We are excited to invite mothers and fathers to share your childbirth experiences. Sharing birth stories can empower parents to educate others, to break down barriers and help others become more accepting of experiences very different from their …
Read the full story »Fertility and conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and the early postpartum period.
From newborn to 17 months.
From 18 months to age 3.
From age 4 to age 9.
From age 10 to age 18.
By Sarah Occident
Natural childbirth has always been fascinating to me. There is something so beautiful about bringing forth life the same way millions of women around the world have throughout the ages. So when we became pregnant, I had already begun the mental and physical preparation that would eventually lead to a perfect, natural birth at a birth center. I had read all of Ina May Gaskin’s books, watched The Business of Being Born, and had picked the brains of the other like-minded mamas that I knew. I was prepared! And childbirth ALWAYS goes exactly as we plan, right?
For most of my pregnancy, I was under the care of the midwives at a birth center. Our pregnancy was uncomplicated, and we were breezing past all of the milestones we needed to hit in order to birth at the center. We had completed a natural childbirth course, were preparing with a doula, had meticulously written out our birth preferences in case of a hospital transfer, and had our bags packed and waiting by the door. But, as my mom regularly reminded me throughout those nine months, the first lesson of motherhood is that you can’t control everything related to your children, and our little one certainly had plans of her own.
Editor’s Note: Attachment Parenting International invites parents to share their birth stories, without endorsement of their decisions regarding their child’s birth. None of this information should be interpreted as medical advice. Click here for more information on our views regarding childbirth.
At about 36 weeks, we realized that this baby was frank breech and wasn’t turning. Initially I was disappointed, as a breech baby meant no birth center. So we tried everything—a chiropractor, an acupuncturist, and hours each day inverting myself while simultaneously attempting to bribe the baby with music, flashlights and frozen peas (really—Google it). I stayed hopeful until about 39 weeks, and then I decided I needed to let go. As my midwife beautifully put it, it wasn’t my baby who needed to turn, it was me who needed to turn. Read the whole story »
By Rebecca English, PhD, education lecturer at Queensland University of Technology, www.rebeccamenglish.com
I speak to many parents who want to continue through the school years with the loving, child-led, engaged parenting that they practiced when their children were …
It’s reading time again. Our choice for the months of May and June will be “Attached at the Heart” by Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker. The topics we’ll be discussing are based on the Eight …
By Stacy Jagger, MMFT, owner of Sunnybrook Counseling and Music with Mommie, www.stacyjagger.com
As a mother of two children and a newborn, I understand completely how media can become a crutch and a babysitter at times …
By Kathleen Mitchell-Askar, senior contributing editor to Attached Family magazine
When my friend, a mother of one, found out her nine-year-old daughter wanted to become a vegetarian, she didn’t know what to do. She and her …
By Bill Corbett, author of Love, Limits & Lessons: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Cooperative Kids, and member of the API Resource Advisory Committee, www.cooperativekids.com.
We’re all trying to get more done in less time and …
By Naomi Aldort, author of Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves, www.AuthenticParent.com
Q: I have recently gotten divorced. My daughter is three and initially enjoyed her time with her father, but since staying overnight she refuses to go. …
By Kit Jenkins, babywearing educator for Babywearing International, communications coordinator for API and a co-founder of The Carrying On Project, www.carryingonproject.org
One of the best things about Attachment Parenting is the consistency in all of its …
By Chaley-Ann Scott, sociologist and counselor, author of The Shepherdess: A Guide to Mothering Without Control, www.asktheshepherdess.com
A parenting complaint I hear time and again in my practice is, “The kids just won’t listen!” So what …
By Kelly Bartlett, author of Encouraging Words For Kids, certified positive discipline educator and Attachment Parenting International Leader (API of Portland, Oregon, USA), www.kellybartlett.net
In the Eight Principles of Parenting, Attachment Parenting International reminds us of …
By Shoshana Hayman, director of Life Center, The Israel Center for Attachment Parenting, www.lifecenter.org.il
“Children should be seen and not heard” was a common attitude in generations past. Today we are more aware of the importance …
By Chris Oldenburg, originally published on www.BetterParenting.com, reprinted with permission
Creating Bonds that Will Support Teenage Development
Many people who have heard of the term attachment parenting probably envision babies cozied against their mothers in wraps or …
Come join API as we read Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting by Dr. Laura Markham through the end of April.
