Hello from RVM!

[Ginger]

Hi there! My name is Ginger. I live in Las Vegas, NV. I am a stay at home mom to my two year old daughter, Sonja. She has been high raw since birth. I am breastfeeding her until she decides to stop (child led weaning). We co-sleep. I plan to homeschool her (unschooling actually) when she is older but technicly I already do! I believe in attachment parrenting, & baby wearing, no CIO here! Sonja is in perfect health and never gets sick. I attribute this to alot of factors listed above including her diet, my diet, and the fact that we don't go to doctors and I have chosen not to vaccinate her. I had planned to have an unassisted birth with her but I was interFEARed with by well meaning people so things went horribly wrong & I ended up having the most miserable experiance of my life... an emergency c-section.
I have been on the road to raw since becoming pregnant with her in 2002. I actually discovered raw foods in the 5th month of my pregnancy and went raw immediatly that day! I ended up staying 100% until a month later when I decided to leave her father, and move several times. I was not focused and fell back into SAD comfort foods. As soon as she was born I became vegetarian and a couple months later, vegan. I have been going 100% raw off & on since then for no more than a couple months at a time. I am raw again now and feel like I can stay raw now! I just got my 9 tray dehydrator and the Whole Foods Market down the street sells many flavors of RAW VEGAN CHEESECAKE so I have no need for cooked foods anymore! And my desire for them is gone now anyway! VIVA RAW!
When i'm not online (which is rare, lol) I am usually at the gym lifting weights, reading a good book, taking my daughter out, buying food or sleeping! I think i'm a pretty booring person actually.
I just bought Alissa's dvds from Go Raw Cafe around the corner from my house, watched them and went right back to buy the book also! I am just about done reading it & am already flipping through the recipes anxious to make some stuff! I am glad I found this board and I look forward to getting to know everyone here!

[EmeraldGlow]

Welcome aboard! I'm Di (aka: EmeraldGlow) from Houston, TX and I just recently joined these forums myself! It's a wonderful raw family! I'm not 100% raw yet but I'm getting there! I think it's so rawsome that you want to homeschool your daughter! I was homeschool from 4th grade on up. Also, this is my first time hearing about attachment parenting & baby wearing...I think I have an idea on what they are but could you explain it to me? Thanks, and WELCOME :)

[Ginger]

Hello Di! Thanks for the warm welcome! Nice to meet you! How did you like homeschooling? I lived in Corpus Christi TX for a little while a few years back, I loved it there!

Baby wearing:

There are many health advantages and psychological benefits to wearing a baby. I will list just a few here. This list is by no means exhaustive of the reasons to wear your baby!

Health Advantages for Parents & Babies
Slings mimic a parent's arms. Sling carriers follow the natural contour of the spine and do not put pressure directly on the spine.
When Baby wants to sit more upright, slings allow them to do so while keeping their legs together. Therefore, Baby's legs are not forced apart while their pelvis is still soft and forming.
Sling carriers provide contact pressure, motion, pleasure, warmth, security, and sound similar to the womb. The movements of the parent can help Baby maintain that nice quiet alert state for learning. Babies who are worn for prolonged periods of time seldom enter a state of distress.
Babies who are carried for prolonged periods of time tend to develop good tone in the neck and trunk and are able to adjust their posture nicely in different positions once they are self mobile. In other words, you could expect the child to obtain sitting balance and transitional movements between positions, such as from sitting to standing, more rapidly, and more enhanced balance when walking.
When babies are born, they are literally curled in a ball and are (usually) not comfortable if you try to straighten them out. The very act of carrying the infant helps the infant to pull out of this flexion state.
The muscle tone in the neck and back of worn babies is greatly enhanced.
Sling carriers allow babies to see and feel their caregiver while allowing their caregiver to hold them comfortably and for longer periods of time. Being able to see and feel their caregiver lowers the stress hormones in a baby's system, thus lessening crying, spitting up, and diaper rashes.
Sling carriers literally "sling" over the parent's shoulder. This style, as opposed to the carriers which use straps, greatly increases the comfort of the nursing mother because it doesn't restrict circulation in her chest tissue.
Sling carriers evenly distribute the weight of the worn baby across the shoulders, hips, and back.
When using the hip-carry in a sling, parents can stand upright with better posture, instead of thrusting their hip out.
Psychological Benefits
Slinging a Baby reduces crying and fussiness 43% during the day and 51% at night according to a randomized controlled test reported in Pediatrics.
Clinical studies have shown frequent carrying makes a baby less prone to undesirable addictions.
Sling babies need to be carried less than their counterparts reared in mechanical devices as they get older. Sling babies are less clingy. This is because they are more secure and self reliant and confident. They give their parent cues to be set down to crawl off and explore and play rather than tugging on Mommy's skirt begging to be picked up.
Older siblings are more accepting of a new baby worn frequently. This is because Mommy has her hands free and can still give attention to the older children while carrying her newborn.
When carried in a sling, Baby shares in your walking, talking, working, laughing, and playing and is able to discharge their energy in this most pleasurable way.
Carried babies see and experience the world; they participate with their parent, develop their senses faster, cry less, learn more, and thrive better because they are less bored and more relaxed and secure.

(taken from: http://www.thewigleys.net/why_to_babywear.html )

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Attachment Parenting Principles:
The basic components of a nurturing, instinctive parenting style....

