How can I get doctors and nurses to include my partner at check-ups?
I recently had a pre-term baby and much of our lives have been spent in the NICU. Since then I’ve noticed the nurses, doctors and lactation consultants expect my husband to be a poor father to our baby. It irks me. For example, whenever the doctors or nurses come to talk to us about our baby they always speak to me only. They only ask me about the baby’s feeding habits. The nurses are surprised when my hubby gets up to change the diaper and does well with it. The lactation consultants ask me about my milk supply even though he is the one processing and keeping record of volumes. It is like they expect men to be uninvolved and distant. It is a shame.
3 things I wish I’d done differently when I was pregnant
Since conception we have often joked about the magical powers of the iconic seafood restaurant chain. So this weekend we returned, which got me thinking about pregnancy, specifically my pregnancy and that a year ago I was just two months pregnant, blissfully unaware that I was having two babies rather than one. There are so many things about my pregnancy that I wouldn’t change, but there are others that I wish that I could do over again.
What Valentine’s Day traditions can single parents establish?
I’m a newly singled momma. New momma, newly singled. This will be my first Valentine’s Day with my son, who is 11 months old and who I adore and love with all my heart. I want to do something fun and special just the two of us — maybe even start a mother and son tradition since it is going to be just the two of us for a very long time. Does anyone have any suggestions?
What questions do you always ask other parents and then immediately regret?
There are a few questions that I always find myself asking other parents — whether or not the answer is something that’s interesting, let alone worth discussing. The number one is (in the case of parents and their kid) “Who do you think he/she looks like?”
From the operating room: photos from a planned cesarean section birth
I recently had the privilege to spend a few hours in the hospital with a friend of mine and shoot the birth of her third child, Gabrielle. While I’ve shot births before, this one was a new experience — it was my first time in an operating room, and my first time shooting a cesarean section.
Tips for keeping your pregnancy a secret when you’re known for partying
Much to our delight, my partner and I found out we were pregnant with our little pickle three days before our wedding date. There were happy tears, cuddles, and an immediate feeling of “we need to go celebrate!” Usually for us this means cracking open a bottle of bubbles or a few beers… and in just three days we’d have five cases of wine, a dozen cases of beer, and six bottles of rum that people were going to expect us to celebrate with. So how was I going to get out of drinking on this special day without dropping this huge bombshell?
I’m infertile but not defective: how our journey to parenthood is changing
I’m one of those women struggling with infertility issues. One: my age. I’m no spring chicken. Two: endometriosis — I was treated for that two years ago after suffering for over a year with crazy painful periods, and after my husband and I had been trying for more than six months. Three, high FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) levels — it’s taking more hormones to kick-start my ovaries and get them working.
How can I gently wean my breastfeeding toddler?
My son will be three years old in March and is still breastfeeding. He is VERY persistent, and I’m having trouble weaning him. The advice from family and friends (who think I should have cut him off a long time ago) and from the pediatrician is to make him quit cold turkey. I fear that he might perceive it as abandonment if I forced him to suddenly stop something he loves so much, but I have no other ideas about what to do.