and I'm not very good at it so far, but here are a few shots from Owen's one month photo shoot.

The First Week

Well, we've survived our first week with two children! Somehow this week, Owen has managed to pee on the couch, on Eli, on our bed, on his HEAD, on his Dad, and poop on my lap. Even more baffling, Eli peed on the carpet yesterday and pooped on the kitchen floor - I have to blame those incidents on Brad who takes waaaay too long to change a diaper, lol. As for me, aside from the normal aches and pains of recovery, new milk coming in, lack of sleep, and emotional roller coasters, I'm doing well. My mom flies home tomorrow and Brad goes back to work, so I'm feeling a bit panicky about what's to come this week. Eli did really well the first couple of days as a big brother, but now that the novelty of a new baby has worn off, he's been having a bit of a hard time. He is getting better at letting Brad put him to sleep at night, but still fights nap time and often cries when I nurse the baby - it really breaks my heart. But there have been the sweet little moments as well when Eli tries to show Owen his whales and his birds (two favorite toys right now) and when he seems happy enough to cuddle up next to me even when I'm holding the baby.

As for Owen he's doing really well. It only took a week to spoil him too... we didn't get around to setting up the co-sleeper until two nights ago and he just won't have it. He KNOWS if there is not a warm body next to him... lol. We're working on that because I don't know that I want another 18 straight months of a baby tucked right into my side all night. Owen had some mild jaundice at first this week, but it's clearing up well. He's been a natural nurser though I did get some help from the lactation consultant (she came to my house too!) to perfect the "latch." He goes for much longer stretches than Eli did (3+ hours versus 1-2 with Eli) in between feedings. But again, somehow every night he has ended up being awake for a several hour stretch either with gas, or just being up, which wouldn't be too bad if Eli was sleeping normally but he's been waking up around 5am crying every morning. Grrr... so hopefully we can get ourselves into a better routine soon. Overall though, Owen seems like a pretty good natured little guy - we sure like having him around (and hope Eli will too eventually) =). Oh, and his cord fell off today... waaaah! My baby is growing up already!

The Big Arrival!

Well, Owen Tage* Benson graced us with his arrival at 12:20 am today! Owen weighed in at 9lbs even and 22 inches long. We were shocked he weighed that much because he looks so small! He's got dark hair and deep blue eyes. As for place of arrival - he was born at home in our bedroom... and yes, it was on purpose!

We didn't really tell anyone we were planning a home birth because we planned it at the last minute. It's something we had considered and researched beforehand, but weren't committed to until about two weeks before my "due date" (thankfully that date was wrong!), when I had the overwhelming desire to just birth this baby at home! Everything fell together in the nick of time - I ordered my birth supply kit on my "due date" and had it overnighted, and got everything else set and ready to go that week. I have strong feelings about how I think birth should be treated (at least for me) and with every weekly visit to my midwives at the hospital, I was less and less excited about being in the hospital environment again for a birth, even though I had a birth plan and a fantastic Doula lined up. We prayed a lot about the decision as it's obviously a big change to make so close to the end, and in spite of our initial doubts we eventually felt peaceful about moving in that direction for this birth. We found two wonderful midwives to take care of us, and let me tell you it is a completely different kind of care than you get from a traditional obstetrics practice - I even had prenatal visits in my own home as well as one of my midwives'.

As for labor this time (if you don't count all the warm ups and false hopes during the week leading up to it!) it was 8 hours total, and about 5 1/2 of "active" or the tough stuff! Much improved from my 28 hour marathon labor with Eli. I only had to push for ten minutes to get him out, but it was intense I will say! To sum up the entire labor and birth experience, it was INTENSE, EMPOWERING, SACRED, PEACEFUL, JOYFUL and AMAZING. It was an incredibly bonding experience for Brad and I because it really felt like it was just the two of us getting through it together. Brad was right there by my side, in my face supporting me and talking me through every tough contraction whether that meant rubbing my back, holding the heating pad, or just letting me yank on his neck and yell in his ear.

I'd had some strong contractions throughout the day and was really hoping this would be it. Brad gave me some Osteopathic cranial treatment (gentle manipulation of the fascia in the head) the night before, and I tried to encourage things by going up and down the stairs ten times in a row, dancing around the living room with Eli, and going grocery shopping! The contractions suddenly got uncomfortable and regular about 4:30 pm - just after I ate dinner, just as Brad was getting home, and just before the midwives arrived for my scheduled visit! They listened to the baby, got a final tour of the house, and went home to get their things ready. By 7pm I had my Enya music playing, my Gold Canyon cinnamon-vanilla candle burning, and I was in the shower and begging Brad to get upstairs and help me! He was with me non-stop from then on. I labored in the shower, the tub, on my exercise ball, leaning over the bed, and sitting on the toilet (never once in bed!). Lol We called the midwives when contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart... I was afraid we were calling too early because I couldn't believe things would be moving that fast, but I also recognized the feelings from that point in labor from when I had Eli and trusted that I HAD to be getting close (or else I was going to want to give up!).

