Uncensored: When Anxiety Strikes, but Isn’t What You See
In the past month, as this blog has really grown, numerous people have told me they’re proud of me. “You really seem to have found your voice,” they say. As someone who’s wanted to be a writer by profession since she was 7, this is amazing to hear. But this appearance, while in so many […]
Meet Alison Jacobson, Executive Director of First Candle
First Candle is dedicated to eradicating Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related infant deaths. Until the day comes when no infants die from sleep-related deaths, they will also continue their 35+ years of work educating caregivers and providing support to bereaved families of stillbirth and infant loss. Why Support First Candle? Sudden Infant […]
Whitney’s Journey: From Back-to-Back Miscarriages to Raising 3 Daughters
This week, in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we’re going to hear from my friend Whitney, who graciously shared her heart for this post. She experienced 2 miscarriages before birthing her 3 beautiful daughters, and I’m honored to be able to share her story with you. I think there’s a lot we […]
I Crashed A Dinner and Left with A New Theory about Motherhood
*Note: This post tells my perception of a recent experience. Because I have not obtained permission from the other individuals to use their names, I have changed names and intentionally obscured the location of this story.* Saying Yes When Fear Tells You to Say No I recently found myself in a peculiar position over dinner. […]
It Takes a Village, and I Want My Son’s to Be Italian
The saying–it takes a village to raise a child–is beyond cliche, but if there’s anything new parenthood teaches you, it’s that it speaks truth. Or, if it doesn’t, it’s likely because there’s no village available. To the parents who raise children without that village: I applaud you, I salute you, and I have no idea […]
Reclaiming the Word “Crazy”
Let me be very clear about something: I don’t use the word “crazy” loosely. In fact, in writing, I don’t use any word loosely. During daily conversation, my filter and self-awareness aren’t quite where they should be. But when I write, every word is intentional. And I’ve made a decision. To reclaim some agency over […]
Childbed Fever: The Epidemic Victorians Ignored
If women were dying in mass numbers in hospitals compared to home births–15 childbed hospital deaths for every 2 at home–wouldn’t you expect national, even international, outcry try to figure out why? I damn sure would. But that didn’t happen in Victorian England. Or anywhere else during the nineteenth century where the same phenomenon occurred […]
Where to Give Birth Used to be a Life-or-Death Choice
Even With Medicine Where It Is Today, Childbirth is Risky Business I talked last week about maternal mortality in childbirth, a trend that is disturbingly on the rise in the United States, especially among rural women and women of color. To learn more, check out my last post (linked in the sentence above), and the […]