When I found out I was pregnant with baby #2 last fall, I had a big decision on my hands:

To VBAC or not to VBAC?

For those of you who aren’t fully immersed in mommy culture (I’m jealous), I’ll save you from Googling: it stands for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean.

Up until pretty recently, once you had one C-section, most providers would insist all subsequent babies are born via C-section. But today, most women are able to decide whether or not they want to attempt birthing ye ol’ fashioned way.

Since my daughter was born via an 8-inch incision, and I was healthy, I got to make this choice. It wasn’t easy, so I made a pros and cons list. Here’s what I considered.

VBAC Pros:

Potentially an easier recovery. Recovering from a C-section is no joke. Trust me, I already did it once. With a vaginal delivery,… Read more

I know it’s not the cool thing to say, and that “radical self love and acceptance” is all the rage. But can I tell you a secret?

I don’t like my postpartum body.

During my first pregnancy, I felt great. I was super confident in my body. Sure, I was gaining weight like crazy, but you’re supposed to gain weight when you’re pregnant! Before I was pregnant, I’d maybe eat ice cream or cookies or dessert a few times a month. “Polly” (aka Pregnant Molly) would think nothing of enjoying a blueberry muffin on a Tuesday morning, or having a burger for dinner. I was anemic and needed more iron in my diet. A burger was actually a step in the right direction.

I didn’t completely let the wheels fall off.

I exercised a few times a week until I hit 29 weeks and my body could no longer take … Read more

Today, Arlene turns one.

As any parent can attest, that first birthday comes with a tsunami of emotions.

Accomplishment: You made it a full year!
Bewilderment: Wait… how has it been a year?
Dread: Only 17 more of these and she’s out of the house?!
Panic: What if she fails to launch?

As I compare the photos of Arlene’s first day on earth to what she looks like today, I can’t believe just 365 days separate that skinny alien baby from my current chubby, funny munchkin. But honestly, some days I can’t tell who’s grown more– Arlene or me. With that said, here’s the biggest lessons I learned in my first year of parenthood.

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You know zero about being a parent until you are one.

Read all the books you like, listen to every podcast, have yourself a 3 Men and a Baby/3 Men and a Little … Read more