The Birth Plan - Ha Ha, ROFLMAO

The funniest birth plan I ever came across was that of my marketeer colleague, Keisha. Keisha's stall was on one side of me and on the other side was Catherine, mother of 2.

At each weekly market her plans became more concentrated, more precise, more calculated, more organised down to the drift of vanilla scented rose petals scattered before her feet as she made her way into the birthing pool with specially selected cd's of the sounds whales traveling majestically through the oceans in sinc with each stage of her labour.

As Keisha went off to serve a customer, Catherine said rather quietly "In my day the birth plan was how to get to hospital in time and not kill the husband. She doesn't have a clue, what are they doing to these young mums? Feeding them a romantic notion that they are in total control at all times?". 

We both had tried to tell her that giving birth, though incredibly beautiful the end result is, is far from the romantic tribal, heavens will open up and angels will sing at the blessed event, that Keisha perceived, or far worse, expected it to be.

Amazing as giving birth is, we feared that Keisha's view of amazing was a whole lot different from the real amazing that it is. 

We could only wait and see, we both concluded, though Catherine did stipulate that if Keisha's plan did go off, then Catherine was going back to the maternity hospital, demanding a refund.

We both knew from Richard that Keisha never swore, never ever. Catherine did warn him on this occasion, she might.

Keisha and her husband Richard had the plan worked to military precision. They scoured, interviewed almost kidnapped a Doula for the planned home birth of their first child.

She preferred her child to be born a week early, so that the babe would still be a Taurean and not a Gemini (her brother is one). 

With strict adherence to yoga and pilates during her pregnancy, she was assured of a supple easy, short labour. 

Her disciplined diet nourished her body to optimum peak levels to sustain the labour, while simply focusing away the duration of each contraction, using the mental exercises she had been religiously practising.

In the rest time between each contraction she would be waited on hand & foot, with luxurious massages from Richard, both their mothers and 7 of her best gal pals, who would also offer the reflective girly deep & meaningfuls to the beauty of life, marking the first of the friends to embark on the  glorified journey into motherhood. 

Herbal teas, exotic fruits were ordered along with the 14 hours of compiled whale & dolphin sounds while a labour completely drug free of pain relief was underway. With her Doula, guaranteeing to be there every step of the way, Keisha planned the weekend labour to begin as the sun shone mid afternoon with the beauty of the breaking dawn heralding the arrival of the most beautiful child ever to grace the earth. The beauty of their son Aaron, was the only part of the plan they got right.

2 weeks overdue and completely over it after a few false alarms that had everyone jumping around in nervous fits, Keisha went into labour in the middle of the night. Soaking her husband's pyjama's as her waters broke in bed. 

Keisha's calls to the Doula went unanswered, as Richard frantically scoured the house for the box containing the wadding pool bought several months ago. Both soon to be grandmothers wanted a few more hours sleep. Most of her girlfriends had to work so they'll be in afterwards, a couple did turn up, but ended up going home for some sleep and a change of clothing by the time the grandmothers arrived. The day was wet, cold and windy; not the sunshine Keisha assumed.

14 hours later, as Richard tried to massage his wife's back, she told him to shove off mid contraction. Escaping to a hot coffee in the kitchen whilst the next contraction was in full swing, he heard his wife scream out "Fuuuuuuuuccckkking hellllllllllllllllllll". The next 5 minutes is completely censored.

The Doula turned up at 3pm, having come directly from another birth, told Keisha after examination that she was only 4cm dilated.

4 more hours later, Keisha was yelling for someone to "Turn off that f$#%&ing music before she personally strangles every f&%*ing whale on the planet or any person left standing in the room".

24 hours later, the single girlfriends had long since gone home, the newly married ones double checked their pill dosage and Richard's hair was getting curlier with every agonising expletive filled groan that erupted from his wife's normally demure and very pretty mouth.

After 30 hours, Richard and the 2 grandmothers were getting a little anxious about the labour along with Keisha's screaming pleas for the monster inside of her to get out now. 

Keisha was strong, she wanted pain relief ever so badly but didn't ask. There was no point really, her birth plan included the complete eviction of any pain relief from house prior, lest she be tempted. A real mother doesn't use pain relief she told us on her last market day, she rejoices at the pain of her labour bringing her closer to the divine goddess state of Motherhood.

