Carry Happy

26/08/2024

01/08/2024

It's World Breastfeeding Week - here's my story ⤵️

I tried to prepare for breastfeeding, but I think unless you've been around breastfeeding growing up, it's hard to understand what is really involved. It's probably one of the things that surprises mums the most about newborn care - how CRAZY HARD it is to do! 😅

I had help in the hospital from a lactation consultant, which I am forever grateful for. She showed me how to hold my baby and how to check that she's really drinking. The first few days went as well as they could. The picture is from day 2 in the hospital, when things were going alright...

It went downhill from there. The pain kicked in - sore ni***es, engorged breasts, bad latches. And something I simply didn't know to look out for - a blocked milk duct which became infected (a.k.a. Mastitis).

As I was talking to my midwife about the pain I was experiencing in one breast, the fever hit. The symptoms can be like a severe case of the flu.

Breastfeeding on that side was pain like I'd never experienced. I tried pumping, but it just didn't work well, so I mostly endured the pain. It was hard to disassociate the pain from the act of breastfeeding, this made me pretty miserable, and I would just cry through feedings.

But I was determined to make it work. If I'm honest, the health benefits for my child weren't at the forefront of my mind. I didn't want to deal with constantly cleaning bottles and buying formula 😅

Without the support of my midwife, husband, and mother-in-law I wouldn't have continued breastfeeding.

After the Mastitis I had pain in that breast after every feed for 3 months 😳 Not until week 16 did I feel like I had gotten the hang of it and didn't experience pain anymore. Far far longer than I expected it to take to feel comfortable.

It was rough. I'm so glad to have had the support I needed and the determination to pull through. I breastfeed my first till she was 15 months. The start with my second was easier (not easy), and we're still going strong at 16 months 🥰

25/07/2024

Binden ist nicht jedermanns Sache, aber...

🇬🇧 English in comments 🇬🇧
..wenn du dem Binden eine Chance gibst, könntest du etwas Unglaubliches entdecken 🌟

Ein Baby in Stoff zu binden, wurde schon so lange gemacht, wie es Menschen gibt. Es ist eine der natürlichsten Sachen der Welt, aber es ist nicht immer intuitiv. Es braucht Übung, um sich damit wohlzufühlen

Warum also die Zeit investieren, um es zu lernen? 🤔

👶 Beste Passform: Stoff, der sich um dich und dein Baby schmiegt und um jede deiner Kurven passt, wird zweifellos am besten passen. Strukturiere Tragehilfen können das nur nachahmen

🔄 Flexibilität beim Tragen: Gewicht auf deinen Schultern stört dich? Kein Problem, wähle eine andere Art zu binden. Die Möglichkeiten sind endlos

🌱 Gibt dir etwas, worauf du dich konzentrieren kannst: In den Tagen und Wochen nach der Geburt kann dein ganzes Leben auf den Kopf gestellt werden. Eine neue Fähigkeit zu erlernen (die du neben der Pflege deines Babys machen kannst), kann dich aufbauen und dir einen positiven Schub geben

⏳ Langlebig: Die meisten gewebten Tücher sind geeignet, von der Geburt an bis du nicht mehr tragen kannst 😅

🌸 Einfach wunderschön: Die Designs und Muster sind einfach zauberhaft!

Wenn du binden möchtest, aber nicht weißt, wo du anfangen sollst, kontaktiere gerne mich oder eine andere Trageberaterin. Wir sind hier, um zu helfen! 💌

Tuch im Foto: Fleur Provence von .de

09/07/2024

Very excited to hold my very first group event 🎉👏🏽

😍 I would love to meet more parents of young children who (want to) use babywearing to help make their lives easier

🚶🏽‍♀️We'll go for a relaxed walk together and in that space talk about our questions and experiences with babywearing and anything else related or not!

👍🏽 You're welcome to come without or without your child/children and with or without your carrier

😀 I speak primarily English, but my German is ok too

💰 It's free! In case you were wondering

🗓️ Let me know if you would like to join by answering the poll, commenting or DMing me so that we know to wait for you 😍



🙋🏽‍♀️Are you joining for Carry Happy's first event?

07/07/2024

Never feel trapped at home because of your baby again 🕊️

When you have a little baby...
✨ BABYWEARING = FREEDOM ✨
Let me explain… 👂🏽

It may seem counter-intuitive - surely putting your baby in a bed or stroller will mean you have more freedom than having your baby strapped to you in some way or another. In my experience raising 2 under 2 this was rarely the case 🤷🏽‍♀️

We went to a wedding recently, and although my girls are both toddlers now, I was reminded of the newborn phase and how we missed out on very little. I attended a weekend overnight bachelorette party 👯‍♀️ when my first-born was only 2 months old (she was happy to pretty much live in the sling). I went out to the shops when I wanted 🛍️, met up with friends for coffee ☕, went out for day trips 🚇- all with a tiny baby 👶🏽

Could I have done this without babywearing (and to an extent breastfeeding too)? Simply no way. 🙅🏽‍♀️

Mamas (and papas) you don’t have to be housebound when you have a newborn. You don’t need to stay home all day just because your baby needs to sleep. If you feel up to it, getting out of the house and doing something YOU want to do can do you so much good - help you feel human again, help you be a better version of yourself for you and your family. You also don’t need to leave your baby with someone else to do this! 💕

Having a baby is never going to be easy, but it sure can be easier 🙌

3 years later, babywearing and breastfeeding are still part of our journey, just looks a little different 🥰

Babywearing for the win 🏆

Carrier: The ONE Evergreen Linen by (gifted)

12/06/2024

The bond between father and daughter 🤗

Babywearing gives us as parents the opportunity to meet one of the basic needs our children have - to be close to us, mums and dads alike.

