Cover of the book

Is this really a podcast episode about your period? Why yes it is. Birth control has been in the news lately, which means, in a way, so has your flow. In this episode I give a kind of book report of the 2009 book Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim. Some of the questions I answer include…Do you actually have a period when on the Pill? Is hormonal contraception safe? When did modern femcare emerge? Is PMS a real disorder? Why are we so grossed out by our own bodies? And is menstruation obsolete? I hope I’m not the only one who finds these questions interesting, or, if I am, I have at least amused myself.

Period

Our daughter was 19 months old when our son was born in November. In other words, my husband, Dave, and I are parenting two under two. Sure, this isn’t as hard as parenting twins or triplets or having more than two children, but it’s new for us. In this episode, we discuss what life has been like the last three months. Why are the children spaced so closely together? What has been hardest? Easiest? What advice can we give, and, more importantly, what advice do we want?

Random Reference to Another Podcast (Slate)

Two Under Two

Baby number two is here and I’m….happy? Obviously, I’m excited by the birth of my lovely son, but am I happier than I was when I had one child or no children? In my first podcast back after a long long hiatus I examine some of the studies purporting to show a decline in happiness as people have children. What can we make of these studies? Can happiness be defined or measured? When will I sleep through the night again (sadly, that last question isn’t answered)?

Sources:

“One baby or two? Study looks at effect of having second child” by Judy Hill

“All Joy and No Fun” by Jennifer Senior

Having Children Makes You Miserable

After a long podcasting hiatus, I’m finally releasing an episode I recorded a couple months ago. My current pregnancy has been about as much fun as my first (code for no fun), so I apologize to Amy for the late release. I talked with her about the process of adopting her son from Colombia when he was 13 months old. We discussed the ins and outs of the adoption process, as well as the emotional and financial realities of adoption.

Many people think of adoption as something you can “just” do if you have trouble conceiving naturally, but my interview with Amy reveals that it is not always an easy, quick process, perhaps not usually. That said, it’s not all doom and gloom either and, of course, you do get a lovely child at the end of the long journey!

Adoption

I interviewed Adrienne of the popular blog No Points for Style about her special needs son Carter; this interview affected me more than most and may change the way you look at or even judge other parents in circumstances different than your own.

Adrienne talks about the difficulty in getting a single diagnosis and in coming to terms with likely never getting one. She talks about the way parenting Carter has affected her other children and she explains what parents shouldn’t say to someone struggling with a special needs child. Hint: Don’t invoke video games and leave the word exorcism out of your vocabulary.

Raising Special Needs

In Episode 25 I talked with Amy, mother to a toddler and wife of a deployed Navy officer, about her experiences dealing with deployment. I got quite a few responses to that episode, so I decided to turn it into a three part series. This is Part II of the series and this time I talk with Melitsa, mother of three boys, whose husband is on a one year remote tour. She is half way through this tour, so I asked her about how she prepared her boys, how she handles the day to day stressors, and how this long of an absence has affected her marriage.

This interview left me encouraged about any future deployment I may experience as a mother. Although stressful, Melitsa points out that the deployment can also act a sort of marriage and family reset button. I love that term. Melitsa is a fellow podcaster, so check out her sites raisingplayfultots.com and play-activities.com.

Dealing with Deployment Part II

If you think your life is complicated, imagine having your husband father two children with your best friend, a friend who lives with you and your husband. Imagine being forced to give up your daughter and lover to stay with your other three children. Imagine being exiled from your children for two years.

These are just a few of the facts about Duchess Georgiana Devonshire’s life. She lived from 1757-1806, served as the female figurehead of the Whig Party, and represented the highly elite “ton” of English society. This is the woman who made hairstyles involving ships stylish. 

Amanda Foreman’s great history book, aptly titled The Duchess and on which the movie with the same name is based, serves as the source material for this episode. Sure, history may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I couldn’t stop myself from talking about this fascinating woman and mother.

The Duchess

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Infertility treatment, specifically in vitro, is a hot button issue in the media because of cases like the Octomom or John and Kate Plus 8. It also conjures up images of older women who waited for their fertility window to pass and now spend tens of thousands of dollars on unnatural procedures, thwarting nature.

However, what is the experience of an average couple dealing with infertility? Anywhere from one and ten to one and six couples will confront this issue and their stories are often dissimilar to the extreme media representations. I talk with Kerry of OurStorkGotLost.com who conceived her two toddler twin boys via in vitro fertilization after a three year struggle with infertility. Her story is of course unique to her, but her experience of infertility likely resonates with many other women and couples going through similar measures to create the family they always knew they wanted.

