Our Baby Wearing Story

Words & Photography
by Colette McKenzie



Our baby wearing story: something that I don’t share a lot about in this space is my birth story.

I had a traumatic birth, where shoulder dystocia occurred and my 8 lb., 15 oz. babe was born with a broken arm. I didn’t get to do the skin-to-skin that I had dreamt of for nine months, and I didn’t even get to hold my sweet girl for two hours. When I did get to hold her, it was for a few minutes to feed her every three hours in the NICU. I could never get her to latch and pumped exclusively for two months, until I gave up and felt extremely defeated and guilty.

When I wrapped this girl close to me I felt whole for the first time since she left my body. I would wear her, and sing to her, and dance around the house, and I learned to stop feeling so guilty over something I had no control over.

I felt robbed of my birth experience, missing the first moments to connect with her and the bond that breast feeding brings...until we starting baby wearing. When I wrapped this girl close to me I felt whole for the first time since she left my body. I would wear her, and sing to her, and dance around the house, and I learned to stop feeling so guilty over something I had no control over. Not only is baby wearing my saving grace, it helped heal me.