Catherine & I took bets.

After 36 hours of solid labour, the Doula called it quits to a home birth this time and called the hospital. As Keisha was being settled in the ambulance, it didn't take them much to suggest a shot of Pethadine to  take the edge of the contractions as she was too exhausted to argue.

4 hours later, the early evening night devoid of shining stars, blackened even more by the onslaught of gale force freezing cold wind & rain, little Aaron was finally born. With just a little intervention such as forceps and a lot of pain relief, Keisha boasted at needing only 2 little stitches to push out a baby that felt like the size of a f@*&ing elephants head.

3 weeks later when Keisha came to the markets to show off their beautiful baby boy we couldn't wait to meet, she honed in on Catherine & I.

"OK which one of you won? You must have been laughing at my birth plan! I must have sounded like a raving lunatic! an evangelist naturalist or something! why didn't you tell me, come on!" 

I put up my finger and said "I gave you 12 hours, Catherine gave you 5 hours before you called for the drugs. I am impressed, 36 hours and we did try and tell you"

Keisha laughed, "I'm telling you now, next time I want to be sucking the happy gas as soon as the first contraction hits"

Catherine & I thought it was a good sign that she said 'next time'.

3 years later, Aaron is brought in by his grandfather to meet Hunter, his new baby brother. Born at home after a 6 hour labour using the wadding pool, surrounded by just the Doula, Richard and her mother with absolutely no f@*&ing whale music, as Keisha colourfully quoted.

Remember Birth Plans shouldn't be on how the birth will proceed but 'How you wish to be treated' during the birth and how to get to the hospital or birthing centre is still very, very important, trust me!

Take into consideration the following

1) If you havent had a baby before, no matter how much other woman describe their labour & birth, its like no other experience you ever had before or can measure against, until you have had a baby.

2) Each labour will be different but the stages will be the same.

3) Dont be stubborn! pain relief can be beneficial! Having the edge taken off, so to speak, allows women to flow more with the tide of contractions progressing the labour productively.

4) Listen to good advice and your gut instinct! if your gut instinct says NO then its NO!

5) Consider your own or family's personal beliefs and or religious protocols.

6) Consider a few worst case scenario's. I know its not nice to contemplate, but it should be well thought through. Best to expect the worst, hope for the best and take whatever comes.

7) Old fashioned I know but, "How to get to hospital, birthing centre or the lounge room" in 10 different situations plus having a call upon drop list of emergency "Drive me to the hospital quick, because I cant get in touch with my husband" people is a real must. Trust me on that one, I know!

8) Dont be disapointed to come home with the baby you wished for but not the birth you wanted. At the end of the day the best outcome is the 2 of you coming home together.  Please dont succumb to feelings of being cheated out of the birth you wanted, as nothing will cheat you from being the mother you are. Children will remember their mother & father not their birth.

9) The Birthing/Push present. Make sure to write that down and place in several distinctive places where your partner cant miss. One note of advice, circling a piece of jewelry in a catalogue in bright red texta and placing on the fridge is a hint that most men dont get, trust me! 

Try in his lunch, pinned to each one of his undies, gaffa taped to his steering wheel, on his computer screen, recorded in his appointment dairy, daily.

school holidays on a nano budget

Last week was the first week of NSW school holidays. Leading up to the week that I was going awol from work, I had the staff prepared and the 2 new trainees settled. I was quite confident to slip away unnoticed by many.

I had an activity plan all devised for both Little Miss Mischief and I. The Troll now the grand old age of 15 wasn't at the least bit interested in coming at all. Too attached to his playstation and online gaming to grace us with his presence visiting museums and parks.

I expected this as he is currently ranking #3 in Australia for one particular online game. There are times I don't know where the playstation ends and he starts, the 2 seem to be a fusion of one.

The only time he extricates himself is to raid the pantry several times a day to feed his lithe ravenous body.
I know that he has also some serious training to do for next years tournament in California. Darn, being a minor, I must accompany him. I have the brochures ready for all the places I am going to have to visit to occupy myself while he is battling the rest of the worlds top 100

Little Miss Mischief had devised her own plans too. Her week planned with mum was definitely different to the one I had in mind. A whole lot cheaper too.

