Why I Chose a Midwife Over a Doctor
By Alicia Barnes My birth was my mother’s third c-section. The doctor told her when he touched the scalpel to her scar, she split open. “It’s a good thing you didn’t bump into any tables, ” he said, alluding her belly would have ruptured. I grew up hearing that story and believing that childbirth was…
➠ Continue ReadingBaby and Blog is Looking For (Paid) Writers!
Hello ladies, It’s been a great year for Baby and Blog since we launched in June! As we head into the new year, we want to increase the number and the diversity of voices that contribute to this website. We are looking for 2 to 3 new writers who can contribute 2 to 4 pieces…
➠ Continue Reading12 Pieces of Art and Decor that Affirm Brown Girls
We’ve already covered dolls, and books and TV shows, now we’ve compiled a list of art and room decor that affirms brown girls. Check it out: It’s always fun decorating a room for our little girls that reflects their personality. Here are some ideas to infuse inspirational images of African American girls in your daughter’s…
➠ Continue Reading5 Ways to Win the Battle Against Mommyhood-Induced Sleep Deprivation
I remember being about 5 years old, and my mother wanting to take a midday nap and she tried to get me to join her. I soon got up and announced that I couldn’t sleep, and asked her to teach me how to. My mother explained that I needed to close my eyes, lay very…
➠ Continue ReadingEverything You Need to Know About Kwanzaa + How to Celebrate it With Your Kids
What the heck is Kwanzaa anyway? I am far from an expert, but I have been celebrating Kwanzaa for three or four years, and find it to be an enriching and fun experience for my family. I think it can be a great way for people to come together, can help instill a sense of…
➠ Continue Reading7 Ways to Empower Your Child When There Are No Black Kids Around
There is an old Japanese folk tale about a radish, carrot and burdock that take a bath together. The story ends with the burdock remaining black and dirty because he did not wash his body properly, while the radish is sparkling white and clean. No one seems to remember that no amount of hot water…
➠ Continue ReadingI Had a Drug-Free Home Birth and Loved It
By Alicia Barnes It had been an exhausting week, and I was 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant. My husband Daniel and I were looking out the window, waiting until there was more light than dark in the sky to call my midwife again. We didn’t want to bother anyone, but we thought things might be…
➠ Continue Reading10 Newborn “Essentials” That You Don’t Really Need
By Kim of When it comes to being a first time mommy (!) you believe that you will need EVERYTHING there is to have for your newborn, if not MORE! But not true ladies. If your baby does not have every baby essential I am pretty sure she will not be upset with you. She…
➠ Continue Reading10 Interesting and Meaningful Work-From-Home Jobs for Moms
When I wrote “I’m a Jamaican Housewife“, I was protesting the disregard today’s society seems to have for the role of the homemaker. Yet, even before I detailed all the work that managing a home and family entails, I referenced my own grandmothers and their entrepreneurial ventures while they were stay-at-home-mothers (SAHMs). Today, we call…
➠ Continue ReadingI’m Mistaken for the Nanny When Out with My Bi-Racial Son
By Nicole of XOJane.com I can still see it — feel it — as clear as yesterday. Four years ago, I had walked to the bodega on the corner of my Brooklyn block and stepped into a rude awakening. All it took was one question, four words, from the man behind the lottery desk to completely…
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