Infertility

A lot of mommy blogs and parenting magazines focus on the new mom, for good reason. We read and write the bulk of these online publications. But what about the new father? What is fatherhood really like the first year and how do the different sexes, generally, each approach new parenting?

I talk with Dave, father to a 10 month old baby girl. Oh, and he’s my husband, making for some pretty interesting and candid discussions about the way our reactions to parenthood have differed.  I ask him what he felt when he first became a father? When he actually started to bond with our daughter? If attachment happens differently for mothers and fathers? And if any new fatherhood issues aren’t talked about enough?

Fatherhood the First Year

We are all familiar with cultural images of the evil step-mother, the step-mother who tries to steal away a father’s affections from his children, who is a gold digger, who lacks any maternal gene. But how accurate is this trope? Unsurprisingly, not that accurate.

I talk with Ashley-Michelle, step-mother to a 2 year old son and biological mother to a five month old daughter. She talks about her relationship with the biological mother of her son, her role in her stepson’s life, the most difficult part of step-parenting, and her focus on being the best parent to both of her children.

Not so evil stepmother

Autism has been in the news lately because of the recent scandal surrounding Andrew Wakefield and his discredited study and article linking vaccines with autism. Like most people who aren’t actually living with autism, my knowledge of the subject has been limited to the brief headlines popping up on my online newspaper subscriptions. When I came across the blog The Domestic Goddess by Marj who has two sons on the autism spectrum, I realized to truly understand autism I need to talk with someone living with it every day. Listen to find out how Marj helps her sons function, how she approaches the autism cause controversy, and how autism has actually enriched her life.

You can now listen to (Over)Thinking Mom on your smart phone by using the free app Stitcher. Check out my page HERE and download it now. New episodes will automatically be sent to your phone. How cool!

Living with Autism

We all know smoking during pregnancy can cause birth defects and long term physical problems for children. This is why OBs, midwives, and pediatricians always ask if you smoke or if anyone in your household smokes. When asked this question, I always wonder “Who still smokes?” Sure, I see teenagers outside of Target, but my California non-smoking cocoon has left me clueless.

The good news is smoking rates have decreased in the last couple decades, but the bad news is they have rapidly increased in some developing countries and among certain segments of the population. Why is this? I’m looking at you tobacco companies. Is smoking really as bad as everyone claims? Well, yes. Listen to hear about my research into the world of smoking.

Disclosure: No cigarettes were actually puffed in the making of this episode. Smoke hurts my eyes and makes my nose all stuffy.

People Still Smoke

What happens when your husband (or wife) deploys for months at a time and leaves you alone with a child or children?  How does this differ from run of the mill difficult single parenthood?  My husband, Dave, is in the military, so these are questions I have often asked myself after the birth of our daughter. He, thankfully, has not been deployed yet in our short marriage, but sometimes I wonder how I will handle any future separation.  Honestly, I wouldn’t and won’t handle it well.  To find out about the experiences of the left at home spouse, I talk with Amy, a nurse, mother, and wife to a deployed officer.  What is most difficult about dealing with deployment?  Does she ever worry her daughter will forget all about daddy?  How has she stayed connected during the long absence?

Dealing with Deployment

Many working parents are often unsure what a good childcare center looks like. What exactly should kids being doing all day? In Podcast Episode 19 I talked with a working mom about how she made her daycare choice, but now I ask a provider, Kate from Community Children’s Center in Connecticut, about what makes childcare good. Should a center focus on early childhood education or on early childhood play, or, are those two things actually one and the same? Listen to find the answer to this question and many more.

Mentioned in Podcast:  You Can’t Say You Can’t Play by Vivian Paley

Early Childcare from a Provider\’s Perspective

Four unplanned pregnancies, a history of alcohol abuse, struggles with domestic violence, an uneasy relationship with welfare, and Sacramento State’s most valuable debater award.  And I thought being a well-supported stay at home mom of one baby was tiring.

In this week’s episode, I talk with my cousin Bethany, a single mother of five, about her life’s path from a confused and self-destructive teen mom to a college student with honor role kids.

Don’t forget to subscribe to all (Over)Thinking Mom posts by RSS or Email.  Are you afraid of commitment?  That’s okay, you can subscribe to each portion of the blogcast separately.  Check out by RSS or Email the once a week Podcast Episode.  You can also subscribe through iTunes.  If you have liked the podcasts, feel free to leave a review with iTunes.  Don’t forget you can also pitch a show!

