From the featured blog, Stoic

Going back to work after having my son was NOT something I wanted to do. I, like a lot of women, had this ideal in my head that I would be this perfect stay at home mom/wife. This included me keeping a spotless house, having dinner ready on the table at 6 sharp every night, and have plenty of free time to lounge around and be generally awesome. Unfortunately, as my due date grew increasingly closer and my stomach grew increasingly larger, my husband and I came to the conclusion that financially, I could not be a stay at home mom. We had tried to tweak our budget in every way possible, him by figuring in overtime at work, me by promising to only eat one meal a day and to cut my post-baby margarita schedule in half. Any way we looked at it, we needed two incomes.

From the featured blog, Jenna’s Journey

Bringing a new baby home can be daunting to any new parent. No matter how many books you read, nothing can fully prepare you for the unknown territory you are about to enter.

My son spent 5 weeks in the NICU, and when we brought him home, our situation was anything but normal. Brayden came home on a medication for reflux that made him, well, scary! He cried and screamed, and screamed and cried for weeks, until I begged my pediatrician to switch medications or just take him off of that horrible stuff. Once we removed him from the meds, he was a different baby!

It was at the point, when he was about two and a half months old, that we decided we needed to put him on a schedule. My mom had been telling us for months that he needed a schedule, so he would know what to expect from his day. I only wish we had listened to her sooner!

From the featured blog, Unexpectedly Expecting

Sometime shortly after Caroline was born, I signed up for about a bajillion baby development emails. You know the ones I mean—your baby week by week, your x-week-old, or whatever. When they showed up in my inbox, I’d read them with a tinge of anxiety, checking up on where Caroline “should be”. I’d watch her during playtime, looking for milestones, or signs that she was about to reach them. Was that roll-over on purpose, or just a lucky accident? Is she lifting herself up enough during tummy time? Oh no… am I giving her enough tummy time? IS SHE GOING TO YALE OR ISN’T SHE?! I’ve got to tell you, I worry way more about this than I ever thought I would.

From the featured blog, Charmingly Chandler

Mom’s should be supportive right?  I mean we are all embarking on the biggest adventure and challenge of our lives!  We all want what’s best right?  We want to raise smart, healthy, independent children.  (Unless you don’t.  Unless you’re the one person who wants to be different in which case, I give you major side eye!).  But in reality Mommyhood is more divisive than political parties.   

-Natural Vs. Epiderals.

-VBAC vs. Scheduled C’s

-Formula Feeding Vs. Breastfeeding.

-Disposable diapers vs. Cloth Diapers

-Bed-sharing vs. Crib Sleeping

-Working Moms vs. Stay at home moms

-Blondes Vs. Brunettes (ok so that’s not a baby-issue, but now that I’ve brought it up I do think my adorable strawberry blonde wee one is the cutest)
 
People feel more passionate about these things than they do universal health care or gay marriage!!  On any given mommy board on any given day and there will be a debate over “the issues”.  But the judgment doesn’t just extend to the out reaches of the internets.  

From the featured blog, Mama Notes

Society has mades us believe that our children need (even want!) a lot of toys. Shelves are filled with hundreds of toys, all with bright lights and sounds to attract children. It has gone way overboard, sucking kids in and putting guilt on parents who don’t buy their kids 10 toys for Christmas. The truth is, kids are pretty simple. Give them a bowl of water, some stickers or finger paint, stacking toys or a race car track, blocks to build a castle or sand to make a tunnel and they’ll be entertained.

From the featured blog, The Days of a SAHM

Time for yourself, what’s that??? I struggle with this each and every day. I want to spend time with my kids. I love spending time with their smiling, and sometimes screaming, faces. I don’t like to leave them.

It took me a while to figure out just what my fear was: Was I afraid that some one/thing would hurt them? No, not really. Our home is very safe, and for the most part (if I ever did leave my children) I would be leaving them with their Dad. P.S. – I have a 15 month old and a 3 month old, in case you were wondering. Was it because they would miss me, and I would miss them? No. I believe that it is important to miss someone, especially children, because you start to learn to become independent. (I am convinced, however, that my children will never leave the house. That would be just too much for my little heart to handle.) Then it dawned on me…..

From the featured blog, Bright Autumn Sun

It seemed that in the days leading up to having my baby, and especially after he arrived, that there was always something for another mom to criticize or say that she did differently or better, because new moms believe that what they are doing for their baby is by far the best and most amazing thing ever.

I realized that being a young, new mom and having other mom friends was a little like being in high school again. The comparisons start early: Natural birth vs. medication; Formula vs. breastfeeding; Organic fabrics vs. regular; Making your own baby food vs. buying jarred…the list can just go on and on. Once the baby is born, it’s milestones this, milestones that! I never knew I could be so obsessed with when someone would decide it was time to roll over!

You remember those pre-natal classes your wife signed you both up for? You know, those classes where you sheepishly followed your pregnant wife into the room carrying blankets and a pillow so you could learn everything you need to know about giving birth and caring for newborns – all in just under 8 hours.

A nurse who had lots of experience and really knew her stuff taught our class. I learned a lot about contractions, swaddling, bathing and even the benefits of doing kegel exercises (Dads, you might want to Google that one). Overall, I felt I was as ready as I could be. In other words, I was still scared out of my mind. Unfortunately, my child-birthing fears were all for naught as my wife had to undergo a planned C-section.  

A few months into being a new father, I got thinking about those classes. I thought about all of the information and the workbook where you could go online to watch birth videos and such. And then it hit me. Of all the information covered in these classes, the one thing they missed was how having a baby drastically changes your relationship.
Sure, friends give you the generic, “Life will never be the same,” but no one gives you specifics. Now I know why – they don’t want to scare the crap out of you and make you have second thoughts.

From the featured blog, Raising My 4 Sons

My name is Mandee. I am a stay at home mother to four boys with a baby on the way. While I have breastfed all four of my boys to at least a year, and most past a year with no bottles what-so-ever, you might be surprised as to my opinion on this matter.

I have seen so many mothers try to breastfeed their babies, get frustrated, take it out on the baby, and then give up. I honestly think, that if you don’t want to breastfeed, don’t feel comfortable with it, and don’t have the desire to do it, why bother?

From the featured blog, Leigh vs. Laundry

In my head, I am a “Marsupial Mom”. I might be kindred to a Koala in that if I came equipped with a pouch, I would want my baby nestled in there all of the time. If my 5 year old could fit in my pouch, he would be in there too. All three of us would curl into each other, chew on Eucalyptus, and sleep peacefully all night long. Unfortunately, I don’t have a pouch and I am not a Marsupial. No, I’m a human and as sleepless nights have unfolded before me, I have learned just how human I really am.