Well, here is a bit of my background.  I trained as a dancer, my first love was tap and I studied tap, jazz, ballet, acro and modern dance.  I attended a dance program at university focusing on Modern Dance and found myself drawn to Dance Studies and Dance Production.  I am certified in Labanotation (dance/movement notation) as well as Laban Movement Analysis and Barteniff Fundamentals.  I have worked as a dance instructor, a stage manager, an administrator and most recently the director of a post secondary dance program.
I live with my partner of 14 years and he ad I now have two children.  our first was born in the spring of 2008 and our second, the spring of 2010.   Before I was pregnant with my first, my book club read Ami McKay's The Birth House.  After reading this book I became very interested in midwifery, I did some research and came across information on Doulas as well.  Then, as happens, my life took other turns and other things took precedence and the whole midwife/doula thing fell off the map.
A year or two later my partner and I decided to try and get pregnant.  When I spoke to my doctor about it, her advice to me was that as soon as I found out I was pregnant to get a midwife.  She explained to me that a midwife was the way to go because they are birth professionals.  They receive the same amount of training as registered nurses but focus only on birth, babies and pregnant and post-partum women.  What sold my partner on the midwife idea was 45 minute appointments and the concept of informed choice as opposed to the medical model of informed consent.
Midwifery turned out to be the perfect choice for us and our birth experience.  Both my partner and I are researchers and students at heart and we felt comfortable being provided with choices and being able to research our options and ask informed questions but ultimately  make our own choices regarding our birth experience.  We did chose a hospital birth and after a long labour due to posterior  positioning, three shifts of midwifes, and a lot of crying, I ended up with a Cesarean birth.  The midwife support and care was invaluable during the recovery period and during the struggle to nurse that ensued. 
My birth experience got me thinking again about midwifery and doulas and I began to do some research again.  I found an online program through Childbirth International and signed up shortly after my baby's first birthday.   Starting the Doula training opened me up to the opportunity to also study childbirth education and this all fell into place when I became pregnant again.
Now I was studying to become a birth doula and having to make the decision to have a trial of labour or Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).  Again my midwifes were informative and supportive without influencing me one way or the other.  I attempted a VBAC and was unsuccessful resulting in another Cesarean and a beautiful second child with a whole new set of challenges and adventures .
So, here I am, Doula, Childbirth Educator, Dancer, Teacher, Notator and now, small business owner.

Baby Stuff (Gear) - Carriers

I am a Baby Wearer.  to tell you the truth, I started baby wearing out of convenience but have grown to love it and believe in it ( to get information on Baby Wearing and a large selection of carriers, check out www.pookababy.com).
For my baby shower I registered for and received a Baby Bjorn.  I had friends who had one and swore by it and I liked the idea of having a way to carry my baby around the house and on walks where a stroller would not go.  When I we were first home with our son, we had not yet received our stroller from my mother-in-law and because of my Cesarean Section I was not moving too fast or too far so, my partner took our son out for walks to calm him in the Baby Bjorn.  He enjoyed walking with the baby breathing against his chest and too this day will only wear the Baby Bjorn because he finds all the other carriers "girly".  I first used the Baby Bjorn coming home from the Midwife's office on the subway.  Even after the arrival of the stroller the Baby Bjorn became my main mode of transportation on transit.  And, as you will know from my post on strollers, my son did not like being pushed around in the bassinet stroller.  the Baby Bjorn did me well until my son was about 3 months old and roughly 15 lbs.  A this point he started to get really heavy and weigh on my shoulders and low back.  I started to do some research on carriers and decided that I would try the Moby Wrap.

• a side note, during the first couple of months I did purchase a sling, a Hot Sling to be exact.  And although I liked the idea of this product I rarely used it as  my son quickly got too big to be comfortable in the infant carry position.  I did use it when he was older and I had the stroller out and about on the subway to put him in for going up and down stairs.  My daughter also quickly outgrew the infant position.

So I went to local Mom store to purchase the Moby Wrap and  to check out some alternatives.  The Moby Wrap appealed to me at this point because it came with UV protection and it was the middle of the summer.  One at the store I was swayed by the sales person to try a Mai Tai Carrier by Eagle Hawk.  this is what I ended up purchasing and for my son, it was a perfect solution.  he Mai Tai allowed my to carry him on my front with support on my hips and shoulders with crossing straps.  it was adjustable to my size and could be worn by partner (who never wore it because of the girly factor).  The Mai Tai also worked as a back carrier, with my son I did not use this option until he was a year old because I couldn't figure out how to get him on my back with out assistance.  he did get very heavy for my to carry on my front when he was about 9 months old and at this point I started physio for an aggravated hip injury and was advised by my Phyisotherapist to not carry my son and to use a stroller (hence the umbrella stroller).  However, I really enjoyed carrying my son and the convenience on the subway was really a big thing for me.  So, when my son was about a year old, I looked up on YouTube how to get him into the back carry position by myself and started carrying him on my back.  This worked out very well and I carried him like this until I was over 10 weeks pregnant with my daughter, at this point the carrier just wasn't comfortable anymore and I was getting flack from family members:)  I really did like the Mai Tai Carrier, it was comfortable and pretty and adjustable.  It was a little cumbersome to get on because of the long straps and people always trying to help really just got in the way.  Getting my son onto my back involved grabbing him by the arms and hauling him up there which was O.K. when he was over a year old but I couldn't manage it before he could walk.
Then came my daughter, again I started off with the Baby Bjorn and again she quickly outgrew it.  So, out came the Mai Tai.  The problem was, now I had to get my daughter into the Mai Tai while dealing with my two year old son and getting her in and out to nurse was cumbersome ( I never learned to wear the Mai Tai in a way that I could keep it on while I took the child out, it was never comfortable when I put them back in).  So, I started researching carriers on line again and came back to the Moby Wrap.  This is basically a very long piece of stretchy material that wraps around you to hold the baby close, it can carry an infant and up to 40 lbs, you can nurse in it and you can keep it on while you take the child in and out.  I ordered a Moby Wrap and when it came, I was so glad I mad the purchase.  this was a comfortable way to carry my daughter while I ran after my son and I didn't have to keep taking it on and off.  It allowed me to be discrete when nursing in public, the only real down side was that during the summer it was very hot to be wrapped in 6 feet of material.
Now, I did end up purchasing one more carrier.  When my daughter was about 6 months old and pushing 20 lbs I was finding it difficult to wear her on the front and still manage my son, I was always reaching around her, she is also quite long and I am not so her head was sort of getting in my way.  I started looking at carriers that could go on my back.  I didn't want to go back to he Mai Tai because of the difficulty getting the child on my back at such a young age.  I looked at the Ergo because I had friends who had these and loved them but again getting the child on your back required swinging them up there.  So I looked into the Baby Trekker and ended up finding one on Craig's List for $25.00!  Now the Baby Trekker is serving me well.  It is comfortable, it is fairly easy to get her on and off by myself, I can wear her on the front facing in or out and and I can wear her on the back facing in and out, she is comfortable and I can keep my hands free to deal with my son.  I use the Baby Trekker on the subway, around the neighbourhood and around the house.
All in all I now own five baby carriers and all have their good points but my two favorite are the Moby Wrap and the Baby Trekker.