Another Moby Wrap Intervention Brought to You by Mama Seoul

Yesterday, I ran into a mom of three who was trying to help her older child with his homework, keep a toddler from jumping off the stairs and other destruction and calm a fussy newborn baby. She was holding him, but he was still fussing. Unable to concentrate on helping her older son, she set the baby down in his carseat carrier. She was very frustrated and so was the baby. Since Ian was occupied and Eva was sleeping I offered to hold the baby. The mom said,"That would be really nice, but he is hard to soothe."

I picked him up and wrapped my sweater tightly around him, like he would be held if I had my wrap, and he calmed instantly. I held him for about 15 minutes before Eva woke up. The mom was amazed and a little embarrassed. She said,"You calmed him and I couldn't. I should have been able to do it."

And then, of course, I told her about Moby,"It's not magic, it's Moby."

I'm no "baby whisperer", but the right carrier can really help a fussy baby. Unfortunately, my own wrap is out on loan, but I sent her the contact information for Moby Wrap Korea. It is amazing how a good baby carrier will change your life for the better.

Coincidently, Eva was wearing her Moby hat yesterday (with a very cute knit outfit that was given to me by my friend Katy). Moby has hats, blankets and Baby Legs to match your Moby. Korea only has the hats and blankets right now, but perhaps the Baby Legs will come soon.

Halloween!

Halloween 2009 started back in August when I decided not to be last minute about the costumes. I decided that Eva would be Cyndi Lauper and ordered the basis for her outfit. I tried to let Ian pick his costume but he kept going back and forth so I finally ordered a pirate costume sometime in September. Well, Eva's outfit was backordered and delayed and backordered. I think it has finally shipped, but it did not arrive on time. With the Passion for Birth seminar October 28-30, I was not prepared for Halloween.

Eva's costume had to be put together. She refused the wig I had (it was blonde, not colored so it didn't really fit for 80's Cyndi anyway), refused bracelets and refused makeup. So her costume ended up being somewhere between punk princess, senior cruisewear and vampire. Oh well, she is a baby.

It was raining on Saturday but did clear up between 6 and 8 so we were able to go Trick-or-Treating. I got a few pictures before the camera died. Then I shot some more with a friend's camera, but I don't have those pictures, yet. I got a few more with another camera at home. Next year, I need to make sure I have enough time for execution or just buy something premade . Ian had a lot of fun and did more houses than last year. Of course, last year we were able to get rid of most of his candy without him knowing. This year, he knows but we are rationing and I will still give out or throw away a lot of the candy.

My Girl Wants to Potty All the Time, Potty All the Time, Potty All the Ti-ime!

I haven't changed a poopy diaper since I started part-time Elimination Communication with Eva. Doing it part-time really takes the pressure/stress out of it. I've been catching pee by putting her on the potty as soon as she wakes up from night or naps, if she is fussy, and just periodically throughout the day. She seems to understand what she is supposed to do now and she pees pretty quickly when I put her on. I think if I put her on when I have to go, I can increase the # of pee catches without much effort. I tried to do it when we were out by holding her over the toilet, but that didn't work very well. I set her on the edge, but I don't her bottom on a public toilet seat so I think we will stick to doing it at home for now and maybe get a travel potty for the car later.

Boy! I sure was wrong about EC. With the right attitude anyone can do it part-time. I need to do more reading and research, to refine our process, but with very little reading and research, we already have success.

EC Day#4

For the past 3 days, I have put Eva on the potty when I picked up her signals. She nurses several times a night, but this morning, when she woke for her first nursing session of the morning, I put her on the potty and she peed for about 10 seconds. I caught a poop late morning before we went to pick Ian up at school.

Part-Time EC, I'm Going for It!

I always though that Elimination Communication (EC) was too much work and not for me. However, since I haven't really had any problems with Eva (like breastfeeding issues or colic--let me knock on wood after typing that) and she often has very loud signals for when she needs to poop, like grunting, I have been thinking about trying EC with her for awhile. Before we moved, I did about half a day of experimentation which involved observing the patterns around when she goes. However, the moving process was crazy and stressful and long and caused regression in Ian's potty training, so I shelved EC.

A few nights ago after an e-mail to an expat mom who practices EC part-time, I got thinking about it again. Then, while in the bathtub with Eva, she started to grunt. Oh, no! Not in the tub! I jumped out and put her on the potty. I made a grunting sound and she pooped! Encouraged by that success and the fact that it doesn't have to be an "all or nothing" choice, I have decided to start trying to catch some poops and work with her on the potty.

Yesterday, I put her on (on the big potty with a potty insert) and Ian and I grunted for her and she put a woman-sized poop in the potty! Ian and I cheered for her. It is nice to have Ian help "teach" her.

Today, I her the signals but was busy so I missed the poop, but caught a pee.

Why do this?
Even if you do EC full-time, your child will probably not be completely independently potty trained until at least 18 months, but often later.

Why start early then?
Well, for every pee/poop you catch, you save a diaper from being used, which is better for the environment. Also, listening to and responding to a child's attempts to communicate their elimination needs, develops communication with your child. EC advocates talk about demonstrating respect for the child in this way so they are not sitting in waste. The child understands earlier what the potty is for and as long as your expectations are reasonable and there is no punishment or trauma involved, this can result in easier/earlier potty training. The Diaper Free Baby website has a long list of benefits and tips for getting started.

Eva is 7.5 months old and sits really well. She can sit on the potty by herself. I sit close with my hand on her leg so she doesn't jump off, but I don't have to hold her. Since she prefers to sit rather than crawl, she enjoys sitting on the potty. It is fun for Ian and I to encourage her. We are just going to start slowly. I will put her on the potty first thing in the morning, when I hear her signals and after eating. I will try to observe the times of day that she makes dirty diapers and maybe add potty time in if I can establish a pattern. I want to build up our commitment to EC because I don't want it to be stressful for either of us. Also, there are benefits to be reaped from occasional or part-time EC. Even though I potty training Ian was easy and gentle, even with the moving-related regression, I think Eva would really appreciate EC since she hates to be wet or dirty.

Anyone out there practice EC? How did it go for you?

Vaginal Breech Birth in Korea!

One of the moms in the Expat Parents Club just had a baby boy here in Seoul on October 10 in a planned vaginal breech birth. She was attended by both a midwife and an OB. C-section averted! This was her second baby and all attempts to get the baby to turn, including ECV, failed. Awesome!

If you are pregnant in Korea and have a breech, you have options!

Baby Makin' Machine's March of Dimes Fundraiser/Giveaway

Future Mama J at Baby Makin' Machine is having a fundraiser/giveaway for the March of Dimes. Click on over to contribute to a great cause. You'll be entered to win some fabulous prizes that were donated by her sponsors. Not only are the babies guaranteed to win through the March of Dimes' hard work and dedication, every donor will receive two floral baby headbands or a dogie bandana made by the Future Mama!