Trending toward crunchy.

I make myself laugh every time I think about this, but I believe I am turning crunchy.  It's a term loosely used to describe what can be considered an alternative way of living, but to me it's back to the basics and uncommon sense.  Urban Dictionary has a few different definitions of crunchy.

I admit, I am all of the following; a rule-follower, a happy employee of corporate America, a sorority girl, a Ford owner, a New Balance wearer, a purchaser of items located on the end of a grocery store aisle, and a perpetual user of Crest white strips (your smile is your nonverbal hello).

However non-crunchy I think all of that stuff makes me, when it comes to my future children and my food, I am becoming increasingly crunchy.  In regard to food, I believe home-grown, local, organic, and raw food is far more delicious and better for me than genetically modified freaky mutant plants that can keep for years.  I'm obsessed with Whole Foods even though my budget prefers that I stay away from that store.  I look at labels more often for whether or not a food has chemicals in it, rather than the carbohydrate content.  But what I'm the crunchiest about are my ideas about babies/children.  I want a doula to aid in my pregnancy and birth experience.  I want a vaginal birth, preferably without drugs, and I would strongly consider going to a birthing center or even having a home birth or water birth.  I'd love to have the ability to push out a baby and plop him/her right onto my belly for some skin to skin bonding and first feeding right away.  I will breastfeed to the best of my ability and for as long as possible.  I really want to use cloth diapers and I'm sure I'll co-sleep at least for a while.  And that's just for the first few years, I can't even begin to think about what to do past babyhood.  I'm not planning on having my own babies for a while, but I'm surrounded by them and I keep reading about all of these theories and real-life situations and I've decided on what I'd like to do when I am blessed with kids. 

A few disclaimers: I fully support and believe in every woman's right to choose how to birth and feed and raise their own child.  And I will fight for what I believe is right for my family when that time comes.  I also understand that complications arise, and I would never put my own wishes above the health of my child (even though I might push the envelope a bit).

The biggest reason I'm leaning toward being a crunchy mom is because of my own mommy.  I remember her stories about the amazing bond she felt with my sister and I when she breastfed.  I am still in awe that my mom was able to have two vaginal births with a relatively easy labor, and I hope I'm as lucky.  I just know that my body was made for this, that it's perfect in this miraculous process, and that it has what it takes to create and provide for another lil human being. 

Who knows what crunchy idea I'll adopt next...