Reflections of a New AP Mama
I failed miserably at using a ring sling in the first months of his life. Looking back, his crying when I put him in it was probably a response to my nervousness, and not a commentary on his mode of transportation. I'd had visions of wearing my son in the sling all the time; once again, though, William's needs were different, and I adjusted. I did "cheat" and bought a name-brand non-sling-type carrier (the kind where baby's feet dangle out from two holes in the bottom), but I hardly used it, because of my concerns for the long term health of my son's spine. My need to have him in a carrier was secondary to his need to be healthy, so I adjusted, and held him in my arms most of the time. Thankfully, for the past several months, we've been able to work through our sling issues, and now he loves it!
When we first brought Will home with us, we tried cosleeping and rooming in. Neither technique worked very well. If I was awake, or even if I just entered a lighter sleep stage, Will would wake up. So, after a couple of months, we moved William to his own room, and after a couple of nights of waking every half hour or so to check on him, I realized that he was sleeping much better on his own than he was with mama. So, once more, I adapted.
The past 8 months has been a period of adaptation for this AP mama. From the time before my son was born, I knew that I would enjoy trying to figure out his needs, and then meeting them. I had no problem with the thought of putting my angel's needs before my own. What surprised me was that some of the things I thought I needed to do for him were directly opposite of what he really needed from me. Still, I took cues from my infant, and learned from him, and have become a stronger AP'er because of it. What a wonderful Mother's Day gift it was, to realize that I've done an OK job practicing empathic parenting! But that wasn't even the best part of an already perfect Mother's Day.
At the end of the day, I decided that Mother's Day might be one of those extra special days when I would indulge in a hot bubble bath. After all, 8 months
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