The Truth About Breastfeeding, Sleep and Babies

Posted on March 14, 2017
The Truth About Breastfeeding, Sleep and Babies

My brother and I are both new parents. Recently, we had the following exchange:

Brother: How’s sleep going?
Me: Great, actually. She’s sleeping through the night mostly.
Brother: Jump off a bridge.

I didn’t take it personally. Nearly a year after the birth of their first baby, nights were still terrible. You know, the specific kind of hell that only a newborn baby can unleash. You’d be a raging, cranky shell of a human if you never slept more than four consecutive hours for a year.

I’M GRATEFUL THAT MY BABY IS A SLEEPER.

I’m reluctant to say this, but Arlene first slept through the night (aka six hours in a row) at five weeks old. I know. I KNOW! It wasn’t every night, and we’ve had a few sleep regressions. If I were him, I’d tell me to jump of a bridge, too.

But here’s the thing: Even though … Read more

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How to Have a Fun Weekend in Boston

Posted on February 22, 2017
History, good food, cool walking tours and cannoli... what's not to like about Boston? Here's how we spent a fun weekend in Beantown (with a baby in tow!).

I NEVER USED TO SAY NO TO A COOL TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY.

But when my husband asked if I wanted to meet up with him on a work trip to Boston, I hesitated. It meant flying by myself with a 5 month old baby, and then traveling with said baby. How much would that change the dynamic of our trip? Would it be so stressful and exhausting that I’d wish we’d just stayed home?

Ultimately, I decided to go.

I figured Boston would be a great place to travel with a baby. It’s compact, walkable, plus people seem to be really family-oriented based on what I’ve seem of Bostonians in the movies. ALWAYS a good way to judge people and places, right? I mean, Mark Wahlburg is from Boston, and he’s all about “saying hi to your mother for me.”

We ended up having a great time, and are so … Read more

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The 11 Biggest Fears When Flying with a Baby

Posted on January 4, 2017
The 11 Biggest Fears When Flying with a Baby

Just the thought of flying with a baby strikes fear in the hearts of parents.

But when my husband asked if baby Arlene and I wanted to meet up with him during a Boston work trip, I said sure. I can do this! I reasoned that I would’ve gone prior to having a baby, so why let that stop me now?

However, as the trip approached, the panic set in. Here’s every fear that raced through my head prior, followed by how it played out in real life.

* * *

Fear: Getting all the crap from the car into the airport.

I hate lugging my own suitcase. How in the hell am I supposed to carry a suitcase, stroller, carseat, diaper bag and live, tiny human through the airport?

I’d considered curb-side check-in, but lingering outside in 10 degree weather isn’t exactly baby-friendly. Fortunately, my friend Liz offered to … Read more

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What It’s Like to Have Your Placenta Encapsulated

Posted on November 10, 2016
What It's Like to Have Your Placenta Encapsulated.

The idea of eating my placenta grosses me out.

Do you throw it on a grill, like a steak? Maybe slice it thin and use in a stir fry? Steam it? Ew, ew, and definitely ewwww.

And yet, the purported benefits of consuming placenta after birth intrigued me. Allegedly, it increases your energy (definitely a plus), helps with milk production and is said to lessen postpartum depression. Plus, many animals consume their own placentas in the wild, which sounds like a reason why you might want to do it. We are animals, after all.

Then again, tigers are known to eat their young and my dog’s favorite food is rabbit poop. So…

Postpartum depression topped my list of birth fears.

Depression runs in my family (LOL doesn’t it run in everyone’s family?!). The thought of drowning in overwhelm and sadness– all while needing to care for a baby– scared … Read more

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What I Wished I Known Before Having a C-Section

Posted on November 3, 2016
What I Wished I Known Before Having a C-Section

“It’s not that bad.”

… said every person about having a C-section.

My OB said it’s a quick surgery and I’d be walking the following day. Our birthing class grazed over C-sections; most of my favorite pregnancy websites hardly talk about them at length. So it must not be that bad, right?

Sorta…

My baby was breech and at 37 weeks, my doctor and I decided to schedule a C-section. In the two weeks leading up to my surgery, I barely found any helpful info online. Frustrating, considering something like 30 percent of American mothers give birth via C-section

So here’s a exhaustive list of everything I wish I’d known before having a C-section.

The bad news? It’s unpleasant. The good news? A month into your recovery, you’ll feel pretty good, thinking to yourself, “Hey, that wasn’t that bad!” Ha. Hahahah. Really, you will think this.

In the days before…

… Read more
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