Every now and then, I like to reflect on what life was like before a global pandemic.  I remember the regularity of my schedule:  In the mornings I’d wake up early, drop my two-year-old son off at daycare, and head to work. At my job, I was in the company of my colleagues as we trivialized over literature, writing techniques,

Every parent has heard the debate: Do you allow screen time? How many hours per day do you allow? How can we cut down on screens and set appropriate limits? But you might not have ever considered that this conversation shouldn’t just apply to your kids – but to yourself too! When it comes to technology, how much is too

We were making a cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday. My 2 and 4 year old sons were on step stools taking turns arguing over measuring ingredients and the baby was strapped to my chest sleeping through our chaotic attempt at baking. We had just finished mixing the batter and pouring it into a pan, all we had to do was

Having a birth plan is a very popular approach to the birth of your baby, and understandably so. This momentous life event impacts you tremendously, and it also impacts another person – a tiny little one, who is all yours. It makes sense that any mom would want to have a plan in mind when arriving at the hospital or

Trips to the grocery store with children can sometimes seem like the most daunting experience.  The possibilities of something going wrong are endless.  What if someone needs to go to the bathroom?  What if someone is tired?  What if someone has a tantrum?  What if someone becomes defiant in the store and doesn’t want to listen?  I’ve been there and

The first time I remember hearing the term “4th trimester” was three weeks after giving birth to my son. During a postpartum visit, my doula asked how I was doing. Before words could even form, I started to cry. We sat on my couch, my newborn cradled to my chest, and I wept. She put her arm around me, let

It’s easy to assume that breastfeeding is universally accessible to all mothers, but in reality, this sentiment could not be further from the truth. Although breastfeeding rates in America have continued to rise over the past several decades, when we break down the demographics behind this upward trend, we start to spot some startling inequities.  For example, the breastfeeding initiation

All first-time moms have preconceived notions of what breastfeeding will and won’t be like. Maybe you’ve been dreaming your entire pregnancy of intimate moments with your sweet little one. Maybe you work to support your family and plan to pump at work. Maybe breastfeeding freaks you out! All of these ideas of breastfeeding are completely normal, and in a modern

32 weeks pregnant marked a major milestone for me and my husband. It was the first prenatal visit he had been allowed to attend since March 13, the day our county, state, and most places around the country shut down due to COVID-19. Our 32-weeks visit looked a lot different than our visit in March, when I’d only been a

Parenthood is no joke. It becomes real for some moms when they see the little blue cross on their early detection pregnancy test; for others, it starts with the barely noticeable flutters moving inside their growing bump. Regardless of when you become aware of it, one thing is for sure — becoming a mom dramatically changes your life, literally, overnight.