How can I maintain ownership of my body while I’m pregnant?
I’m experiencing a bit of a problem — it seems like everyone wants to “own” my baby. What I mean by this is the off-hand, “Hey that’s my grandson in there, be careful,” when I walk down the stairs, or “My nephew should have an apple,” when I’m picking out my lunch. I know it is coming from a place of love but I’m struggling both with the immediate reaction of “What if I don’t want a freaking apple?” and the lingering feeling of flags getting staked on my belly from people claiming my child before he is even born?
Talk to me about your exciting pregnancy-friendly sports, and post-baby sport motivations
I recently had taken up breakdance, boxing, and roller derby in one go (sometimes all three consecutively on the same weekday evenings). I just found out I’m pregnant, and the downside to the pregnancy is that I’ll have to put some of my sporting activities on hold. How have other moms found the motivation after baby arrived to get back into sports again?
How do you manage the monthly highs and lows of trying to conceive?
I know the only way to get pregnant is to have sex, and I love boffing my husband, but making a baby is always in the back of my mind. It’s hard to hit the end of the month (begining of my cycle) without a week of hoping I’m pregnant followed by depression because I’m not.
How can our family be more physically active?
Right now we have an active four-year-old daughter. We’re in a bit of a jogging-with-stroller, biking-with-burley rut. We have recently started kayaking but would love to get some other suggestions — especially anything that allows the kiddo to be more than cargo and still gets the adult heart rate up.
How can we explain his brother’s autism to our four-year-old son?
My stepson, A, is 11 and autistic, and my younger son, M, is four. M has just started to question why A isn’t “like his friend’s big brother.” When M asked “Why won’t A play with me? Does he not like me?” it struck us that we really didn’t know how to explain autism in a way that a four-year-old would understand.
How do you feel about being Facebook friends with kids?
My first encounter with kids on Facebook happened a year ago when one of the boys in my daughter’s class sent me a “friend” request on Facebook. He was nine years old. I’m Facebook “friends” with one of his dads, so I accepted the request. This has me wondering: do you think it’s ok to be friends with a minor on Facebook?
How can I safely use the internet to update my family members about our kid?
What’s the best way to digitally share news about your kid with family members? We have a few privacy concerns (primarily about keeping our work lives and private lives separate). Should we start an “old-fashioned” blog? Email updates? Flickr with privacy settings? Facebook friend lists? Tumblr for photo updates? There are so many choices!
The Offbeat Mama’s pregnancy and birthin’ checklist
So… you’re having a baby? No two pregnancies and deliveries are the same, which means no two experiences will be. What you’ll find here is a handy checklist of a few things any Offbeat Mama may want to consider while pregnant.