Womb With A View

Mombloggers from around the net dish about a happy--and not-so-happy--Mother's Day.

by Meagan Francis

Whether you're a new mom or a seasoned veteran, you deserve something special on Mother's Day. Breakfast in bed.  Flowers and chocolate. Hand-made cards.

Continue reading "A Mother's Day Medley" »

Why is everyone so up in arms about where babies sleep?

By Meagan Francis

When my first son was born, I had this intense, hormone-ridden inclination not to put him down, so the first night home from the hospital, I bypassed the waiting crib and brought him into my bed.

I found that we slept much better than the up-all-night-feeding hell I'd been warned to expect: since I didn't have to get out of bed to nurse him, we both stayed comfortable and groggy during feedings and fell easily back to sleep afterward. I also found that instead of worrying whether he was okay all night, I was "tuned-in" to him, often waking up just seconds before he began to wake himself, or reaching out to nudge him if his breathing became irregular.

Continue reading "Sleep Politics" »

Baby shower lore from around the Internet.

by Meagan Francis

Perhaps no pregnancy issue is as hotly debated as the baby shower. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the questions can be loaded: should I register? If so, how should I tell everyone where I've registered? How extensive should the invite list be? Should we play games? Should we play really awful embarrassing games?

Continue reading "Beautiful and Bad Baby Showers" »

Scouring the Web for new baby stuff brings up a plethora of new and strange baby gear.

by Meagan Francis

Within months of the birth of my last baby, I gave away all my baby gear--a collection that had taken me nearly seven years to acquire.

Car seats. Slings and baby carriers. Itty-bitty washcloths and receiving blankets. A baby bathtub, a bouncy seat, a huge stack of cloth diapers. Toys that squeak, toys that rattle, and toys that light up and play annoying music (I wasn't very sorry to see those go). Gone, all of it, cast gleefully away to expecting friends, family, and the Salvation Army.

Then I got pregnant with Clara. And while shopping for all new baby gear was kind of a bummer, it also provided me with hours of entertainment. A quick Google search for "baby products" brings up a bundle of products that, while certainly unique, had me shaking my head and often shaking with laughter:

Continue reading "Strangest Baby Products Ever" »

Blogging moms post pictures of their adorably bumpy babies.

By Meagan Francis

I posted the other day about Clara's six-week-old baby break-out. Since then, her zits have gotten even worse, spreading across her cheeks, forehead, and even a little patch on her chest. When she cries or gets upset, they flare even redder and bigger. Adorable!

Continue reading "Blotchy Bloggy Babies" »

From exercise and sex to baby smiles (and zits), the sixth week postpartum can be a big milestone for new moms.

By Meagan Francis

I can hardly believe it, but my baby, Clara, is over six weeks old. The time has gone by so fast I feel like I'd have missed it if I'd blinked--and though I spent plenty of time doing nothing but staring at her and soaking up her sweet baby goodness, I'm still feeling a bit of sadness. Her first month and a half, over already?

Continue reading "Passing the Six-Week Milestone" »

Another roundup of pregnant belly pictures from the blogosphere.

by Meagan Francis

In the six weeks since I gave birth, the expecting moms whose bumps were, back then, barely visible have started to show, while other moms have gone from "little round belly" to "large and in charge". I figured it was time for another round of belly pics to brighten your week.

Continue reading "Big, Beautiful Bellies" »

Do I Need a "Mommy Job"?

By Meagan Francis

When I was younger, I was unabashedly judgmental of people who got "work done", i.e. plastic surgery. I thought the whole idea was shallow and vain and a dangerous waste of money.

This is easy to think when everything is still, more or less, where it is supposed to be.

But after five pregnancies resulting in rather large babies (Clara was my most petite baby at 8 pounds, 6 ounces; Owen tipped the scales at 10 pounds, 2 ounces), things aren't looking quite as, errr, pulled-together as they once did.

Continue reading "Post-Baby Body Blues: Do I Need a "Mommy Job"?" »

Parents around the Web blog about how much sleep they're (not) getting.

By Meagan Francis

Clara is one month old, and I'm starting to recognize the signs of mild sleep deprivation: forgetting words mid-sentence, yawning, and a general "foggy" feeling that makes it hard to concentrate. But Clara's a pretty good sleeper in general, and I know I've got it easy compared to some moms whose babies refuse to sleep longer than an hour or two at a stretch.

Continue reading "Sleeping like a baby?" »

An experienced mom shares three rules for adjusting to having a baby while keeping your sanity.

By Meagan Francis

It's no wonder so many new moms wind up frazzled and unsure they're up to the challenge of motherhood: sure, you want to enjoy that warm, milky little bundle of baby, but you've got a lot of obstacles to contend with first. Maybe that little bundle cries whenever you put her down, so your unshowered body is beginning to mildew and your un-brushed hair has created a gnarled mess of knots at the back of your head. Maybe you've watched so many daytime talk shows that you're beginning to believe the whole world is full of people cheating on their spouses with their first cousins and parents sending their rebellious teens to boot camp.

Continue reading "Surviving New Motherhood" »