It makes me realise that you dont need a lot of money to have a fun time with kids during the holidays, so for those on a less than a micro budget, or a nano budget bordering on a nonexistent budget, there is still a lot of fun & joy to be had.



Forget about the empty purse, laughs come for free.











Out went my
Monday - Australian museum
Tuesday - The Powerhouse Museum
Wednesday - The Aquatic park
Thursday - Featherdale Wildlife Park
Friday - Ice Skating

Replaced with LMM's plan complete with pictures that she drew
Monday - Gardening with a backyard picnic lunch (teddies too)
Tuesday - Cycle to 3 different play parks with a picnic lunch
Wednesday - Cycle along the causeway with some kite flying at the end
Thursday - Walk down to see the performers at the local shopping centre and some bungy jumping (this did cost $5)
Friday - make some homemade play dough & choc chips cookies,  build a fairy wonderland on the coffee table (all 36 barbies were invited to this operation - missing a few more flowers from the garden too)

The whole week I was out of pocket $10 as LMM wanted to go bungy jumping twice, but the smile on LMM's face was indeed priceless.
I must admit I had a lot of fun too, even battling last weeks heavy wind trying to keep the kite under control.
At one stage the kite lifted LMM of the ground and I went for a flying tackle to pull her back down. We were rolling on the grass for ages cackling ourselves silly at the notion of her flying through the sky, just like a wayward Mary Poppins.

Telling her dad on Friday afternoon that she had the best week ever as her eye's sparkled and danced around with grin that almost was too big for her face.

Needless to say I had a great week too

Awesomeness Parcels

From the Kitchen of "The Bare Cupboard Chef"
This recipe is easy peasy, even mum can cook this one!

Makes around 16 parcels

You'll need
greased cup cake tray
1 BBQ chicken - flesh shredded  (use around 3/4 quarters, rest for sandwiches & skin discarded)
4 sheets puff pastry
1 cup milk
1 cup of fozen mixed veges cooked, drained & dryish
2 cups shredded cheese
2 really heaped tblsps cornflour
60gms butter
1 tblspn of garlic steak seasoning
1 teaspoon of keens curry powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper


preheat oven to 200 degrees

using a largish saucepan melt butter on medium heat on the stove, add cornflour, garlic steak seasoning, curry powder, salt & pepper & stir to smooth paste
add a little milk at first to make disolve paste then gradually add the rest
stir till it thickens, add the veges & chicken stir for around a minute
add nutmeg and stir again to mix through
add cheese and mix through till cheese has melted.

The mixture should be very thick and cluggy (dry)

Set aside to cool while preparing pastry.

cut all sheets into quarters then cut a slit each side
line each cup cake insert with pastry, using the slits to fold the pastry around the round sides
fill each with 2 tablespoons of mixture
fold over the pastry points

heat in oven for 15 minutes
enjoy!
nom nom nom

WAHM of Note - Emma Cook of 'Wired to the Moon'

This is a guest post from Emma Cook, founder of the wonderfully named photography business 'Wired to the Moon'
Emma, a newbie flying soloist, has a business that allows her to juggle kids & family life, definitely the envy of most WAHM's & GTWM's




 Whilst Emma has turned her passion into a business, like many new solo businesses, she has done so with some learning, discovering, hurdles & triumphs in between the good & the bad days, along the way.
As Emma says, its all very exciting and daunting at the same time.

I've been doing photography as a hobby on and off for around 10 years. And started taking it seriously 3 years ago just after my daughter was born. I am completely self taught, and everything just clicked and I started with just taking LOTS of photos of my kids, and in February I decided that I wanted to take my passion, and start a business. I realised life is too short to be doing something you don't love.

I love taking my camera and creating beautiful images. Portraits are what I love doing, I love capturing those moments when a child is playing and exploring, and just doing what they naturally do.  I steer towards doing natural light and outdoors sessions as I find I capture the persons true essence as they are not posed as such in a studio. I specialise in portraits - children, families, couples and adults. Working in western Sydney and the locations I shoot at are good for people who live closer to the city or north west and also people who live in the Western Suburbs.

I worked in customer service before I had kids, then when I had kids I found I lost myself to being a mum, which I love, but I also needed something for myself, to get my creative juices flowing and photography is the perfect thing for me.

