Baby Wearing & CuddleBug
So many times I’ve heard it said that every baby is different. When Marina was born and in the weeks following her birth, I thought that the statement was wrong — for us. First off, Marina looked exactly like Roman only with dark hair & eyes and slightly smaller features. Secondly, she was well-behaved like him and wanted to be held/nursed frequently, just like he did. It was incredible to me, I had twins that were simply born twenty-two months apart.
After the first month, however, Marina began to change. Almost overnight she went from laid-back to high-maintenance. It was insane. She literally cried all day, every day and eventually, the only way that I could console her was to put her in the baby carrier and walk around. But more about that in a moment…
Yes, Marina took on a personality all her own. Aside from the fact that she, too, only wanted to sleep in my arms — she was actually the polar opposite of her brother. Whereas he was a quiet & calm baby, she screamed bloody-murder all the time. I’ve only ever tried to leave her once and that was at my mother’s house for an hour, and her incessant screaming shattered everyone’s nerves. One of the big challenges is the fact that she will not take a pacifier, which was always a huge help in settling Roman.
It’s been hard, really hard. I tried everything from swaddles, to gripe water, to gas drops, to white noise, to swings, to bouncers, and so on. Nothing worked to calm my wailing baby. Her pediatrician confirmed that she was gaining weight like a champ & healthy as a horse, but that she was simply colicky. She also said that this is a common phenomenon in babies, like Marina, who are born a bit before their due date. Marina was born on March 20, but she was due on April 1. These babies tend to fare well for the first month, but for some reason the fussiness begins a couple of weeks after their due dates.
The one thing that has been my absolute saving grace through the nightmare of the past four weeks has been baby wearing. I honestly do not know how I would have gotten through it if I hadn’t been able to wear Marina. Out of the sixteen hours that we spend awake every day, I’d say that I wear her for 14-15 of them. It’s amazing how she settles down as soon as I put her in the carrier and start walking around. It’s a true Godsend. And this is the polar opposite of Roman. He hated to be worn! I couldn’t even get him into a carrier until he was four-months-old and even then it wasn’t his favorite. Meanwhile, Marina happily lives in her carrier.
Eventually, I’ll do a full post about the various carriers that I have used and which ones I like for different stages and purposes. But today I want to introduce the wrap carrier that I’ve been using lately. I highly recommend it if you’re into baby wraps. It’s called the CuddleBug. The CuddleBug wraps are really well-made and come with a lifetime guarantee. I love the fact that the company is eco-friendly, too. They come in lots of fun colors and they’re easy to use once you get the hang of the wrapping technique. The price-point is a bargain compared to similar wraps on the market.
My situation with Marina is unique, but carriers are great options for all families, even those without high-needs babies. Being worn satisfies baby’s need for affection, closeness and touch, and strengthens the bond with the parent. Carried babies are on average much calmer and cry less often than non-carried babies. They have better inner ear development, respiratory health and muscle tone. To learn more, check out the CuddleBug website, www.cuddlebug.co.
What about you? Did you ever try baby wearing or would you consider giving it a shot? Any tips for dealing with a fussy baby that I haven’t thought of?
This post is in partnership with CuddleBug. As always all thoughts & opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the companies that help to make this blog possible.
Comments (1)
Momista Beginnings
May 26, 2015 at 2:15 am
I own a wrap carrier that I received when Mia was born. I gave it a try once or twice with her but didn’t take the time to really get the technique down of how to put it on so I quickly and easily dismissed it. Over the years, I’ve seen so many moms via blogging and Instagram, wearing their babies with these wraps and I told myself that with baby #2, I’d give it a fair shot. Margo is almost 6 weeks old and I’ve yet to wrap her. As you know, she’s a tough baby as well. I think I’ve been intimidated to give it a try but I’m now super curious after reading this with whether or not it can work for us, too. I’m going to try it out this week. I did get the Ergo carrier with infant insert and the first time I tried putting her in it, she screamed like crazy. I haven’t tried it again…yet. I’m definitely interested in reading your future post on other carriers. Through your other posts, I never realized that Marina was “good” for the first month, I thought she was tough from birth. Interesting. Sounds like this wrap is a true miracle for you and I’m so glad you’ve got SOMETHING that allows you to stay sane. There is something that ALWAYS helped me soothe Mia and works with Margo 95% of the time: a big yoga ball. If Margo is screaming and my bouncing or rocking her isn’t working, I sit on the ball and just bounce while cradling her. She stops crying/screaming within seconds. I try to use it as a last resort, so that she doesn’t rely solely on that to calm herself. Other than that, not much else has helped besides her chiropractic adjustments which you already know, too 🙂 Keep hanging in there, Mama. One day at a time. It’s worth it in the end as you know. This is all temporary and will one day be a distant memory. These kids BETTER take good care of us when we’re old and gray one day. -Misty