When it comes to breastfeeding, would you wear it loud and proud? A new line of lactation-promoting t-shirts is on the market, sporting slogans such as "Eat at Mom's" and "Weapons of Mass Production," as well as one that merely has two milk jugs, located just where one might expect them to be... Sure, Jesus probably was breastfed, but would you wear a t-shirt announcing it?
One of the lessons from the recent recession is that excessive consumerism is bad for individuals' pocketbooks and ultimately, bad for the economy overall. Many families have scaled back their purchases and put more thought into the things they buy. Some say that while it's great adults have scaled back their spending, the next thing parents need to focus on is teaching children to be less "stuff centered."
If you could postpone maternity leave until your child was in pre-school, would you? One mother says she would trade in the newborn maternity leave for a youngster leave. Now that her daughter is 5, she understands that mommy's gone and misses her. The mother says that while the time with an infant is nice, extra time spent with a young child would have an even greater impact on the mother-child relationship and a youngster's development.
Breastfeeding in England is getting political. For the first time in its 700-year history, the House of Lords can count a breastfeeding mother amongst its members. The Upper House has reportedly welcomed the mum and her young son with open arms, with a Labour leader even giving over part of his office to the wee one's babysitter. With lawmakers increasingly seeing co-workers manage the home-work balance, one can't help but wonder if more family-friendly laws will be enacted as a result. One small step for Baroness Worthington and one giant leap for working-womankind? Time will tell.
First people started ditching movie theaters in favor of watching movies at home. Now, more women are skipping the hospital to give birth at home. Some say home-birthers are America's hottest new sub-culture. Home births, which had been on the decline for a number of years, have been gaining in popularity even as doctors' groups are increasingly speaking out against them. It's a tough call, giving birth in the comfort of home versus the ease of soiling someone else's sheets during the process.
Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers. She is currently developing an alarm clock that will start an IV coffee drip 10 minutes prior to wake-up time. Once properly caffeinated, she also blogs at www.18years2life.com.