The struggles I have come across is getting my name out there, and getting clients. I learnt very early on that marketing is a huge part of being a photographer, which led me to designing flyer's and business cards, and actually branding my product so that it is a distinctive Wired to the Moon Photography product. 
This includes my site http://www.wiredtothemoonphotography.com>  my flyer's, business cards, CD presentation etc. So I'm proud of how my brand looks, as an artist, how I present my work is very important, and I did it all myself so that has been a triumph in itself!

I guess some unexpected things have been that there is a lot of help out there if you know where to look and who to ask, I was always really apprehensive about contacting other photographers but I have found them to be really friendly and helpful and encouraging which has been lovely.

The thing I recommend about being in business are:

 - Start from the beginning. Figure out what you want your business to be, who your target market are and know your product or service before you start charging for it. Be confident in yourself, and your abilities and as a photographer I know that every photo I take is for my portfolio.

My worst day since being in business is when I've had a challenging session and I come away from it feeling deflated and the best day is when I do have an awesome session and I click with the clients and we have a great time shooting, and the images the come from the session are gorgeous!

I do most shoots on weekends so that dad can have the kids, and I have a lot of late nights of editing so that I get the most out of the day with the kids. But so far I haven't found the work/life balance to be a challenge, and because I love my job, I don't find it hard to balance it!

My clients have found me through word of mouth and my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/wiredtothemoonphotography <http://www.facebook.com/wiredtothemoonphotography> ) and a few through the flyer's.


Emma

Moe Tie- just like a Mei Tai but with a twist of Aussie Simplicity.

When I designed the Moe Tie years ago, it was with my friend Rachel in mind.

Rachel had a serious car accident when # 2 baby was just 3 months old. Having loved the Bubba Moe sling she used for her older daughter Brooke, she couldn't use it because of injuries from the accident, but more than anything else she needed help to carry very large & heavy Declan.


 15 different ideas and prototypes were made till we settled on the current version. Moe Tie, which Rachey aptly named became a god send for her as she recuperated and until Declan had grown out of it at 3 years old. A few of her friends that, ahem, mistakenly bought parachute style carriers came knocking on the door as well, so will forgive them that.

By the time most babies are around 9 months, carrying their weight from the shoulder causes pain, stress and damage to the parent's body, then there's the standard issue hardened plastic cross brace that digs in unforgiveningly. As the designs seemed to have copied each other.
I wonder what some designers were thinking with this approach.
Golden rule! never buy a carrier of any sort that has any hard plastic parts located on the back!! Even if it professes to have "lumbar support".

Upright carriers with a hip band offer far more support but if the sashes are too thin, they will ride up into the waist and dig in further, causing loose flesh to bulge out, usually referred to as muffin top, and not offering any support at all if anything increase the downdrag even further.
A well balanced and and correctly curved sash will stay put and help support the lower back, where it is needed the most.

Most mums end up with lower back problems because of the constant over emphasis of placing baby on the hip. For Rachey, the hip sash supporting the lower back was such a comfort she sometimes wore her Moe Tie even without Declan in it.
This is why the Moe Tie is popular in its own right without marketing, without support. A lot of parents who find themselves with an out grown parachute carrier, but not an outgrown baby often buy the Moe Tie. Frugal parents that purchased a sling in the first place, won't have this problem, because the sling is a great hip carrier and piggyback carrier.
There is also the trend amongst parents to have more than one type of carrier to suit the need or occasion, which I think is quite intelligent. Why be bored?
Having a few different types of carriers, increases the longevity of baby wearing which is a bonus to everyone.
Also when siblings arrive close together, the Moe Tie for the oldest & the sling for the youngest with both parents carrying on a trip out is so sweet to see.
In Japan, sales of the Moe Tie outstrip any other carrier over there, even our slings. Keiko, our Japanese distributor, self sourced and engineered the packaging specifically for her Japanese clients. Really she is all too blame why we never seem to have enough time to work on finishing the marketing of the product here in Australia.
I have been charged with neglect over this fabulous product according to our retailer's when they ask "Is it ready yet".

