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Terri O'Neale - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Terri O’Neale is the mother of six ranging in age from three to twenty-two. She recently coined the phrase family advocate to encompass all that she does as author, blogger, doula, childbirth advocate and community organiser/fundraiser.
She has at various times been a stay-at-home mom, working mother and for five years a single one. Her motto is…I don’t raise children; I raise functioning, contributing members of society.
Special Start Birth is her doula and childbirth ... [More]
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- 5 Free, Fun and Environmentally-Friendly Things to Do With Your Kids This Summer
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Each year millions of moms (and dads) struggle to entertain their children during the seemingly endless weeks of summer break. Our children have become addicted it seems to highly-stimulating media, such as television, computers and video games. While these electronic options offer an easy and according to some studies educational alternative, they do not allow parents to fully engage with their children. This article contains a few options of free, fun and environmentally-friendly activities that you can utilize along with these new electronic media to keep your children entertained this summer...and perhaps help them and you to learn something new as well.
- Diet Diary - What it is and Why Every Pregnant Woman Needs One
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] A diet diary is an excellent tool for tracking your intake of food, calories and nutrients. It is also an absolute must do for pregnant women.
- Touchpoints - The Essential Reference - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Self-Help] Parenting books are a dime a dozen. What gives this one the right to proclaim itself 'the essential reference?' Does it live up to its billing? Touchpoints: Your Child's Emotional and Behavioral Development by eminent American paediatrician T Berry Brazelton, MD bills itself as...the essential reference. Those are big words to live up to, but this book manages to do just that. It provides the most extensive overview of the basics of child development for parents.
- The Pregnancy Book (Sears Parenting Library) - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Womens] This book offers an excellent month-by-month guide to pregnancy. Unlike other books of its kind, it focuses on the positives of 'normal' pregnancy; rather than a litany of negatives and horror stories.
- Nutrition in Pregnancy - How Important is It?
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] So you just found out you are pregnant. One of your first thoughts/worries maybe...what should I eat? Do I need to change my diet? This article looks at those questions from a practical stand point.
- Bestfeeding - How to Breastfeed Your Baby - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Womens] Learn more about this absolute favorite of doula, childbirth educator and mother of six breastfed children. If you want more information or support with breastfeeding, this book is a must have.
- Do Not Sit on the Sideline of Your Child's Life
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Sometimes we can get so busy that we forget the value of play, but our children can be powerful reminders. When was the last time you made the time to just play with your child?
- The Worst - and Best - Job You Will Ever Love
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] Did the title catch your eye? Curious to know what it is? What if I told you that it required 24 hour on-call service? But a typical day requires about twelve hours full-time from start to finish. The pay? Generally speaking the pay is zero. What about holidays? They are so rare as mostly not even be worth mentioning? The job description includes all the duties of a maid, chauffer, cook, nurse and teacher. So why would you actually love such a job? Only one simple reason...
- Ode to Fathers on Their Day
[Home-and-Family:Fatherhood] In modern society the role of the father is changing. More children are growing up in single parent families. If nothing else, statistics around those fatherless homes tells us the true value of fathers. This article examines those issues from a personal perspective as well as a call to action for all of us.
- Alcohol, Caffeine, Cigarettes & Drugs in Pregnancy
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] If you have recently found out you are pregnant, many questions and concerns are racing through your mind. One of them maybe about what is safe in pregnancy. This article is a frank discussion of alcohol, caffeine, drugs and cigarettes in pregnancy.
- Weight Gain in Pregnancy - How Much is Enough?
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] If you are pregnant, how much weight should you gain? Where does it all go?
- Common Complications of Pregnancy
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] If you have recently found out you are pregnant, you may have concerns about your health or your baby's. This article is a brief overview of the most common complications of pregnancy.
- Food Groups and Pregnancy
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] When you are pregnant, everything takes on new significance. Nutrition is particularly important. This article examines the role that each of the food groups play during this special time.
