The Power of Story
I am a really, really big NPR geek. It started when I was a stay-at-home Momma after the birth of my first baby. My girl never slept during the day through that whole 4th Trimester – unless I was holding her. (This was sixteen a LONG time ago! Long before the ubiquitous smartphones and Netflix […]
How Pregnancy & Birth Transformed Me
It’s not a new idea: Pregnancy and birth are powerful, transformative experiences. But I believe this power to transform happens every single time you’re preparing to become a parent, whether it’s your first time or your fifth! Each of my pregnancies and births taught me and transformed me anew. The focus is usually on how […]
How Can a Haircut Make Such a Difference?!
I took my very soon-to-be 16-year-old son to the local hair salon this week to get his first real haircut. Well, not his very first real haircut. For the past eight years or so, I’ve been giving him a buzz cut in our bathroom as he sits in the tub. Why? Let me be clear, […]
I CAN’T Do It All! (And I’m OK With That)
I’m having a conversation online about how feminism might have screwed us. But before everyone gets all worked up, let me plead my case. We’re supposed to be able to “do it all” but too many of us (all of us?) are finding that it’s impossible to live up to that ideal in our mothering, […]
Hopelessly Devoted to You…
de·vot·ed /dəˈvōdəd/ adjective adjective: devoted 1. very loving or loyal. “he was a devoted husband” synonyms: loyal, faithful, true, staunch, steadfast, constant, committed, dedicated, devout; fond, loving, affectionate, caring, admiring “a devoted follower of the writer” 2. given over to the display, study, or discussion of. “there is a museum devoted to her work” I […]
The Eyes Have It
There’s an article that I just read from the BBC about a project called “One Day Young” from London photographer, Jenny Lewis, who for the past seven years has been capturing a stolen moment in time in the lives of new mother/baby pairs within 24 hours of birth. I encourage you to look at all […]
Boys (And Some Girls?) Don’t Cry
My six-year old son stood in front of me with tears streaming down his face and his lips in a full downward pout – so different from his usual dimpled, teeth-just-coming-in, goofy grin. He was crying because he’s feeling anxious about starting up swim lessons again. In January. I knelt down to make eye contact […]
“I’m getting so fat!”
I had two class series that began this past week. Night one, we discussed anatomy and terms using a set of slides that show the changes that occur in a woman’s body from before she was pregnant to just about to pop – 37-39 weeks along. My goal is to have these Mommas walk out […]
Bridge-Building Activism – Is That a Thing?
Sometimes I wonder where my place is in the world of birth. There are so many people who have come before and paved the way for where we are today. Some would argue we have so much farther to go, and they’re right. There are a lot of people who work in my field who […]