• Last updated 6/27/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Tanya N. Cook Web Exclusive They say that I should be ashamed of you. That I should hide you under clothes, buy creams to ease your grip on me, even go under the laser to erase all evidence of your existence. But I am proud of you. I may never wear a bikini again, but that has less to do with you than with the little saggy pouch underneath my belly button that you decorate. Catching a glimpse of my bare stomach I am shocked. Somehow in my mind, it still seems as though it should be flat and smooth as it was before, in my other life. But there you were,... read more

• Last updated 3/18/13 by Melanie Mayo

A common intervention, epidurals are given to reduce pain during birth. But at what cost? A leading Australian physician discusses how this invasive procedure actually impedes labor and harms both mother and baby. Adapted from the book Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering; The wisdom and science of gentle choices in pregnancy, birth, and parenting available from www.sarahjbuckley.com By Sarah J. Buckley The first recorded use of an epidural was in 1885, when New York neurologist J. Leonard Corning injected cocaine into the back of a patient suffering from "spinal... read more

• Last updated 1/5/11 by Mothering Editorial

I just had a c section on friday they gave me hydrocodone/app 7.5mg. I take only half a pill every 4hr and I have pain only on my right side and my chest is hurting me uncontrolable. I can't even lay down it feels like my insides are tearing. Is all this normal?I would suggest to contact your medical professional ASAP. Best wishes, Judy read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

  Andy with his sisters Lily and Kate Two biotech companies, Artemis and Sequenom, are developing prenatal blood tests to detect Trisomy 21, the chromosomal abnormality that causes Down syndrome. These blood tests are non-invasive and can be done in the first trimester of pregnancy. According to Ian Clements, spokesperson for the San Diego-based publicly-traded Sequenom, the company recently completed a successful study of the plasma of about 480 women, which they plan to publish soon. Clements said Sequenom’s next step is to do a... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

. . . something Ronald David said in his keynote on Friday: The Hebrew word for compassion is rachm or racham. It also means womb. Photo —unrelated to compassion or wombs, I suppose—from my run on Friday. Tags: bird of paradise, Hebrew, Long Beach, rachm, ronald david, womb This entry was posted on Sunday, October 10th, 2010 at 1:03 pm and is filed under living, momdom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.     read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

Hey LA Mommas, Sunday, October 10 1:30 – 4:30 Celebrate Midwifery with Carrie Anne Moss & Ricki Lake Cost: Free Please bring your family to join us for this celebration including: Special guest Peggy O’Marra of Mothering Magazine Music by Renee and Jeremy and Maggie Wheeler and Emile Hassan Dyer with the Golden Bridge Community Choir A sacred blessing of the midwive’s hands led by Andrea Bendewald, of Enchanted Circle See you there! Love, Jessica About Jessica... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

What a fabulous experience it is to be here with Peggy (Mothering Editor and Publisher Peggy O’Mara) at the Black Midwives and Healers Conference! Yesterday was packed full of adventures, remarkable stories, fascinating people, and today promises to be more so. Internet connection is really spotty here, and I’ve got to run to the next session, so I’m going to post these photos while I’m connected and will add caption and background info when I can! Meanwhile, Peggy has posted about some of the folks we’ve been meeting. Check out her blog... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

No, you’re right. That doesn’t look like Santa Fe. And right now this doesn’t look like my usual day-to-day life. Peggy (Mothering Editor and Publisher Peggy O’Mara) and I just got in to Los Angeles— after an adventure-packed day of travel and good company—to attend the 7th International Black Midwives and Healers Conference. I’ll be trying to blog, though I still don’t have my beloved laptop back. (I’m using a hand-cranked PowerBook from the Victorian era, on loan from our Mac guy) (I joke, but I’m very grateful. It’s an extra computer he just happened to... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

About to head out the door to the conference, but first: A few snapshots from yesterday, a day of travel with Peggy: heading down the New Mexico highway to the airport; passing time while waiting to board our plane by showing Peggy how to calibrate her laptop monitor; scenes from King’s Fish House, where the fish is so fresh they have to update the menu twice a day (and where these desert dwellers ate some really good fish!)     This entry was posted on Friday, October 8th, 2010 at 10:20 am and... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

Goji berries. Broccoli. Celery. Sea Veggies. Those are just some of the nourishing foods reputed to enhance fertility. But what you drink has an impact, too. As I type away in my home writing office, I like to sip, sip, sip from a mug throughout the day (and, when I work late, throughout the evening). Because I’m trying to conceive, I wanted to examine what I should be putting into that mug – and what I should be leaving out. Here’s a look at some beverages with advice from fertility nutritionists: Water with Healing Herbs and Spices Probably the best... read more