• Last updated 6/27/11 by Cynthia Mosher

Resource Thread   Hi! This is a resource thread intended to be a compilation of helpful MDC discussions, Mothering articles and member-recommended website links dealing with pregnancy and birth loss. Please PM the forum's moderator to nominate a helpful thread or website for inclusion. MDC Threads Resources for those who have lost a child Suggestions for families and friends of grieving parents Honoring our babies Exactly what to expect with a miscarriage Mothering Articles Solitary Sadness: The Need to Grieve... read more

• Last updated 2/21/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Susan Yoder Ackerman Web Exclusive The blizzard howled as if it wanted to strip the tin roof from our log house. "Here, Robby darling, take this aspirin," I whispered, trying to hold my bathrobe closed across my pregnant belly. My husband turned to glare at me, his breath coming in short, rasping gasps. Let me wake up from this nightmare, I thought. This stranger is not my husband. He rolled the pills around on his fingertips, then swallowed them and slipped back into fevered sleep. I crawled under the covers beside him, but there was no sleep for me. All that... read more

• Last updated 5/9/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Audrey KhunerIssue 144 - September/October 2007 For the children in our family, there was never any question of where babies came from. My mother never had to buy The Miracle of Life, the goofy cartoon book all my friends were reading. While most parents were waiting until their daughters or sons entered puberty to bring up the old birds-and-bees talk, at age three I was lecturing cashiers at the local supermarket about how the egg can survive in the fallopian tube for about 24 hours while awaiting insemination. The first birth I can vividly recall was my little... read more

• Last updated 11/24/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, and Ann KepplerIssue 95, July/August 1999 Women respond differently to labor, depending on the nature of their labors, their sense of readiness, their coping styles, and their goals and expectations. As you prepare and rehearse for labor, learn various comfort measures and then adapt them to suit you. Use this knowledge to develop your own style for labor. Think about what helps you to relax: music, massage, soothing voices, a bath or shower, meditation, prayer, chanting or humming, or thinking about or visualizing pleasant places and... read more

• Last updated 11/24/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Jenny RoughWeb Exclusive, October 19, 2007 My heart is wild with the sound of chatter and praise. My husband, Ron, kisses my cheek as our friend Michael suggests a list of names: William, Christopher, Mark, Robert, Jacob, -- or Michael, he likes that best. I glance at my husband, and Ron is beaming. Michael swings an arm around Ron's shoulders. "My man! It's good to know your sperm are working," Michael says. The three of us clink glasses—me with my virgin pineapple juice, Ron and Michael with their bourbons. This has been going on for weeks now as Ron and I have... read more

• Last updated 4/3/13 by Cynthia Mosher

This lists all of our members due June 2011 - a group of moms who connect and share their pregnancy, birth, and ages-and-stages experiences.    Welcome and congrats to all! late May/early June petersnm - #1  imogenlily -  imalego - #3  lyndie - #1   elonwy - #1  Evergreen - #3   mija y mijo - #3  Tumble_Bumbles - #2 jwoodbri - #4 BallardBaby - #2  becomingme - #2    early June mayfly83 -  alerixon - #1  homestyle - #1  junebug2011 - #1  Jaspersmommy - #2  naturals - #2 prothyraia - #3 RachTheWife - #3 nononose -... read more

• Last updated 3/8/13 by mamazee

This was written as part of the workshop “Writing into Motherhood” taught by Tanya Taylor Rubinstein in the MotheringDotCommunity earlier this year. I am reposting it here for your enjoyment. You can read all nine of the pieces written by our workshop moms here. Baby Makes Five by Jenny Raby Sitting there in the birth tub I remembered the disbelief when my husband suggested the nausea I was feeling was probably because I was pregnant. I remembered the sinking feeling I had when it began to dawn on me that he wasn’t so far off base. I remembered... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

I love the power of communities. If there is one thing I’ve learned since becoming a mother it’s that when mothers take action just about anything can happen. That’s why I wrote the play “Birth” – a portrait of how low-risk mothers are giving birth in America today – and why I started the BOLD movement so “Birth” can be produced by moms all around the globe and raise awareness and money to promote mother-friendly birth. We’ve raised over $250,000 in less than five years for organizations offering mother-friendly care to pregnant moms. While I think... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

Last month Peggy (Mothering editor and publisher Peggy O’Mara) and I were in Los Angeles for the ICTC Black Midwives and Healers Conference. While in the area, we also took part in another midwifery-related event a short drive away: a gathering at Golden Bridge Yoga Studio in Hollywood to honor local midwives for National Midwifery Week. Peggy had been invited to speak but didn’t really know much about the event, only that she had been asked to give a brief talk about midwifery. As it turned out, Peggy was invited there not just to speak—but to... read more

• Last updated 10/30/10 by Mothering Editorial

To help prevent stretch marks and enhance the natural resilience of your skin, add essential oils to your skin-care preparations and massage yourself regularly. Lavender and neroli are particularly helpful in preventing stretch marks. Don’t forget that essentials oils are concentrated and should not be applied undiluted to the skin. Always add essential oils to a carrier oil such as grapeseed oil, sweet almond oil, sesame oil, jojoba oil, or sesame oil. Here is an excellent skin enhancer that may be massaged into your entire body or just on your ... read more