• Last updated 10/30/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Emily StrongWeb Exclusive - June 19, 2006 I scoot closer to the edge of Miranda's couch as nausea, like the itsy-bitsy spider, climbs up my esophagus. My options are to make a beeline for the potted ficus or to navigate the minefield of toddlers at my feet to reach the bathroom. Pride and a fear that seeing me puking on “mommy's favorite tree" might leave scars on two-year-old minds, force me to choose the latter. I dart right to avoid a tea party, jog left to miss the music circle, and attempt a long jump over train tracks. Landing squarely on Thomas the Tank... read more

• Last updated 10/26/10 by Mothering Editorial

Most women make plans about how work will fit into their lives after the baby is born: stay at home with the baby until she is ready for school; stay at home for three months and then return to work; stay at home for six weeks and then go back to work part-time; or another plan.Once they become mothers, however, many women find they need to reevaluate these plans. Motherhood can deal surprises. You may find that you now want to stay home for longer than you had originally planned. If your baby had to be hospitalized, you may not feel you’ve had enough time with him... read more

• Last updated 10/28/10 by Mothering Editorial

Web Exclusive April 10, 2006   The stairs outside the front door are those that Ahri walked up and down to open her hips for the baby's journey. Although her water broke on Friday evening, labor came slowly, and Saturday was very quiet. By 9pm on Saturday night the contractions were coming every five-ten minutes, coming on strong but not even close to where we needed to be. "When you have consistent contractions every three-four minutes, for two hours or so, it means you're getting ready," Michelle, our midwife's assistant, had said. And so Sunday morning we went... read more

• Last updated 7/1/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Nora Weatherby Web Exclusive - January 29, 2007 "Giving birth has definitely been a transformative component of my life. I have really embraced the gift of motherhood. The compassion and the caring have really opened my heart," a young mother of two said to me over a cup of coffee. We spent two hours together, laughing, crying and sharing. The only hint that this was an interview was the small silver tape recorder that lay in between the napkins and the mugs. We did not know each other outside of this meeting. A mutual friend had introduced us. But, for those two... read more

• Last updated 3/17/13 by Momsteader

I heard on National Public Radio (NPR) this morning that the doctor who implanted Nadeya Suleman (aka “Octomom”) with so many embryos is at a hearing this morning in Los Angeles. The doctor, Michael Kamrava, has been accused of “gross negligence” by the Medical Board of California. According to an L.A. Times blog post that was updated just a few hours ago, the hearing “is expected to last at least a week and could determine whether Dr. Michael Kamrava’s medical license will be suspended or revoked.” Dr. Kamrava was expelled last fall from the American... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

When it finally dawned on me that I was having trouble conceiving, I knew one thing: I wanted to restore the hormone imbalances in my body naturally. I searched…and searched…and searched for a holistic fertility center in the Washington, D.C. area (where I live). All I could find were a few random acupuncturists or naturopathic doctors that treated women’s health issues as part of a broader practice. I ended up traveling far away from the area – out of the country far – to immerse myself in Ayurveda. By the time I returned home, Pulling Down the Moon, a... read more

• Last updated 1/5/11 by Mothering Editorial

Dear M. Odent, I am a great fan of yours, and I have read many of your books. I am writing to you because after having had 2 previous cesareans (the first was an emergency, I was giving birth at home, but as she was crowning it was discovered that she was face presentation - lips first. The second was for a twin delivery, baby A was breech, and I could not find anyone who was qualified or willing to deliver them vaginally with a breech presentation, my water broke so the cesarean was performed). I am now pregnant with baby number 4, and I would desperately like to... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

Well, shoot. This is a little embarrassing. I was at the 7th International Black Midwives and Healers Conference last weekend, and fully intended to post regularly throughout the days we were there.  But then my laptop died and was sent back to Apple twice to be repaired. It wasn’t fixed in time to go to the conference, so our Mac whiz, Tim Nagy, lent me a loaner. Now, I don’t mean to sound like an ingrate, but it’s kind of like having a pedal-powered computer. Big and slow and a lot of work to do anything. I couldn’t get it to stay online at the hotel... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

More photos from the 7th International Black Midwives and Healers Conference in Long Beach, California, which I attended last weekend with Mothering publisher and editor Peggy O’Mara (see her latest reflections on the conference here). The view from my sixth-floor room at the conference (it was held at the Long Beach Hilton). It felt very NOT Santa Fe. . . An appreciative audience applauds Saturday’s “Brazen Women” panel of presidents of health organizations.  That’s Peggy (Mothering editor and publisher Peggy O’Mara) in the bottom left... read more

• Last updated 5/19/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Alyssa Colton Issue 138 - September-October 2006 When I think of pain, I think of something shooting, unendurable, wrenching—something that is a shock to the system. I think of something that needs to be stopped at all costs. When I set about preparing myself for my first daughter's birth, I understood that pain was involved. Though on some level I was scared, I think I was more scared by all the medical horrors that could happen. As I did more research, I understood that many medical complications are brought about by the practice of medicine itself. I knew that... read more