For months—and then weeks, and then days—on end, I looked eagerly at my due date, circled in bold ink on the kitchen calendar. Especially as that date drew nearer, it began to seem like the X on a treasure map, the destination I had spent three long trimesters preparing to reach. And for good reason: Delivery marks a life-changing turning point, the moment when a baby, and ultimately a mother, is born. As tempting as it is to think of the final few weeks of pregnancy as the last leg of a race, what you’re running full-speed toward isn’t a finish line at all—it’s really just the starting gate ..read more

Clue her in You’ve both endured hangovers and breakups, and you learned from experience how to get each other through them. If your longtime gal pal hasn’t been pregnant or perpetually sleep-deprived, though, she may have a hard time knowing what you need now. Fill her in on how you’re feeling and what your current challenges and triumphs are, so she can lift you up, cheer you on and share a pint of Ben & Jerry’s as needed. Split the spotlight Just because everything in your life is new and exciting doesn’t mean what’s going on in hers doesn’t warrant some attention, too. Find ou ..read more

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I remember when I was pregnant I would imagine holding my baby and how it would be. The happiness, the calm, the contentment that seemed to radiate from new moms—I knew that was going to be me soon. It made me eager for my pregnancy to  pass by, and I never truly worried about my transition into motherhood. I was ready. I wanted a child, and I was so excited. I nodded my head as other moms gave me advice, all the while thinking how unnecessary it was because I was so confident in myself. I had stayed up through the night with friends and sick loved ones before, so I wasn’t worried ab ..read more

At kindergarten drop off this morning, a fellow mom stopped to show me pictures on her phone. “See, I told you my niece looks just like your daughter!” she beamed. I agreed and smiled back whole-heartedly, carefully studying her friendly face. Then as we parted, I fought back the tears—I had no idea who this woman was. I hung my head to ride out the wave of exhausted bewilderment, only to notice I was still in house shoes. Ah, the joys of long-term sleep deprivation. Had it finally gone too far? You’d think I was in the throes of the up-every-two-hours gauntlet with a newborn, but (although I ..read more

First of all, we’re hoping you took as much time as possible to rest, relax and recover after birth. No matter which way your bundle was delivered into your arms, you had plenty of recuperating to participate in—and plenty of newborn sweetness to savor. But if you’ve started to feel a bit more mobile, it may be tempting to exercise using whatever methods you were familiar with before and during pregnancy. (We love a good HIIT workout, too, but we’re not quite there yet, mama.)  What’s important to know is that the type of delivery you had (vaginal birth or cesarean) and any additional c ..read more

Clue her in You’ve both endured hangovers and breakups, and you learned from experience how to get each other through them. If your longtime gal pal hasn’t been pregnant or perpetually sleep-deprived, though, she may have a hard time knowing what you need now. Fill her in on how you’re feeling and what your current challenges and triumphs are, so she can lift you up, cheer you on and share a pint of Ben & Jerry’s as needed. Split the spotlight Just because everything in your life is new and exciting doesn’t mean what’s going on in hers doesn’t warrant some attention, too. Find ou ..read more

I remember when I was pregnant I would imagine holding my baby and how it would be. The happiness, the calm, the contentment that seemed to radiate from new moms—I knew that was going to be me soon. It made me eager for my pregnancy to  pass by, and I never truly worried about my transition into motherhood. I was ready. I wanted a child, and I was so excited. I nodded my head as other moms gave me advice, all the while thinking how unnecessary it was because I was so confident in myself. I had stayed up through the night with friends and sick loved ones before, so I wasn’t worried ab ..read more

At kindergarten drop off this morning, a fellow mom stopped to show me pictures on her phone. “See, I told you my niece looks just like your daughter!” she beamed. I agreed and smiled back whole-heartedly, carefully studying her friendly face. Then as we parted, I fought back the tears—I had no idea who this woman was. I hung my head to ride out the wave of exhausted bewilderment, only to notice I was still in house shoes. Ah, the joys of long-term sleep deprivation. Had it finally gone too far? You’d think I was in the throes of the up-every-two-hours gauntlet with a newborn, but (although I ..read more

After nine months of uncontrollable emotions, massive body changes and strange pregnancy symptoms, you might be looking forward to things returning to normal when baby arrives. However, the postpartum recovery period can be as draining as the gestation period. Prepare for what’s to come with our postpartum recovery timeline. Week 1 Physically: Congratulations—you did it! As soon as your bundle makes his entrance, all that effort you put in to get him here will be more than worth it. “Bonding starts right when the baby is placed on mom’s chest in the delivery room,” shares Jeffrey Brown, MD, a ..read more