Here are some of the topics being discussed: Yelling; nurturing …
By Joy Davy, MS, LCPC, NCC, licensed professional counselor specializing in perinatal mood disorders, www.joydavy.com.
The joy of motherhood is the subject of much art and idealistic images. Our expectation that the arrival of a baby …
By Sarah Fudin, social media and outreach coordinator for USC Rossier Online.
According to a recent infographic from USC Rossier Online, “School Bullying Outbreak,” one in four children are bullied every month and 160,000 students miss …
By Kassandra Brown, parent coach, www.parentcoaching.org
Attachment Parenting International offers Eight Principles of Parenting. The eighth principle is about balance in personal and family life. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some ways …
By Tamara Brennan, Ph.D. , Executive Director of the Sexto Sol Center, www.ourcozytime.com
In the pine covered Sierra Madre Mountains of southern Mexico we are raising our young daughter on a small permaculture farm. We keep our door …
By Shoshana Hayman, director of Life Center, The Israel Center for Attachment Parenting, www.lifecenter.org.il
I was looking forward to a pleasant afternoon on the playground with my grandchildren, only to find all too soon I had …
By Kelly Bartlett, author of Encouraging Words for Kids, certified positive discipline educator and Attachment Parenting International leader (API of Portland,Oregon USA), www.kellybartlett.net
It’s never too early to begin talking with your kids about sex. In …
By Naomi Aldort, author of Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves, www.AuthenticParent.com
A tantrum can vanish before it starts if we put the spotlight on it with validation and playfulness. Six-year-old Danny (names and scenarios are changed) …
Chaley-Ann Scott, sociologist and counselor, author of The Shepherdess: A Guide to Mothering Without Control, www.asktheshepherdess.com
You have had four hours sleep, the house looks like you’ve been burgled, the kids are screaming at each other, …
Coming Soon to The Attached Family:
How Attachment Parenting may prevent bullying behavior in your child
December 2012 - API Links - Your monthly API e-newsletter
The December 2012 API Links edition links you to news on applying the API Principles to ourselves, …
By Shoshana Hayman, director of Life Center, The Israel Center for Attachment Parenting, www.lifecenter.org.il
The rain poured down relentlessly, with winds blowing so hard that trees were being pulled from their roots and blown over. My …
By Kelly Bartlett, author of Encouraging Words for Kids, certified positive discipline educator and Attachment Parenting leader (API of Portland,Oregon USA), www.kellybartlett.net
Parents spend a significant amount of time talking to kids. We have a lifetime …
By Shoshana Hayman, director of Life Center, The Israel Center for Attachment Parenting, www.lifecenter.org.il
It’s sometimes said that parents shouldn’t get involved when siblings fight, but rather let them work it out themselves. Sometimes children do …
By Jake Cunningham, parent
Sometimes no matter how hard I try, I just can’t find the emotional room to comfort my 2-year-old son, Jack. I try, as we all do, to be the best parent I …
Loading ...
Now there is an easy way to support API: GoodSearch. Just make it your default search engine and every time you use them to search the web they donate about $.01 to API. Help spread the word about another wonderful way to donate to API.
It’s reading time again. Our choice for the months of May and June will be “Attached at the Heart” by Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker. The topics we’ll be discussing are based on the Eight …
By Naomi Aldort, author of Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves, www.AuthenticParent.com
Q: I have recently gotten divorced. My daughter is three and initially enjoyed her time with her father, but since staying overnight she refuses to go. …
By Naomi Aldort, author of Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves, www.AuthenticParent.com
Q: I have recently gotten divorced. My daughter is three and initially enjoyed her time with her father, but since staying overnight she refuses to go. …
By Lance Hugh
Breast augmentation is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries, accounting for more than 300,000 procedures per year. The average implant patient is in her mid-30s and has already had a child, but …
By Stacy Jagger, MMFT, owner of Sunnybrook Counseling and Music with Mommie, www.stacyjagger.com
As a mother of two children and a newborn, I understand completely how media can become a crutch and a babysitter at times …
By Sarah Occident
Natural childbirth has always been fascinating to me. There is something so beautiful about bringing forth life the same way millions of women around the world have throughout the ages. So when we …
