Blog Posts by YodelingMamas

Author: Layla. To hear from other moms that work at Yahoo!, check out YodelingMamas.

You and your baby dozing off together: The image is adorable, but co-sleeping, or sharing your bed with an infant, is often frowned upon in Western cultures.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warn parents not to put their infants to sleep in adult beds, arguing that the practice puts babies at risk of strangulation and suffocation. According to the CPSC, at least 515 infant deaths between January 1990 and December 1997 were linked to children sleeping in adult beds.

Despite the risks, many new studies showcase the advantages to co-sleeping, and the practice seems to be a rising trend. In his book on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, pediatrician William Sears cites co-sleeping as a proactive measure that parents can take to reduce the risk of death in infants. Sears stresses that co-sleeping babies learn to imitate healthy breathing patterns

Read More »from User post: Where do you stand on co-sleeping?

A year ago, during the third day of my unimaginably long labor, I truly wondered whether I would survive to see this day: my daughter's first birthday.

As the nurse finally wrapped that tiny, helpless newborn in a blanket and handed her off to us, we watched her leave with a sigh, worrying how we were going to help this little creature transition into a moving and exploring person. As if the nurse had read my mind, she turned around to say, "Don't worry, motherhood is natural. You will figure it out. Human beings have been doing this since the cave ages."

Yes, true, but didn't cave people have family around to help? And could we really assume that human beings have been parenting correctly for millions of years? Wouldn't bad parenting explain a lot of evil behavior in the world? What if we fail in disciplining our child, what if we are not able to serve as good role models, and, worst of all, what if we cannot get this whole breastfeeding thing right and she starves or we manage to

Read More »from User post: One year of love and community

Until you've heard your father-one of the healthiest men you know-say, "It's not as bad as it sounds, but...I have a brain tumor"…
Until you've heard your father's brain surgeon say, "This is the worst news I could possibly have"…
Until you've heard your father's 20 other doctors say, "We can't explain why he's still alive and the cancer hasn't come back (or why we can't seem to do anything to improve his quality of life now that he has defied all odds)"…

Until then, LiveStrong bracelets and t-shirts may seem like the latest trend, rather than the badges of honor that represent overcoming the worst days of your life.

Until you've seen one of your closest friends stick ice packs down her shirt at parties because radiation has her burning up…
Until you've heard your doctor say, "We'd better order a mammogram and a fine-needle biopsy"…
Until you've heard a 16-year-old girl sob in front of hundreds of people at Relay for Life because her mom won't ever see her graduate from high school, or get married…

Until then, pink ribbons might seem frilly and October-y, rather than the symbol of hope and progress that's so desperately needed.

Read More »from Cancer Battles On...And We Must Too

As part of a campaign to generate awareness about the crisis of premature birth in our country, the March of Dimes designated November as Prematurity Awareness Month. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death worldwide. And the rate of premature birth has risen by 30 percent since 1981.

"We need to fight for our little ones so they don't have to."

Every year, 1 in 8 babies is born prematurely - that's more than 543,000 children. This year, that number includes my twin boys. Compared with one baby, twins (or other higher order multiples) in California were about six times as likely to be preterm in 2007. A traditional pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks; full term is considered 37 weeks. My muppets arrived in the middle of their 27 th week - 12 weeks early.

Read More »from One Mother's Awareness of Premature Birth

Halloween is fast approaching, which has got me thinking about how fun it is to watch little imaginations create individual fantasy for all the world to see on this one night.

Even though my little ones are only five months old (and far too young to fully comprehend this spooktacular concept), I have been assisting with the stimulation of their imaginations by reading to them. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of the times my mother would read to me right before bed.

Remember Reading Rainbow with Levar Burton? The long-running award-winning series explored themes from children's literature books. The boys have instantly taken to this; but you don't have to take my word for it…

Some of our favorites so far are "Love You Forever," "Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day," "Are You My Mother?," "Panda Bear Panda Bear What Do You See?," "The Hungry Caterpillar" and "Goodnight Moon."

Read More »from It's Never Too Early to Read to Kids

My daughter has one of those sweet, innocent smiles that can fool anyone. As we stroll through the park she waves a friendly nod to every person who gives her the time of the day, and as I put her down on the playground she excitedly runs toward the other children (particularly those older than her) and invites them to play. The other parents approach us with a friendly smile and begin to explain to their kids how fragile and young my daughter is and how they should be careful when playing with her as she is still a baby (11 months old). But, before they can finish their sentences, my daughter has begun some of her usual mischief, which includes pulling the hair of the older baby, exploring their face, trying to touch their toy, or helping herself to whatever snack they are eating.

You can imagine my embarrassment as I pull her hand down, apologize to the older baby and her/his parent, and in a calm voice try to explain to my daughter that this behavior is not acceptable, while she

Read More »from User post: What Age Should You Start Disciplining Children?

Have you ever been treated differently because you are a mom? Have you ever not received something you wanted and were qualified for because you have kids?

Sure, I've heard the word "mommy-tracked" when it comes to careers. Some women believe that they haven't received a due promotion because of their mom status. Or believe that they have to work harder than their peers to prove their commitment to the company. If you ask to leave the office at a reasonable hour to pick up your kid from daycare and will make up the hour (plus some!) later in the evening, is that deserving of a snide glare from co-workers? Is there a certain stigma that gets placed on you after you birth a child? Sure, your family should be your #1 priority, but that doesn't mean you can't kick some serious butt at work.

storkparking

I have to say that there are many, many working mothers at Yahoo! and we are very fortunate to have a company that supports us. From managers who allow flex schedules to job sharing to stork Read More »from User post: The Secret Discrimination in being Mommy Tracked

I wore purple today.

You may have seen the meme going around the Internet:
On Oct. 20, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the six gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and at their schools.

Bullying is a phenomenon that happens within most aspects of life - from childhood through adulthood. I believe most people would agree that bullying is an unpleasant situation, but people have differing opinions on what constitutes bullying.

Most individual definitions of bullying are based on personal memories developed during the emotional warfare of childhood. A 1996 study assumed that all children were somehow involved in childhood bullying practices, whether through direct participation or observation.

Read More »from Taking on Bullying with the Color Purple