Unless you’re a mum who’s been under a rock for the last few months, you’ve probably heard that there was a huge Homebirth Australia rally in Canberra on Monday 7 September. As the ACT Branch President of Maternity Coalition, and being the organiser of the Australian Breastfeeding Association‘s baby feed & change tent, I was there for the duration of the event. Unlike your average protest rally, this rally turned out to be the biggest mother’s group meeting ever, with homebirth as the special topic of the day. And it was one mega sling meet! Here’s some of the cool stuff I saw – minus brand names as this wasn’t a brand-spotting exercise so much as a celebration of the vast variety of babywearing styles:
- Mei tais in a million different prints – my faves were the retro 1970′s style prints, and a funky green stripe with cream straps that I’m pretty sure is made from organic cotton in a fair trade workplace.
- An embroidered SSC (soft structured carrier). The lady wearing it said she got it direct from the USA as it’s not yet available from Australian retailers (although as I’m a retailer of the brand myself, I know it will be available soon).
- My friend Kate was wearing baby Nell on her back in the grooviest shade of purple I’ve seen in a while (and I’m not a big fan of purple, so that’s saying something!).
- Seeing a lady successfully breastfeeding her older baby in an SSC while standing and chatting with friends, totally looking like she wasn’t multi-tasking
- All manner of protest signs pinned onto mei tai feature panels.
- A very cool coat with extra zip panel to fit the slingling in – a great choice on a cold, rainy Canberra day.
- A mum with her baby on the front in a stretchy wrap, and toddler on the back in a mei tai.
Seeing so many happy babies was wonderful. It was cold, raining, many people had travelled across country (flying from Perth, Darwin or Brisbane, driving from Sydney, catching buses from Melbourne and more) to be there. It was exactly the place you’d expect a small child to lose their patience and have a major meltdown. But I kid you not, I saw only a few babies crying despite the crowd numbering between 2,000 and 4,000 (depending on who your source is). Slings kept them warm and comforted, and when they got overstimulated and overtired they could just tuck their head onto mum’s chest and have a nap. A truly beautiful experience.
I’m totally envious of all the families who got to go – and meet one another – and I am also really proud of those who paid a high price (financially and in other ways) to be there; to be counted; to be seen. Well done!
Sounds like a beautiful experience. Congratulations to everyone who was able to attend such a important event
Oh I seriously should have come over to the ABA tent before the end lol Miss Z was worn in our wallaroo where she was layered up and then covered in a MAM cover, she slept for a good 2.5-3hours missing all the fun but she was so toasty warm I didn’t need my jacket lol I am picturing your sling spotting people too actually. I found it amazing walking through Canberra and seeing so many carriers you just knew instantly you were both there for the same reason and a smile exchanged:D:D
Oh I would have loved to check out your sling! Ah well, next time you’re in Canberra you’ll know how to find me
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