There is no federally mandated paid maternity or paternity leave. It is all up to the whims of the employer. There is FMLA which allows unpaid leave up to 12 weeks per year but most people can't afford to kiss their paychecks goodbye for 12 weeks.

I loooove data, so I did this too (but longhand or using Excel usually—we only just got our first smartphones a couple months ago). It's okay. My big thing was sleep because (I found out) I am a monster when even slightly sleep-deprived. I printed out sheets for other caregivers to fill out regarding naps so I could…

But sleep deprivation can aggravate anxiety like whoa. And also exacerbate existing problems that may have been sub-clinical before.

My advice is to speak to whomever you get your current mental healthcare from about your plans and start to develop a prenatal and postpatrum plan ahead of time. Give this plan to your OB/midwife for your records. You might not need it, but if you do, you will be glad you had it. There are meds you can take while…

Article is about a very serious mental health issue that new mothers frequently suffer from. Your complaint is too many baby pictures on your social media.

Learning the fundamentals of behavior modification (which is all dog training is, really) is also a really great way to teach yourself how to better interact with others in a mutually productive and positive way. I plan on teaching my son how to train dogs as soon as he's old enough to understand because there's a lot…

We were offered photos, but we were offered them BEFORE giving birth, when we pre-registered at the hospital. We refused all of the extras on the pre-registration forms and then weren't bothered again. We also didn't get a swag bag, which was fine with me because I think those things are really nefarious.

These swag bags are problematic because they can make new moms feel like the brands and items in them are being officially sanctioned by their health care providers even when they are not. These freebies are not charity, companies do it because they know that this particular situation, where a new mom is vulnerable…

Well, he's still at a stage where everything is "Mah!" His breakfast Cheerios are "mah!" and his favorite toy is "mah!" and daddy is "mah!" and when he gets a big sad, the whole world is such a pitiful "mah mah mah mah maaaaaaaah!"

Not long ago (and this is how I know that he'd probably be cool with weaning any time now), Baby Tashkent was nursing, he popped off, grumbled a little, reached behind him to the table next to the glider we nurse in, grabbed his pacifier and stuck it in his mouth, and thereafter was contented. I didn't know whether to…

I should probably get a video of this soon because I'm planning to wean at some point in the next few months. He's at a stage right now where he frequently pops off (frequent enough to be cute, not so frequent that it's annoying) and goes, "Mah! Mah! MMMmmmmmmah. Mah." And then gets back down to it. I do want a…

Yeah, this was my experience. It all happened so gradually that by the time I was filming my tummy boinging all around and was routinely having to push my son's butt (bony, like his dad's) out from under my rib cage, I'd kind of gotten acclimated to the idea. I did not find pregnancy magical, but I also didn't find it…

I'm torn between "there's something in my eye" and "yeah, try to sleep with that going on, dudes."

Breastmilk really does not taste that great. At least, mine doesn't. It's just milk that's kind of on the sweet side.

Meh. I think that figure is too high. You can do it on the cheap if you have to. A lot of people don't have to, so they splurge but you can get a crib/dresser set at Target or Babies R US for like $200. All cribs are manufactured to the same safety standards and dimensions, so the $200 crib is not any less safe than…

Do men have less surface area of skin or something?

Yes, those are prefolds. There's really no such thing any more as a "regular cloth diaper" but probably the closest thing to that is what's now called a "flat." That's just a big flat piece of cloth that you origami in a way so that there are more layers of fabric in the center than on the sides (more absorbancy where…

Try to remind yourself that a lot of your reaction to her cries is hormonal. I remember very well that feeling of OMG MUST STOP THE BABY CRYING OMG OMG OMG and it's so unpleasant, but it's not a rational feeling and is not related to how well you are doing as a mom. Your baby cries and the brain chemicals start…

Yeah, I don't have siblings and the last time I babysat was over 2 decades ago, so you'll forgive me for not wanting to "wing it" when it comes to keeping a tiny human alive in my own home. It's a daunting task, especially when public health campaigns are blaring at you constantly about all the things out there that…

oh yeah holy shit how could I forget the video monitor? I poo-pooed them at first because I am not an anxious mom and was like 'Pffft, I know my baby is still breathing, I don't need to stare at him all night long.' Little did I know of the video monitor's usefulness when it comes to understanding infant sleep and not…