Let's Talk About Pee....and other things...

  Time flies when you're having fun.  This is so true.
  My baby girl is 2 months old.  My husband and I decided this milestone is the point at which we can stop saying her age in weeks.  After 8 weeks, it just starts to sound silly. 13 weeks, 40 weeks, etc.
The next question is.....when do we stop counting in months?  We are thinking once she hits one year.  Oh the silly things we worry about now.
  We both love being parents to this cheerful little person.  She has brought so much joy (and entertainment, stress, laundry, etc) into our lives.  She makes us feel old already.
  I could go on and on all day and end up with a book about all the things Korey does, but I wont.
  I'd like to tell you all about our practicing of elimination communication.  If you're unfamiliar with EC, just google it.  I've spoken a lot about it before, and have held high hopes about it working.

  Here's the shortened version:  EC is what people practice in all the other parts of the world, except in the US (and partially the UK), but they don't have a name for it,  because it's a natural part of their lives.  It doesn't require any studying or learning, because they were raised that way for thousands of years, and still raise the children that way.
  These babies don't wear any type of diaper from birth.  The caretakers simply 'know' when the baby has to 'go' and will give a 'cue' while holding them over a pot, or a hole, or just the ground for the deed.  If the babies are being worn in a sling, and the caretaker senses that they have to go, the baby is simply held away from the body until they are done.  It is very rare that these people are ever pooped or peed on.  It's just the way things are done.  And guess what?  These babies are potty trained within weeks.  No, they can't use the outhouse by themselves yet, but they quickly learn to signal the caretakers and to go on cue.  No messes.  No diapers.
  And this is where we come in.....
  The first two weeks, I concentrated solely on healing from labor, and taking care of our newborn.  We both felt so awkward, especially when it came to diapering.  Even now, after millions of diapers, we still mess up and pay dearly for the mistakes.  We tried every brand of diaper, and, naturally, found that the most expensive ones fit the best and prevented blowouts. I since have begun using cloth diapers (after finally figuring out how they work....) and am in love with them.  I have saved sooooo much money already, and Korey appreciates that she has no more diaper rash.

  When I began to practice elimination communication, it was based on timing alone.  I knew that Korey peed about every 30 minutes.  Once I caught one pee, it was easy after that. I would take her to the toilet (the adult toilet), sit facing backwards, with her in my arms, and hover her over the bowl while holding her in a squatting-like position (a natural position that encourages pooping and peeing).  I chose to cue her by saying "go peepee", and making a hissing sound (commonly used, like the sound of pee).  Sometimes she would go right away, sometimes we sat for 5 minutes cueing before she would go, and sometimes she wouldn't go at all, and cry instead.  We were still learning each other, so I stayed calm and stayed persistent.
  There were days when I caught so many peepees in the toilet that I only used about 4 diapers throughout the day.  Then there were days when I caught none.
When Korey was about 5 weeks of age, I became extremely discouraged after a long bout of missed peepees.  My sister was visiting me at the time, and had just come back from a visit to East Aisa, where she witnessed first hand their method of potty training (EC).  She quickly pointed out to me that those families live together and raise the babies together and have been doing so forever, so there are no 'missed peepees', and the babies train quicker.
  So I rallied my spirits and continued trying to catch as many peepees as I could (poo is another story I will mention at the end of my post...).
  When she was just over 6 weeks old, everything seemed to click, all in one day.  She peed every single time I cued her, and we used just two diapers throughout the day. (When I say I only used two diapers, please understand that it's because the were still completely dry, thus I was able to keep putting them back on her.)  This continued from that point on- and I was overjoyed. Now, I can sometimes just 'know' that she has to go.  Mostly by her own cues....she wriggles in a certain way, or suddenly gets upset, or starts fussing while she sleeps.  It's so amazing!  I didn't even know I was reading her until I noticed her doing it when Scott was holding her.  I said, "Oh, she has to pee."  Sure enough, she peed when held over the toilet and cued.
  Despite our progress, she is still just barely 2 months old, and I am still just barely a mom.  I miss many peepees, and I don't even bother to try it while we're out and about.  From what we've accomplished so far and seeing the bond I've developed through this experience, we're going to keep it up.  I still have high hopes of Korey being potty trained under a year of age.
  There is so much more to this process than I could ever tell you.  If you are interested in knowing more, just read the many articles online about EC, or read 'Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene'.  That book is where we got the majority of our information.  I also would like my readers to know that Korey is never stressed out when being 'peed' over the toilet.  She sits quietly and calmly for the most part.  She is never ever punished for wet diapers (well, she's never punished at all....she is only 2 months after all....).  The most important point that I would like to make to you is that it's true that babies have control over their bladders and bowels.  They don't just 'leak', as many people think7.  I have witnessed so many times when Korey hears my cue, takes a moment (or two) to concentrate, then physically 'pushes' to start the stream of urine.  It still amazes every time she does it.

  Anyhow, that's my story for now.  Oh yes, the poo situation.  I still can't detect when she's about to poop.  I know when she's mid-poop most of the time, and I certainly know it when she's done.  We've got time to work on that though.  I'll leave you with these prime example photos.  Have a blessed day!

This one is, 
  "I'm pushing really hard..."

 Still going....

                                           "Woo that felt good!"







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