Being informed about your birth options. Educating yourself about the birthing process and planning for a birth that is intervention free as possible.

Forming an early connection to your child, using the initial hours after birth to bond and having your baby "room in" with you after a hospital birth rather than in the nursery.

Responding quickly to your baby's cries and knowing that you can't "spoil" her by feeding and holding her whenever she needs you to.

Breastfeeding exclusively and on baby's cue for at least 6 months followed by the introduction of solids when your child is ready combined with continued nursing.

Child led weaning: knowing that it is natural and normal for children to breastfeed for well over one year.

Wearing your baby in a sling.

Using gentle discipline techniques. Knowing the difference between discipline and punishment and avoiding physical or shame-inducing punishment. Being authoritative rather than authoritarian or overly permissive.

You allow and encourage your child to share sleep with you. Realizing that your child needs do not desist at sunset and that nurturing is important around the clock, you willingly accept that for this season of your life, your "marital bed" should be your family bed.

Learning, understanding and following your childs cues. Knowing that your child has his own schedule for physical, emotional and social development, toilet learning and indepedence issues rather than trying to force him into an "expected" time frame.

Believing that by meeting your childs needs during infancy and toddlerhood you are encouraging the development of a healthy, happy, independent person.

You are flexible and realize that what worked last week might not work this week, and that what works for one child may not work for another. You are willing to educate yourself about parenting and make the extra effort that your children are worth.

You don't fall for the "quality time" myth. You recognize that real quality time consists of more time (spent cuddling, reading, playing, learning or just being together) not short frantic bursts of "fun" activities.

Upon finding find out you are pregnant with your second child, you don't even set up a crib, you start shopping for a king sized bed. You decide to give tandem nursing a try instead of weaning your nursing toddler.

You make time with your children a priority, regardless of material sacrifices that might have to be made. Obviously, single parents have to work, and there are other families that truly need two incomes. But you recognize that nurturing is of vast importance in your child's early years and that day care, while it may be adequate, is not as beneficial to your child as you are.

You know who Ezzo, and Ferber are and they make you at least slightly queasy.

You avoid the typical mother substitutes that are so prevelant in our society from the seemingly benign: Blankies and "lovies" (when used as a substitute for your presence) cribs, playpens, and pacifiers to the patently absurd: teddy bears with heartbeats, cribs that simulate womb movement, bottle holders (if you are doing any bottle feeds).

The premise that fully nurturing your children is considered by many to be the antithesis of feminism infuriates you, and you won't buy into that belief system. If you are female, you are proud to be a stay at home mother and consider it the most important thing you could possibly doing right now. You want to raise your children yourself, not hand them over to someone else to do the job.




Moving Beyond The Basics:
Taking attachment to the next level......

You plan for a home birth (or perhaps a birthing center) with a midwife.

You are considering, or are at least open to the possibility, of home-schooling or un-schooling.

You educate yourself about circumcision and choose not to make your male children suffer through the pain and trauma of the procedure without a very good reason.

You vaccinate your kids because you have made an informed decision, not just because it's what you are "supposed" to do. Just for the record: we did choose to vaccinate...for a variety of reasons.

You don't allow violent toys and entertainment in your home. Creative toys and play reign.


You restrict the amount of television that your child watches, perhaps you don't even own one.



You might ask, "Do I have to believe in and practice all of these "principles" to practice Attachment Parenting? Absolutely not! The very basis of AP is allowing your instincts be your guide. There is no one right way to parent all children. No one else is going to parent just the way you do because no one else has your children.

However, if you choose not to breastfeed, you are comfortable with spanking your kids, and you truly believe that babies should "cry it out" at bedtime, then you probably aren't going to find that my parenting philosophy, or anything resembling Attachment Parenting, will fit in with your beliefs. I would encourage those of you that fit that description to read more about the many benefits of a nurturing parenting style.

Whether you are fully committed to AP, or are simply exploring the concept always remember: If you are listening, your heart will guide you towards the right parenting decisions for you and your children.

(from: http://www.parentingweb.com/ap/ap_info.htm )

[angelandarose]

Welcome RewVeganMom,

I admire your approach to life, schooling and child rearing and eating. I am just now at 36 years old finding the path that you are on. I wanted to raise my kids like you are rasing your daughter but I was still under old family rules and old belief's. ALL of which I have leg go of now.

I breast fed all 3 of my kids till they were a year old. I enjoyed it very much. I am also unschooling my 2 boys. I just pulled them out of public school this last January. Unschooling is so COOL! They are 13 & 7. My daughter who is 14 LOVES school and she chose to stay in.

Love to you!
Angie

[EmeraldGlow]

RVM---Nice to meet you too!

Thanks for all that info on the baby wearing and attachment parenting. I love gaining knowlege:).

I loved being homeshooled! One of my favorite things about it was that my mom was my teacher. It just made so much sence to be taught by the one that held me in her stomach for 9 months!

If you want to know anything else on this subject you can post a message on the off topic (non- health related) forum I'll check it for any of your questions and I'm sure others will want to share their thoughts with you!

[Ginger]

Hi Angie! Wow, another unschooler! That's great! How funny your daughter chose to stay in school! I would let Sonja go to school if that's what she wanted... I hope she chooses not to though!