- 3 Things My Children Taught Me
[Home-and-Family:Motherhood] Sometimes we get so busy as parents teaching our children all of life's lessons that we think they ought to know that we forget to listen to the lessons they have for us. This article is about the three most important things my six children have taught me over the past twenty-two years.
- Relative Reasons For Cesarean Birth
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] In the UK, one in four babies are born via cesarean; the US it is even higher, one in three. Yet the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that no country should have a cesarean birth rate higher than 15%. Obviously then there are unnecessary cesareans, few doctors would even argue that point. But what about your cesarean birth? How can you know if it was or is necessary?
- Must Have Cesarean Births
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] In the UK, one in four babies are born via cesarean; the US it is even higher, one in three. Yet the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that no country should have a cesarean birth rate higher than 15%. Obviously then there are unnecessary cesareans, few doctors would even argue that point. But what about your cesarean birth?
- How Does Your Garden Grow?
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] This article offers ideas for how to make your garden even more environmentally friendly by re-using every day materials. It also examines the emotional bonds strengthened by this shared passion.
- Transforming Stale Bagels Into Kid-Sized Pizzas
[Food-and-Drink:Cooking-Tips] Have stale bagels lying around your kitchen? Looking for an easy and inventive way of transforming them into an exciting lunch for the children? Look no further.
- Line Drying
[News-and-Society:Environmental] In these challenging economic times, there are numerous ways to both save money and be more environmentally friendly. One of those is line drying your clothes. This article takes a nostalgic look at this basic energy saving idea.
- Caesareans Birth
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Caesarean section is a term I detest. It is dehumanising and clinical. Am I a citrus fruit to be divided into sections? Is my baby a tumour that should be sectioned from my body? I have had three caesarean births. It is still a birth, my baby's birth, and it deserves to be treated as such.
- Attachment Parenting by Katie Allison Granju - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Womens] What is attachment parenting? Yet another fad of modern parenting or a time-tested, cross-cultural approach? This book attempts to answer those and other questions.
- Three in a Bed by Deborah Jackson - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Health-Mind-Body] Letting a new baby sleep in your bed...so you can get a good night's sleep...is a dirty little secret that most new mums have in common. Yet it is a practice that often comes under attack as dangerous. Is it? This book offers an evidence based exploration of the issue.
- Caesarean Birth by the National Childbirth Trust - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Health-Mind-Body] As a doula specialising in high-risk and caesarean births, I am always looking for evidence based and readable books for my clients. This book is one of my most popular.
- Complete Pregnancy & Birth Book by Dr Miriam Stoppard - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Health-Mind-Body] Pregnant? Looking for a book to read? This is a review of one of the top selling pregnancy and birth books in the UK.
- Co-Sleeping - Blessing Or Danger?
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] I was scandalised recently when I read an article by one of the premier pregnancy and birth experts in the UK. She was very negative about co-sleeping. In fact, she twisted statistics to make her point. But it is not the first time; I have heard misinformation about this issue. In this article, I hope to explore it from several perspectives including sociological, practical and personal.
- The Attachment Parenting Book by William and Martha Sears - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Self-Help] What is attachment parenting? How do you do it? This is a review of one source of those answers.
- How Old is Too Old to Have a Baby?
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Technology now allows women the option of having children well into their 50s, 60s and even 70s. But should they? This article by a doula and older mother takes perhaps an unpopular view of this issue.
- The Birth Book by William and Martha Sears - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Health-Mind-Body] This is an excellent primary source; one that I personally recommend to many of my clients. The Sears do an excellent job of exploring options for birth.
- Sex and the Pregnant Girl - What Every Woman (and Man) Should Know
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Have I got your attention with the title? The thing is that this is a delicate subject with many myths. It is also one that many women feeling very uncomfortable discussing with their doctors or midwives.