18 months ago after going through so many various new packaging designs, we finally settled on one. After 3 long months of waiting for 10,000 units of packaging to arrive, the sizing was all wrong. Talking about lost in translation literally. I threw my hands up in despair and went 'mweh'.  I'll get around to it when the next Epiphany strikes.

OK! 2 months ago I decided it was time to 'reinvent' the Moe Tie, still gearing for 3 months of age and upwards (the correct physical age for upright carry). Being a very big supporter of WAHM/D's (no bias on some fab dads) I found the fabulous Bec Marr from Ruby Ruby designs  who we have commissioned, is working earnestly on all things marketing and packaging for the Moe Tie and another fantastic product that we cant mention as of yet....but soon.
I and the Crew as I call my staff are very excited and the staff think its about time that this brilliant carrier had it's time to shine. I've been busy working on some real design improvements and about to source a control group of local mums to get the final product on the shelves everywhere!.


There are still some original Moe Ties left at a great price, down $30 from original price, yet if you type in Moove the Moe in the promo code section at the checkout you will get an extra 15% on top.
 The new ones will be much more expensive than the original but still a very compatible price in comparison to others on the market, yet remarkably better when it comes to comfort and ease......

Bullies & Gangs not to be invited on a night out

Adult bullying – thuggery at its worst

I’m a Thrifty Thursday kind of gal, so out comes the slow cooker to ease my pain. Thursday afternoons like any other parent on the planet, is an afternoon carting kids to various after school activities, so the slow cooker rules supreme. The very best of fast food.

Yesterday it was Chicken Noodle Soup, a dish I can actually cook without epic fail or mass voluntary eviction of my homes’ other occupants- the hubby, the kids and the guard cat.

Racing inside the cold dark home before anyone else arrives from work or uni,  The Troll,  Little Miss Mischief and I were greeted by the wonderful aroma of the soup. A deep breath in, I start every mother’s daily rite of passage- extracting the obnoxious bra from one’s body!

The kids never fail to complain at this process as the boobs fall from their support a few feet southbound and with the quick ripping off the jeans to replace them with my flanney pants, my transformation into ‘comfort mum’ is complete. These pants are so comfortable, so well worn, that they have become embarrassingly ‘holy’. I find my two other trusty apparel friends, Ugg Boots and the dressing gown, wrapping that around me just as the others start to filter in from their day.

“YUM” as they breathe in the mouth watering aroma. Zip has a crusty cob loaf with her and we just cant wait to dig in.

Yep, life is incredibly normal in our daggy household.

There are always people dropping in, usually the kids friends, who are completely comfortable with seeing me in complete comfy dag state because their mums are the same.

2 mouthfuls in and a chomp on the delicious bread, conversation is flowing and Zip is just about to tell us her ‘great news’, there’s a strong knock at the door. Zip was expecting Jade to pop in, but she’s more of a little tap and ‘hello’ as she walks right on in. Quick glances around to each other and no one is volunteering to leave their dinner unattended. “OK I’ll go” as expected. Saunter away towards the front door, I almost do my dramatic pull open door and bellow with arms outstretched ‘HELLO THERE BABY”, but I have been caught out lately, scaring the bejesus out of the poor unsuspecting person on the other side of the door.

Really glad I didn’t do that this time either; it would’ve have looked bad.

2 rather tall imposing policemen are standing there looking very official and I am suddenly very conscious of my attire.

They want to speak to #2 son and for once I am grateful that the office is the first room in the house. I am very grateful that I actually cleaned the office thoroughly on the previous wet long weekend; it was looking good.

September last year, the very first of my son’s friends is getting married. Like all males the bachelor’s party is something the blokes look forward to. Thursday before the wedding they all went into the city for the big pub-crawl. My son staggered in at 4am the following morning, past the office straight to his room. I thought he was staggering because of the alcohol consumption as I hear the taxi pull away from the house.

Few hours later, he emerged from his room with a blackened swollen face and suspected broken ribs. Apparently the groom and some of the others had fared worse; the night had become more than just a good time for celebration but a near death battle.

#2 son told me that they were waiting outside a nightclub, where a young couple were leaving. The man was quite drunk so his girlfriend had him sit in the gutter as she hailed a taxi.

Along came a gang of youths, out for the night also. What happened next shocked everyone. One of the thugs took a full kick swing at the seated drunk, as if his head was a football. Then the others started kicking  & punching the now unconscious body of the boyfriend.

