It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I am a babywearing advocate, and maybe even an addict in some people's eyes. From the time I began carrying my babies in my belly, I knew that despite any discomfort it may have caused me at the time, that it would be something I would greatly miss after they were brought into the outside world! The feeling of being in control of their tiny bodies, of being able to keep them safe against me, all while still having free hands to go about the daily tasks of life, was something I valued so much.
It was when I became pregnant with my eldest son in 2010, that I discovered babywearing, and decided it was something I wanted to do with him. All those years ago the options were limited, but I did my best to make purchases and decisions that were best for him and me. Unfortunately he was a very big, solid boy, and without the help of the amazing ergonomic carriers widely available market now, I had to stop carrying him at just 6 months old. This was so sad for me, and I have often regretted not having better knowledge or solutions at that time.
While I was pregnant with my second son in 2013, I started doing extensive research into what was then called "extended babywearing", and learned how to be able to carry him comfortably into his toddler years. I was fortunate to find a local babywearing group and those ladies taught me so much, I could never thank them enough for that. When my son spent seven months of 2015 sick, we were in and out of doctor's appointments, walk-in clinics, and hospitals (including one surgery), and I never would have gotten through that time with him if I wasn't able to wear him to keep him close and comfortable. I truly feel that babywearing saved my life during those trials, and I know that many other parents in similar situations feel the same way. I am happy to report that he is completely healthy now, and that with some incredible knowledge and a few great carriers, I am still continuing to wear him comfortably at 2.5 years old... and 5 months pregnant! I even became a leader of that babywearing group of almost 2000 mamas before I moved to another county, and I was able to share some of my knowledge with other local mamas. It was something that filled my life with joy.
So here I am, living in a new place and pregnant with my third little boy. I have been excitedly preparing for his arrival, and much of that has included the procurement of new carriers! I even landed myself a spot as the leader of my new smaller babywearing group of 200 mamas, and I could not be happier to continue to share my passion with them. I've even been lucky enough to counsel a few family and friends that have had babies recently, and I have loved sharing my knowledge with them and helping them discover just how incredible babywearing can be.
So why am I here, sharing my babywearing journey with you? First and foremost, just to spread the love, and to encourage any new parents who haven't tried babywearing to jump in head first! It certainly isn't a new fad that people don't already know about - my Mum wore my siblings and I way back in the 70s and 80s, but it has definitely been revolutionized and improved upon in meaningful ways and is now a reasonable longterm experience! One which I obviously feel strongly about and would love to speak to you further about, if you are interested.
Secondly, I wanted to quickly share a link with you. Since I became a leader of my original babywearing group, I have been trying to get myself to a Babywearing Educator Certification Course. While the course itself is not all that expensive, they are never local to me and require the additional expenses of travel - fuel, accommodations, meals, etc. and they also require me to have one of each major category of carrier in my stash, which took some time and financial means to build. While I have yet to be able to attend a course due to costs and logistical issues over the last three years, my passion to educate others on babywearing has persisted.
I would love to finally pursue this dream and attend the Level 1 Babywearing Educator Course by the Canadian Babywearing School in Quebec City this summer. I have already put down a deposit to hold my spot, but I am now working hard to earn, save, and raise the rest of the cost of the schooling. I have started a GoFundMe for this reason, but more than anything I would just love your encouragement through this process! I hope this roadtrip will double as a long weekend family vacation before baby number three arrives, and because of that I am not trying to raise any contributions to gas or lodging. This campaign amount is strictly for the total cost of the course, $367.50, plus the approximate fees GoFundMe will collect, $29.03.
So what exactly does this course do for me? The babywearing educator course will prepare me for a future small business in which I can offer consultations and workshops, as it has for many other certified educators, and until then I know I will get plenty of use out of it as the leader of my local group. If you can find it in your heart to help me complete this course and pursue my passion, I would be forever grateful, and of course offer complimentary babywearing consultations should you need them in the future!
I would be happy to provide more information about the course, about being a certified babywearing educator, or about the benefits of babywearing at your request! Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about my babywearing journey, and my campaign.Labels: babywearing, babywearing addict, babywearing advocate, babywearing consultant, Canadian babywearer, Canadian Babywearing School, certified babywearing educator, GoFundMe, Little Frog, toddlerwearing, Tula