- Long Distance Parenting
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] In a world where the face of family is changing, more parents including mothers are facing difficult choices about custody. More parents are finding themselves hundreds or even thousands of miles from their children. This article based on personal experience explores ways of making the best of the situation.
- The $6 Day Out
[Finance:Personal-Finance] Is it still possible to entertain your family without spending a lot of money? Our trip to the beach shows how one family did just that. One of the unfortunate victims of the current depression is our children. Even if we have more time for them because of reduction in our work hours or lay-offs, we often don't do things with them because of finances. Our outing on Monday with my best friend though illustrates that fun does not have to cost that much. We spent the whole day at the beach for $6, plus gas and the food I already had at home that we packed as a picnic.
- American Ingenuity
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] This article looks at the small seller market in the USA; people that are using their skills and spare time to make extra money. It is an idea whose time has come.
- Environmentally Friendly - American Style
[News-and-Society:Environmental] I had to visit Wal-Mart again today (yes, I HAD to...the kids are sick and needed Tylenol and Motrin). I had noticed on a Wal-Mart commercial I saw that the spokeswoman had a re-usable bag, but on my previous trips to the local store, I had not noticed a display of them. In the UK, Tesco and Asda both have huge displays of their re-usable bags close to the check outs. In fact, they have taken to not having the plastic bags on display at all. You must actually ask for them. The message is clear: bags for life.
- Saving Money - American Style
[Finance:Personal-Finance] In this article, I compare my native USA against my adopted home, the UK, in terms of saving money. But also it explores how we spend our money.
- Healthier Living - American Style
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] In this article I examine the differences between my native USA and my adopted home, the UK, in terms of health care and healthier living. Although the National Health Service (NHS) may be taken for granted, it is on of the things I would miss most.
- Lasagne - The Working Mum's Blessing
[Food-and-Drink:Recipes] One simple strategy for working mothers is to prepare food ahead of time; that way each night is not a struggle to get dinner on the table after an exhausting day at the office. One of the easiest, cheapest and most delicious options for our family is lasagne.
- Family First - American Style
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] I have just completed the first weekend of my visit back to the USA. It has been a very busy weekend. On Saturday, my son had his Little League baseball game. We left the house around eleven and did not get back until almost four that afternoon. Then on Sunday we were back to the park for team pictures. It has been fun, but it has also made me feel somewhat guilty about the lack of those opportunities for Emily in the UK.
- I Hate Flying
[Travel-and-Leisure:Airline-Travel] Why I hate flying? This article examines the vast reasons why air travel is not at the top of my list and some other options for having a wonder holiday this summer.
- Break Out the Bikes
[News-and-Society:Environmental] With the lovely spring-like weather that London has been having, I commented to my husband that it was like an ant hill that had been stomped on...everyone was swarming out. But the sun lifts our moods as we spend more time in it, making more Vitamin D and melatonin. One great way of taking advantage of the warmth and sun is to pull out your bicycle.
- The 3 R's - Our Family's Commitment to Do More
[News-and-Society:Environmental] So How You Do'ing? In the spirit of recycling, I thought I would use those famous words from Friends character Joey. I have shared with you in other articles ideas that my family are using to cut our carbon footprint on this precious Earth that we call home.
- Reduce - The Holy Grail
[News-and-Society:Environmental] The hard truth is that we all need to reduce. Reduce the amount of money we spend. Reduce the amount of food we eat.
- The New 3 R's
[News-and-Society:Environmental] I was back in the grocery store this Saturday, but it was not the prices (although I did manage to keep it under ninety pounds once again) that caught my eye or even what other people were buying. In fact, what I noticed this Saturday did not happen until I was home and unpacking my weekly shopping. What I noticed was the amount of packaging, most of it useless, that I put into the bin.
- The Queen of Re-Use
[News-and-Society:Environmental] If I gave my family questionable marks on its efforts to reduce, I admit that when it comes to re-using I am the Queen. When I was a teenager there was a song, 'I was country, when country wasn't cool.' Well, I was re-using back when it was called hand-me-downs and everyone looked down on you for wearing them.
