Szandi Kalmár

I remember when my daughter was about 6 months old and I picked up Liedloff's book, The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost. I immediately felt that this was probably the only book worth reading about parenting a baby. Right away, I wrapped Lili onto myself in the baby wrap that had been tucked away deep in the closet. Suddenly, all my doubts about whether I could wrap her into that piece of fabric properly just vanished. And that's how it all began... From then on, there were no questions—or at least not as many, and not as painful. Because I could listen to my heart and my intuition. Still, the people around me managed to make me second-guess myself from time to time, saying it wasn't good that the baby was constantly "hanging" on me, and asking what kind of experiment I was running by raising her like that. But then, when I started studying the topic more formally—sleep, breastfeeding, babywearing—all doubts disappeared for good, and I could face the storms with confidence. Ever since, this is the confidence I strive to pass on to the mothers who turn to me. My kids are already 11.5 and 16 years old, but even now I look back with great nostalgia on those first years, which I could have taken in stride much more easily with more information and support.