So I am not really into all the mommy wars about this camp or that camp and just kind of do things based on my own intuition guided by a lot of reading and research. I honestly used to think people who labeled themselves as "attachment parents" were kind of nuts. I also thought co-sleeping was crazy and breastfeeding beyond a year was unnecessary. I've met attachment parents who adhere to all its tenets because they are subscribing to a philosophy. I honestly thought that was weird.
My friend shared this article with me about a mom who became an "accidental attached parent" and I kind of resonate with it. I didn't really know what attachment practices really entailed, but after reading this, I'm kind of shocked that it describes me to a T. Here are the main points:
1) Having a natural birth: I wanted a med-free birth but I wasn't hellbent on it. I actually think I want an epidural for #2, just to see what it's like.
2) Breastfeeding beyond a year: I was fully planning on ending breastfeeding at 12 months but I decided to continue due to Elise's dairy allergy and because it's very useful for putting her to sleep in the middle of the night and when she gets upset/hurt.
3) Co-sleeps: This is the biggest shocker for us. We're still semi co-sleeping, mostly because it is the only way we can get sleep since Elise is a frequent night-waker. We also needed to put her crib in our room because I needed a desk in her nursery to work.
4) Practices gentle discipline: Not really sure what this entails but I do not plan on hitting.
5) Babywears: We love our Ergo! Our apartment is a walk-up so it's a pain to wrangle a stroller up and down those stairs, anyway.
6) Speaks in a nurturing way: I don't understand why this is attachment parenting But yes, everyone knows that I am a very big advocate of speaking in a respectful tone at ALL times.
7) Infant massage: Yup, did this when Elise was a baby. Lots of great research on this!
8) Allows flexibility in schedule: We have a set schedule but I don't freak out if I'm off by an hour or so.
i loved my epidural. except it was difficult afterward because he was up in NICU and the NICU nurses were pressuring me to come up and start breastfeeding ASAP, but the post-delivery nurses in my room weren't letting me leave until my legs gained sensation. There was some miscommunication and I ended up feeling like a bad mom being reprimanded because I was supposed to go upstairs but wasn't allowed to go upstairs. If you're able to breastfeed in the room I'd imagine an epidural would be less of an issue.
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