“Everyone froze, it was supernatural, a twilight moment” My son explained. When the poor girlfriend tried to help, the thugs turned on her without any mercy. My son, his friends and others tried to intervene and protect the girl, an all out brawl ensued. While the fray was happening another bystander called 000, as the boyfriend lay convulsing on the ground.

Arrests were made as the police turned up and several ambulances ferried the injured to hospitals in different directions.

2 days later the makeup artist spends more time on the groom and his entourage than on the bride and her bridesmaids. The photographer has her work cut out post wedding as she uses all available Photoshop skills to erase any evidence of the many war wounds. Stiff and sore they all try and enjoy the wedding that was 18 long months in the planning.

Its now June, and the legal process of that night is now in full swing. The officer’s are in the process of building the case naturally. After half an hour they ask my son to come into the station to make a formal statement, as the other members of the party will be doing as well. We oblige naturally.

I drive as my son sits quietly in the passenger seat. His father is waiting at the station already as we arrive; some of the others are there with the support of girlfriends and parents. All of them are immediately placed under arrest, which sends a wave of panic amongst us. None of us have ever been involved in any incidence like this before; we are unaware of the protocols & procedures.

An officer with extremely good communication skills quickly explains with empathy why the boys are being arrested. They are all herded into separate interview rooms with family allowed to sit with them.

In the course of the next 2 and half hours, we hear the full story of that night. Where the boys come into the picture was at the tail end of a 5-hour rampage of terror by 5 youths aged from 17 to 24 on a bender fuelled by alcohol and drugs.

The boyfriend had proposed to his girlfriend that night. He has permanent head injuries and is still residing in rehab, his girlfriend had to have a plate put in her head and is suffering from a severe case of post traumatic stress syndrome. The newly engaged couple were fresh out of university and embarking on promising careers.  Not any longer.

None of the injured knew their assailants. The couple were only 2 of 5 very seriously injured people from that night.

 Most of the thugs had already notched up prior convictions. One of them a mere 18 yr-old, had already 22 prior charges and the mind boggles how these children were raised.  Having the mindset to randomly attack another human being with such ferocious force just because they sat in their path is beyond comprehension, beyond any form of normality.

3 hours earlier my family was living a completely normal life, as it should be. I thought of the young couple whose lives have now changed from their original plans through no fault or design of their own. No amount of ‘bully-proofing’ could have repaired or even change that couples fate. I thought of their parents, family & friends, whose relationships and own lifestyles have changed, caring & attending to a loved but damaged young person.

If it had been my own child I would have wanted to kill.

This is the sad part, the fatality, the destruction caused at the hands of violent bullying.

 “It takes a couple to make a child, but the whole village to raise a child” as the saying often goes, has left me with the question; have these children, damaged goods themselves, ever had love or empathy in their lives at all?  Where were their ‘village’ if not their parents to give them at least that? A few precious lives might have been allowed the right to live a full and happy life

 “Love the whole world and the whole world will love you”

Good Sleeping Habits starts by not being conned by controlled crying.

On any night, anywhere around the world, you're guaranteed to find an adult grappling with insomnia. Find a Doctor, a  Chemist, a herbalist, a naturopath and you'll also find a patient desperately seeking sleep.
Each will ask the same uniform question, "Are you stressed? anxious? are there worries and concerns that need to be addressed?"or the likes there of.
A person doesn't even need to be the brightest candle on the chandelier to know that a troubled anxious mind scares away sleep, that a mind needs to be calm & relaxed to have healthy sleep.



So why the heck would anyone think letting a baby scream itself into exhaustion is a good thing?
If it doesn't work for the adults, how the hell will it work for babies.......

Oh! the celebrity 'baby whisperer' said so and she has sold millions of books, appeared on Oprah, GMA and such other programs. But doesn't the fact that she, has never had a baby herself or has even been in charge of a baby overnight, worry anyone just a little bit?

In all truth be told I can get your baby off to sleep within 5 minutes flat, if sleep is what your babe needs. I use a sling but you can do that too.
A sling is a great tool for effective sleep settling in a far more gentle, emotionally rich manner, but a parent needs to know why a baby cries first.
It sounds a bit absurd needing to know why a baby cries, but people that use the controlled crying technique, really don't know why a baby cries or they wouldn't use it.

