• Last updated 5/31/11 by MeaganHB

Yesterday was my husband’s birthday. I always have a hard time thinking of the right gift for him; I can’t get inside his well-researched desires for tech solutions and gardening books. My sister, who lives a plane ride away, can be tough too. Because I’m rarely in her kitchen or closet, I’m never quite sure just what she needs. And besides the challenge of finding the right thing, gift-giving can be complicated in general. Are you giving what you want the recipient to want – or what she actually does want? Are you giving with a secret-even-to-yourself expectation of... read more

• Last updated 3/14/12 by Mothering Editorial

Issue 144 - May/June 2009By Peggy O'Mara, Editor & Publisher of Mothering Magazine Yesterday I received an e-mail, signed "Wavering Somewhat," from the nursing mom of a 26-month-old daughter. The mom had read Hanna Rosin's "The Case Against Breast-Feeding," an article published in the April 2009 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, and was now questioning the benefits of breastfeeding over formula. Rosin's article, and an interview with her on The Today Show (March 16, 2009)—in which NBC News chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman, MD, said, "Formula is wonderful"—divide... read more

• Last updated 5/16/09 by admin

In the Library of Congress archives, there are many photographs of Indian women with their babies in papooses. In all of the seated, formal pictures of women and their children I have seen, I have never seen a photo where the mother is freely breastfeeding her child. This photograph is quite interesting because although the woman was white, her husband was an Indian and she lived in an Indian village after being captured in her youth. Her name was Cynthia Ann Parker (ca. 1825-ca. 1871) and in this photo she was nursing her daughter, Prairie Flower (Toposannah). Parker... read more

• Last updated 5/7/12 by DanielleLaPorte

I’ve subscribed for years to this occasional email from Dadi Jahnki. She’s the current leader of the Brahma Kumaris spiritual organization. One email in particular stands out in my memory. I’m pasting it here: Dear Friend, Om shanti. Sometimes when we are together, you ask me why I don’t seem to get tired when I travel from India or give programs into the evening. Tiredness is a kind of sickness. When we work with honesty and love, everything happens without tiredness. When we know how to take cooperation from others, there is no tiredness. It is not a matter of how... read more

• Last updated 10/26/10 by mamajake

by Jake Aryeh Marcus Find Sustainable Mothering on Facebook and Jake on Twitter. Have a look at this piece in Britain’s Daily Mail about Italian EU Parliament member Licia Ronzulli casting a vote with her infant daughter in a sling. Apparently EU Parliament rules allow parents to bring their babies to work. While this Daily Mail piece is quick to point out the baby might have disturbed the other parliament members had she awoken, it describes (and shows in photos) that cradled in a sling, with mom leaning over now and then to kiss her head, 2 1/2 month old Victoria... read more

• Last updated 3/8/13 by mamazee

Thanks for taking part and answering the question, “Where did you find your baby name?” EVERY response was so beautiful and unique, thank you mamas for sharing all of these amazing baby naming stories. You can read all of the responses on the original blog post and on facebook. The winner, chosen randomly, is… “Anna says: My daughter’s name is Erin Hope. Since we are Irish, I wanted a traditional Irish name for her first name, but my mom pretty much vetoed every name I liked. Then I found Erin in a baby name book, and realized that while it... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by emilyfrischmann

Ring Sling How-to Hip Carry in a Ring Sling from Posh Papoose Wraps | Ring Slings | Soft-Structured Carriers | Pouches | Safety | Fun Slide 7 of 13   read more

• Last updated 6/29/10 by Mothering Editorial

My son, playing tent under his bedclothes with a flashlight, says he remembers floating in the friendly forest of my womb, the darkness punctuated now and then by a beam of sunlight as I floated in the pool reading and cells divided, divided, divided again. He remembers nursing too, he boasts, and I hope it's true. It remains as much a part of me as he does, that calming release as he tugged on my breast, eyes closed, tiny as a kitten, moaning with bliss, his tummy and even his face swelling, my hand cradling his perfect foot. Afterward, he was so content... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by Momsteader

Hi, All! This Monday morning giveaway is Christine Gross-Loh’s signed book, The Diaper Free Baby. Christine is a longtime Mothering writer, and the author of Mothering’s current cover story, “Wear Your Baby!” The winner will be picked on Friday, July 23. The Diaper Free Baby was written for parents who are interested in practicing elimination communication (EC), or gentle infant pottying. Christine, who has EC’ed all four of her children, encourages parents to practice EC in a way that makes sense for themselves and their families, and helps... read more

• Last updated 3/15/13 by mamazee

Coal miner's wife and child. Pursglove, West Virginia. 1938 Sept Here's the funny thing about these photos: During this time, it was the poor mothers who stayed fast to the natural art of breastfeeding, whereas metropolitan mothers and those who had better access to health care went to doctors who pushed formula and subsequently convinced them to feed their babies artificially. Now in 2008, poor, rural mothers statistically do not want to have anything to do with breastfeeding and mothers who are better off economically breastfeed in higher numbers -- what a... read more