Have the courage to ask for help — Around the world, the postpartum period is considered a special time — a time in which a mother, as well as a baby, is born. In many cultures, women are not expected to carry on their usual lives, but are protected and secluded. Postpartum traditions around the world In the Indian Ayurvedic tradition, new mothers…

We birth as we live — Our experiences are deeply influenced — some would say created — by our perceptions and beliefs. This is especially true with something as primal as childbirth. According to Gayle Peterson, PhD, we birth as we live. If we live melodramatically, for example, we might be more likely to experience birth…

How to get the support you need to succeed. — You might think that you don’t need to worry about breastfeeding until after the baby comes, but don’t wait. You may or may not have a lactation consultant at your disposal when you give birth, so learn what you can now from mother to mother support. …

Tried and true non-drug labor soothers It’s safe to say that the №1 worry for most pregnant women is pain during labor. Secretly, you ask yourself, “Will I be able to handle it?” But it’s hard to know if you’ll be able to handle something you’ve never experienced before, especially…

Bloated defense budget harms national security — In his farewell address to the nation on January 17, 1961 President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned of the increasing influence of the military-industrial complex and counseled US citizens to monitor it vigilantly. …

Still so white and male — Inclusion — mostly lack of inclusion— in film has become a flash point in recent years. As USC Annenberg puts it: While some of our greatest national challenges arise from a population that continues to diversify across every dimension, popular movies paint a distressing portrait that perpetuates a version of…

The Lancet calls for an end to infant formula marketing — On February 7, 2023, the Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal founded in England in 1823, published a three-paper series on the predatory tactics of the commercial infant formula industry. The Lancet is to be commended for recommending an end to the marketing of infant formula. For decades, the commercial milk…

34 alternatives to spanking your child — I started out hitting my kids. I would lose my temper when their behavior got out of my control, and I would hit. I never felt good about it, but I didn’t know what else to do. I thought it was effective because afterward I had regained control of the…

CEO pay and corporate profits come first It’s been holiday vacation time for most US schools and millions of children were home for two weeks. How did parents who do not make a living wage manage this? …