I guess I just get really flustered when I hear all this natural parenting stuff. I love the idea of cloth diapers and really want to use them when we have another baby. There is just SO much information and SO many opinions that it's hard to figure out what is best for you and your baby. One HUGE topic these days is breastfeeding. I breastfed for about 2 months or so. After I had my son I had about 3 months until my wedding. And I started my last semester of classes. Some would say this is an excuse, but I was a little overwhelmed. I had tons of appointments to go to where I just didn't have the time to nurse so formula just ended up being a better fit. I had NO education on nursing and ZERO support so I struggled a lot. I would say 95% of the information I got was off the Internet. I pumped for a couple weeks before I stopped completely. I had such a hard time quitting. I would cry and cry about the thought of stopping. It was miserable. It would take me an entire day of pumping to get enough for one feeding, but yet, I still couldn't bring myself to quit. Now, when I look back on how much I struggled, I realize I wasted so much energy on it. When the next baby comes around I cannot wait to tackle the whole nursing thing head on. From what I've learned from friends is that breastfeeding is a lot easier when you have a support system. I plan on joining a group either at the hospital or online, or both.
The hardest thing for me to accept as a first time mom, a working mom, and a (somewhat) young mom, is that you cannot listen to EVERYTHING someone says. Yes, take in what they say, but know in the back of your mind that it might not work for you and your baby, but then again it might. That is the hardest thing to remember. You will find what works for you and your child. Some people have extremely long nights where their baby never sleeps, and then some people, like me, have a baby who sleeps through the night at 6 weeks. You will hear tons of people that say to never give your baby a pacifier or to let your baby cry it out or to not let your baby cry it out. You might hear from someone that you shouldn't introduce solids until 6 months instead of 4 or wait until 9 months. There are so many opinions and everyone has a different idea. People might say that when your baby becomes a year old they can face forward in their car seat, even though it's recommended that they rear-face longer than a year. If it worked for their child, it might not work for yours. Just remember to not get all caught up in what everyone is doing. Try it out and if it doesn't work, don't put yourself down. You and your baby will be fine.
The best advice I have: Do what you want to do, relax, and ENJOY every single second, because each day your baby will be different than he was the day before. Cherish every breath, every tear, every smile, every giggle. Just LIVE.
**note** I am still pretty clueless about a lot of all these natural parenting ideas so I am open to hear any tips, advice, information that is out there! Feel free to share your experiences please! I would love love love to hear them! :)
