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I was my best friend’s surrogate

All of the events and relationships involved in my birth story were put into place nine years ago when my best friend and I met. I’ve watched my best friend and her husband struggle with infertility for years, and one day simply said: “You know I’d have a baby for you, right?” That sentence started the most amazing journey.

A polyamorous quad welcomes their first child

This is not a “normal” birth story. Which makes sense, since my family is not a normal family. Please note the lack of quotes that second time — it’s with good reason. While every birth is unique in it’s own way, and thereby not “normal”, most families in the United States welcoming a baby go through a fairly similar experience. And we had some of that, but when you are a family of four polyamorous adults, nothing is “simple”, “easy” or “normal” when compared to most people.

What’s the very best thing about having a child (or children) in your life?

We know you love the kids you’re raising and/or taking care of — our archives are filled with stories about the joys of breastfeeding, the indescribable wonders of adoption, the incredible ways families are being created, tales from parents of teens who share interests, and so many wonderful birth stories it’d take you days to get through them all.

Ignore the “Mommy Wars” and stand up for one another

Wendy Atterberry, author of Dear Wendy, recently addressed the firestorm of debate surrounding Representative Todd Akin’s comments about rape. In this piece Atterberry also makes several pointed references to the so-called “Mommy Wars.” It’s worth noting that we vowed to never even type the phrase “Mommy Wars” on Offbeat Mama, but this is good.

How to make perfectly poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce

I have been pursuing two Holy Grails of cooking since I left home and realised I had to feed myself: making fluffy scones and poaching the perfect egg. For the omnivores among us, a perfectly poached egg with a few rashers of honey cured bacon and dollops of Hollandaise sauce is the ultimate meal — breakfast, lunch, AND dinner! Here’s how it’s done.

Family planning is personal: I’m learning to stop asking questions about what other people are doing

“When ya gonna start makin’ babies?” Almost all of us in our late twenties and thirties are used to being asked this regularly. Yet I’ve been amazed at how intrusive the questions and comments can be, and how often something as personal as parenthood is treated like small talk.

Why work-life balance is my favorite oxymoron

Balancing working and raising children is something that many parents everywhere struggle with on a daily basis. No matter if a woman reports directly to her CEO or her toddler, many of us would laugh off the notion of getting it completely right. And as I sit outside the south tunnel on a New Jersey Transit train that has been infinitely delayed heading into New York City, it has occurred to me that I’m not going to be the first to perfect it.