Babywearing Magic: The MO+M Baby Carrier Review

The day Alice got her one month shots, Henry and I took her to Cape Cod for the weekend. She cried the entire weekend. I am not exaggerating. There seemed to be nothing we could do to comfort her except hold her (both of us) and nurse her (me). I had borrowed a ring sling from my neighbor, Ann (aka The Rock Star Mama), and Alice would not sleep unless she was in the ring sling.

We were exhausted that weekend! 

That was my introduction to the magic of babywearing. I had a popular soft-structured carrier (SSC) already when Alice was born, so I planned to babywear but as a matter of convenience. I didn't yet know that babywearing is also a great way to get a baby to mellow out and relax but I figured that out after our exhausting weekend on the Cape. Though I was a first-time mom, I went straight for the soft-structured carrier because my sister had told me that other carriers hurt her back, so I didn't even bother! The ring sling seemed like the perfect thing for those early months, especially since Alice was a teeny tiny baby but otherwise, I was a diehard SSC fan. I wore it while out running errands and at home, when I needed my hands for household tasks but a baby needed me for comfort.

Stella during our first family camping trip, using my old SSC. She was five months old. 

Fast forward to kid #3, and I was still faithful to my SSC, even though both me and the baby were drenched in sweat by the time I took it off.  Right before I left for my annual Cape Cod vacation, I was offered the opportunity to try out a new soft-structured carrier on the market, in exchange for my honest review. I checked out the details on the carrier, called MO+M carrier,  from Mothers On the Move, and decided to try it out. I was mostly curious about how it would compare to the SSC I already had, and to be quite honest, I didn't think it would measure up. 

The first thing I noticed when I put the carrier on the first time was how LIGHT it is. It is 100% cotton, and because of it's lightness, it has comfortable heft-- Micah felt secure and snug on my body. The mesh panel in the front went a long way in keeping my sweatbucket (just like his sisters!) cool and dry, even when we walked around the Wellfleet pier in the midday sun. I was using the carrier that day because we planned to pop into a few store and galleries, and in Wellfleet, these places tend to be tiny!

Me, Alice and Micah at Frying Pan Gallery in Wellfleet,
definitely not stroller friendly! 

It was so hot that day!

Micah is a tiny guy.  The MO+M carrier has a narrower seat, so there was no seam or fabric digging into the back of his knees, as there is in my other carrier. This is a huge plus and made the experience much more comfortable for Micah.
Because I never used a forward-facing carrier, none of my kids were carried forward-facing and I'd always wanted to try it. With the MO+M, you can wear it facing in, on your hip, on your back AND facing out, and still get hip-healthy support for baby. Micah enjoyed being face-out for awhile, until he got tired of it and wanted to snuggle back in. My husband especially appreciates being able to wear Micah forward-facing--since Henry is a big, broad-shouldered guy, Micah was smushed tight against his chest whenever he was facing in.

Can I tell you something? I haven't used my old SSC since I got this carrier, seriously. It's everything I love and am used to in a soft-structured carrier but the light weight, the mesh panel, and the narrow seat addresses all the issues that I have with my old SSC.  I think my old SSC is going to end up on the auction block... it's been good to me but my new alternative is better. 

I am really pleased to be able to offer you a discount code, on behalf of Mothers on the Move! On Amazon, the carrier is $79.95, but with the coupon code, the price drops to $59.95, plus if you have Prime, the shipping can be free.  So, head over to Amazon to learn more about the carrier and use this coupon code: BLGRPRMO when you order. It is good until September 30th! Thank you to Mothers On the Move, for your generosity! The discount code has expired but the carrier is on sale right now for $69.70!

I would love to hear your babywearing stories! Tell me about a time babywearing made your life easier. 

{Mothers On the Move generously gave me this carrier to review. All opinions are mine, and honest. All links to the Amazon product page are my affiliate links.} 

Micah's Birth Story

Micah at 1 week plus 1 day

Let's get to the punchline first: Micah was born on the bathroom floor at the birthing center up in Danbury.

But the story starts on Monday. I went in for my weekly check-up with the midwives. They hooked me up for a non-stress test, and the machine picked up my contractions, which I could feel but was hard to differentiate from Braxton-Hicks, except for the frequency and duration. The midwife, Vanessa, was non-comittal, and said she'd see me the following Monday, for my 40 week check-up. By the time I got back out to reception, the receptionist had gone to lunch, so I would need to call to make my appointment.

I reminded myself over and over to call and make the appointment, while also telling myself, "I probably won't need the appointment!"

For the next two days, I had frequent but irregular contractions, with back pain that came and went. I decided to call it early labor. As it happens, my friend NJ was also having contractions, despite not being due for another two or three weeks. So, we decided to race. We bet cookies to the first to have her baby.

On Thursday morning, I woke up with back pain that was a little more intense than what I'd been experiencing over the past few days. But I felt okay, so I sent Henry to work, remembering that I'd been in labor with Stella for a whole day. So, I was confident I could hang on until he got home from work. All the same, I texted my mother and told her pack a bag and put it in her car, in case she had to come straight from work. "But it's probably nothing," I told her, "Maybe. I'll keep you posted."

