One thing that I want for expectant mothers is for it to be Okay for us to talk about our full range of emotions around pregnancy – the good, the bad, and the everything in between. I want it to be okay for a woman to say that she’s not excited about the baby growing in her tummy right now, even if she’s married, has a big house, and has all circumstances that “seem” ideal for a baby to come into the picture. Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for Transforming the conversation
Having Conversations that We Have No Practice Having
Pregnancy is such a personal experience. The thoughts and emotions are different for everyone. It’s a common phenomenon that is experienced differently by each individual. We don’t know how to relate to it.
For example, a woman being less than enthusiastic about her pregnancy is a conversation that is not easy for many of us. We don’t have practice with it. Read the rest of this entry »
Making Dad a Partner in Pregnancy
I recently interviewed Stacey for the book and I was really inspired by how she created her husband as a co-parent from the very beginning – not after the baby was born, but from conception. He was a true partner during the pregnancy. I marveled at how clear she was that she needed to make sure they were a team. She said that she had to reach out in ways that were – at times – not natural. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t Judge Me From This Snapshot!
The other night my husband was walking with my 2-year-old daughter to the local playground. As they walked, they passed 2 ladies with 2 big dogs. Our daughter, as the big dogs got closer, got nervous. She started making little whimpering noises and raised her arms up to indicate to Dad that she wanted to be picked up. My husband scooped her up and together they said hello to the dogs. As they walked on toward the playground, my husband hears one of the ladies loudly talking about how he is raising his daughter wrong and that he is teaching her to be afraid of dogs. It infuriated him. Read the rest of this entry »
How to Raise a Happy Child
Babycenter.com recently released an article about How to Raise a Happy Child. This article is centered on 2 to 4 year olds. My favorite “how tos” shared in the article include: let them struggle with problems, check in with your child, and be a role model. I think these not only relate to raising 2 to 4 year olds, but also to the healthy development of babies in the womb. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t forget about Dad!
Sunday was Father’s Day. The fathers in my life do a great job of appreciating their immediate and extended families. So much so, that the day – as I reflect back on it now – felt like more of a celebration of family than a tribute to the Dads. Read the rest of this entry »
When you really don’t want what you want…
I’m done breastfeeding my son and I’m sad about it. I want to still be breastfeeding. I want to have my nuzzle time with him. I want to know that I’m feeding him nutrition-packed breast milk. I want to take bottles to daycare with red labels (breast milk) instead of white labels (formula). I want to say that I breastfed my son for a year. I want to be done breastfeeding. I want to pack away that pump. I want to stop washing the funnels and storage bottles. I want all of this. So, how do I know what to do? How do I do what I want to do? Read the rest of this entry »
