-
I Saw Her, The Woman Without Children
I saw her yesterday. She was shopping for clothes, just like me. Except she didn’t have any little ones hiding and playing in the wracks. In fact, when my toddler kept ending up in front of her, she gave little response beyond a brief glance down before moving on. Hey Mama, if you find my
-
Fathers and Children – The Impact of Bonding on Fathers
I’ve been wondering something about fathers and children: How does having children affect a man? What does it mean for a father to bond with his children and how does that impact his life? There is a lot of discussion around how mothers are affected by their children. But there is considerably less discussion about
-
When You Have to Place a Baby Feeding Tube, Part II: How to Insert a Baby NG Tube
Is your baby about to get or has she recently gotten a baby NG tube? Are you worried about how you are going to manage replacing it yourself? I hear you, Mama. And I think I have just the advice you need right now. Last week I shared Part I of this series on placing
-
When You Have to Place a Baby Feeding Tube, Part I: Conquering the Fear
Hey Mama. I see you in this difficult place right now. If you are reading about how to place a baby feeding tube, your baby probably has some medical needs or weight struggles. Your baby might even be in the hospital or recently discharged as we have this conversation. And you are scared. Not just
-
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Every Mama
Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Do you have a Mother’s Day gift yet for the special mama in your life? According to Google Trends, the search for “Mother’s Day gift” has sharply increased in the past few days. That tells me two things: Most people are right in the thick of buying a
-
Is Nano-Hydroxyapatite Safe? What You Need to Know About the Remineralizing Ingredient in Your Child’s Toothpaste
Whether you have been using hydroxyapatite toothpaste as a healthier alternative for some time or you are looking for a remineralizing product to fight your child’s tooth decay, you may have run into the recent debate on the safety of nano-hydroxyapatite. Which leaves you asking, “is nano-hydroxyapatite safe?” This topic was brought to my attention
-
Life With an NG Tube Baby: My Tips & Tricks
Life with an NG tube baby is a little different. Dressing your baby, feeding your baby, taking your baby out of the house, how your baby sleeps and how your baby moves around are all intertwined (literally) with the tube. When you bring your baby home from the hospital with the NG tube, it’s up
-
7 Last Minute Quick and Easy Easter Activities for Kids
Do you need some quick and easy Easter activities for your kids to do that will remind them of why we celebrate Easter? Then you are in the right place at the right time (even if it feels a little late). I often feel woefully inadequate to teach my kids how to focus on the
-
PMS While Nursing: The Sequel
Hey there, Mama. You seem frustrated, possibly even mildly concerned. How do I know? Well, let’s just say I’ve been in your shoes before. The shoes you put on to go on a hunt for information about why you are having PMS while nursing when you have not had your first postpartum period yet. Do
-
Results of Natural Cavity Treatment in Kids
If you have been following my childhood tooth decay journey with my daughter, you know the potentially amazing results of natural cavity treatment in kids. But I have a new encouraging update on my daughter’s teeth that further substantiates how effective natural treatments can be. My almost-6 year-old daughter had a dentist appointment last week.
-
How to Prepare for Your Baby’s Open Heart Surgery
Being told your baby will need open heart surgery is scary and overwhelming. Whether you know months in advance or have very little notice, anxiety and fear can quickly take over. It may not be possible to ever feel completely ready to hand over your baby to be opened up, but I would like to
-
It Feels Like Years Ago (What it’s Like on the Other Side of Baby’s VSD Repair)
My younger daughter was born with a congenital heart defect. Her main condition was a very large VSD (ventricular septal defect) which was eventually repaired during her fourth hospital admission. In some ways, it seems like yesterday. But in others, it feels like years ago that she was in heart failure. I originally wrote this
-
My Baby Has Holes in Her Heart and I Know Why
My baby has holes in her heart. Four of them. And I know why. My baby has holes in her heart because I had holes in my heart while I carried her in my womb. Four of them. Hey Mama, if you find my blog posts helpful, would you help support this blog by making
-
To the Mama Going Through Pregnancy After Recurrent Miscarriage
To the mama going through pregnancy after recurrent miscarriage … I know. I know that the grief is not relieved (and may even be worsened) by having a successful pregnancy. I understand. I understand that awkward moment when someone asks if you are excited and you can’t give them the right answer. I get it.
-
Healthy Candy for Kids with Tooth Decay
Kids and tooth decay just don’t go together well. Kids love to have fun and tooth decay is like a giant lock on the door to all things fun and yummy. So as the mama to a child with tooth decay, I have had to find healthy candy that allows her to still have yummy
-
How to Progress Labor – 10 Tips for a Faster Delivery
After a 37-hour labor with my first baby, I was eager to do whatever I could to shorten my labor with my second baby. Figuring out how to progress labor more efficiently can really help speed things up. It can also reduce your risk of having unwanted interventions. Whether this is going to be your
-
Pregnancy Pain: 9 Simple Solutions to Make You More Comfortable
During pregnancy, your body goes through so many changes, and your rapidly fluctuating hormones can cause some discomfort. If you are currently doing the demanding job of growing a human, read on to find some relief from your pregnancy pain! During my pregnancy with my first daughter, I had an extremely short list of complaints.
-
Kids Dental Crowns – Are There Alternatives?
I have been promising my readers this update post on my 5-year-old daughter’s 3-year-old tooth decay for several months now, so here it is! This update will include not only a run-down of the natural tooth decay treatments we have used and the level of success we have had with them up until this point,
-
My 2nd Natural Hospital Birth Story
I am so blessed to be able to announce that we have added a second child to our family! After trying to conceive while breastfeeding, a complete molar pregnancy and two chemical pregnancies, the past nine months of pregnancy after loss have been incredibly challenging. But we made it, and in this post I am
-
10 Mommy-Daughter Date Ideas
Since my last couple of posts have been on the sad side, I wanted to lighten things up with a happy post highlighting the ways I like to have fun with my daughter. Some of these 10 mommy-daughter date ideas are simply things I do with my daughter every day, others are infrequent times when
Living & Loving the Mama Moments