A little while later, I got a FaceTime call from my sister, who was on Cape Cod, 4 hours away. "You're in labor!" she yelled at me. It felt like deja vu... hadn't she said the same thing when I was in labor with Stella but in complete denial about it? Still, all the same, "I don't know. It could be nothing. It'll probably stop soon," I insisted, not wanting her to make the trip for nothing. But Kate is not one to be deterred. She put in a call to Henry, who was just arriving at his desk, and told him to come home to me.

Fine, I guess this was really happening.

Kate also called our younger sister, Lilith, and told her to come watch the girls. She drove down from Albany, 2 and a half hours away,  with her fiance.

I'd been puttering around the house, doing laundry and the dishes, while the girls played and watched TV, and stopping only occasionally for a contraction. But soon, I found myself sitting in our armchair in the living room, breathing through contractions.

Around 10:30, Henry arrived home to find me working through contractions, no longer able to talk through them. Lilith and Anthony arrived around noon. Henry put our bags in the car, while I chatted with Lilith, who'd decided to take the girls to Cheesecake Factory and the mall-- lucky kids.  At this point, I found myself assuming my favorite laboring position, leaning against the wall or counter, my feet spread wide apart, my belly hanging low, whenever a contraction hit.

I kissed my girls goodbye, and off we went to the birthing center. In the 12 minutes it took us to get there, I had four contractions. The nurse set me up on the monitor while we waited for Vanessa, who was attending a birth at the hospital across the street. But lying on the table was increasingly uncomfortable. Henry helped me off the table and we readjusted the monitors while I fell into my lean against the wall laboring position. When Vanessa came, she checked me. It was about 1 o'clock and I was 4 cm but only 60% effaced. I didn't want to go home, so Vanessa sent us for a walk.

We strolled through the cemetery across the street (am I the only one that think it's a bad omen to have a cemetery across the street from a hospital?) but my contractions were getting more intense, and it was hot. We made our way up a hilly sidewalk back to the birthing center, where the midwife suggested tha we get something to eat--specifically, ice cream. As we walked towards the door, I suddenly felt like I needed to stay put so Henry went off by himself to get ice cream, with instructions to get me something with a vanilla base, but free to get whatever flavor sounded good otherwise.

While Henry was gone, I decided to go upstairs to the birthing center because laboring in the office waiting room was making me feel self-conscious. The birthing center was empty, except for Robin, the most amazing nurse I've ever met. I waited in the kitchenette for Henry, using the breakfast bar as support for my laboring position. In between contractions, I paced. Henry finally returned with the ice cream. He'd gotten me sea salt and chocolate-covered pretzles (I think...). Whatever it was, it was delicious and to this day, I'm sad that I didn't get to finish it and that we left it in the freezer.

Henry suggested going into the birthing room and getting settled in. I sat on the birthing ball in between contractions. I tried to sit on it during contractions but I couldn't do it. I made a beeline for the wall, leaning against my arms every time a wave of contractions swept over me. Henry had put  the James Taylor station on iTunes Radio. I recognized the first song immediately and sang along with Sweet Baby James while working through contractions. A few more songs played before I recognized Jackson Browne singing Rock Me on The Water. I sang along, horribly off-key and out of sync too, but it made the contractions more bearable.

Somewhere in all this, I started throwing up. Hello, Transition, my old friend.

At 3pm, Robin checked me and found me to be at 6 cm. Henry started filling up the birthing tub in the bathroom, so that I could give it a try. While Henry was doing that, I suddenly had the urge to go to the bathroom. It took me a few minutes to realize that I didn't have to go to the bathroom, that instead, I was pushing out a baby. I panicked. How could I be pushing?  I was only 6 cm. It was too soon, too early for this part, wasn't it? Henry was still filling up the tub! Where was the midwife?

I saw Robin put down a mat and a pillow on the floor, and I had the clarity of thought in that moment that if I didn't get off the toilet, my baby was going to be born in the toilet. I got myself down on the floor, on all fours. I don't even remember pushing at this point. I just remember how painlessly the head came out, and how quickly the rest of his body followed, into Robin's waiting hands. While I breathlessly asked if it was a boy or a girl, Robin was untangling the baby and aspirating him so he could breathe. Finally, I heard Henry say, "It's a boy!" and Robin passed the baby under me into my hands. They helped me up off the floor and into bed. Vanessa was still across the street but another midwife, Katie, had come upstairs right as the baby was emerging.

It was 3:20 pm. In the space of twenty minutes, I'd gone from 6cm to birthing a baby. I guess all that early labor had done the trick.

{And NJ totally owes me cookies, though I might take a raincheck since her own baby finally decided to make an appearance this week.}

{Alice's birth story is here and Stella's story is here.}

39 Weeks + 2 Days

Micah Solomon

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Seven Pounds, Two Ounces

20 Inches

3:20 pm

Fast and Furious Labor

Birth Story to Come 

A Month To Go.

I like reading and watching birth stories in the weeks leading up to birth. Here's another one from Documenting Delight, one of my favorite blogs.

I have four weeks to go, and I have some things crossed off my "Nesting To Do" list. The summer is flying by.

Anticipation

My favorite thing to do while waiting for a baby (9 weeks to go!) is to read birth stories and watch birth videos. I watched this one yesterday, shot by Georgia of Documenting Delight. I love the mother's poise but I won't pretend that'll be me. I was a wild animal when I was pushing Stella out. :)

Enjoy!