A couple months ago I wrote a post about mothers with young children returning to work, citing research that found no disadvantage for children's academic achievement and behavioural adjustment (except perhaps a small disadvantage when mothers return full time). Now that I am myself a working mother with a young child, I have been reflecting on … Continue reading Why My Career is Important to Me as a Mother
Motherhood
Recognising the Hard Work of Motherhood
As a kid, Mother's Day was about handmaking cards covered in hearts and flowers at school, and cooking mom breakfast in bed. I got it, but I didn't really get it. My siblings and I often wondered why, if there was a Father's Day and a Mother's Day, there was no such day as a Children's … Continue reading Recognising the Hard Work of Motherhood
Helping Baby Sleep Through the Night – Product Reviews: What Worked and What Didn’t
At this point I feel like an expert on products marketed at helping babies to sleep longer, because I have tried them all! My son started out as a great sleeper, but around 4 months his ability to sleep longer than 2-3 hours went out the window and has never really recovered. He is now … Continue reading Helping Baby Sleep Through the Night – Product Reviews: What Worked and What Didn’t
Debunking Evidence in Support of Cry-it-Out
It's a decision most parents are faced with at some point – whether or not to sleep train their baby. I know it can be a touchy subject, and I know that parents have a number of reasons why they do or do not choose to sleep train. Although for the most part I don't … Continue reading Debunking Evidence in Support of Cry-it-Out
Are Children at a Disadvantage When Mothers Return to Work?
Compared to previous generations, mothers today are more likely to return to work after having children. Many women have spent a significant number of years in school and in the workforce building a career and are not willing to give that up to stay at home with children. Financial reasons also play a role, with … Continue reading Are Children at a Disadvantage When Mothers Return to Work?
Let’s Talk about Breastsleeping
Breastsleeping: breastfeeding mothers sharing the same or an adjacent sleep surface, (i.e. cosleeping*), with their infants in the absence of all hazardous factors. -- Breastsleeping is a new concept proposed by researchers from the University of Notre Dame. It is an important move towards normalising bedsharing for breastfeeding infants, allowing for proper education surrounding an … Continue reading Let’s Talk about Breastsleeping
Babies and their Bad Habits
It's so easy to get sucked into the lies about forming bad habits with babies, isn't it? New mothers are a vulnerable group, so desperate to do everything right for their baby no matter the cost (see: sleep deprivation). And since we have been thrown off the deep end into this whole mothering thing, we … Continue reading Babies and their Bad Habits
Parents of Difficult Babies – Your Hard Work is Not in Vain
Sensitive. Intense. Frequent negative emotions. High activity level. Withdraws or doesn't easily adapt to new situations. Irregular feeding and sleep routine. If these terms describe your child then it is likely he or she is what child psychologists would call ‘difficult’. This is in contrast to ‘easy’ children (generally positive moods, routine sleep/wake and feeding … Continue reading Parents of Difficult Babies – Your Hard Work is Not in Vain
To the Mothers of High Needs Babies
To my fellow mothers of high needs babies. I know it often feels like we have drawn the short straw. You look around and see babies who are sleeping through the night (while yours wakes 5+ times a night at 8 months old), babies who sit placidly while their mothers engage in conversation (as yours never. … Continue reading To the Mothers of High Needs Babies
Does an Education Equal Unhappiness for Mothers?
Today's mothers are more educated than ever before. This is no doubt an advantage for the little ones that we are raising, but it might not be so beneficial for our own well-being as mothers. A mother’s level of education is known to influence the way that she parents – mothers who are more educated … Continue reading Does an Education Equal Unhappiness for Mothers?
The Rambling Mum 