Tales from a Young, Single Mother of Five

Wet nurses have been around to feed other women’s babies since women started having babies, but in the last few generations wet nurses have fallen out of favor, mostly because of the introduction of formula, among other reasons.

In 2007 a small series of articles noted a new minor reemergence of wet nursing, often in the form of cross nursing, when two or more women feed each others’ baby in a child care arrangement.  In 2009, while on a humanitarian mission to Sierra Leone, Salma Hayek made headlines by breastfeeding a newborn African baby.  So what do you think?  Is modern day wet nursing weird or wonderful?

Articles:

“Salma Hayek on Why She Breastfed Another Woman’s Baby” by Kimberly Kaplan at ABC News 11 Feb. 2009.

“Modern Day Wet Nursing” by Carol Lloyd at Salon.com 26 April 2007.

“Not Your Mother’s Milk” by Viv Groskop in The Guardian 5 January 2007.

Don’t forget to subscribe to all (Over)Thinking Mom posts by RSS or Email.  Are you afraid of commitment?  That’s okay, you can subscribe to each portion of the blogcast separately.  Check out by RSS or Email the once a week Podcast Episode.  You can also subscribe through iTunes.  If you have liked the podcasts, feel free to leave a review with iTunes.

Modern Day Wet Nursing

Many people, Oprah included, often hail moms, especially stay at home moms, as those with the hardest and most important job in the world.  However, misconceptions about our day to day lives are prevalent.  When I tell people I’m a stay at home mom, I’m often met by condescension, confusion, or indifference.  In a society that measures success through job descriptions, where does the stay at home mom fit?

I talk with Alyssa, stay at home mom and blogger at adventuresofthestayathomemom.com about this job.  How does she keep her son amused?  What is the hardest part of the day?  The most rewarding?  And what does the internet have to do with all this?

Don’t forget to subscribe to all (Over)Thinking Mom posts by RSS or Email.  Are you afraid of commitment?  That’s okay, you can subscribe to each portion of the blogcast separately.  Check out by RSS or Email the once a week Podcast Episode.  You can also subscribe through iTunes.  If you have liked the podcasts, feel free to leave a review with iTunes.

Adventures of a stay at home mom

We all know Santa Claus couldn’t travel the world delivering toys without the help of a good woman, but when did Mrs. Claus enter the storybook picture? Where did she come from? What does she represent?

I examine the origins of Mrs. Claus, her Christmas role as the perfect child-less mother, and her connection to the Martha Stewarts (of which I’m not among) of the world.  Merry Christmas!

Don’t forget to subscribe to all (Over)Thinking Mom posts by RSS or Email.  Are you afraid of commitment?  That’s okay, you can subscribe to each portion of the blogcast separately.  Check out by RSS or Email the once a week Podcast Episode.  You can also subscribe through iTunes.  If you have liked the podcasts, feel free to leave a review with iTunes.

Meet Mrs. Claus

According to some statistics, as many as 70% of moms work outside of the home, whether full time or part time.  Nearly 30% of babies with working moms use daycare specifically.  Not all statistics are full proof, and I’m not sure I’d go around quoting those numbers as absolute fact, but they do mean child care is a big issue for American moms.

I stay at home with my daughter, so I am the opposite of an authority on this topic.  Therefore, I talk with Lindsay, a working mother of one with another on the way, about her experiences with different kinds of childcare.  I ask her about the decision to go back to work, about how she chose her daycare, and about what makes a daycare good, among other things.

Childcare and the Working Mom

Although celebrities would have us believe otherwise, having a baby can wreak havoc on your body.  Personally, I gained over 40 pounds, and even after losing all the weight I felt (okay, feel) unsatisfied with my saggy post-baby body.  I had an almost ten pound baby and my body will never be the same, but after coming to terms with my new shape, I hired a personal trainer to help teach me safe ways to gain muscle and energy.

My workout enthusiasm is hit or miss, so I’m not one to give advice, but my trainer was great.  I talk with her, Connie Marshall of Life Fitness 4 Me, about working out during and after pregnancy.  What are the biggest mistakes pregnant women and new moms make?  Are personal trainers only for the rich and famous?  Are all trainers the same?  Connie answers these questions and more.

