Red Stick Mom

I recently had the revelation that my kids are no longer babies. Of course, I have noticed minor maturity changes in their conversation topics, television show choices and Christmas list items. But a few weeks ago, one specific incident made me admit to myself that my babies are no longer “babies.” That incident was when my son slashed his finger with a kitchen knife and NEVER cried. I mean he never cried when it happened or when he saw all the blood or fleshy part of his finger or when he received 6 stitches. He took it like an (cough cough) big boy. At first I was a little taken aback by this, but then I realized a whole new...

Be sure to read Part 1 of this story, right here. Ankyloglossia is also known as tongue tie. It is a congenital oral abnormality that limits the mobility and function of the tongue because of a short or tight frenulum. I have learned over the past 16 months that most physicians receive little to no training in breastfeeding mechanics, including pediatricians, dentists and ENTs. Over time as society has made a few different shifts from primarily breastfeeding infants, to then primarily bottle-feeding and now back to an increase in exclusive breastfeeding, much wisdom in regards to “normal” breastfeeding has been lost, or simply forgotten. Many new mothers are told that the first 6 weeks are the toughest which gets translated...

Two years ago I was expecting my fourth baby, another sweet girl. The 41 weeks and 3 days I was pregnant with her were not what I planned for. After suffering for 22 weeks with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, then preterm labor symptoms, heart issues that lead to a diagnosis of pregnancy induced Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT), I was left waiting on a baby who decided to push the limits of the homebirth laws by waiting until close to 42 weeks to make her arrival. In the early morning of August 14, 2013, Clementine was born about 5 minutes after my midwife arrived at our home. It was an incredibly quick labor and delivery; nothing short of a whirlwind. I put baby...

The morning of my son’s Christmas program at daycare, I found myself catching vomit with my bare hands. I quickly realized that even though he had been practicing “Jingle Bells” (very loudly) all week long, he would not be able to sing it with his class. And the thought of this made me sad—almost to the verge of tears sad. I felt silly for getting so worked up over something that happens yearly and knew that he would be up on stage next year. But it really got me down. I felt like I was missing one of those milestones that I expect to sit back and laugh at how cute he is and how big he's gotten. So...

I am fifteen weeks pregnant, confidently in my second trimester, and I am finally beginning to breathe a sigh of relief.  A little over a year ago, in November of 2013, we experienced a miscarriage when I was around ten weeks pregnant.  Having had two completely perfect and uneventful pregnancies in the past, this of course came as a huge shock to us. When we found out in October of 2014 that we were pregnant again, we were very cautious in telling our family, especially our two sons.  For those of you who have experienced miscarriage, you understand that pregnancy loss does not only affect you and your husband.  Many, many people shared our grief.  Miscarriage is devastating to children, to grandparents,...