Throughout my pregnancy I swore I wouldn't become one of "those" mums. Sure, I'd decided to use cloth nappies but that was different, that was to save money. I wasn't about to ditch shampoo, and my son would have sudocream - not some hippy oil! Heck, I bought him a travel system and a bouncer. My amazon wishlist showed three different swings, and his crib was set up before I even hit the third trimester.
Three months into motherhood, a lot has changed.
Co-sleeping was something I was vehemently against, it was a no-brainer. I listened to all the SIDS warnings, it seemed like letting a baby sleep anywhere outside a crib was asking for disaster. My son was going to sleep in his crib, in his own room, from day one! Four weeks after his birth, the crib was dismantled, and Little-Bear was sound asleep next to me. Three months into motherhood, we've mastered nursing while lying down and LB has mastered sleeping through the night. I love hearing his soft breaths at night, waking up to him smiling beside me rather than screaming through the monitor. Co-sleeping is easier.
One of the strongest attitudes I had was the idea that, "Babies don't need to be held.". I heard that a lot. I believed it. My son wouldn't be held all the time! Three months into motherhood, we've used the fancy(read: bulky, overcomplicated & awkward) travel system twice. I wear LB nearly every day; on the bus, on the train, in the park, in the rain. I love having him so close, being able to kiss his head while I push the shopping trolley. Babywearing is easier.
And the sudocream? Hasn't even been opened. Three months into motherhood, we've gone through a litre of coconut oil. I love the smell of my 'bounty baby', and not needing disposable liners in his nappies. Natural products are easier.
When I started cloth, I did my research. From YouTube to reddit, to facebook and blogs. And I discovered a variety of natural parenting groups. I saw all those crunchy mums and I thought, "I'll never be like that. I'll be normal!" Three months in, I'm in the process of quitting shampoo. Without cloth, I may never have discovered those communities.
I never planned on being a crunchy mum, in fact I tried to avoid it. But in the last three months I've discovered that those crunchy mums are onto something. Their methods make sense, they feel natural and more importantly, they make parenting easier.
Three months into motherhood, I'm in the throes of crunch. And I love it.
