So today is the second day that Lucy has been completely diaper-free! I have been feeling so proud and confident in her ability to express her elimination needs. So much so, that she has even been diaper free at night...(without soiling :) I never would have thought that at 5 months my infant would have been virtually out of diapers.So feeling proud, I went online and started googling Diaper Free...I very much wanted to hear other EC success stories. To my dissapointment I found more critacizm and skepticism than I did support...: (for the families practicing EC.) Diaper free baby was one really fab resource that i've run across during my search that offers information and support group resources.
I want to preface this by saying, I am not a judgemental mom in the least bit... I live with an open mind and short of putting soda in your infants bottle and blowing cigarette smoke into the crib...I am pretty supportive of most types of parenting.(as long as the mother has all the best intentions)
I do believe that there really isn't really a clear cut manual for mommy's... for each family is different. With all of my excitement about being able to nurture and attend to my child far better than I could have ever possibly imagined...I feel more outcasted than ever :( It saddens me that in order to be socially accepted, your parenting practices have to be normalized first. Natural parenting in western society has not been normalized as of yet...thus, there is always the feeling of having to sneak around publicly to evade gawks, comments, judgements and ridicule. This includes public breastfeeding (especially extended breastfeeding).
I read a post today from a woman who sounded angry about EC. She sounded mind blocked to the fact that babies and diapers should go hand in hand... she commented that its an obsessed person, who would force an infant to potty train before they were clearly ready. She continued that its wrong for EC parents to "take away" a childs diapers and leave them vunerable to soiled clothing because of our own vanity.
Lucy has benefited far more from EC than just my simple vanity. A few months ago before Lucy was primarily diaper free, she got a terrible bladder infection. Our pediatrician ordered multiple tests on her and she was diagnosed with bladder reflux stage 2. Meaning that her bladder pushed urine all the way back up to her kidneys. This opened Lucy up for cronic infections and worse yet, possible kidney damage. We were told that the treatment for this was long term antibiotics to avoid more severe problems...at least until the reflux eventually corrected itself...or until she was old enough for urater relocation surgery. This left us feeling very vunerable. I must admit have not been very complient with the antibiotics... (it was a choice given to us by our doctor whether or not we wanted this course of treatment anyway)...instead I have focused on keeping her well hydrated and out of bacteria latent diapers. Lucy has been infection free without prophalaxis antibiotics now for 6 weeks! I think that EC vanity by this womans definition has gone out the window...as we have clearly done right by Lucy.
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4 comments:
Yeah- it's definitely annoying when extremists try to make others feel guilty for doing what is best for their families. You are a wonderful Mom, and Lucy is a happy, healthy baby! And the truth is that the age at which she is potty trained has no impact on the person she will become. Some people just get their panties all up in a bunch over stuff that just won't matter in the long run!
hehe...that's my 2 cents anyway :)
I think it is amazing that your daughter is diaper fee. I feel like people judge you if you go against what is normal. If I don't eat dessert people get on my case- I just don't care for dessert or sweets! I would love to know more about ECing..I try with E but she won't sit on the poytt long enough to pee. She has also pooped in my hands because I couodn't get to the toilet in time! FUN!
thank you...I must confess I had her in a disposible (I know, I know) the other day...which is the total opposite extreme of what I have grown used to...I was soooooooo lazy and let her pee in it all day. Back to naked baby, Im just not as diciplined with the EC unless she is totally diaperless...I mean, who want to be peed and pooped on :)
That is fabulous she's been without meds for 6 weeks! You're doing the right thing, and a great job at that, ignore all the naysayers!
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