• Last updated 9/28/10 by Mothering Editorial

You’ve already spent a great deal of time making decisions about your pregnancy and upcoming delivery. You have chosen a health care provider and a childbirth education class, and decided whether or not you’re opting for a doula. You have made decisions about what foods to eat and where to give birth.The fabric of our lives changes constantly, however, and many women find themselves questioning some of these decisions later in their pregnancies. Whether or not you have doubts about any of the choices you’ve made up until this point, it’s a great idea to think it all... read more

• Last updated 3/14/13 by mamazee

Here is my response to a recent question by Elisha Goldstein, PhD, co-author of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook and author of a great blog Mindfulness and Psychotherapy at psychcentral.com. Elisha: The journey of pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting can seem like a roller coaster at times for new parents. How can we integrate mindful parenting to help us through this time? Cassandra: That really is an apt metaphor because pregnancy, childbirth, early parenting, and for many, even conception can be such a roller coaster – ups,... read more

• Last updated 10/17/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Milva McDonald and Justine McDonald Web Exclusive At a soccer game once, I overheard two mothers discussing birth. "Every teenage girl should observe one," said the first. "That would go a long way toward ending teenage pregnancy." They both laughed. I stayed silent, recognizing the labor-as-nightmare theme and wondering: Is that really what we want our daughters to know about birth? In the last two and a half years, I’ve had two baby girls, and my older daughter Justine, now almost 14, has attended both births. I know she will never forget seeing her sisters come... read more

• Last updated 9/27/10 by Mothering Editorial

April 30, 2010 At midnight April 30th the majority of New York City's home birth midwives will no longer be able to practice legally. Unless immediate action is taken by the Governor and the NYS Department of Health the women that these midwives serve will be denied access to a home birth with their chosen provider and these providers will no longer be able to practice legally in New York. YOU MUST ACT NOW to save the home birth option for New York Women! Call: Wendy Saunders, Executive Deputy Commissioner for the NY State Department of Health, appointed by... read more

• Last updated 9/25/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Joanne Dozer and Shannon BaruthIssue 95, July/August 1999 The use of epidurals is so common today that many perinatal professionals are calling the 1990s the age of the epidural epidemic. Believed by many in the medical profession to be safe and effective, the epidural seems now to be regarded as a veritable panacea for dealing with the pain of childbirth. It is true that most women experience pain during the course of labor. This pain can be intense and very real, even for those who have prepared for it. But pain is only one of many possible sensations and... read more

• Last updated 9/29/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Kristin BeckIssue 123, March/April 2004 Long before I got pregnant, I became sensitive to the various messages out there about pregnancy and motherhood. As with other things in life, once your radar switches on, you’re astounded that you’re completely surrounded by data. Natural birth or drugs, cradle or family bed, which stroller strolls best . . . all of this information had been out there before; I’d just never had a place for it in my brain. Suddenly, the Mommy File was open for business. I must have been... read more

• Last updated 10/9/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Allegra Huston Issue 136 - May/June 2006 In January 2002, as I sat in a New York City taxi on my way into Manhattan from JFK airport, I was suddenly hit with waves of nausea. I clenched my stomach, determined to hold on until I reached my friend’s apartment. She was four months pregnant. By the time I’d pressed her doorbell, I was sure that I was pregnant too. In my old life, before I moved to New Mexico, I’d have gone to the doctor’s office and sat with sick people, waiting for a cursory examination and a snatched 15 minutes of office time. Now, having lived in... read more

• Last updated 5/26/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Jennifer Bové Web Exclusive December 25, 2006 Oh God, not again. I shoved the door of the truck open, leaned out far enough to miss my boots, and threw up. It wasn't a surprise, but it wasn't getting any easier either. Such bouts of nausea had become a regular part of my schedule in the four months I'd been pregnant, as if my body was hell bent on starvation. I'd never been one to skimp on food during long days in the field, and now, when I surely needed a little extra fuel, a plum and a couple of Saltines were purged from my system like poison. Swiping my hand... read more

• Last updated 9/27/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Ina May GaskinIssue 107, July/August 2001 Early in her second pregnancy, Gretchen Brown (a pseudonym) decided to get care from an obstetrician. After all, she was 35, it had been 16 years since her last child was born, and an obstetrician seemed like the safest possible choice. The one she chose worked with nurse- midwives, but it was he who saw her at each of her prenatal visits. Still, Gretchen was taken aback by the way he reintroduced himself at every visit, a clear sign that he didn't remember her from one time to the next. "I felt like one of the cattle being... read more

• Last updated 3/14/13 by mamazee

I posted this on my BOLD blog, but I thought I”d repost here for all you pregnant mamas (and not pregnant!)! For those of you who have read my Mothering Magazine blog you’ll know my new obsession lately is napping. Not just any nap, but a yoga nidra nap. I’m so nap-happy this year that starting on Mother’s Day I plan to commit to taking one nap every day for a year. And I want you to too. The science is out there: naps can be life-changing, increase productivity, elevate mood and a yoga nidra nap can do even more – including helping moms... read more