- Recycling - What it Really Is
[News-and-Society:Environmental] Recycling has become the catch all phrase often used in place of the 3 R's. But in its truest form recycling means taking one thing and changing it, usually chemically, into another. This is not to say that recycling is without value; it is certainly better than putting the items in the bin where they will end up in landfills and leach chemicals into our ground water.
- Books Worms - On a Budget
[Shopping-and-Product-Reviews] This morning, I am doing one of my favourite things: reading to the children at my daughter's nursery. Reading is a large part of our family. I and each of my children are book worms with huge collections of books that are at times divested and then re-built.
- Steak and Potato Soup
[Food-and-Drink:Soups] In another article I shared my chicken soup for the stomach...as well as the soul. Another really tasty and hearty winter lunch is steak & potato soup. So after cleaning up from last week's celebration of steak and jacket potatoes, I took the leftovers and threw them into the pot and made an excellent homemade version.
- Other People's Junk
[Shopping-and-Product-Reviews] This time last week, I was sitting in my oldest daughter's new flat. I was helping her get settled in a bit. When she moved in, the room had an old double bed frame. She had borrowed a couple of twins mattresses from us, but what she really, REALLY wanted was a nice futon.
- Presentation - It's Not About Being Posh
[Food-and-Drink] Have you ever wanted to feel like you were at a five star restaurant at home? This article discusses the importance of presentation in turning simple meals into a fine dining experience.
- Re-Defining - Let's Celebrate
[Food-and-Drink:Cooking-Tips] Like many families before the current depression began, we would often dine out to celebrate occasions both big and small. If it was someone's birthday, we would go out. If I got a consulting job, we would go out to celebrate. Heck, just our monthly pay days were often reason to celebrate. The bill was almost never less than 40 GBP for dinner for two and a bottle of wine. If we brought the children, then the bill would be between 75 and 100 GBP. But like many other families since this whole economic downturn really began in October of last year, eating out is one luxury that has virtually disappeared from our lifestyle.
- What Ever Happened to the Homemaker?
[Womens-Interests] Have you ever wondered at the words we use to describe ourselves and others? This article looks at the use of an old-fashioned term...homemaker.
- Saturday Shopping
[Food-and-Drink] Each Saturday morning before eight my husband, mother-in-law, three year-old daughter, and I cram into his work van and make our weekly pilgrimage to the grocery store. Keeping with the family tradition set before I arrived, we shop at the UK largest retailer. We walk the aisles that are so familiar to us; selecting what we need for the week.
- Chicken Soup For the Stomach
[Food-and-Drink:Soups] It is no wonder that one of the most popular inspirational book series is called Chicken Soup. Few foods illicit such strong feelings of warmth and comfort. Most of us remember fondly the Campbell Soup commercials of the little boy coming in out of the cold to a piping hot bowl of this magic elixir. And of course, we all have heard of the mythical healing powers in those steaming bowls of chicken soup. So today let's finish off the last of that Sunday roasted chicken: a few morsels of meat clinging to the thigh and back, the golden crisp skin and not to be forgotten the mineral rich bones.
- Teach Our Children Life's Hard Lessons
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] How do we guide our children through these trying economic times? How do we help them to understand when we can no longer give them all they want?
- Grow Your Own - A Family Affair
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] I'm a little late getting back from dropping my youngest daughter off at nursery today, because I spent the morning helping her friends discover the lost art of growing your own. In fact if any single thing represents the core values of Frugal Family, it is this one. Whether you have acres of backyard to plant or simply a small window sill, growing your own fruits and vegetables encourages you to spend more time with your family, saves you money at the grocery store, is very environmentally friendly and makes healthy eating easier.
