children
Children: Our most valuable natural resource.
Postpartum Depression
It can happen to anyone, whether you're a first time mom or on your third child. It's not fun and it's one of the worst feelings a woman can go through—in my opinion, at least. Postpartum depression—for those of you who don't know what PPD is, let me tell you: the definition on Google—is "depression suffered by a mother following childbirth, typically arising from the combination of hormonal changes, psychological adjustment to motherhood, and fatigue." And for the most part, this is absolutely accurate. PPD is one of the worst all time lows I've ever experienced in my life. At least so far as I'm only 20. My name is Alicia and I'm here to tell you my story and what I went through, and let me tell you, if you are pregnant and reading this thinking, oh that will never happen to me, or it can't be that bad, you are wrong. I thought so before I had my daughter. I never thought that I would be a victim to PPD. I thought when I had my daughter I was going to be so lively as I just gave birth to my very first beautiful baby girl. But as all people, I was wrong. So wrong. Here is my story. And I hope this helps with whatever you're looking for.
By Alicia Hogue8 years ago in Families
Ways to De-Stress Your Toddler
Toddlers are just as prone to stress as adults, but the younger the child is, the less they are going to understand what is going on. Which will probably make them even more stressed out, and that is just the beginning of a very long day for everyone.
By Melanie Ma8 years ago in Families
Contemplating My Parenting Style
My son, Samuel, is 18-months-old (or a year and a half, you'll probably be hearing about him a lot), and I CANNOT TELL YOU how many mornings I have woken up to poop in his bed after he somehow ripped his diaper off in the middle of the night inside of his pants. When he wakes up, I shuffle across the hall to his room, and see him playing in poop. By the way, my son wakes up usually between 4:30-5. Yes, that's the morning. He wakes up even before my husband goes to work. So I immediately take him to the bathroom, undress him, rinse him off in the tub, clean out the tub, and run him a bath. Every time. So after his early morning bath, clean diaper and clothes, we go get in my bed and watch Baby Bums on Youtube and cuddle. I make him eggs for breakfast every morning, but he has to have a pre-breakfast, which is usually a banana. Gee, wonder why my brother calls him a hobbit. All of this happens before 8 AM. I go to work, and come and get him. And this starts over every day this way (the poop part may happen once a week, but there for a while it was a struggle).
By Jessie McDonald8 years ago in Families
A Mom With a Full-Time Job
If you are a parent, congratulations! You are probably one of two things: hardworking or hardworking...same word, but two completely different meanings! Hi, I’m Anna (one of my nicknames), I’m 22 years old, I live in South LA, and I have two beautiful children, an amazing, hardworking fiancé, and I am a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM)! Being a SAHM can be either a blessing or it can be an absolute nightmare. Usually, for me, it’s both of these things all day every day.
By Anna Paige8 years ago in Families
Mastatic Neuroblastoma
I don’t have custody of my son. His name is Easton, his birthday is September 15th, 2015. I was struggling with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and I just couldn’t give him the time and attention that he needed, so I signed him over to his grandma and grandpa; his father's parents. Last Thursday morning I decided to sleep in. I woke up around noon and checked my phone. I had numerous calls and messages from his aunt Shonda saying I needed to call her ASAP. I jumped up and started panicking. I knew something was wrong with my baby Easton. She told me that she had a cold and was around Easton and he started to show signs of being sick so his grandma took him to his pediatrician. They said he had a viral infection and sent him home with antibiotics. Then he fell off his grandma's bed, so of course the next day he was limping so she rushed him to the doctor and they scanned his entire body and found out he didn’t have any broken bones, that maybe the infection he had was affecting his leg, to give him Motrin and ice packs and he would be fine.
By Hannah Searcy8 years ago in Families
Three Things We Can Learn from a 3-Year-Old
There are few things that allow a person to pause for a moment and really understand that they are still learning. It's like a piece of clarity washes over the brain and you see that you are not actually teaching the three year old to build blocks, you are being taught EVERYTHING about life while a future decision maker plays with simple foam blocks.
By Jessie Malulani Cleveland8 years ago in Families
1 Month Postpartum With a Newborn
No one prepares you for how hard raising a child can be after you leave the hospital. They say it takes a village to raise a child, so use your village and get all the help you can, because the first few weeks are the hardest— but it gets easier.
By Aspen Murphy8 years ago in Families
How To Keep Your Babies Cool in the Summer, According to Pediatricians
When my kids were babies, I was always on the hunt for multiple ways to keep them cool in the hot summers. They are super sensitive to the sun and they'll instantly get red if they aren't coated in sunscreen. Drenching my babies in sunscreen couldn't be the only thing that could keep them cool though, and I noticed this a few summers back. Even with the sunscreen on, they were still irritated and felt bothered whenever they spent around 30 minutes outside.
By Jennifer Violet8 years ago in Families