Its all about language and communication.

Adults have the advantage of many things, a vocabulary.
Talking through their problems, seeking advice, reading, yoga, meditation, counselor etc. Babies just don't have that luxury, but they do have the best thing possible; their parents, parent or carer.
Babies don't have an established vocabulary so they need to use what they do have, a voice.

Since Newbie parents enter the world of deciphering baby without an instruction manual, they will have to quickly learn a new skill set and take on the role of artful detective. The job could be a lot simpler if they understand what they use their own voice for - to communicate. Uncannily so does a baby.

Babies cry for many reasons, they are always bonafide, because they haven't learned to lie yet. If we could put words to what babies are trying to tell their parents through their cries, they might sound like
1) I am hungry.......feed me
2) I am wet............change me
3) I am cold..........warm me up please
4) I am hot...........take a few layers off
5) nappy wedgie.......quick, its riding up my Khyber pass, please its annoying, irritable
6) Clothing tags are irritating my skin........ouch ouch ouch, its a stinging itchy pain that I cant reach, please take it off
7) I have a wind bubble in my stomach and its so painful but I am flat on my back, you left the room, please pick me up, it hurts, it hurts, pain pain, please come back
8) I have a nose full of bogeys please take them out......please its irritating,
9) my jumpsuit is pinching my toes
10) the elastic around my ankles, waist is digging in
11) Lynx might attract fallen angels dad, but it gives me a headache, I don't like headaches! it hurts my head.
12) Hey don't leave me here by myself, I thought we were just having a good time, snuggled up against you felt really great.
13) hello, hello is anyone there? anyone, anyone at all? someone talk to me, I'm all alone in the world.......
14) I don't feel so good...
15) my ear is really sore. I don't feel so good.
16) My botty is stingy sore
17) I'm lonely, I feel that you aren't around
18) I just slept! you want me to sleep again...... oh come on, I just got here, I'd like to have a look around.
19) Its too quiet here.
20) there's just too much noise around here
21) I want my bath, my nice warm bath

You can add your own reasons, I'm sure there's plenty that I have left out.

When a baby cries they are trying to tell you something, they are not being nasty, vindictive or naughty. They are communicating with you that something is wrong.
Basically a tired happy baby will go to sleep, just not necessarily the time you want them to sleep. The younger the baby is, the more hours of the day the baby sleeps, as they get older it diminishes naturally.

The fact that baby is communicating with you is one thing, but what sort of message do you create when you leave your baby to 'cry it out'. The message is "I am not going to solve your problems, you're on your own here baby. I am not listening, you cant rely on me, I am not here for you".

Eventually the baby starts to figure this out and the first chink in the chain starts to appear. Specialists with years of research have proven that this is how relationships between child & parent break down as early as preschool years, with toddlers becoming unruly and unmanageable or ending with teenagers going on 'benders' becoming authority deviant. When a parent attends to their infants needs the relationship becomes far more stronger with less behavioural problems especially in the teenage years.

There is also the devastating nasty side of SIDS. With some deaths directly attributed to the controlled crying strategy. Babies that get overworked and overstressed by intense crying, tend to vomit. Vomiting is a concern with babies lying on their backs which has become the trend over the last few years instead of on the side.
A friend of mine lost her 8 week old son this way.

Sleep is important not only for baby put for parents too. A safe and sensible approach does take more time & discipline, and far more sacrifice, but the benefits will last a lifetime.

When it comes to helping a baby settle into sleep, one great asset is using a proper baby carrier such as a sling, as they have a sleep inducing reclining position will help with sleep or night settling.
Unfortunately any upright or parachute style carriers are not recommended for good sleep practices because of the absence of this position, actually most specialists recommend that parents not allow their baby to sleep at all in any of these types of carriers due to the lack of support. These carriers are only good for wake time.

A baby can be laid down to sleep within the sling, as the parents 'smell' has bonded on the fabric, giving baby the security to stay asleep longer. Though it is not recommended using ring slings for this purpose as there is far too much fabric around baby, and babies fingers can get entangled in the rings, so a closed end sling like the Bubba Moe is a much safer option as they are lighter and have less fabric.