Well whaddya know? I guess I'm an AP mom!

I was wondering through "bloggydom" (my term for the blogosphere) today and happened upon a post about attachment parenting (AP). I always thought that term had negative connotations. I imagined some weak, "softie" mom giving in to her spoiled brat of a kid so they would consider her their "friend". Well, in this post today there was a link to Dr. Sears' article on what AP is and guess what?? It turns out I am an AP! For a full explaination of Dr. Sears' 7 B's, go here: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/T130300.asp#back

Let me explain my 7 B's ....

1. Birth bonding
Rooming in with my babies was always very important to me. It was very hard with Sam and
Sophie being in the NICU for the first 3 days. It was so special to have Austin and Maggie
rooming with me for the entire hospital stay.

2. Breastfeeding
I always knew I wanted to bf. Even when I had Austin and I was only 16 and knew no one
who breastfed their kids, I still gave it a try! I've been a big bf advocate to friends. I even
talked my best friend into doing it and she wasn;t even going to try! She ended up doing it for
about 9 months before her son weaned himself. I tried 3 times before finally getting it right
with #4. Now it seems like second nature! I love knowing I'm doing what's best for me and for
her.

3. Babywearing
With my boys, I only wore them in a front carrier and only if I absolutely had to. With Sophia,
I bought a maya wrap and she loved being in it. I wore her until I was too far along in my
pregnancy with Maggie to wear her anymore (she was about 18 months). With Maggie, she
will only tolerate the front carrier right now but I hope she warms up to the wrap as she gets
better control of her head and neck. I enjoy the wrap more and can get more done when using
it instead of the front carrier.

4. Bedding close to baby
I have co-slept with all of my children. I enjoy the closeness and the fact that we both sleep
better that way. I think it is harder to break myself of co-sleeping than it is my kids! They are
in their own beds most of the night by 18 months and all night by 2.

5. Belief in the language value of cries
I don't let my kids "cry it out". In fact, when they are small (under 9 months or so) I try not
to let them cry at all. This elicits a lot of complaints since she usually cries when any one but
me tries to hold her for longer than 10 minutes :) I don't like being ignored when I need
something so I give my kids the same respect.

6. Beware of baby trainers
I like reading magazines but when they have advice that doesn't fit my family's lifestyle
choices, I skip to the next article. I won't compromise my beliefs because Dr. so-and-so or
supermanny tell me it's the wrong thing.

7. Balance
Now, don't get me wrong, I have a life outside my kids. God comes first, so if I'm praying or
reading my Bible and they want something, they have to wait. Also, I do take advantage of
bassinette in the pack n play when I want to spend time with the hubby. We will let the boys
occasionally stay with grandma and papa overnight and Sophie can stay with them for a few
hours during the day if needed.

Are you an AP? I'd love to hear your story! Blog about it and leave the link here. Or just leave a comment on this post!