An ad that debuted on Motrin's Website during International Babywearing Week (which ends tomorrow in case any of you want to make a sling cake and celebrate) has the mom-blogosphere a-buzzing. They're giving me a headache.
Babywearing moms around the nation say the pain reliever is picking on them for choosing perhaps the most "attachment-oriented" of all attachment parenting methods. The ad says wearing your baby seems to be in fashion and "in theory, it's a great idea." It even lists some of the reasons so many moms have run out to buy a carrier or sling, from "going hands-free" to the various places you can prop your papoose (back, side, front . . ).
But the focus of the ad? It's on moms who experience pain while babywearing. ("These things put a ton of strain on your back, your neck, your shoulders. Did I mention your back?!") I know, total shocker coming out of a company that sells . . . wait for it . . .pain relievers. Did you really think they were going to spend money an ad telling you their product isn't necessary?
The moms have been tweeting away on Twitter about the need to boycott Motrin's parent company, Johnson & Johnson. They're using words like "disgusts me," "insulting," and "absolutely infuriating."
I found one sentence of the whole thing a little condescending - "it totally makes me look like an official mom." Being an official mom takes more than a look or a baby sling. But the rest of it? Talking about putting up with the pain because it's a "good kind of pain," and looking "tired and crazy"? That's pretty darn realistic for some moms. Notice I said "some," not all. In fact, a lot of babywearing moms report trial and error before finding a position that worked for mom AND for baby. For some, it just never works - despite multiple attempts, they're not going to find a carrier that makes the baby weigh less or makes the baby less likely to move around and throw them off kilter. I tried two different carriers and never was able to get the hang of it - eventually ending up in physical therapy thanks to the enormous strain put on my back first by my pregnancy and later by carrying my daughter. When the therapist suggested I just "not carry my daughter," I laughed in her face.
What I find condescending are the moms out there who insist that this will scare of would-be babywearers. Motherhood isn't glamorous. And we do sacrifice plenty for our kids (so do dads, by the way, who carry their kids in their arms, in carriers, in slings . . . ). But considering how many of us know childbirth is going to hurt and sign up for the whole she-bang anyway, I think we deserve a little more credit.
Image: Motrin
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