Last week I (Lindsay) had the privilege of attending the 2010 International Babywearing Conference in the lovely town of Rigby, Idaho. I learned so much and met some really awesome people! We will have a DVD at the store of our favourite sessions; and if you have any questions about any of the sessions, please ask! It was an awesome experience and I learned so much. Our babywearing instructor and leader of Babywearing Calgary (or on Facebook), Jen Wadleigh, also attended and taught a number of sessions.
Me and Jen at dinner at IBC 2010
On Wednesday, June 9 I first attended Back Carries with Giselle Baturay of Slings I Love. It was great seeing some of the back carries out there that I don’t see often, as well as witness how Giselle taught the carries. I learned some new tricks and was also reassured that we are teaching a lot of the same great tips in the store and at our events!
Giselle helping a babywearer with a back carry.
Next was Now What! Babywearing Assisting the Transition to Motherhood with the wonderful Arie Brentnall-Compton of Tadpoles and Butterflies – a fellow Albertan! Arie informed us that because of the skin-to-skin contact and the pheromone and hormone exchange involved, Kangaroo Care often corrects even complicated breastfeeding issues. She also discussed postpartum depression and it’s causes – poor diet, lack of exercise, lack of support and a feeling of not having control over one’s life – and outlined how babywearing helps with all these causes, thereby reducing or preventing postpartum depression. When a mom wears her baby she is more able to get out and find support, her hands are free to grab a decent meal, and she can be active, get outside and maybe even have a shower! All of these factors help with the depression.
The last class of the day for me was Emergency Babywearing with Kristi Hayes-Devlin of Wrapsody and Sam Tower, police officer and husband of the conference’s organizer, Kimber. This class was so cool!! The first half involved Kristi showing us the four carries you should know in case of emergency which will allow you to make a carrier of random items you have lying around. These four carries were the Ruck, the Strap, the Rebozo and the Torso carry. With these four carries you can turn a blanket, scarf, shirt, any piece of clothing and more into a carrier for your baby or child. In times of natural disaster or emergency (running off the road during a snowstorm, for instance), emergency babywearing can save lives.
Kristi showing us some emergency babywearing tricks.
The second half of the class consisted of Sam outlining a long list of ways we can use our carriers for first aid or other tools during an emergency. This included as a water filter (with the addition of sand and black hardwood charcoal); fire tinder; a harness to lower a child from a window (during a fire or flood, for instance); and a variety of first aid tools – a splint, tourniquet and more.
A great quote came out of this class from Kristi, as she spoke about the power of babywearing to save and enrich lives. She was telling us that we can now go out into the world and teach others what we know, and she said, “As long as you know one carry with proper positioning, you are an expert to the person next to you who doesn’t know. Just because you don’t know everything doesn’t mean you can’t share the information you have.” So true, and it makes teaching others a lot less intimidating!
I have a favourite quote about writing that is similar – “If you write, you are a writer.” If you wear your baby, you are a babywearer!
On Wednesday I also got to see the new babywearing coats from Ergo – they are awesome!! I don’t know yet if or when they will be available in Canada, but definitely keep an eye out.
Next up: I’ll write about Thursday, June 10, when I attended Babywearing Safety and ABCs and SSCs, and supported our instructor Jen in teaching Traditional Babywearing; met Jess and Robin of Babyhawk (so exciting!); and met with a bunch of awesome people to discuss Nurturing Across Cultures (formerly The Rebozo Way) and the formation of the Baby Carrier Industry Association – also so exciting! Also on Thursday was the dinner and some hula hooping with Arie, Jen, and Susie Spencer!
