Spit-up On My Shoulder

I have to laugh when I hear women say they “love every minute” of being a mom. Really? Do they love sleep deprivation? Changing a blow-out poopy diaper? Tons of laundry? C’mon! No one loves every minute of motherhood. If they say they do, I know I probably can’t [...]

A big fear during my pregnancies was that my baby would not be able to leave the hospital with me. It’s one of the most stressful experiences a new mother can have. Jennifer, a woman profiled in my book, describes it this way: “I literally felt like my heart was being ripped out [...]

Numerous times I’ve seen new moms in commercials, TV shows, and movies who look nothing like I did during my postpartum months. Their hair is perfect, they don’t have undereye circles, and they are thin minutes after delivering a child. Often these media “moms” are wearing white. Huh? If I had worn [...]

Rachel Muller is a children’s novelist and the mother of three teenagers and a 4-month-old baby girl. After getting over the shock of expecting a fourth child, she and her husband seriously assessed their situation.
Being a seasoned mom, she already knew ways to take care of a baby with very little money. [...]

If you were hoping for a vaginal birth and instead had a cesarean section, you may be feeling disappointment or depression over it. These feelings are very normal. The c-section was not your fault. I know you did the best you could during the birth.
Melissa, a woman profiled in my book who [...]

Although not strictly a new mom issue, I felt this was good information for all women. You might want to print it out and read it often to keep it fresh in your mind.
Through a Rapist’s Eyes
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they
look for in a potential [...]

Professor Trevor Cox, an acoustical engineer doing research at Salford University and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, England, is on the way to answering the question above.
In a yearlong Internet study of 1.1 million people, he had participants listen to 34 sounds and rate them from bad, really bad, awful, [...]

If you recently brought a new baby into the family, your toddler may be having a hard time adjusting. The older child will clamor for your attention more than ever, and just when the demands on your time have increased exponentially! Toddlers can particularly be jealous during baby’s feeding times because of the [...]

This was in today’s Dear Abby column in my paper:
Dear Abby: My nephew, “Vincent,” is 16 and has had problems with obsessive handwashing for years. I have enough professional experience to strongly suspect that he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
My brother and his wife refuse to believe their child has a problem and will not [...]

Why do we see articles in parenting magazines that only address what the mom is doing wrong? “Top 10 Mistakes New Moms Make,” “How To Get a Grip on Your Finances Once You’re a Mom,” and “8 Ways to Be a Better Mom,” for example. And these are not in magazines specifically geared [...]