My introduction to Attachment Parenting and crunchy living was the home waterbirth of my DS Jamie. We had just moved to Chattanooga from Pittsburgh, where I was visiting an OB that was part of Mercy Hospital. Sam and I were both sick of the in-and-out care I was getting and decided we needed a change, so I started looking into birthing centers. We called one midwife, but she said that she would be on vacation when I was due, so that was out. Then Sam’s mom gave me a natural living pamphlet, and I saw an ad for Birthing Right Midwifery. We called them and set up a consultation, and after finding out that Debbie, one of the midwives, was a big Apple fan and her apprentice, Nicole, was from the north, as well, we signed on. This wasn’t a free-standing birthing center, though; they only did homebirths. At first, I felt weird about it, but after thinking about it for awhile, I discovered that it would quell a lot of my fears, like when to go to the hospital. The homebirth was great despite serious tearing and a hospital transport, and this jump-started a life and parenting style which, to me, will never get old.
While I was still pregnant with Jamie, I did some research on vaccines. I got vaccines when I was little, and I figured that was the norm. I figured it was safe, and even necessary. Not so, though, I found out. Infants who receive vaccines, especially as many as they’re “supposed” to now, can get autism (which, being on the spectrum myself, I’m not really concerned about), become mentally retarded (that I’m a little more concerned about), or even die (VERY concerned about that). They don’t build up a life-long immunity to the illnesses they’re vaccinated for and they might catch them when they’re older and the vaccine wears off. Some of the childhood illnesses like chicken pox can be very serious in teens and adults, and even life-threatening. I don’t know if we’re just going to delay and selective vax or if we’re not going to do it at all, but, as of now, Jamie has not had a vaccination, and won’t until he’s at least two years old, if we do it at all.
After I had Jamie, I started frequenting Mothering Dot Commune and reading posts that other people had written, and even writing some myself. It was great to find like-minded people to bounce ideas off of and to get advice, and also to research more things, like breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and babywearing, awesome practices that I do every day. It was there, combined with the evening news, that I started hearing about BPA in baby bottles and recalled toys from China. It didn’t just stop there, though. Then I started hearing about the chemicals that are in everyday objects, like clothing and furniture. Before you know it, I was turning green; not just sick and disgusted from hearing about these things, but environmentally friendly. I didn’t really care before, but now that I have this little guy who came into the world drug and chemical free, I’d prefer that he stay that way as long as humanly possible. So now I’m looking into things I’d never thought I’d look into, like how to clean without chemicals and raw milk (I thought pasteurization was a good thing…apparently not, but I’m still researching). I have a sudden urge to use canvas tote bags and shop at consignment stores, not just for the bargains, but so I can reuse what people would have thrown out.
If I’ve learned anything over the past few months, it’s that being crunchy and green is hard work. It’s totally worth it, though, for my LO and for myself, so I hope I never get soggy.