- Portion Size
[Health-and-Fitness:Obesity] Do you know the correct portion size for your young child or toddler? Could you be over-feeding him or her and creating life-long eating patterns that lead to obesity?
- Creative Cooking - Chicken Surprise
[Food-and-Drink:Recipes] In these tight times, families are learning to stretch their food dollars/pounds. This article explores the lost art of creative cooking through a nostalgic look at the author's childhood.
- Frugal Families - What it Means to Me
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] It is 9.45AM. I sit at my desk in my bedroom. My three year old daughter has been fed, dressed and safely deposited in nursery. I have another hour and forty-five minutes until I must pick her up.
- 7 Free-Cheap Things to Raise Genius Children
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] 1) Breastfeed. Studies show that at the age of six children who were breastfed for six months or more score an average of 6 points higher on IQ tests than formula fed children. And breast milk is FREE.
- Why Green Parenting Makes Cents
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] As the economy goes deeper into recession, being environmentally friendly makes family cents in more ways than one. This article offers 5 simple things your family can do to help save our planet...and save your family money too.
- Leftovers - Rediscovering a Lost Art Form
[Food-and-Drink] Yesterday was Sunday. And as usual I spent over half the day in the kitchen cooking. On Sundays not only do I make a big traditional meal but I also 're-make' the leftovers from the past week. On Sundays I take all the fruits and veggies from the past week that haven't gone off but aren't that fresh anymore and turn them into something special.
- What's Your Dream?
[Self-Improvement:Empowerment] Do you find yourself unemployed or face insecurity in these current economic times? Do you wonder how best to survive...and to thrive? This article talks about the personal experience of one woman, who is using this time to transform her life and become the person she always wanted to be, but never had the time.
- Teaching Our Children the Lessons of Race and Class
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Many parents struggle to raise colour-blind children in a world where racism and class still at times may appear to have strangle-holds on our dreams. This article offers some ideas for dealing as a parent with these issues and the motivations of one mother for doing so.
- World AIDS Day 2008
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] It has been almost three decades since the emergence of what was believed to be a new disease among the gay community in New York and San Francisco. We now know that HIV has been present in the human population for a hundred years or more. But on this day, World AIDS Day 2008, it is the individuals who are daily battling ignorance and arrogance that I wish to celebrate...my first mentor in health education.
- Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama
[Book-Reviews:Biographies-Memoirs] Do you wonder who this man that will lead us through the hardest economic times since the Great Depression really is? What are his roots...his dreams...his struggles? How can he possibly understand me and my situation? This book answers those and many other questions.
- Offering Hope to Our Kids
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] Do you ever look into the eyes of a youth or even child and wonder at the blank stare you find there? Do you cringe when you hear a mother, who is little more than a child herself, scream at her toddler for simply exploring the big world around them? Does anger rise in you when you hear an older person at a bus stop generalise about all of the younger generation as worthless thugs (or worse)? Does your heart skip a beat and your mind fill with fear at what the future will hold for this young sleeping angel next to you, this child whom you brought into the world, for whom you are responsible?
- The Best Part of the Day
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Do you sometimes get so caught up in the doing that you forget the being? Those important moments in life when you take time for the ones you love most. This article by the mother of six offers a reflection on the importance of stopping for those times.
- Breastfeeding in Public - 3 Types of Warriors
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] Are you concerned about breastfeeding in public? Worried about how others will look or feel about it? This article by a doula, childbirth educator, breastfeeding peer counselor and mother of six offers three distinctive styles of managing this difficult situation.
- Childbirth Classes - Choosing The Right Option For Me
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Many first parents begin their journey with bonding and informative childbirth education classes. Most hospitals in the UK and the US offer such classes...often free or at a low cost. In addition there are numerous groups offering classes including NCT, Hypnobirthing and Lamaze to name a few.
- Love You Forever - Book Review
[Book-Reviews:Childrens-Books] Are you looking for a meaningful gift this Christmas for a special child or pregnant friend? This review by the mother of six is about the one MUST have book that she buys for each of her children.
