• Last updated 3/14/13 by mamazee

Tomorrow (since I’m writing this at 9:30 p.m. after having spent all day on airplanes returning from New York City where I was at the American Society of Journalists and Authors meeting) the PBS show “Frontline” will air a full-hour investigative piece on the vaccine debate. A producer and a cameraman came to Ashland when Leone was just a few weeks old and spent hours interviewing me, following us around town, and taking B-roll of the kids. The press release makes me a little nervous. They’ve decided to call the show “The Vaccine War” and I... read more

• Last updated 3/14/13 by mamazee

by Jake Aryeh Marcus Find Sustainable Mothering on Facebook and Jake on Twitter. A recent episode of the PBS program Frontline was called “The War on Vaccines.” The title alone should have been the tip off that the producers’ goal was to inflame and incite – to assume this was an entirely adversarial discussion between diametrically opposed viewpoints. But I knew that my colleague Jennifer Margulis, Contributing Editor at Mothering where I am Politics Editor, was interviewed on the program so I felt obligated to watch. I knew also the show would feature... read more

• Last updated 3/14/13 by mamazee

Hannah called just a few minutes after the PBS Frontline “Vaccine War” ended. “I can’t get the baby to stop crying,” she said. “I’ll be right home,” I cried, saying a hasty goodbye to my friends and jumping on my bicycle. Although I think the producers of “Vaccine War” did their best to present both sides, I was a little disappointed with the show. Here’s why: 1. Although you would not know it from the episode, I am pro vaccine and my children are selectively vaccinated. I think vaccines may be responsible for saving hundreds of... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

“When was the last time you went to the doctor?” Ron asked. I thought he was kidding. As I try to get pregnant, it seems like I’m always at the doctor. If I’m not having my blood tested to check my hormone levels, I’m having a sonogram appointment to track my ovulation, or participating in a procedure known as IUI (intra-uterine insemination) where Ron’s sperm is deposited directly into my uterus by a catheter. “Not a fertility doctor; a general internist,” he clarified. Good question. I checked my records. I hadn’t had a regular checkup in over... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by Melanie Mayo

By V.K. Harber   All primary caregivers know the drill. Kid’s head hits pillow, adult’s feet hit pavement (so to speak). If  you’re anything like me, naptime is when you run around the house, not unlike a chicken with its head cut off, attempting to do everything you couldn’t do while you were tending to your little bundle of joy. Of course, I’ve also been known to pop a bowl of popcorn and catch up on episodes of Modern Family on Hulu. Just depends on the day.     When I first had my son, despite the fact that every single experienced mother I knew told me... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

Thank you, dear readers, for the kind comments on yesterday’s post about our sleepless nights and Leone’s biting. Nursing has gone better today. I only offer when I am sure the baby’s hungry so she has no temptation to use my breast as a dog chew toy, and then I remind her to be gentle before she latches on. I think that, combined with the screaming and sobbing (mine) when she does bite me by mistake, is getting the point across. This baby has yet to start on solid foods of any kind though she’s had a taste here and there. She ate a pea-sized amount of... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

Since penis is not a word you’ve read on this blog before and since I’ve deleted the 15 other incarnations of this sentence and I’ve been staring at this white screen wondering how to approach this topic, let’s just put the word penis down a few times to get used to seeing it here: Penis penis penis. Today, my friends (Dad, stop reading this), we’re going to talk about penises. Although in England fewer than five percent of men are circumcised, about 79 percent of American men get a totally functional and important part of their anatomy cut off... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

When my friend B. went to see a specialist last Thursday, she watched a representative from a drug company sail into the waiting room carrying six cups of coffee and a bag of pastries for the office. In the meantime she sat and waited. And waited. And waited. She had an 8:30 a.m. appointment but wasn’t seen until 9:15. “It’s just wrong,” she wrote in an email to some friends. We haven’t been to the doctor in almost three years and I have been struggling with camp forms lately, wondering who to list as our primary care physician. Do we even have one? But I... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

There’s been more candy eating and gum chewing in our house this week than after Halloween. Partly because of the candy throwing at the July 4th parade in Ashland and partly because my mother-in-law was just here for a visit (note to Susan: this is not a criticism of you in any way. We had a wonderful time and want you to come back soon). My kids aren’t just swallowing loads of refined sugar (linked to the huge increase of juvenile diabetes among children in the United States) and hydrogenated oils (so taxing to liver, heart, and other organs it’s... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by Amy Lansky

by Amy L. Lansky, PhD   (For more information about homeopathy, please visit www.impossiblecure.com)   One argument in favor of the true healing power of homeopathy -- one that I've never heard countered by the skeptics -- is the success of homeopathic remedies in treating animals. Even the Queen of England likes to treat her pet Corgis with homeopathy!   I'll never forget one of my own amazing pet cures. Just days before embarking on a month-long trip, I noticed my dog Shadow had a growth on her front lower leg. I took her to the vet, hoping it was just an... read more