There are so many ways to approach packing for your hospital birth, and none of them are wrong! AND, sometimes, it is nice to know a few more options.   The list below was created to highlight the necessities. And then the next necessities, and the next next necessities, so you can expand your packing as you see fit (and on to next next next necessities!) Proud Minimalist:  Wallet: medical card, ID, Debit or Credit card Cell phone & charger 2 shirts 2 pants with elastic waist Slip-on shoes Toiletry Bag: toothbrush & toothpaste, chapstick, any medication & glasses C ..read more

If there is one thing we know in the Northeast, it’s how to get through the harsh winter months. We know how to drive in the snow. We know how to stockpile supplies in our homes. We know how to have fun in the snow!  And once we know a baby will be entering our lives, we are very fast to learn how to keep little people safe in the winter months! If you think you are a pro with winter safety, run down the list below and see if you are up to speed on essential considerations for the babies in your life.  Don’t kiss babies on the mouth! One of the best things you can do to keep your ba ..read more

It’s cold. It’s the winter holiday season. And now you have a baby. It’s not that you’ve never considered what life with a baby will look like during the holidays, but now it’s a real baby and not a hypothetical one! So with your very real baby, perhaps you’re starting to question longstanding traditions, or are reconsidering which parties make sense to attend. There isn’t a right or wrong choice here. But there are ways to communicate your expectations and contributions clearly, so the relationships you have with other adults in your life can be primed with compassion as you navigate these f ..read more

When you find out you are pregnant, it’s a shock. When you find out you are pregnant with more than one baby, it is shocking on top of shock! How will you manage? How do you even begin to plan? To prepare? Having multiples is challenging! There is more risk throughout the pregnancy, and more risk once they are born, because there are two (or more!) unique people you are responsible for now! After the initial shock, there comes the planning. Being a parent of multiples encourages planning and tracking. Do you have enough diapers? When did Baby A last eat? When did Baby B last have a diaper cha ..read more

If you are a parent, at some point, this word will fall out of your mouth at some point: “Listen!” We believe as parents, if we explained better or if our children listened better, so many problems may never start.  And as adults, we place an incredible amount of importance on eye contact as proof that a message was received well. But there is a problem, of course. Eye contact does not equal understanding. If you were to look at small children playing, it is common for young girls, say ages 3-5, to be interested in games where they are mimicking the social environment they witness. They ..read more

If you are planning to give birth in a hospital, you may be surprised to find there are a startling number of people who will come in and introduce themselves while you are laboring, birthing, or recovering. Below is a list to help you prepare for that reality!   Front Desk Attendant: This is the person you will be sharing the exciting news that you are in labor/induction/scheduled cesarean. It is helpful to share with this person if you have called ahead, and if you have pre-registered at the hospital. But no worries, if you don’t haven’t done any of those things, they will get you wher ..read more

You are pregnant. Perhaps you just found out and you are still reeling from the realization that life is being formed inside you…right now. You may not look different. Do you feel different? Having the knowledge that you are pregnant, and making the choice of what to do with your news is very personal. Will you share? Will you wait? Do you want to become internet famous for how you tell those closest to you? Or, would you like to keep this news safe and secure, and wait a while? There is no wrong answer. Learning you are pregnant, and becoming connected to your pregnancy, are two completely d ..read more

We live in a world that is very stimulating to the people who move through it. The way technology has developed, with the everyday use and dependence on smartphones, being stimulated is something we seek out hundreds of times each day. However, when a baby is born, stimulation is something that happens naturally by merely existing in the world. As an adult, you may seek out music, a movie, or your IG feed because your surroundings no longer hold your attention or give you a neurological buzz it once did. However, as a baby, the way the light sifts through dust particles in the air is fascinat ..read more

If you look in parenting groups, playgrounds, and twitter feeds, parenting is portrayed as a phase of life to survive or a time when people who live together seem to shuffle agony around and around until everyone is slamming doors, complaining about screen time, and tearfully looking for a shoulder to cry on. And that makes sense. Most of us are ill-equipped and have no idea what we’re doing, other than the experience we remembered from our childhood, and our reactions and feelings we have with our kids. Why don’t my kids listen? Why don’t the kids clean up? Why don’t they realize if they do ..read more

We are in a new world for partners and husbands. Until recently, men worried only about being in the waiting room to hear the announcement of their child’s birth and the well being of their spouse. Now, partners are expected to not only be in the birth room but be an active and knowledgeable support person during labor. Partners are expected to partner their partners! Some reasons for the change of expectations in birth connects to the recent change in emotional responsibilities and a shift in general relationship equality. And some change comes from modern humans no longer forming small trib ..read more