Aug
31
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
Nursing is natural. At least that was my silent mantra the first time I pulled up my shirt, unsnapped my bra cup and pulled Bella close in the family room.
My boys were formula-fed, so seeing me pull out a breast as they watched TV was a new experience. Really, who ever thought mom would be flashing the girls as they munched popcorn on movie night? Seriously.
While I felt uncomfortable emotionally, outwardly I acted as if it was a casual event.
Craig sat next to me on the couch and said, “You got my sissy?”
“Yes. She’s hungry.”
“Ohhh. Where’s her bottle?”
“She doesn’t have one.”
He...
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Jul
12
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Genevieve Hinson, MotherOfConfusion.com
My daughter is a miracle. From conception to birth she battled to be born. Even now, as we gaze into each other’s eyes when she nuzzles and nurses, I’m amazed she is really, truly here.
Still, I can’t get enough of her and nibble her tender toes, cheeks and belly. Her skin is warm and sweet. I rub my face against her downy auburn hair and am thankful she’s alive. I’m relieved we both survived.
Getting pregnant wasn’t easy. I suffered secondary infertility after the birth of my oldest son and was diagnosed at 27 with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). My odds of conceiving again were very slim and that would be with the help of fertility aids.
One doctor told me it...
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Jul
02
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
Nostalgia. Growing up I didn’t understand the hurtful twinge, wistfulness and soft yearning for time gone by — or the need to connect with someone who could relate.
More so, I was irritated with my mom’s frequent attempts to share her memories of Fresno. Because, gawh, how many times did I need to hear that Fulton Mall was ‘the place to be’ before Fashion Fair? Or that’s where Harpain’s Dairy used to be?
And she’d already mentioned, like every time we were on it, that the drive from Fresno to Clovis on Herndon was all orchards. That it felt like forever to get from one city to the next.
Of course, I couldn’t imagine it being that way. By the time I knew Herndon, it was a six-lane...
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Jun
25
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
Our daughter was born March 9th at 34 weeks gestation. She weighed 3 pounds, 14 ounces and was 17 inches in length. She spent 2 weeks in the NICU before coming home. We are so thrilled to be her parents and very relieved she is doing so well. The boys are in love with her too.
My last, badly spelled entry, was posted from my cellphone at the hospital. I was already mostly out of my mind. How that’s different from most days? Well, it was a different kind of loopy. This time induced by drugs (the dreaded magnesium) and illness.
When time, sleep deprivation and cohesive thought permits, I’m working on the series post ‘A Mother of a Birth Story.’ It will start with being admitted into the antepartum floor and end with...
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Feb
19
Posted by
besttech
1. I’m being strong-armed into writing this list. A few friends tagged me on Facebook to do so — but it took my husband to sign up for Facebook, write up his own list and then tag me before I gave it any reasonable thought. He holds my Valentine’s Day surprise present hostage. What can I say, it’s a motivator.
2. I’m clumsy. This is probably something you already know. What you don’t know is my mom put me in ballet as a child, not because I wanted to go (and I did), but with the hopes it would help instill some grace. It didn’t. I was quickly dis-enrolled once the tap dance sessions began.
3. I kissed my first boy in kindergarten on the first day of school. My second and third were on the next day of school....
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Feb
10
Posted by
besttech
Bed rest bites. Regardless of what some people think, it’s not a vacation. It’s hard work. Serious work.
Slowing down, much less coming to a dead stop, isn’t easy for me. Between family and work I over schedule my life on a daily basis. Isn’t that what moms do?
The first few days I did OK. Well, physically. I reclined on the couch while my brain went berserk. During the day, while Jimmy was at work and the kids at school, I thought the walls were going to implode. Or worse, they were breathing like a house in a 1970s horror film. I was trapped.
“It’s like cabin fever. I get Jack Nicholson’s character in ‘The Shining’ now. I feel him.” Why would anyone want to be holed up like...
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Feb
02
Posted by
besttech
Bed rest lost its novelty after three hours. I thought I’d enjoy snuggling on the couch and reconnecting with Oprah, snoozing and reading for at least a few days.
Instead the day yawned in front of me with empty, heavy hours. Daytime TV and repetitive commercials of “Slap Chop” guy who exclaimed “wait until you see my nuts” did little to stave off the doctor’s stern warning earlier that morning.
“Can I work from home?”
Dr. Oswald squinted while he looked directly at me from his rolling medical chair. He responded in a harsh voice that sounded like a father scolding a child. “You are on the maximum amount of medicine allowed. I’m adding a new pill. We can...
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Jan
08
Posted by
besttech
(MCT)
I hear voices. They speak to me from the strangest of places … like Craig’s sock. Just this morning it asked me where it was going today.
When I didn’t respond, it became squeaky and insistent. First, who answers a dingy-bottomed cotton foot tube? And second, isn’t it the plight of a sock to not know? Shouldn’t it be like all other socks and stay content to find out once it gets there?
This preschool-sized heel cushion wasn’t going to conform. It demanded my attention with several taps.
OK, fine. “You’re going to school.” It blubbered with what sounded like joy.
“Where else? Where else?”
“And on...
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Jan
05
Posted by
besttech
(MCT)
10. Chortle at the kids’ antics after they’ve been reprimanded and are out of earshot. That, or use hand to muffle chuckles and throw in a fake cough. Goal? Use this phrase 80 percent less by July: “Just because I laugh doesn’t make it OK.”
9. Break up with Starbucks. Sob. The chai lattes are just too pricey for my budget and the gift cards are running out. Yes, I know. … I got them three days ago as a birthday present. What are you trying to say?
8. Stay current with eyebrow waxing. It’s better for communication and career. Otherwise that interested, fascinated stare by the other person in the conversation is more about watching two squirrels fight on my forehead than any...
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Jan
02
Posted by
besttech
Please green the vaccines. I’m asking as an undecided, expecting mother who already has a child with autism.
Statistics show that I’m 10 times more likely to have another child on the spectrum. Only it’s not that simple. It’s thought environmental factors could trigger autism in an already genetically predisposed baby. My baby.
This leads me to vaccines. My great-grandmother was the first person I knew who refused to vaccinate her children. She believed they killed a little boy on her block. At the time, I understood her apprehension. Her children were born in the 30s. Who knew what harmful substance was in vaccines then?
When my 15-year-old son was born, I automatically took him to get his...
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