- The Most Important Parenting Lesson
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] On Friday, my two year old daughter re-enforced what I believe to be the single most important lesson I have learned in twenty-two years as a parent. We were in our room and there was something in my dresser she wanted. She kept pointing and asking...Tuttle. At almost three, I can understand her about 95% of the time. But on this occasion though I quickly exhausted everything that I knew sounded like...tuttle.
- Messes - The Value of Heuristic Play
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Ever looked around your living room in disgust at the toys carelessly strewn about? Ever wondered if your child will ever keep their room clean? This article offers an alternative perspective on making messes. Written by the mother of six who has come to see the value in those messes, this article offers hope that the lessons our children learn by making the mess is worth the effort it takes to clean them up.
- Not the Brady's Anymore - Coping With the Modern Blended Family
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] As a child, I remember watching the Brady Bunch. It was an idyllic exploration of what was just becoming an American norm: the 'step' family. By idyllic I mean that the show carefully avoided many of the complicated issues of real life. While Tom Brady was clearly identified as a widow, no mention was ever made of what had become of Carol's first husband.
- Parenting Your Gifted Child
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Although I usually write about pregnancy, birth and parenting the young child, a friend asked a question the other day about educational options for her gifted four year-old. Sometimes as I write about breastfeeding, talking to your child, reading to them and the other child-centered techniques, I almost feel as if I should place a warning box on my articles: CAUTION the prolonged and continued use of these parenting tips may result in children and teens who are both highly intelligent and extremely non-compliant.
- The Greatest Generation?
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] Have you ever heard...kids today are (fill in the blank). Does it bother you that our society has left our youth and children in debt...financially, environmentally and morally? And then those same people that used up the earth's resource have the affrontary to complain about the youth and children whose future they and their excesses have bankrupted.
- How to Avoid Another Cesarean Birth
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] This morning as I looked over the new posts at Mummy Madness, where I serve as the expert in pregnancy, birth & breastfeeding, I saw an interesting post: another section? One of women was seeking advice on how to minimize her risk of requiring a second cesarean birth.
- Sleepless Nights of Pregnancy
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Sleepless nights are one of the joys of pregnancy! Between tossing and turning to find a comfortable position for your pump; being kicked ferociously by the baby who has slept all day but must now wake up and make his or her presence known; and the bazillion trips to the loo because you know your bladder is simply going to burst...only to have three drops in the end; is it any wonder we have PND (postnatal depression) and the like?
- The Real Cost of Having a Doula After Your Baby is Born
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Have you thought about having a postpartum doula to help out after your baby is born? But are you worried that it is a luxury you simply can't afford? This is actually a myth. Because of the way that doulas operate they are affordable for most families.
- Week Three - And PANIC
[Home-and-Family:Motherhood] Have you recently had a new baby? Are you suddenly feeling more overwhelmed...just when you thought everything should be getting back to normal? This article offers practical advice from an experienced mother and doula for that period three to four weeks after your baby is born when you might begin to feel a bit down or overwhelmed.
- Is Homebirth Safe?
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Until the 20th century, most babies were born at home. In Western society now only a small minority are. In fact, it is quite a debate...sometimes a volatile one as well.
- Fresh Milk - A Review
[Book-Reviews:Non-Fiction] Are you looking to explore the diverse experience of breastfeeding at a more in-depth level? Are you interested in challenging society's perceptions and misconceptions on the subject? Are you ready to be challenged on your own? Then Fresh Milk might be a first step on this path of self-discovery.
- The Doula Book - Review
[Book-Reviews:Womens] The Doula Book: How a Trained Labor Companion Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier and Healthier Birth is the virtual bible for doula training. This book is truly written by experts, two doctors and psyco-therapist: Marshall H Klaus, MD; John H Kennell, MD; and Phyllis H Klaus, CSW, MFT. With that alphabet soup is it any wonder that this book is the premier in its field?
