Babywearing in Ecuador

I lived about 24 years in Ecuador before giving birth to my boy as a foreign student in Japan. I mean 24 years of almost daily contact with casual Babywearing images and I knew nothing about Babywearing.

I’d even been to the jungle and other traditional communities in the highlands, had studied Kuichua for 9 months (when it wasn’t popular to do so) and loved to make friends with indians and rural people. How comes I didn’t notice my country had lots to teach me on Babywearing?

Sure I know the answer: At the time I was not thinking as a mom.

So there I was in Japan, with a newborn baby in my arms, willing to wear him in any sort of baby sling and trying to remember what I’d sought for 24 years. That was frustrating but I was decided to make things work and started looking for information on the Internet.

I started researching about breastfeeding and quickly discovered lots of information (mostly in English) about what I was looking for. There even was an English word for this practice, which helped my status grow from old fashioned traditional mom to modern and informed woman

I was hooked to Babywearing from the moment I learnt the word (pretty much as with “homeschooling”). It was so amazing there were tons of information on how to wear your baby, the benefits, scientific research and lots of vendors offering different sorts of slings from a wide variety of qualities and prices.

I quickly decided to buy a sling and then another (and then another…). They all were so useful since I was having a busy life and was taking my baby with me everywhere.

I surprised myself with my short learning curve because I used to feel so afraid of holding babies , but this time I was becoming an confident babywearer so fast.

This is how I got to know this nurturing practice. The internet and a couple of DVDs were my teachers. I’d have chosen to have in person instructors but didn’t have the chance. However, I believe that the 24 years experience of daily exposure to natural babywearers were crucial on my decision to carry my baby.

An you, how did you fall in love with Babywearing?