The midwives arrived about an hour before Owen was born and went about quietly, respectfully, and lovingly supporting us, never once interrupting our rhythm. In fact, I never even got "checked" (for dilation) - how great is that! I once asked them to check because I HAD to know if I was getting close, but just then my water broke (thankfully in the bathroom!) and I started pushing with the next contraction... so we headed back into the bedroom and ten minutes later we had a baby! I delivered Owen in a kneeling squat in our bedroom, with Brad and the midwives there to catch him, and hand him up to me immediately. He was a little "floppy" right at first but I got to hold his little warm and wet body while the midwives got him going - something I didn't get with Eli and had so looked forward to! He let out a few good cries and pinked up well in the next few minutes. I just felt so rewarded to have him in my arms after all that hard work! My mom was also able to witness his arrival, and Eli (thankfully!) slept through the entire thing! I still can't believe my mom was able to get him sleep with me hollering in the next room, especially since he won't go to sleep for anyone but me! That was truly another answer to prayer. Oh and one funny/odd fact - our bed sheets got stained, not from the birth but from a darn bloody nose! Yesterday Eli hit me in the nose with a tennis ball (we were playing catch) and I ended up with a gusher and a bruise. Well, it reopened when I was leaning over the bed in heavy labor and I had a darn bloody nose to deal with all through the toughest part of labor and up until pushing! That makes it hard to do any relaxed breathing I tell you what!

The midwives were so awesome at the birth - it was like having another mother and sister there with us and not just a birth "professional." They were so caring and nurturing through the whole process... they cleaned up everything - including spots on the carpet, did laundry, cooked us breakfast, cleaned the bathroom, and stitched me up! Has an OB ever done all that for you? Lol. I used to think that homebirth was "weird" and that only "hippies" did it. But I can tell you that for us, it just felt so natural, peaceful and beautiful just to have Owen arrive in our home and cuddle right up with him in our own space with no unnecessary intrusions. The midwives will come here for several post partum visits, and Owen's pediatrician even made a home visit today to check him over - isn't that great! They will send someone from the office to our home also to do the pku (bloodwork) testing. What more could you ask?!

This morning we were all still up and the midwives were just leaving at 5am when Eli woke up crying. Brad brought him to our bed so he could nurse back to sleep and he never even noticed Owen right there in bed with us! It was so precious to spend our night together all snuggled up in our OWN bed as a family (recovery is so much nicer in your own home too!). We got a few hours of sleep and introduced the boys to each other later in the morning. So far, Eli seems just fine with having a little brother. He calls him "baby" of course and likes to look at him, give him kisses, and try to show him things, but so far isn't overly interested or jealous, which is a good thing! One funny thing he tried was pretending to nurse with his face right up next to Owen's as he nursed... I didn't post that picture but it's cute, lol! So overall, we are doing well albeit somewhat tired, and we feel so blessed to have this little angel join our ranks. Newborns are just so pure and precious, and Owen has left me feeling like I don't quite know what we did to deserve him!

*Tage is pronounced "Tah-guh" - it's Swedish after my great-grandfather.

Baby Game Winners :

Heidi Benson for date - 11/8
Bridget for size - 9.0 lbs
Dad Benson for length - 22"
Shianne for time - 12:38am was the closest to 12:20

Autumn Beauty

The Fall sure came and went quickly out here! It seemed like one week the leaves were glorious, the next week they were all falling off! Not to mention the early snow we had.... I just thought I'd post a peak of some of what we enjoyed this year. Luckily my mom got to see some of it. We took a drive on my birthday down through Lenox and Stockbridge and got to see some neat houses too. Enjoy the show!

And here's what it looked like on Weds morning after quite a snow storm the night before on my b-day! Oh well, Brad and I got to go out to a romantic dinner at the Dakota Steakhouse (think Ski Lodge ambiance) with dim lighting and a fire blazing since Grandma was home to watch Eli. We could see the snow blowing through the trees out the window and it was breathtaking. It was the best date we've been on in like two years! =)