Body After Baby

You may have heard of Sarah Josepha Hale, the Mother of Thanksgiving.  If you haven’t, she was a widowed mother of five, editor of the magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book, and the reason we have a national day of Thanksgiving.  In 1863, President Lincoln issued the national proclamation giving us our American feast.  A children’s book even has the title Thank you, Sarah:  The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving.

But who was Sarah Hale?  For one, she was a complicated figure, a woman who opposed giving women the right to vote, but who lobbied for Thanksgiving as a particularly American and feminine holiday.  I look at Hale’s life, as well as an article by the historian Anne Wills, to discuss the 19th century foundations of this holiday.  It turns out, Pilgrims had less to do with Thanksgiving than did 19th century magazines.  Perhaps elementary school students should be dressing up as periodicals rather than as Pilgrims.

Don’t forget to subscribe to all (Over)Thinking Mom posts by RSS or Email.  Are you afraid of commitment?  That’s okay, you can subscribe to each portion of the blogcast separately.  Check out by RSS or Email the once a week Podcast Episode.  You can also subscribe through itunes.

Periodicals, not Pilgrims

In Podcast Episode 15 I talked with Clara about our own post-baby marriages.  This week, I up the ante and bring in my husband Dave.  As I’ve mentioned before, we got married about two years after we started dating and had a two month old help us celebrate our one year wedding anniversary.  Therefore, our marriage has been consumed with preparing for a baby, having a baby, and caring for this baby.

What are some of the pitfalls facing couples after they have their first baby, newlyweds or not?  What is the Great Mom/Dad Divide?  What’s the score?  Dave and I discuss these questions as we talk about our own evolving post-baby marriage.

Don’t forget to subscribe to all (Over)Thinking Mom posts by RSS or Email.  Are you afraid of commitment?  That’s okay, you can subscribe to each portion of the blogcast separately.  Check out the once a week Podcast Episode by RSS or Email.  You can also subscribe through itunes.

He Said/She Said

For many years I have heard the warning that babies ruin marriages, and those issuing this warning often have years long studies backing up their claims. Since Dave and I got pregnant less than two months after getting married, I spent much of my pregnancy wondering if Amelia’s arrival would kill the romance. Guess what? It did, but does less romance correlate with a weak marriage? Does marital happiness always decrease post baby?

I, along with Clara of maevesmomma.blogspot.com, look at two articles, one from msnbc.com with the title “Secret to marital bliss? Don’t have kids,” the other from the Monitor on Psychology by the American Psychological Association with the title “Parenthood detrimental to marriage? Not necessarily.” We examine the findings of these articles and how they relate to our own post-baby marriages.

Don’t forget to subscribe to all (Over)Thinking Mom posts by RSS or Email.  Are you afraid of commitment?  That’s okay, you can subscribe to each portion of the blogcast separately.  Check out the once a week Podcast Episode by RSS or Email.  You can also subscribe through itunes.

Your Post-Baby Marriage

In August of 2010, Skyscanner, a price comparison website, released findings from a poll revealing that out of 2000 passengers, 60% would prefer a separate family section on airlines and 20% would prefer child-free flights all together.  This is not music to my ears as I fret about flying with Amelia across country for the first time over Christmas.

I talk with my cousin Abby, mother to one year old Teddy, about her travel experiences.  What should you bring?  Where does your baby sleep?  What about diaper changes?  Listen to find answers to these questions and many more.

The Child Un-Friendly Skies

The Introduction to Dr. William Sears’ and Martha Sears’ 2003 edition of The Baby Book warns mothers, “Beware of Baby Trainers.”  They do not warn “Beware of Parenting Books” (because if they did their massive book would become obsolete).  Should we be wary of parenting books?  I’m not the one to ask; I read entirely too many.  Perhaps, instead of avoiding these manuals, we should put them in context.

I look at Christina Hardyment’s book Dream Babies to give us some perspective on parenting throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.  What did the experts say?  Have the manuals changed?  What were their goals?  These are large questions and I can’t fully answer them, but I try to summarize Hardyment’s findings anyhow.

Bad Mother

The word doula comes from Ancient Greek and meant “female slave.”  However, the word has evolved over time and has come to describe non-medical support in labor and delivery.  According to some reports, only around three percent of American women use a doula and many have never even heard the term, but doulas are becoming more popular among certain segments of the population.

What is a doula?  Is a doula a midwife?  How much does one cost?  What benefits does a doula bring to the labor and delivery experience?  What about postpartum doulas?  I talk with Ruth, a doula based in Northern California, and get answers to all these questions.

