Tag Archives: Babies

What I Learned From My Postpartum Meltdown

Pregnancy And You

Courtesy of Nina Turcsanyi This photo was taken on a Tuesday morning, ten minutes after my husband left me at home with our new baby to go back to work (taken after I dried my tears and wiped my snot-covered face). I didn’t prepare myself for that seemingly insignificant moment— always focusing on my impending return to work. But now here I was in a quiet house just me, my baby, and the revelation that I had zero idea what I was doing. The few days he was […]

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Pressuring New Moms To Breastfeed Is A Dangerous Practice––From A Certified Lactation Counselor

Pregnancy And You

Fanny Renaud/Unsplash I’m a lactation counselor. And while some people might have a heart-touching story about what landed them in the career they’re in, my story is different. I decided to help moms breastfeed after my horrendous experience trying to breastfeed my own daughter. And the cornerstone of the advice I give moms is support: no matter what their decisions are about feeding their baby. I’d done all the research about childbirth that I could. I attended classes, devoured books, and talked to professionals. I knew exactly […]

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When Choosing A Newborn Photographer, There’s More To Consider Than Artistic Ability

Pregnancy And You

Nicole De Khors/Burst Newborn photography has become somewhat of a parenthood staple in America. I mean, is there anything quite as wholesome as a photo of your fresh squeeze all curled up, swaddled like baby Jesus in a muslin cloth, while showing off their best gummy grins to the camera? It. Is. Bliss. And what makes it even more adorable and memorable is when you’re able to get those shots during that perfect window of time at five to 14 days following birth — that week-and-a-half “sweet […]

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As A NICU Parent, Sometimes You ‘Forget To Breathe’

Pregnancy And You

ER Productions Limited/Getty As a new parent, you are filled with hopes, dreams, and excitement.  You don’t know what to expect, but, ultimately, you figure it will all work out.  Then, sometimes, the rug is pulled out from underneath you and all of your hopes, dreams, and excitement come crashing down. This is what happened to me at 25 weeks pregnant when I went into labor. Two weeks later, I had my twins via C-section. When a child is born significantly premature, as a parent you are […]

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A Fellow Mom Showed Me Love, And I Carry That With Me To This Day

Pregnancy And You

Scary Mommy and Westend61/Getty I’ll never forget the mom who saw me struggling with my one-year-old at the library over a decade ago, when I was an exhausted, stressed out new mom. My son had just learned how to walk, and he was taking full advantage, waddling around, pressing buttons on the computer, sticking his finger in the electronic book drop, and somehow repeatedly setting off an alarm at the entryway of the library. Every time I would walk past this other mom, sitting calmly at a […]

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My Twins Were Born At 27 Weeks

Pregnancy And You

Courtesy of Jennifer Canvasser Trigger warning: child loss Despite my healthy pregnancy and doing everything “right,” my twins were born at 27 weeks gestation, about 90 days before their due date. I didn’t even make it into the third trimester. Like most parents of preemies, I was completely unprepared for our new life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). My babies were delivered via emergency C-section and whisked away to fight for their lives. I didn’t get to see them until several hours after they were […]

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There’s A Biological Reason Babies Do The ‘Breast Crawl’

Pregnancy And You

Scary Mommy and Shopify Partners/Burst If you’ve been lucky enough to witness it, watching a newborn crawl up to the breast and latch on is one of the most amazing things you’ll ever see. It’s a phenomenon called “the breast crawl” and most healthy babies are able to do it without any help at all. A mom just places their newborn on their belly or chest, waits patiently, and eventually the baby scoots and shimmies up to the breast and is able to latch on, all by […]

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I Thought I Had Pre-Baby Jitters, But It Was Pre-Natal Depression

Pregnancy And You

Courtesy of Wendy Wisner You’re not supposed to feel like you’re grieving when you’re pregnant. Your pregnancy is not supposed to make you feel anxious and paranoid. What kind of person wants more than anything to get pregnant — and then, once it happens, they feel nothing but resentment and fear? I was that person. And those were the sorts of thoughts and questions that spread like wildfire through my mind when I found myself pregnant with my second child. I hadn’t experienced anything of the sort […]

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My Advice On Breastfeeding While On The Keto Diet (As An IBCLC)

Pregnancy And You

Scary Mommy, Unsplash, Pixabay and FreeImages The keto diet has been all the rage for a few years now, and that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. If you aren’t familiar with it, the keto diet is basically low-carb dieting to the extreme. It’s a diet based mostly on protein and fats, with very little allowed carbs. It’s not just bread that’s out, though. According to Healthline, you’re pretty much not allowed any fruits besides berries, and all starchy vegetables are no-no’s, including sweet potatoes and beets. […]

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Advice For New Dads, From A Dad Who’s Been There

Pregnancy And You

Scary Mommy and Zach Vessels/Unsplash My wife and I recently invited a younger couple over for dinner. They were both in the mid-20s with a new baby. And yes, I am aware that I just wrote “younger couple” which makes me sounds incredibly old. I’m not all that old, mind you. I’m 37, but I have been married from 15 years, and I have three children ranging from 5 to 12. In that time, I have learned a few things. That’s the funny part of being a […]

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