The pressure we are putting on women and mothers is setting us up for future world disaster. Women are expected to “do it all” but what does that even mean? As women in the US and abroad, we are breaking glass ceilings, solving world problems, adding psychological and emotional perspectives to the social challenges that must be solved- all while giving birth or adopting babies and raising the next generation of world leaders. Without outright instruction to take care of ourselves first. Yes, we know: Self-care is important. Put our oxygen mask on first. Be kind to ourselves. But these are just ..read more

Big emotions. If someone asked me to choose two words that best describe mothering, those are the words that I would choose. Big emotions. When we become mothers, we suddenly unlock an entire world of feelings and emotions that we never knew were possible. In both directions. Our kids feel the inevitable ginormous feelings, and so do we. We feel… The unmistakably unique love that a mother feels. Love that is deep in our bones and that we never knew existed until we became a mother of a small being who we are responsible for. A fear, that is directly attached to that love, that s ..read more

It is always hugely helpful to me to remind myself that life is made up of moments. We have joyful moments and sad moments. Exciting moments and daunting moments. Peaceful moments and chaotic moments. Connecting moments and separating moments. They are always all there. Hopefully, we are all able to notice the ones that feel good. January is such a time of renewal for so many of us. We decide to start fresh. We set goals. We think through intentions. We let go of what didn’t work the year before and make promises to ourselves about what we will take with us into the next. Somet ..read more

It’s no secret, to feel good, we need to be willing to feel uncomfortable first. We simply cannot skip over that first step. Acceptance of our discomfort is the portal to something more comfortable. May this be yelled from the rooftops on all of our behalf: It is ok (and wise) to feel what you are feeling. Right now. But this is not where the work ends.  Because when we get stuck in the cycle of feeling, and thinking about the feeling, we don’t move forward. We don’t necessarily grow in the ways that we are wanting to. We can, without next steps, recycle our uncomfor ..read more

Our post today comes from Mother, Educator, and Community Organizer Nikki Brooker. Have you ever heard the old saying “It takes a village?” The origin of this saying is unknown, but it is believed to come from the African culture hundreds of years ago. African villages would all chip in to take care of and raise children. Multiple mothers could feed one child from their breast and this was considered normal. Moms banded together to create an environment of love, acceptance and care. Moms of many generations were part of the village and the more experienced moms would guide the younger moms in ..read more

OUR GUEST POST TODAY COMES FROM JENNIFER MURDOCK, FOUNDER OF WOMBPDX AND FILMMAKER (PEACE ON EARTH- THE REALITY OF MIDWIVES). THANK YOU, JENNIFER, FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US! I guess I should specify. My mother’s mental illness, my father’s, my daughter’s father and my own. I didn’t expect to manage my daughter’s. I could tell you the list of events she has had in her life to prove she has ‘suffered’. I could also tell you all of the mistakes I have made that add to that list. I could also say mom guilt has held me in its grasp for years. The visual of laying on the ground with the agony ..read more

By Meghan Van Vleet, ND Often women who come see me have not had any lab testing since giving birth. Attention often turns from the mother to the child after the baby is born. It is important to remember that, in the case of breast-feeding anyway, the mother is still growing the baby even postpartum! Whether or not a mother chooses to breastfeed her baby, we know that the well-being of the mother can predict the well-being of the child. At the PWCB, we focus on the health and wellness of the mother because we know that that directly impacts the health and wellness of her children. I run labs ..read more

Sometimes it hits hard and out of the blue. Sometimes it is a slow unraveling that occurs over time. Either way, it feels like a trap in the darkness of a long tunnel with no visible way out. Depression can suck away all of your energy and motivation and curiosity and hope. Simply getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, combing your hair, and making breakfast can feel like an impossible journey. “What’s the point?” and “Everything is too hard” can feel like the only phrases accessible to your depressed brain. Depression calls the shots. Other people are confused by the deep hole that someone ..read more

Don’t worry- I’m not going to tell you that you need to create an altar, light a candle every morning, sit cross legged for an hour, or become a Zen master. Though of course if those things call out to you, be my guest- they may serve your mental health and wellness in some way. What I do want you to know is that the science reminds us, over and over, that a regular mindfulness practice changes our brains and creates opportunity for calm, connection, and distress tolerance. And if you are reading this, you know that having more of those things would be helpful. You are likely out of practice ..read more

“Here’s a Trick. Stop complaining.” This is my favorite line in Elizabeth Gilbert’s wonderful book, Big Magic. If you are still reading, you are either so pissed about that statement that you want to see what other insulting things might spill out of my writing, or you are so shocked that I would advocate for such a thing that you want to see if I have actually gone off the deep end. Well, neither. From a therapeutic perspective, there is a difference between complaining and reflecting. Reflect away, people. Reflect, reflect, reflect. Say it out loud, write about it, and ponder the ways in whi ..read more