Website:

Ruth Lundsten’s Doula Services

Whats a Doula

We all know the guidelines for introducing solids to babies.  First, comes rice cereal mixed with breast milk or formula between four and six months, then comes pureed vegetables and fruits, one at a time.  I’m not exactly the type of person to buck all parenting guidelines, but I’m planning to skip rice cereals and purees completely.  I’m a little nervous about trying out this baby-led solids approach, so I talk with two moms, Sarah and Clara, about their experiences with Baby-Led Weaning (this is the British term for introducing solid foods and the title of Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett’s book).

How does this approach work?  Won’t your baby choke?  Will your baby waste away?  I try to find answers to these questions and more.

Books:

Baby Led Weaning

Blog:

My Life with Bryce

Baby Led Solids: Skipping Rice Cereal and Purees Completely

In April 2009, The Atlantic published Hanna Rosin’s article “The Case Against Breast-Feeding.” In it, Rosin, a nursing mother of three young children, concludes that evidence supporting the health benefits of breastfeeding is surprisingly thin and that “breast is best” has become the upper class jingle without real thought to the negative effects of exclusive breastfeeding.

Although Rosin brings up good points about the imbalance of parenting roles in many marriages, her overall argument against breastfeeding is misleading, judgmental, and aimed at a very small subsection of American women. I talk with Jamie, an experienced nursing mother, about the case against Rosin’s case against breastfeeding.

Article:
“The Case Against Breastfeeding” by Hanna Rosin in The Atlantic, April 2009.

Blog Responses:
“My Case Against Hanna Rosin’s Case Against Breastfeeding” by desmoinesdem at Bleeding Heartland, 24 March, 2009.

“The Scientific Benefits of Breastfeeding” by PhD in Parenting, 14 May 2009.

Health Study

*Yes,  I noted that the study does not infer causality, but this doesn’t make the study any less compelling.

Breastfeeding and Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes in Developed Countries, Structured Abstract. May 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.

The Case Against the Case Against Breastfeeding

The title of this episode refers to the famous disappearance of a ten-week old Australian baby in August 1980.  Although this baby girl was attacked on a camping trip by a wild animal, the dangers of all dogs, wild or otherwise, are often overlooked.  In July of 2010, in San Diego, a two year old boy was fatally mauled by a family’s German Shepherd Mix in military housing  The mother was downstairs during the attack, the father deployed overseas.  This story struck a little too close to home and prompted me to reevaluate the way I allow our German Shepherd and baby girl to interact.

How dangerous are dogs to babies?  Do we treat our dogs like our babies?  How does the relationship between an owner and pet change when a newborn enters the picture?  I talk with my husband, Dave, about these questions and more.

Article:
“Newborn Babies Steal Pets’ Spotlight” by Stephanie Pappas at Livescience.com on 15 August 2010.

News Reports:
“3 Week Old Baby Mauled to Death by Dog” at cbs2chicago.com on 21 January 2009.

“Fatal Dog Mauling of Toddler Determined to be Accident” at 10News.com on 31 July 2010.

A Dingo Ate My Baby

Over the last fifteen years, the number of stay at home moms has been increasing.  In 2003, Lisa Belkin published an article in The New York Times called “The Opt-Out Revolution,” leading many to believe this increase was the result of educated women choosing to forgo a career in order to stay at home with the kids.  However, in the last couple years, this revolution has been revealed as a myth; most stay at home moms are younger, less educated, and of a lower socio-economic class, but this does not mean the overeducated stay at home mom doesn’t exist, nor that this phenomenon should be dismissed.

I talk with Alex Iwashnyna of lateenough.com, a popular blogger and stay at home mom who left a career in medicine to stay at home with her kids.  She reveals that opting out is not a jump from career to home, but rather a complicated and subtle process.

Articles:

“The Opt-Out Revolution” by Lisa Belkin in The New York Times, 26 October 2003.

“Most Stay-at-Home Moms Start That Way, Study Finds” by Donna St. George in The Washington Post, 1 October 2009.

The Overeducated Stay at Home Mom

Mommy blogs are a much read and much maligned phenomenon.  In March of 2010, The New York Times published an article called “Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy, I’m Too Busy Building My Brand.”  The uproar in the mommy blog community was instant and intense.

