AN INTERVIEW WITH MARIA BLOIS, MD

Please can you tell us about yourself?

I hold my M.D. degree from Baylor College of Medicine. I currently lecture around the country on babywearing and parenting in general. I live in Texas with my husband, Erik and our three children, Nina (6), Alanson (4) and Lukas (15 mos) and we are expecting our fourth child in the fall.


What was the inspiration behind writing your book "Babywearing"?

I discovered babywearing with my first daughter. When I wore her out in a sling, people always stopped me and asked about the sling. She was always content and smiling and people remarked on her good nature. I found myself explaining the same things over and over and decided to compile all of the most common questions and answers and that was the beginnig of the book. I felt like babywearing was this little known secret that helped make my life easier and made my baby happier and I wanted to share it with other parents.


Has your book been well received and by which communities?

It has been said that we are in the middle of a "babywearing renaissance" so there has been much interest in my book among parents as well as medical professionals, especially those who work with premature infants.


Why do you think that more parents aren't choosing to BabyWear?

I can only guess why people do not wear their babies. It is probably multi-factorial. First of all, we are not in the habit of wearing our babies.. we are a stroller culture. Second, even among those who want to wear their babies, we do not get necessarily get great instruction. Many people came to me and said that someone had given them a sling and they "could never figure that thing out." When slings and soft carriers are not worn properly, they are not necessarily very comfortable. As more people confidently and competently wear their babies, this
modelling will allow other interested parents to follow suit.


This website talks about the concept of Position Asphyxia and we were wondering what your thoughts were on this topic?

Positional asphyxia just means that the baby is in such a position that s/he is unable to breathe. Usually, this is when the chin is tucked under too far and the baby is suffocated. If a baby is placed properly in a sling, this will not happen. Also, a full-term, healthy baby would struggle and fuss if s/he were unable to breathe. If a parent is worried about suffocation, make sure the baby's face is clear of the sling and facing up to the ceiling.