I love to see dads babywearing and I see it often! Almost as often as I see mums babywearing. It makes me appreciate the time we live in - for many families child-rearing is truly a shared responsibility and a joy for both partners.

Having a carrier that can adjust to fit different body sizes can be super helpful to share the 'load' on a day out. My husband and I can both comfortably use The ONE carrier by , by adjusting the position of the padding on the shoulder straps 💕

18/05/2024

I wish I knew this when my babies were newborns 🌠

It helped me understand WHY we need to carry babies. And why carrying them for many hours a day makes a lot of sense.

Babies bodies are so fresh that they are still learning the very basics of functioning independently. Keeping them close to another human keeps them in sync. Without this anchor, they can't help but get distressed - their body just doesn't know how to regulate itself yet!

They aren't only crying because they are hungry, tired or overstimulated - they could just be having a hard time with a body that hasn't quite yet found its rhythm.

Carrying helps speed up this development and allows everyone to enjoy the process more 💕

Would this information have helped you through the newborn period? Or are you currently navigating life with a newborn? Or still expecting your first child?

Let's talk about it!

SHARE this with a friend who needs this 🥰

09/05/2024

Babywearing takes us places 💂

For today's challenge I immediately thought of our trip to London when our first born was 3 months old. London is terrible for pushchairs, most tube stations have tons of stairs and escalators, not to mention the crowded streets.

My .mybabycarrier wrap made a whole journey possible and we were so grateful 🥰

14/04/2024

The essence of toddlerhood.

Purpose-made doll wrap and carrier to hand, but no - it must be her thick blanket.

At first I said I can't use the blanket because it wasn't long enough to knot and it kept slipping. I was met with endless complaints. But then I remembered the traditional African way of rolling the two ends together. Much to my surprise, it worked really well even with this soft, thick blanket.

It is definitely on my to-do list to learn more about this beautiful way of carrying 💕

22/02/2024

Hi! I'm May, mum to 2 girls (2.5y and 11m).

Babywearing has made me the mum I am today. It's given me confidence and freedom, and it has been a major source of my joy, especially during early parenthood. And that's just what I've gotten out of it 😅 I know my kids have benefitted (and still are) in so many ways.

I'm strengthening my knowledge and skills by taking a course (or 2) to become a certified babywearing consultant. In the meantime, I want to share my experience, because I think I've found something special that everyone should know more about 😊

And now, a little about me:
🇬🇧🇩🇪 I'm a Brit who's been living in Germany for the past 5 years
🤓 I'm a software engineer by profession - I still love coding, but it's hard to find the time and focus for it these days
🌍 I've lived in in 6 countries in my 36 years of life
🧩 If I didn't have little kids, I would spend an unjustifiable amount of time puzzling 🫣

Tell me a little about you, I'd be happy to connect. Feel free to share any questions you have too 💕

Are you passionate about babywearing or just curious? 🥰

12/02/2024

While filming a video on hip carrying, my little one threw a fit and made it clear that she wanted some boob-time. I barely needed to adjust the carrier to let her latch, it was already in the right position 🙌

We were on holiday recently, in a country which is a little more conservative. It made me conscious of the fact that not everywhere in the world is it acceptable to breastfeed in public. I'm grateful to live in Germany where I have never felt uncomfortable feeding my children whenever and wherever I needed to.

Where do you live? Is it normal to breastfeed in public where you are?

Carrier: LennyUpGrade by LennyLamb

04/02/2024

What do you think of my babywearing studio?

Life with 2 little kids means that everything takes ages. This studio must have taken me 3 months to put together and I still feel like it is missing something....maybe some artwork or pictures?

It brings me so much joy to have (expectant) parents over to talk about and practice babywearing in a space that is ideal for it.

So far it has:
🔖 a selection of different styles of wraps and carriers
🪞 a large mirror for practicing in front of
🧸 a demonstration doll to practice with
👶 a safe and cosy place for a baby to play or sleep
🪀 space and toys for an older child to play
🛋️ a comfy place to sit while we chat
☕ a great cup of coffee (if you're into it) 😀

Have I thought of everything? Let me know if you can think of anything else that would be awesome!

30/01/2024

Finally some decent weather! ☀️

We really made the most of it with a trip to the playground and the latest iPhone. Boy does it take great pictures with pretty much no effort 😅

Crazy how one's mood is instantly lifted by a bit of sun, a happy toddler and an attractive carrier 😎😁

Thank you to .glueck.getragen for lending me this awesome carrier to test. I'm sending it back tomorrow, but to tell you the truth, I don't want to 😭

Carrier: LennyPreschool

30/01/2024

When my 2.5 year old wants to carry her baby doll, she doesn't reach for her purpose-made doll wrap or carrier. She uses anything and everything you could possibly imagine as a makeshift carrier, her cardigan, a tea towel, a bag, to name a few.

It is an expression of her creativity, but more than that, it reminds me that what is important about babywearing is not the tool you are using for it, but rather the act of holding your child. The rest is just preference ☺️

Having said that, I am very glad there are such innovative, safe, comfortable and beautiful 'tools' available which make babywearing such a joy beyond holding your child close.

What do you think?