In a fast talking rant of my own, I analyze the mommy blog surge, the reasons for the backlash, and the overall power a successful mommy blogger can yield.  My conclusion?  Back off haters.  History proves mothers need to be taken seriously, whether you call them mommy or not.

Article:
“Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy, I’m Too Busy Building My Brand” by Jennifer Mendelsohn in The New York Times, 12 March 2010.

Some Blog Responses:

“An Open Letter to the New York Times About Mom Bloggers, Women Writers, and the Universe” by Pundit Mom, 15 March 2010

“Newspaper Bias Against Mom Bloggers” by Kelby Carr, 14 March, 2010

Right Click to Download: In Defense of the Mommy Blog

The role of the grandparent is ill-defined in American Society.  Many grandparents have become stand-in parents and many are completely cut off from their progeny, but most function somewhere in the middle ground, building strong connections with their grandchildren, while not serving as matriarchal or patriarchal all-knowing elders.

What kind of grandparent did you have or are you?  In honor of Grandparents’ Day, September 12, I talk with my mother, Amelia’s grandmother, about the four types of “challenging grandparents.”  We also look specifically at the art of long-distance grandparenting, a common dilemma in American society.  Long-distance relationships may decrease contact but they do not necessarily lessen the bond between a grandchild and his/her grandparent.

Articles:
“Over the River and Through the Woods:  Long Distance Grandparenting” by Nancy Kalish in Psychology Today, 3 June 2010

“The Four Types of Challenging Grandparents” by Kelly Mills in The Poop in the San Francisco Chronicle, 24 July 2007

The Art of Grandparenting

The first few weeks for a new mom after bringing home baby are often the most stressful, confusing, blissful, and tiring of her life.  Websites abound with tips for the new mom.  How useful is this information?  What really happens when you take your newborn home?

I talk with another new mom, Abby, about our expectations for and the realities of bringing home baby.  We discuss advice that helped, advice that didn’t, and how long it took before we got into our mommy groove.

Bringing Home Baby

Fewer than ten percent of American women see a midwife during their pregnancy, labor, and delivery.  Why is this?  What exactly is a midwife anyway?

I talk with a nurse-midwife, who happens to be my mother-in-law, about different types of midwives, their role in medicine, and the relationship between midwifery and medical intervention.  My mother-in-law helped deliver my daughter, her only grandchild, and no, that wasn’t weird.

Related video:

The Business of Being Born, produced by Ricki Lake and directed by Abby Epstein, 6 May 2008

American Midwifery

Who rules the roost?  Men or women?  According to the Wall Street
Journal, women have the upper hand.  Why is this?  Should we celebrate?
Is this news even new?

As a stay-at-home mother, I’ve often wondered if money equals power in a marriage, so I was pleased to discover, according to two studies, women make most family decisions,
regardless of whether they stay at home or work outside it.  But what
does my husband think?  Listen to find out.

Articles:

“Who Wears the Pants” by Megan Basham in The Wall Street Journal,  10 October 2008.

“Study:  Women Are in Charge at Home” by Jeanna Bryner at LiveScience.com, 11 July 2007.

Who\’s the Boss

Are all daughters ultimately destined to become their mothers?  Is this a good thing?  Why do most women fear this supposed inevitability?  I’ll attempt to answer some of these questions by going to the source itself–my mother (and father).

Our conclusions?  We don’t want to become our mothers, but somehow we do, and maybe this isn’t so bad after all.  Too many women think of their mothers as needing to fit the roles of the “fairy godmother” or “evil stepmother”; mothers are human and the connection between your role as a mother and your role as a daughter is a complicated one.

Articles

“Are You Destined to Become Your Mother” by Stacey Colino in Real Simple

“Are you turning into your mother?” by F. Diane Barth in Psychology Today

“The Mother Daughter Wars” by Phyllis Chesler at salon.com

Are You Your Mother?

Sure, parenting books warned about colic, but descriptions of this unfortunate experience were relegated to the little boxes embedded within the main text, the boxes few people read.  Veteran mothers warned you about lack of sleep, breastfeeding difficulties, and diaper blow-outs, but no one prepared you for colic.  What is colic?  What happens when you are blessed with a colicky child?  How do you handle six hour screaming matches?

What did I do?  First, I cried; next, I cried some more; last, I read up on colic like a madwoman.  The verdict:  Experts agree on little and it doesn’t always magically disappear, but we are surviving anyhow.

Colic

Article links:

“The Reflex To Treat Reflux” by Darshak Sanghavi at Slate.com