Recently, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gyneacologists updated its guidelines for pregnant women and alcohol, stating that abstinence is the only way to ensure that a baby is not harmed. Previously the group had claimed that a couple glasses of wine a week was acceptable. In the U.S., health experts claim that there is no safe time to drink … Read More
What I Wish I Knew Before I Had Kids
Ignorance is bliss. There is no way you can possibly know or accurately anticipate what motherhood (or fatherhood) is going to be like until you experience it. If you knew too much, you might decide, uh, maybe not. Parenting is a mixed bag of wondrous, memorable experiences sprinkled with a lot of grief and heartaches you would prefer to avoid … Read More
Should We Have Another Baby?
With two small children happily thriving in our house, my husband and I face a dilemma many couples wrestle with when they reach this point in their lives: should we have another baby? The problem with this question is that our answer seems to change daily, sometimes hourly. When you’ve got the two kids, a boy and girl, everyone kind … Read More
Increasing Your Milk Supply
If you are nursing your little one, let me first give you spirit fingers and high kicks. Nursing your child is no joke – it can be mentally and physically exhausting. For me, it was the most vulnerable and empowering thing I have ever done. My son and I nursed for 14 months, and I wouldn’t trade in the tears … Read More
Picking A Baby Name
When I look at my two children, I couldn’t imagine naming them anything other than their current given names. These names so obviously fit their personalities, and no other name could possibly work for either of them. Looking back, I can’t believe we spent so long debating names… But oh did we debate names… When it comes to picking baby … Read More
Pregnancy and Varicose Veins
My mother was 24 when she gave birth to this writer. I was her second child. For whatever reason, mom developed permanent and unsightly varicose veins in her legs during her second pregnancy and it wasn’t due to her age, obviously, or too much weight gain (she only weighed 119 pounds when she had me.) Those veins pestered her the … Read More
Do You Need A Birth Plan?
As expecting mothers begin to prepare for the big delivery day, the concept of a birth plan will inevitably come up. What is a birth plan? Do you need one? What is it supposed to include? Personally, I had given absolutely no thought to a birth plan when I was pregnant with my first child. I didn’t even know what … Read More
Taming Morning Sickness
While my bout with morning sickness was not as severe as others I have heard about, it was not something that I look back fondly on. My morning sickness left me with only 3 hours a day when I could eat without nausea. From 2pm-5pm, I was able to eat almost anything that I wanted, and get nutrition to my … Read More
Dealing With Weight Gain During Pregnancy
Like most women, I’m not a fan of packing on the pounds. When we become pregnant, especially the first time, this blissful feeling can wash over that makes us happy to know we don’t have to diet for the next 9 months. Husbands might even be happier too…seeing as a lot of times they have to suffer in our healthy … Read More
Egg Freezing: Is It Right For Me?
As we’ve all seen in the last several decades, women’s roles in society—including in the home, the workplace, the classroom and the family—have been changing, evolving really. Every other day, there is an announcement about a new breakthrough—or a new setback—for women’s choices and what that breakthrough or setback will mean for women and their loved ones. One of them … Read More