I’m taking an online photo class with Anna Yarrow called the Unveiled Eye. This is the first thing I’ve done for myself — my own creativity not for the household, aside from Zumba class, in . . . oh, I can’t even remember. It’s not easy to set aside time for it, but it’s really … Continue reading
I’d say my profoundest discovery about the postpartum period is this: human evolution has developed us mamas to empathize and identify with our new babies when they need it most. I’m talking about that feeling of rawness and overwhelm, like the world is too big, too bright, too loud. I wrote in the past about … Continue reading
As I mentioned in his birth story, I prepared in a myriad of ways during the months before my son’s birth. This preparation and the week-long build-up helped me cope with his super-fast birth! Having learned from my daughter’s birth, I most wanted to change two things this time: to have a birth team that was empowering rather … Continue reading
Ten weeks ago, I gave birth to my second child, a boy. We are told in so many ways that birth and motherhood should be blissful, perfect, happy, wonderful. Or that birth is going to be a medical emergency and a nightmare. In reality they are both positive and negative all wrapped into one. The … Continue reading
I wrote awhile back (“Part 1”) about some attempts at night-weaning my toddler when she was 22 months old. As the New Year begins, I have the next chapter of the story to tell. Here are my main conclusions up front. In regards to the major milestones of babyhood: 1) When both parent and child … Continue reading
I’d like all new moms to know that right after giving birth is NOT the only time you may feel something like postpartum depression. We lack so much crucial information about the hormonal shifts and big emotional changes in the years after childbirth. There are several times when women may feel bigger, stronger emotional shifts: … Continue reading
Going back to work is probably the ONLY postpartum issue that is actually on our society’s radar. There have been swells of debate recently about working moms, from Anne-Marie Slaughter’s Atlantic cover story to discussions of new Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer’s appointment while pregnant. Everyone has opinions . . . that we need more high-power … Continue reading
The barrage of advice is constant when you are a parent, especially a new one. Why does everyone feel equipped to comment on other people’s parenting, whether they have experience or not? So often well-meaning people seem to repeat what they’ve heard — echoing common tips without knowing the reasons behind them and without realizing … Continue reading
Being a new mom or dad is beautiful, intense, and life-changing. It also can be so very difficult: Often the world around us is not empathetic but can be brutal, judgmental, and overwhelming. It is often said that only people who have been through it can understand this drama of early parenthood. But why? Why … Continue reading
Our culture is full of myths and misconceptions about birth and the postpartum time. It’s time for us to tell real stories of our postpartum experiences, so that future new families can feel less lost and alone, knowing that they are in the company of many wonderful, loving, and strong families. I’d love to hear … Continue reading
Chigüiri-cosas 