My previous post was a radical self-love primer — the whats and whys of radical self-love. Now for the HOW. How do we cultivate radical self love for ourselves and for our children? Here are a few ways to start.

Have you heard the term “body positivity?” It sounds nice — important, even. But when we are led by poet-authors like Sonya Renee Taylor to examine it further, it comes up short compared for what we want and what is possible for our children, for ourselves, and for the entire, beautiful world.

So many parents are concerned that their kids seem to lack gratitude. It’s certainly wonderful that so many of our children are privileged enough that they don’t feel the depth and value of each meal, each hug, each book they get to read, each night they get to feel safe in their beds.

And yet…

Change is something that is often thought of as something really difficult, something that happens incrementally, if at all. But what if there were a different way to approach change that envisioned it more along the lines of a matter of setting yourself up for success?

In a word, no. It’s not. Parenting is not supposed to be this hard. And yet, in our culture, we are expected to be all the things to our little people: breadwinner, playmate, chef, advisor, educator (to name just a few). But without a village to support and guide us all — parenting becomes a deeply exhausting experience.

Self care has become a much discussed topic. And for good reason. Many of us have neglected the basic care and keeping of ourselves for so long that we no longer even know how to do it. Once we’ve reconnected with what we need — movement, companionship, nourishment, practices that are meaningful to us — our lives feel revitalized.

Some people say there’s no evidence that they work, while other people swear by them for their digestive health and beyond. So, what IS the deal with probiotics? Read on to find out!

We all know how it goes. School starts or the first cold day hits or any number of “milestone” events occur and BOOM: your kid is coughing. Sometimes it’s with a runny nose, sometimes not. So should you reach for an over the counter cough syrup? It may surprise you to know that many doctors would say NO.

You probably don’t have adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is a term that gets thrown around a lot, particularly by integrative practitioners.  But it’s inaccurate and doesn’t reflect what is actually going on in the body.  Though you may certainly be very fatigued, your adrenals aren’t. 

Bullying seems to have become so normalized in our culture that, at times, it’s almost treated as some kind of rite of passage in schools and even in some jobs. So, it can be hard to recognize that bullying is NOT OK, no matter how “normal” it may seem. And do you know who, in particular, plays an extremely powerful role in calling out and eliminating bullying? YOU.

I posted previously about eating mindfully and noticing how we are affected by how, what, and when we eat. But today I’d like to dive a little bit into eating after childbirth. Many recipients of and participants in the new parent meal train will have a deep understanding when I say: it matters what you eat after childbirth.

Anyone who has been to the average hospital knows — nourishing food is typically not on the menu. There are some amazing, notable exceptions, but in many cases, your average hospital meal includes a bagel, jello, and a “nutrition drink” that is horrifically high in sugar. Why does this matter?

I can’t even count the times that I was with my children when they were tiny — and I was a MESS — and someone said, “Cherish these moments. They go by so fast.” Yeah, it didn’t really land.

Parents often come to the Pediatrician with concerns about their baby’s reflux, or “spitting up.”  Nearly every infant spits up, but, often, parents are worried about it.  When is spitting up normal and when should we be concerned?

I’ve written about mindfulness before from a research-based perspective and also from a how to get started perspective, but today, I’d like to write about how mindfulness can impact your everyday life, particularly in early parenthood.

“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

~ Mary Oliver

This quote from the poet Mary Oliver is always so moving to me -- a deeply felt truth that our lives are all wild and precious.  To me, though, it is also a reminder that so many of us live in a preoccupied state, where our lives are passing by almost unconsciously.  So many of us aren’t fully experiencing our lives because we aren’t fully present in them.

The most common questions I get from new moms are about BREASTFEEDING.  In all capitals because it really is a big deal.  And it’s hard.  We are told that it comes easily and naturally and that it shouldn’t hurt.  When, in fact, it doesn’t always come easily and it OFTEN hurts in the beginning.  None of those things mean you will not have a successful breastfeeding relationship with your baby -- meaning that you will breastfeed your child for as long as it works for you.

What usually happens after a new baby is born? 

As soon as new parents get home — and sometimes, even when they are still in the hospital —well-meaning loved ones text, call, and email, “When can we come see the BABY?!”  Unfortunately, that is not what most new parents need in the first weeks after their baby is born. 

About a year after my second daughter was born, when I was still in the throes of the spiritual rupture that was going on in my life and still in the babymommy fusion stage of motherhood (that I didn’t yet know was both normal and appropriate) – my oldest sister asked me, “What do you like to do, just for you?”

Early parenthood is hard. Everyone knows that. But no one really understands how hard until they’re already in it. And even then we usually don’t understand why it’s hard, just that it is so much harder than we thought it would be.