- 3 Radical Ideas to Save Big Money This Christmas
[Home-and-Family:Holidays] Are you worried about what this Christmas might hold for your family? Has the economic downturn effected your family? Are you looking for ways to save money this Christmas? Then this article offers 3 rather unusual...and not for everyone...options for having a good holiday...even in the worst of circumstances.
- The Pros of Children's Television
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Do you feel guilty when you see the headlines proclaiming that your child should watch only one hour of television each week? Do you wonder if you are damaging their young minds? This article offers an alternative view...the pro's of quality children's television.
- Must Do's and Want To's - A Lesson For Self-Employed Mums
[Home-Based-Business] Four months ago, I became a self-employed doula/childbirth educator. One reason was to have more time for my youngest daughter. Today I learned a valuable lesson of being self-employed.
- Just Found Out You're Pregnant - What Now?
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] If you have recently found out that you are expecting, you may feel overwhelmed. Where do you find out the information you need to give your baby the best start in life? This article offers suggestions for where to find that valued information at this critical time.
- How to Evaluate Pregnancy & Parenting Resources?
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] How do new parents and parent-to-be evaluate the millions and billions of pieces of information out there? How do they decide which ones to listen to? This article offers 3 simple questions that you can use to begin to critically evaluate all that information.
- Stay-at-Home Mums Finding Our Place in Hard Economic Times
[Home-and-Family:Motherhood] Is your family finding it hard to make ends meet in these hard times? Do you fear that you might be forced to return to a full-time job? This article examines options that may prove to be more fulfilling...and lucrative.
- Babies Really Are NOT That Expensive
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] So you just found out you are having a new baby. Are you confused by the huge selection of baby products? A bit daunted by the price tags? Perhaps even wondering how you will ever afford this new addition? Then this article may offer you some advice...from a mother of six.
- Yes, You Can - Parenting Lessons of Obama's Success
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Why would a childbirth educator, doula, breastfeeding counsellor and parenting expert choose to write about a political campaign? The answer is quite simply...this campaign and this man may be the single greatest thing to happen to poor and ethnic minority children in almost half a century.
- The Real Cost of Being a Stay-At-Home Mum (Or Dad)
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Since July, I have been a stay-at-home mum to Emily (2). Although this is what I had desperately wanted for some time and we had even planned to transition to me being stay-at-home, it was not by choice. But because of a mix up with our visas, I lost the right to work in the UK for several months until our applications are approved.
- The Breast Start
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] I saw this fabulous advert the other day. "Only the breast will do." Unfortunately it was not the tag line of a new campaign to promote breastfeeding.
- World's Best Mum
[Home-and-Family:Motherhood] If you had to name the World's Best Mother, who would it be? This article examines the woman I think best represents modern motherhood...and in the tradition of Sex in the City...she is one HOT momma.
- Book Review - Cesarean Recovery by Chrissie Gallagher-Mundy
[Book-Reviews:Non-Fiction] This book has become a bible in my doula practice specializing in cesarean births. At less than 130 pages, this relatively short and well illustrated tome is brilliant at offering advice and hope to mums who have a cesarean birth. First published in 2004 and updated in 2006, this book can be easily found on Amazon or eBay if your local bookstore does not carry it.
- Breastfeeding - A Retrospective View Across Culture and Time
[Health-and-Fitness:Womens-Issues] Serving as a breastfeeding peer counselor, one of the most common questions I get is about breastfeeding in public. In this article I share a comparison of my experiences across three decades, two continents, four countries and five US states. I examine how public opinion and acceptance of breastfeeding varies and has changed.
- How to Get the Birth You Want
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Whether you are opting for a first time natural birth, a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) or an elective cesarean; it is not always easy to get your doctor or midwife to follow your birth plan. How do you achieve your dreamt of birth?
