How Babywearing Empowered Me!

By Denise Gonzales-Bernardo
I am blessed to be the yummymummy of two amazing boys, Benicio, who is now 10, and Pascal a.k.a Pax, who is turning 4. Babywearing has been a part of our lives for many years, and although my little men are a tad bit too big to be carried (but Pax still manages to get cozy inside a baby pouch every now and then), we’ve got countless beautiful babywearing memories that we hold very dear!

I first fell in love with babywearing when Benny was two months old. He wasn’t a fussy baby but he was big. Born at 8.9 pounds, he was a little ball of sunshine in the nursery that Easter evening in 2007. As I nourished him with my magic milk, he got bigger and squishier. I first put him in the ring sling and was amazed at how a piece of cloth could hold my little boy so snug and safe. It was like being pregnant again.

It was also around this time that Monica and I were brainstorming about our soon-to-explode empire, Indigobaby (www.indigobabyshop.com), and the baby pouch was going to be one of our pilot products. With no buttons, strings, rings, buckles, and zippers, our baby pouch would be the easiest and most convenient carrier for yummymummies like us.

Through the years, babywearing has made me feel so empowered as a yummymummy. One of the most memorable times was meeting with Monica in the mall with our newborn boys in tow. We wore both of them in our slings and we were discreetly breastfeeding them inside as we were walking and talking. The ring sling was amazing because the tail would double as a nursing cover and people didn’t know we had our boys suckling away as we strolled around the mall. We did this many, many times and through these meetings, Indigobaby was born.

I then went on a babywearing quest where I got to experience and try on different baby carriers. It was also through Indigobaby and Mommy Mundo bazaars that I shared my passion for babywearing through talks at the events—even venturing into combining my two passions of babywearing and dancing together—Babywearing Samba! As a yummymummy with a little one, it was super important for me to still stay fit, keep moving, and sweat even while caring for my baby.

Joining events where I’d meet new moms and do tutorials is also so fulfilling. It was during an Expo Mom bazaar where I taught a mother of three to babywear her special child. I was close to tears when I saw how happy the mom and daughter were when she was able to get her cozy in our baby pouch. It is moments like those that keep me passionate to do what I love.

Working with a baby is also made super easy with a baby carrier, and as a FLOW mama (www.flowretreats.com), we always have our babies with us on retreats. I’ve also been on a few plane rides alone with my son, and I know I wouldn’t have survived without my baby carrier!

Even with the boys growing up, we still cherish all our babywearing adventures! Here’s to spreading the babywearing love and saving the planet one baby at a time!