ALLAITEMENT ET PARENTAL

Pregnancy is hard.  Motherhood is hard.  Parenting is hard.  These are words I've said in the past few weeks to other moms asking for advice.  Each step of parenthood can be difficult - from the leg cramps at night when you can't sleep because your belly is uncomfortable, to the newborn nursing stages of sore and tender breasts, to constantly questioning your decisions about your child's diet, their development, their interactions with others.  We frequently hear moms ask, "When does it get easy?"

You may have seen the articles about the Meitiv family in Maryland who have had their children, ages 6 and 10, taken from them and placed into Child Protective Services this year for "unsubstantiated neglect".  The neglect was allowing their children to walk home alone from a park near their home - less than a mile away.

My cousin is getting ready to have her second baby and our moms and sisters are making plans for how we will help her when the new baby comes.  Someone will help with laundry, someone will help with cooking and cleaning while another one will likely help take care of the toddler so that Mom can rest and feed the new baby.

There's nothing like the holiday season in New York City.  The tree, the shopping, the roasted peanuts, the parade, the parties -- but what about pumping?

I was recently in Chelsea for a series of work meetings and was able to steal five minutes alone to visit the High Line.  It was a beautiful fall day, the sun was shining, and I felt a few minutes of calm and quiet  - even while being in the middle of New York City.