Category Archives: Pregnancy and Birth

Post-Partum Depression: Can Eating Your Placenta Help?

  By Donna DeForbes | September 18, 2012 - 2:15 pm | ,
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Now that we’ve decided to have a second child, I’m already jumping ahead to explore things I might do differently. Believe it or not, one of those things is eating my own placenta. I’d heard the controversy last spring over actress January Jones eating her placenta. While I wasn’t against the practice, I didn’t think I was crunchy enough to ever try it. Then I read an article in Kiwi magazine about a mom who used it with her third child largely to ward off post-partum depression. That got me listening. With Sofie, the cloud of depression descended upon me almost immediately after her birth, but I was too stubborn and anxious to take any medication for it until, finally, after six months I relented to trying a small dose of Zoloft. The drug eased my mood considerably, although I worried about side effects as I continued to breastfeed. This … Continue reading →

Do Two Kids Still Make the Perfect Family? One Mother’s Quandary Over Whether to have a Second Child

  By Donna DeForbes | June 5, 2012 - 1:15 pm |
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My sister gave birth to her second child a few days ago, and it’s brought a bout of baby fever into our household. My niece Maia reminds me of fresh beginnings and the free fall of new motherly love. Having a second child is a subject I’ve reawakened since turning 39. For a while, my husband and I were certain that our darling Sofie was all we wanted. Our family of three felt complete and still afforded us downtime and energy for personal pursuits. We worried briefly about Sofie being an only child, but research reassured us that only child stereotypes were just that. In actuality, only children tend to have higher IQs, as well as higher levels of achievement and self-esteem due, largely, to the lavishing of parental time and attention. According to Dr. Susan Newman, social psychologist and author of Parenting an Only Child: The Joys and Challenges … Continue reading →

Breastfeeding: The Healthiest Milk Is Also the Greenest

  By Donna DeForbes | December 20, 2011 - 12:27 pm | , ,
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Today I am proud of my state. As of last month, Rhode Island is the first in the nation to end the practice of giving free formula to new mothers in the hospital. The purpose is to promote breastfeeding, which studies show is far healthier for moms and babies. It’s also one of the most eco-friendly choices I can imagine. A sweet, warm beverage chock full of vitamins that requires no wasteful packaging or oil to transport, and it’s completely free! I was gung-ho from the first moment of my pregnancy. My mantra: “A drug-free natural birth and breastfeeding all the way!” The reality: Fibroids prevented me from using the ABC (alternative birth care) hospital room, and three hours into labor, I was begging for all sorts of drugs. But I was still determined to never open a can of formula. Some of that was financially motivated. We were on … Continue reading →