Elimination communication (EC) is about early start potty training - basically training your baby to eliminate their waste, but it's also about training the parent to recognise the signals that the baby wants to poo/wee!
My mum started Erika early on the potty at 6 months (basically when she could sit) but I was reading a book by Linda Sonna which talks about EC. If you think about it, we toilet train puppies, why can't you toilet train a baby? And we do reinforce the idea of pooping and peeing in a nappy if you think about it - imagine when you're changing the baby's nappy and they wee, and we squeal and scream, they learn that doing that is not good and that weeing in a nappy is good. Gosh I have to say that it is hard NOT to squeal and scream when you're getting a golden shower...
So I noticed that Julian poos and wees after eating, so after each feed I take him to the bathroom and hold him over the sink/potty and wait for him to do his business. Started out kinda slow but lately he's been able to poop and wee while I'm holding him. Which is good coz that saves on me having to wash poo out of nappies! One thing I've noticed is that he pulls off the boob if he wants to do some business. I've been ignoring that because I wanted to get the feeding done instead of dragging it out, but I may have to start taking him to the bathroom.
I didn't want anyone else to see me doing the EC stuff because I thought that they would all think I was crazy, but now that it is working a little bit I don't mind people seeing. I did it at my mother-in-law's house with my sister-in-law watching, and she is very open and nonjudgemental and she was fascinated that I was doing that. What was even better was that he wee'd when I was doing it so it made it look good too.
There is something really satisfying about "catching" a wee or a poo. I feel like I should reward myself with a chocolate or something (well I should reward the baby but he doesn't eat chocolate, oh well!). The other day I think I caught almost all his poos. Yesterday I missed 3 poos which was a bummer. 2 were while I was in the middle of feeding though. Julian's most reliable poo time is in the morning, he always wakes up at 4-5am to do a poo. He makes lots of poo straining sounds too so that gives you an idea that he needs to go. I wonder if he holds it till then or if he just feels like going? Well I don't think he can hold poo or wee long, but he can certainly let you know if he needs to go. He actually likes going to poo because I hold him over the sink and there is a mirror in front of him and he makes funny faces, smiles, laughs and coos which makes the EC that little bit more fun.
I wonder when I should start using the potty instead of the sink. I'm just scared that he'll poop all over my clothes if I use the potty because I'll have to sit on the floor.
5 February 2010
OMG I managed to have no pooey nappies yesterday! All poo was in the sink!
6 February 2010
I was reading someone's EC journey and I liked this page:
http://www.freewebs.com/freetoec/mythologyreality.htm
It would make all the people who think what I do is dirty and strange know that it's all quite normal!
Julian actually poops quite quickly after having a feed. If he wants to poop that is. Sometimes I don't even have to make the sound he just does it as soon as his bottom touches the edge of the sink. It's nice that he doesn't do the golden shower on me anymore, he waits till he gets to the bathroom!
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