I’d made it! Or so, I’d thought. It was a sunny but cool fall day in November. Looking back, those initial moments feel like a dream. I remember staring at myself in the mirror that morning and thinking, “is this really happening?” I went back to bed, and just lie there in silence. My husband, […]
My birth story starts as you would typically expect. I was a week overdue and scheduled for an induction. My husband and I arrived at the hospital giddy with excitement. We had our bags packed, checklists in hand and birth plan ready to go. As a type A personality and a closet control freak I thought […]
A strange social phenomenon happens when a woman becomes pregnant. It may start when she announces her pregnancy, but it becomes ever more prevalent as the baby (and thus, the mama) grows. Suddenly, all the conventional rules of tact and sensitivity fly out the window, there is no such thing as a stranger, and everyone […]
February 7th-14th is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. 1 in 110 babies are born with a heart defect and I didn’t realize this until my son was that 1. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, there are over 40,000 babies born each year with a CHD, and it is the leading cause of death […]
I’m so, so thrilled to be expecting my second child, due in mid-June. So far, the biggest surprise of this pregnancy is how much more difficult it has been than my pregnancy with my son, now just over two-years-old. Now, please don’t get me wrong. I know some women have pregnancies filled with complications or […]
Ah, the miracle of childbirth. With this, my first pregnancy, I have learned many things. As I reflect on some of those things, I realize there is a common thread. I’m basically behaving like a small child. How, you may ask? Well… I have stuff all over myself and I can’t really explain how […]
People often ask what it is like to have an open adoption with my son’s birth parents. There are often questions of whether I have hesitation, concerns, or jealousy when we have visits with his birth family. I actually look forward to these precious moments. We have had a truly unique adoption experience […]
In honor of October being pregnancy and infant loss awareness month, I have chosen to share this. I found out through an ultrasound a short time after I originally wrote this that I had lost my child. But my pregnancy was real and exciting, and watching my belly grow was such a blessing. I celebrate […]
We recently shared the news with friends and family that we expecting a baby, expanding our family to five (six, if you count the dog). The addition of a biological baby to our family will make us a blended family, in the traditional sense of the phrase. Amidst the general uncertainty that comes with one’s […]
I remember early on when I was 3 months pregnant, then 6 months pregnant, then 7 months pregnant around my baby shower and finally 9 months pregnant, and the proverbial “ready to pop,” that people asked me a legitimate, yet scary question (scary to me, at least): “Are you going to breastfeed or bottle feed?” […]
Let’s talk about breastfeeding. Every mama’s experience is totally different even between their own children (I know mine were completely different!) Put working a fulltime job into the mix and it gets a bit complicated. Here’s my story…. My oldest son, Dylan, is now 9 years old. Dylan was born with a congenital heart defect, […]
Actual, Helpful Advice There is no shortage of information, in this day and age. When I was pregnant, I took advantage of reading a ton, but it was mostly about pregnancy and preparing for baby… not so much about what to do with said baby upon arrival. Sure, there was advice. “Get earplugs, you’ll want […]
We would like to thank our sponsors at Indiana University North Hospital for sharing this information with our families!Indiana University Health and the Indianapolis Colts have partnered to provide HALO SleepSlack Swaddles to parents of babies born at Indiana University Health hospitals, including Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health North Hospital, in an effort […]
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