I learned of AP though Mothering Magazine and then through a couple of books by Peggy somebody. It just seemed like the right way to do things. We stopped co-sleeping earlier in the summer when she picked out her own toddler bed. It is right next to my side of the bed, so she didn’t stray far.

AP is a lot of work, but my daughter is quite smart, always a head of the milestones, and knows her own mind. I am anxious to see what it will be like with the next one.

Again, thanks for the blog. Oh, I read another post about nursing at night. I night weaned her (around 20 months) because she needed tear duct surgery. She couldn’t eat for 12 hours before. So, I started a week earlier and gave her kisses and snuggles. It took a couple of days, but we made it though it.

Also, I am planning a home birth for number 2, wish me luck.
.-= Georgine´s last blog ..B’s Birthday Invites =-.

AP makes so many things easier, in every perspectives. I often get told how much more complicated it must be to carry her in the sling. Well… no: in the stroller, I might get 10 min into my shopping trip/grocery shopping before she gets bored. Sling? However long I need (or at least an hour or two). She’s feeling upset – sling. I remember her crying and screaming all the way to a baptism a few weeks ago, for over 45 min, she was clearly upset. Knowing her, she would have been clingy and whiny, but after 40 min in the sling, she was ready to face the world again. Co-sleeping? How easier can it be than having your baby right next to you at night?

No, AP is not harder. Maybe it seems harder to some people because it means changing and/or re-evaluating some of your habits. But that’s it. You spend your life re-evaluating your habits, schedule, etc., whenever something new happen (new school-year, new job, new house, new relationship). This is just another instance of it.

At first though, it was hard. I had nothing to anchored my beliefs in, except a few fleeting and insecure instincts. I was swayed left and right by various advice of well-meaning people – the problem is, they often contradicted each other, sending me into a whirlwind of doubt. I suppose it is true that, if one starts searching for a particular answer, one will always be able to find what s/he wants to hear – whether it’s the right answer or not! I should also not that I was blessed with a high needs child, yet battling PPD myself, so it created quite the cocktail.

But I got better. I sought help, support groups, and am blessed with a great family (even if my mom and I do often disagree! ). I saw the light through the tunnel, and anchored my feet in the ground. I found my way. I am happy that I was able to have a good birth experience, despite it being a hospital birth – my hospital is definitely baby friendly, my O.B. is open-minded, and I had the best doula in the world helping me out. Despite our difficulties (it could be up for debate how much were actual difficulties and how much were just normal struggles tainted with PPD-ness), I breastfed DD until she was 8 months old (I would have liked to go on MUCH longer, even still now at 15 mo, but again up for debate. I know much more now than I did before and am confident that I will pull through better next time – I believe in the value of bfing so much…) I joined an local AP Meetup group, I made contact with like-minded people, I started reading blogs for information and inspiration.

And so, here I am – now I have something to anchor my feet and my beliefs in!