Montessori and C-Sections

Hello Friends. Its been awhile! I've quit my job so no longer have constant interactions with children, leaving me feeling pretty bummed. I've been pretty obsessively looking up everything baby. I generally try and avoid parenting 'styles' as they seem super yuppy-ish generally. But I've gotten very interested in the Montessori

way of raising children. I came across this picture (left) from How We Montessori and it really intrigued me. Why is that baby on a bed??? Why is there no crib?! The Montessori way of thought is don't do for the child what the child can learn to do for herself. The idea of not having a crib is to foster independence and self confidence. The child doesn't see their surroundings through the bars of a crib, they are present in their environment and as they grow to be more mobile, they are able to explore their environments without the need of the parent to be the one to dictate when and where the child can explore their surroundings. Montessori also has several really interesting different mobiles to aid in development. The Little Red Farm has a great list of all the mobiles and the purpose of them all, as does How We Montessori which is where the below image is from.

I think these are some pretty cool aspects of the Montessori school of thought. Do I plan on following it to the letter? Probably not. Limiting yourself to only following a certain way is just not for me. But I'm really liking the lack of a crib.

Onto the second part of my blog. C-Sections. I watched this trailer after reading a lot about natural childbirth. Nearly one half of plus size women get c-sections. HALF! These statistics have dramatically increased in recent years, not due to more plus size women but due to the doctors wanting a faster, more efficient birthing center. (Source) Did I just source this like a freaking research paper? Sigh. I guess this is my life. Anyways. Natural birth options are not even given to women or doctors try discourage it as much as possible. I'm currently trying to lose a lot of weight, in part to get more ready for having my own baby. I really want it to be natural and if possible, a water birth. I think they seem such a beautiful experience, one that I'd love to share with The Ginger. Also, I'll admit, not quite so up close and personal with my butthole. As in, no one can stare at it because it's under water! And the birthing experience can be much more guided by the mother, something that is deeply important to me. I can have a lot of anxieties. Most people who know me know this. Obsessing about not being able to have a natural birth and not being able to breastfeed and both things I often panic about. They may seem kinda silly things to be worried about. At least you get a baby, right? Well generalized anxiety rarely makes sense. I've got a ways off until they're really things I have to worry about and yet they're still constantly on my mind! I'm not sure if research is making me more informed or making me more panicky? Ah well.

Thanks for turning in again, Dear Readers.
Stay gold!