Country Living in Southern Africa

I have an unstoppable desire to be part of an adventure. When I am done with one, or even while I am busy, I already start thinking of where I can go or what to do next.

While I was pregnant, I would still try to do daily hikes on the farm. Also, because I felt my life is one big dirt road, I did not think much of going camping in the Kgalagadi while 5 months pregnant.

 

 

 

During that time, I told my husband that I needed to invest in a good carrier, even if it’s the only thing I buy. My reasoning was, so that I could go on with my work or whatever I do on the days that my baby just want to be held. (Now I know that babies never want to be put down.) After doing some research, I fell in love with the Ubuntu and I purchased my Stage 1.

Little did I know what a big difference it would make. Life always has its surprises. As much I wanted to have a natural birth, life threw me a curve ball and I had to have a c-section. Bumpy dirt roads are not ideal for a c-section wound, so I was pretty much home bound for my first few weeks after the birth of my daughter. A stroller or a pram on rocky roads is also not ideal. The wheels constantly get stuck on stones and bumps. I did a few walks around the house, but couldn’t go too far away.

I tried on my Ubuntu a few days after her birth and it was surprisingly comfortable around my wound. With a little baby like that the carrier also goes a bit higher, so it did not bother at all. When she was two weeks old, I braved my first walk on the farm.

 

 

 

Obviously we took it slow as to avoid injury, but it was so lovely to get out in fresh air and nature. And she was so relaxed. It was the start of many adventures together. At first she was sleeping most of the time, feeling safe, while her mommy was adventuring. She doesn’t even know I saw a hippo in the dam on our first walk together and that I posed with giraffe When she was a bit older I also started going on game drives with her. The Ubuntu works so well with game drives. She is snugly worn against my body and the hood tucked over her head to protect against wind and cold. She is safe and I have my hands free for a pair of binoculars or a camera.

 

 

 

When she was around 8 months old, we did our first proper trip, a holiday in Plettenberg bay. Just before the trip I bought my stage 2 Ubuntu. I could have waited a little longer, but the specific colour was a limited edition. What can I say; I am a girl after all. I couldn’t resist the colour and I knew I was going to buy stage 2, so I just did it a little earlier. Stage 2 opened a whole new world to me. Now I could carry her on my back as well. This meant that in Plett, I could actually do some boating and fishing. She was awake on the boat at times, and when she was asleep I had my husband tuck the hood over her face, so she was protected from the sun.

 

 

 

I now take a few hikes a week with her, sometimes carrying her up to two hours and it stays comfortable. She is obviously growing up fast and wants to walk by herself more and more. For now, when that happens the carrier is comfortably strapped around my waste and when she gets tired or the thorns are bothering her, I simply pick her up. Her more frequent walking brings a new era of motherhood for me, but for now I am enjoying every second of our Ubuntu walks, so close together.