advice
It takes a village to raise a family; advice and tips to make the most of yours.
What They Don’t Tell You...
The Anticipation... First, you wait for the arrival, nervous out of your mind. You don’t know what to expect. They load you with all information but it’s a lot to take in. But it’s alright, motherhood is a lot to take in :). They wheel you back to a cold room where you sit on the table while they talk making sure everything is okay and prepping you, then you sit on the bed with your feet on a chair while they find the best place to insert the needle. With your head to your chest, it’s a little uncomfortable but it’ll be over before you know it. You're probably freaking out by now hoping everything will go well. Just try and relax. Then you lay down as they make sure you can’t feel a thing. If you can’t feel your legs it’s probably done right haha. Then they put a drape in front of your face but if you look close at the light you can see it. They cut a layer of you and remove what they need to get to the baby. It just feels like tugging, not painful but weird. Then once there, get ready, they push on your belly to pull her out. While she’s coming out, the pressure almost feels like the wind knocked out of you for a second, then everything’s fine. Then you get to see her. They tell you look up and she’s there! Then they clean her up while you're getting layers of stitches you feel like it’s taking hours. But remember it’s layers, they have to stitch up and put everything back. So when you are healing try not to laugh, cough, or sneeze because it’s a whole world of pain. Then you're off to your room to heal :).
By Dominique Wilson8 years ago in Families
Being a Young Mother
Being a mother is amazing...However, it can be very hard, especially as a young mother. You have people who support you and people who shame you. Some people just avoid you altogether. If any of this sounds familiar, then you'll need to hear this.
By Jazmin Rodriguez8 years ago in Families
Meaningful Inexpensive Mother's Day Gifts
Mother's Day is closing in and you're trying to figure out what you want to do for your Mom, but you don't necessarily have massive amounts of funds to buy her something extravagant. Well, you came to the right place! I'm going to give you a couple of ideas for gifts that you could do for your Mother that will mean a lot to her but also save you some money. Now keep in mind this isn't JUST for Mother's Day; these ideas could also be for Father's Day, birthdays, Christmas, or practically any occasion.
By Samantha Sterling8 years ago in Families
10 Lessons I Learned After Breastfeeding
When I was a new mom, it was really tough for me in the beginning. I was alone the majority of the time at home while my husband was away at work, and that was so difficult for me. I was alone with my baby and I had no one else to help watch over her. However, nothing beats when I was breastfeeding.
By Jennifer Violet8 years ago in Families
Raising Your Pack, Your Way
You fight fires and battles every day. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. So why do you find it so hard to pick and choose the battles you fight with your kids? Because they are a little piece of you walking outside of your body! You don't like telling yourself no, so why would you tell your mini-me no, either? Truth is, we have to! In the South it's even harder to say no with that sweet, southern drawl we are all born with! Who can deny that, especially when your sweetie pie baby looks at you and says, "Mama, can I pwwease have some ice cream?" (emphasis on every vowel in that sentence). It will make your heart swoon! But here's the thing: we have to figure out how to get over ourselves and be parents instead of friends despite what society says for us to do. Ladies and gents, I'm here to give you some advice on raising your kids:
By Deidre Simpson8 years ago in Families
Places You Should Never Breastfeed
Breastfeeding is a natural thing that women do. Unfortunately, there's some stigma attached to breastfeeding in public exactly because it's something women do. Remember, America is a patriarchy fixated with controlling women's bodies. That translates into bullying women into breastfeeding in places you should never breastfeed, and then blaming them for breastfeeding there! Meanwhile, if men could breastfeed there'd be breastfeeding stations everywhere and it'd be a huge part of popular culture. Captain America would be breastfeeding in The Avengers:Infinity War and Chris Evans would be breastfeeding on The Late Show while promoting it. If Chris Evans wouldn't nurse his child in these places you shouldn't either.
By Lauren Skopkowski8 years ago in Families
Listening
When most people think of communication, their minds go to dialogue, arguably the most prevalent form of communication, and when they think of dialogues and everyday conversation they think of the act of speaking. Yet I believe the ability to speak clearly or effectively verbalize your thought is not the most important tool in the process of communicating. I believe that listening is the key to keen communication. The simple quote “We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak,” said by greek philosopher Epictetus, has been recited to crowds or classrooms of children an immeasurable number of times, primarily with the purpose to hush them and direct their attention to a speaker. However it would benefit them if the implication that listening is more important than speaking was taught and understood. Applying effort to the act of listening, and training yourself to be observant and attentive, can greatly improve your daily communication, and hone your wit as an additional bonus.
By Miakoda Natane8 years ago in Families
Six Tips to Help Strengthen Your Family's Bond
Between work, school, errands, and extracurricular activities, family life can be a whirlwind. Spending time to reconnect with your loved ones can help you enjoy a more meaningful and deeper relationship with your family. Here are six tips to help you strengthen your family's bond.
By Andrea Dawson8 years ago in Families
How to Raise a Child Without a Screen—and Not Die in the Process
There are multiple studies that will back me up on this topic. Screens for babies, toddler and kids in general are like cocaine or other addictive drugs. I won't get into the specifics of the scientific research here because it can be slow reading but I can provide the necessary information later on for those who are interested. I want to get into the specifics of raising a baby and toddler without those screens and not die in the attempt (I am only going to talk about my own personal experience which is why I won't get into the older child). I have a 17 month old boy—a very active one. Since he was born, I have always strictly limited his access to media screens—not an easy job. Today, if you go to a restaurant they are full of giant screens on the walls or tablets on the tables. Well-meaning friends will offer to hold your baby and show them videos so the child won’t fuss. Well, I for one, do not want a zombie as a son! I want to limit how much damage I do to him as a parent (every parent damages their kids to a greater or lesser extent—just ask some teenagers). So what I have noticed that we (my husband and I) do differently:
By Fernanda Brito-Muñoz8 years ago in Families
