When you’re a parent, there are always a million things to remember, especially when you are trying to get out the door with everything you need. You have to remember to pack diapers (how many will you need?), bottles, wipes, a change of clothes (in case they spill or spit up), snacks, rubber toys, the list goes on and on. ‘Always be prepared’ is the motto of motherhood, after all. A trip to run a few errands can feel like preparing for a week-long cruise.
I remember the weeks and months after giving birth as being exhausting, doubtful and enchanted. Quite the mish-mash of emotion! Muscle development and attention to myself were the last things on my mind, and yet they should have been front and centre, because other people’s needs fall so much more easily into place when a Mom has inner and outer strength. Having a daily mentor to boost me up without judgment would have been magical! More than that, though, would have been being able to tap into this confidante at any time of day or night, while holding and playing with my baby. I was clearly missing Safe and Strong by Nordic Fit Mama.
Jill Amery is a mom of 2 small boys and the Publisher of UrbanMommies, a stylish digital lifestyle magazine filled with fitness, style, health, recipes and savvy mom advice to help you through pregnancy, birth, and raising your kids.
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Besides them happening super-fast (both under 5 hours) I had two perfectly ‘normal’ births. This term is relative, of course. While scary and new and a tad painful, it’s hard to imagine how my experience would have changed with just one complication. In contrast to my own, so many new mothers are unable to hold their babies right after birth. Many don’t get a chance to follow a carefully thought out birth plan. And thousands give birth, unexpectedly, to premature babies.
Jill Amery is a mom of 2 small boys and the Publisher of UrbanMommies, a stylish digital lifestyle magazine filled with fitness, style, health, recipes and savvy mom advice to help you through pregnancy, birth, and raising your kids.
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My kids are big and active, but it seems like not so long ago they were just babies. I listen to their excited voices talking about the holiday season and I remember before they could speak, when I would delight in holding them close and rocking them in my arms to help them off to sleep. Bedtime can still be challenging some days, but I remember how they felt in my arms, how their skin smelled, what it felt like to feel their chests expand and contract as they breathed deep in slumber. I recall looking at their perfect little faces and thinking, “I want to remember this.”
Remember the joy of shopping for a newborn? What if you were a newcomer to Canada and were having a fourth baby and got to choose anything for the little one? We were blessed to be able to work with Best Buy Canada and a gracious young family to gift them some baby essentials of their choice. Readers know that I have a huge love of the Filipino community (as well as the Philippines!) and it was amazing to be able to interview Ronna about her growing family and her priorities this time around.
Jill Amery is a mom of 2 small boys and the Publisher of UrbanMommies, a stylish digital lifestyle magazine filled with fitness, style, health, recipes and savvy mom advice to help you through pregnancy, birth, and raising your kids.
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As parents, we experience an abundance of “firsts” while raising our children. As new guardians especially, the “firsts” seem to pile on top of one another so quickly that it feels like you are collecting winning tokens in an exciting new casino game. The first sonogram. The first time hearing baby’s heartbeat, first kick, and eventually the first trip to the hospital. Every moment is a milestone to be cherished.
Vanessa is a wife and mother to two littles. She is a school counsellor by day, a blogger at Like Mother Like Daughter by night, and occasionally dabbles in freelance during naptime. Her favourites include all things pop culture, strong cups of coffee, and full nights of sleep.
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These hip baby gifts will not only make the kid look cool, but mom and dad will seem like rockstars who are oh so cool and collected. Even if they are not. Because, well… baby.
Jill Amery is a mom of 2 small boys and the Publisher of UrbanMommies, a stylish digital lifestyle magazine filled with fitness, style, health, recipes and savvy mom advice to help you through pregnancy, birth, and raising your kids.
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There are few life events that are as exciting and meaningful as the arrival of a brand new baby—whether it’s your own darling smoosh or one belonging to someone you love. As happy as we are about these new little additions, picking a perfect gift for each baby shower can be a daunting task—mostly because you want to commemorate the occasion with a really great baby shower gift.
Vanessa is a wife and mother to two littles. She is a school counsellor by day, a blogger at Like Mother Like Daughter by night, and occasionally dabbles in freelance during naptime. Her favourites include all things pop culture, strong cups of coffee, and full nights of sleep.
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It’s true. On the surface, I do look very much like your typical crunchy-granola attachment parent. I breastfeed, make my own baby food, buy organic, wear the babies, redirect rather than punish (or try, at least), and even do a little bed sharing. Letting my baby cry it out would be the last thing a mom like me would do.
You might assume I’d be one of those moms who pops up in your Facebook newsfeed, all sanctimommy in my choice of shares, doling out judgment and unsolicited advice—but you’d be wrong. You won’t find me mom-shaming anywhere. My philosophy is ‘we’re all in this together.’ And try as I might, living with my headstrong 3 ½ year old daughter leads to considerably more yelling and empty threats than I ever thought would be in my mommy wheelhouse.
Michelle Back is an editor, writer, blogger, and mother, not always in that order. She’s also a wife to a smarty-pants physicist, and a dog owner of two old-ass dogs. Although it might be cliché and basic, Michelle loves coffee, chocolate, yoga pants, and Target. She dreams of sleep, although not really because she’s awake too many hours of the day. When she’s not writing or farting around on social media, she’s watching Netflix or Hulu (once her children finally go to sleep at night). She blogs humorously about finding her footing as a mother at www.mommybacktalk.com. Also, she can be followed all over the internet--it's not weird.
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So you’re thinking about starting a family. And you’re trying to start a family. And trying. And trying. And you’re at the point where, if one more person tells you to “relax” so “it will just happen”, you might lose your S@#* completely.
You’re thinking about seeing a doctor, or you’ve seen one, or three. The idea of IVF has come up. Or maybe it’s come up for your sister, or your best friend. You have questions, but you have no one to ask. You’re scared it won’t work, you can’t afford it, that it’s going ‘too far’. You hate needles. You’ve begun to wonder if there’s a deeper, cosmic reason you can’t have a baby. There are countless reasons why it’s impossible to even try. And then you suddenly start to feel like you’re just done with it all.
Melanie from mommydo.com writes about parenting, food, neat stuff and the unexpected beauty in life, all while juggling work, family life and spreading awareness and raising funds for Williams Syndrome.
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