When my second child’s colic nearly destroyed me, I needed time to recover before considering the third baby we had always planned on. I knew I couldn’t survive another experience like that. Technically yes, I did survive my baby’s colic and I could survive colic again. But it changed me. It broke me and I am not quite the same person after.
Thank You to My Mom Friends
In the years since becoming a mom, my mom friends have been my life jacket when I could barely stay afloat. Of course, I love all my friends, parents or not. But I am particularly grateful for mom friends in these early years of motherhood, as we are in the trenches together. They get how […]
A Healthy Baby is Not “ALL” That Matters
“All that matters is a healthy baby.” Can we PLEASE stop saying that?! Of course, when a woman is having a baby, a healthy baby is THE most important thing! But it is not the ONLY important thing. It is not “ALL” that matters! I am in no way diminishing the importance of the baby being […]
A Protective Love (Mother’s Day Thoughts)
Motherhood… I read this quote by Bunmi Laditan last year, and it really hit home: How To Be A Mom in 2017: Make sure your children’s academic, emotional, psychological, mental, spiritual, physical, nutritional, and social needs are met while being careful not to overstimulate, understimulate, improperly medicate, helicopter, or neglect them in a screen-free, processed […]
Baby-Led Weaning is a Lazy Parent’s Dream
I have to admit, it was laziness that initially motivated me to explore Baby-Led Weaning (aka: Baby-Led Eating). But this lazy-parent method of introducing solids is also thought to be more beneficial to the child. Everyone wins! What is Baby-Led Weaning? The term Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) was coined in the UK where “weaning” refers to […]
Everything I Said I’d Never Do as a Parent…
There is a saying, “I was the perfect parent until I had kids.” Boy, that is true! When pregnant with our first, my husband and I would often go through the things we observed other parents doing that we would NEVER do. Many of these still stuck when we only had one kid, but kid […]
8 Things I Learned After a Second Baby
1. Basic math does not apply. Two kids are more than twice as difficult as one… 1+1 >2. Forgive me for this, but I’m going to quote Kim Kardashian. I can’t say I often relate to Kim, but I related to one thing she said after she had her second child: “My mom would always say, about […]
Postpartum Depression: A Hidden Cost of Colic
Women with colicky babies are more than twice as likely to have postpartum depression – at least that’s what a doctor told me. While some women may survive months of arduous colic with their spirits intact, excessive crying can certainly trigger depression. According to Science Daily, having a colicky baby is linked to an increase in […]
Stupid Shit People Said When My Baby Had Colic
Colic is a form of psychological torture. The first five+ months of my son’s life really were the worst of mine. My little baby who was a part of me in every way was miserable and there was not a thing I could do about it. Every day was filled with hours and hours of blood-curdling screaming no matter […]
Colic Nearly Destroyed Me
Two weeks and six days. That is how much time we had with our newborn son before the “colic”. It was a Monday afternoon, twenty days after my son was born when the inconsolable screaming began. Pediatricians generally diagnose colic when a baby’s crying happens in at least three-hour stretches, at least three days a […]
Baby Registry Tips
Baby Registry Tips From a Second Time Mom Register at one online store and one brick-and-mortar store. If you are finding out the sex, consider waiting until after your shower. Don’t register for too many blankets or towels. Test out some products before adding them to your registry. Don’t register for too many of any […]
Breastfeeding: Lessons Learned
We hear a lot about how wonderful breastfeeding is, the health benefits, and the bonding. We imagine (well, at least I imagined), this easy and smooth experience. I pictured my baby naturally latching onto my breast and continuing to do so for about a year. But most people face some struggles in the early days: […]