In celebration of International Babywearing Week, we are sharing “babywearing stories” from the CMA Babywearing Team. This is Ophelia’s story.
I cannot believe I survived being a first-time mom without baby-wearing. My first born was a runner. No matter where we went or didn’t go he would always run away from me. My nerves were so bad as none of my friends seemed to have this issue with their kids. I honestly thought I was doing something wrong, but I wasn’t. It was his personality. He is still very much that adventurous, risk taker, no fears in the world, little guy. I knew I needed a way to keep up with him, and my new little squish. This is when I discovered my local baby-wearing lending library. I tried on numerous carriers, and finally found the right fit for me. That was over a year ago, and baby-wearing has been such a #momwin for me ever since.
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The reality of the situation was that I never saw a black mom wearing her baby. There was no marketing of black women carrying their babies in any type of carrier or wrap ad. Do you know what that feels like to not see yourself in something that could positively impact your life?
It made me feel that baby-wearing wasn’t for me. Maybe those companies didn’t want me, or women who looked like me, in their carriers or wraps.
Somehow, attention was brought to these companies, and in the past year I have seen more and more companies include black women and their families in ads for baby carriers and wraps. It’s been awesome being apart of the change. I never miss an opportunity to talk to moms about the benefits of baby-wearing their littles.
Read more about Ophelia on our CMA Team page. Follow her babywearing and life adventures on Instagram @noahandjoseph_
