Kids have been home all summer, and that means that nagging them to do the most basic of tasks is at an all-time high. “Load your dishes in the dishwasher,” is met with whiney protests of “Why!!!!?” Well Kid, so many reasons- I’m tired of cleaning up after you, I have 10,000 other things that need to get done, I’m not your maid….Unfortunately, they are unmoved by any of this reasoning which, frankly, is about me. Time to take it to a new level with a positive and very true spin that focuses on them: “Because you are capable and I believe in you.”

It’s no secret that having a baby brings a lot of challenging life changes. If you are expecting your first, it’s hard to know what exactly these changes will be and how best to prepare for them. Even if you are expecting your second or third, there are unknowns regarding how to juggle more than one child or how the needs of this baby may differ from your first. Here are a few tips from my own personal experience. By no means is this list exhaustive, but hopefully it will get you started.

It’s World Breastfeeding Week!  Which means my FB feed is filled with nursing photos, opinions, and memes.  Here is my favorite: “I can’t believe it’s 2018 and we’re still discussing breast vs formula like it matters at the end of the day. Just feed your kid and get on with your day. They all grow up to eat Haribo and McDonald’s anyway. Yes, even your kid, kale-blending Cynthia in the pilates pants.” (Shout out to Casey Wilke for sharing that one.)  

I could not agree more with Oster’s philosophy on pregnancy decision making: “This book is very specifically not about making recommendations; it’s about acknowledging that if you have the right information you can make the right decision for yourself.” That is exactly what I strive for with my students- there is no one right way to manage a pregnancy, no one right way to give birth, and no one right way to parent.