- Birth Trauma - 22 Years Later
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] For many women, the immediate days, weeks, months and sometimes even years following a traumatic birth may seem like an endless abyss of hopelessness, anxiety and depression. For those women experiencing birth trauma (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), it may feel as if things will never get better. But my story illustrates that it is possible to have a life after birth trauma.
- Selecting Breastfeeding-Friendly Childcare
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] A newspaper article recently focused on how the current economic downturn is forcing some middle-class mums who had planned to remain at home after their babies to instead return to work. It made me think about how those choices might effect their breastfeeding relationship. It may seem odd, but one common reason given by new mums for not breastfeeding is that they will be returning to work so doesn't want to begin. But breastfeeding can be a wonderful way to remain close to your baby if you return to work. It does though require support from your childcare provider.
- The Successful Child
[Book-Reviews:Non-Fiction] Every parent's greatest desire as they hold their new baby is that she be a success in life. But what is successful and how can we as parents help our children achieve it? The Successful Child: What Parents Can Do to Help Kids Turn Out Well is a wonderful book that offers one pathway to achieving just that. Written by American pregnancy and attachment parenting gurus Dr William Sears and his nurse wife, Martha, this book looks at how we as parents define success and then explores one parenting style that they feel has proven to be highly successful.
- VBAC Vs Elective Caesarean - What is Right For Me?
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Let me begin by saying that this article is not about the scientific evidence on Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) or Elective Caesarean (EC). There are plenty of wonderful articles and books on that out there. This article is about choice...birth choice. Its purpose is to provide you with a few things to consider as you make the best decision for you and your baby in your situation...which is all that anyone can do.
- Jumping in Puddles
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] When was the last time, you jumped in a puddle with your child? As parents, we sometimes spend so much time worrying about what other adults will think of us that we forget that it is our children's opinion that counts the most.
- A Long Road Back - My Journey Through Birth Trauma
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] For many different reasons, childbirth may not be the event we planned or expected it to be. It is estimated that, in the UK alone, this may result in 10,000 women a year developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Also, as many as 200,000 more women may feel traumatised by childbirth and develop some of the symptoms of PTSD (The Birth Trauma Association).
- Breastfeeding Awareness Week in the UK
[Home-and-Family:Motherhood] 11 - 17 May is Breastfeeding Awareness Week in the UK. The theme of this year's event is 'Breastfeeding: every day makes a difference to your baby'. Breastfeeding is getting some powerful endorsements from Atomic Kitten Jenny Nash and Welsh singer Charlotte Church.
- The Value of Labour Support During Caesarean Birth
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] You may have recently found it that it is necessary for your new baby to be born via caesarean or perhaps this is your choice. You may wonder why you would need a trained labour assistant or doula for a surgical birth. Isn't just having your partner there enough?
- Going Home from the Hospital After a Caesarean Birth - How a Doula Can Help
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Whether you had a vaginal or caesarean birth, taking your baby home from the hospital is a big day for your new family...and a bit scary too. But caesarean mums and babies have some special needs.
- Caesareans And Childbirth Education Classes - Why Do I Need Them?
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Perhaps you recently found out that you will need to deliver your baby by caesarean? You may wonder if those childbirth education courses are really necessary. Doesn't the doctor do it all? Certainly no need for those relaxation and breathing exercises? Or is there?
- Caesarean Birth And Post Traumatic Stress
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] Have you recently found out that your baby will need to be born by caesarean? Did you labour for hours or days only to have a surgical birth in the end? Are you angry or depressed? Do you feel as if somehow you failed as a mother and a woman?
- Emergency Mothering - When Sudden Illness Or Accident Takes You From Your Baby
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] Being a mother is never an easy job; stressful at its best. But what about when something unexpected happens: an accident or sudden major illness. How do we cope? How do we help our most precious little ones understand? And how can we show those amazingly wonderful and adaptable creatures, our partners, just how very much we appreciate them?
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