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"Yes, it was exhausting having a kindergartener and fourth grader doing impromptu distance learning while I was barely keeping up with work. And it was frustrating to be stuck home nonstop, scrambling to get in grocery delivery orders before slots filled up, and tracking down toilet paper. But I was still doing well because I thrive in high-stress emergency situations." 7 ways to pull yourself out of despair and live your life by Tara Haelle for Medium Elemental

"Here’s a little word-association game that many parents are doing this year: September. School. Homeschooling. Fear. Yep, it’s a brave new world for many, and the personal expectations to become a flawless teacher as well as maintain that role of being the perfect parent are on most everyone’s mind... Homeschooling is just a fancy word that allows you, a parent, to have some fun with your kids." 

" Here I was, in a new country, with a different culture and language trying to make friends. Soon after, we started a family, and free time for making friends was in limited supply. So I did what most moms do: I joined Facebook groups to chat and vent with women who were in my shoes. Little did I know, I would meet my new best friend in one of those groups – a woman who has changed my life forever in many positive ways." - Green Child Magazine

The impacts of the coronavirus on our parenting will be lasting, and we are all in this for the long haul. I am strapping myself in for the ride and have decided to give myself permission to simply feel. I indulge in my own personal pain when I need to, and I do my best to maintain perspective when I can. While others may hurt far more, I must allow myself to hurt as well and without judgment. As a pediatrician, and mother, I give all parents permission to do the same.

"So what can parents do to help bolster their mental health in this time of difficulty? Lucy Rimalower, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles, recommends asking yourself: What kind of self-care is realistic for you now, not six months ago? The old coping mechanisms you had may not be available any time soon, so if you can even take a tiny break for yourself every day, that’s better than nothing. “Is that a five-minute yoga video on YouTube? Is it a five-minute text exchange with an old friend?” Rimalower said."

"My six-year-old has gotten into the habit of coming into our bedroom to lie next to me when he wakes up on weekend mornings. He’ll snuggle his little body against mine as he waits for the digital alarm clock to show 7:00—the cue that he can go downstairs. When he came in a few mornings ago, there wasn’t enough room at the edge of the bed for him to climb in next to me. He gently touched my arm and whispered “Make room for me, Mommy.”"

"Women know their own bodies better than anyone and can often tell when something does not feel right. The campaign seeks to encourage partners, friends, family, coworkers, and providers—anyone who supports pregnant and postpartum women—to really listen when she tells you something doesn’t feel right. Acting quickly could help save her life."

For Bailey Rollins, the owner of a Brooklyn-based doula service, the maternal mortality crisis informs every aspect of her work. Rollins is a doula, a non-clinical birth worker who guides and supports women through pregnancy, labor and postpartum. Like every doula, she's acutely aware of our current crisis — Black moms are 3 to 4 times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes than white mothers, and roughly two-thirds of maternal deaths in the U.S. are preventable."I want to be a part of the solution," Rollins told CBS News. "I want to be a part of the necessary dismantling of systemic racism, obstetric violence and big-business agendas that limit options for birthing people and their partners."

"Breastfeeding is the cornerstone of infant and young child survival, nutrition and development and maternal health. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years and beyond.1  Early and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact, rooming-in2 and kangaroo mother care3 also significantly improve neonatal survival and reduce morbidity and are recommended by WHO.However, concerns have been raised about whether mothers with COVID-19 can transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus to their infant or young child through breastfeeding. Recommendations on mother-infant contact and breastfeeding must be based on a full consideration of not only of the potential risks of COVID-19 infection of the infant, but also the risks of morbidity and mortality associated with not breastfeeding, the inappropriate use of infant formula milks, as well as the protective effects of skin-to-skin contact. This scientific brief examines the evidence to date on the risks of transmission of COVID-19 from an infected mother to her baby through breastfeeding as well as evidence on the risks to child health from not breastfeeding."

Babies — whether pandas, puppies, or people — nurse. This bond is precious; this process, a natural art. Luminous illustrations and lyrical text will inspire conversations about caretaking in the natural world. And newly released Babies Bond, both by Phoebe Fox, available at mamafoxbooks.com.

What could toddlers be thinking and feeling as they wean from breastfeeding? Depending on age and development, some might not be able to express what they think and feel with words. In My Milk Will Go, Our Love Will Grow, we hear a toddler's questions and feelings during an honest conversation between mother and child. This heartwarming book uses rhyme, short sentences, and beautiful illustrations to convey a message of love and reassurance as the child learns that mother will still nurture and meet both physical and emotional needs when breastfeeding ends. By author Jessica Elder - available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

"Many of our kids have been told that they are the problem. Helping them to understand that what’s going on in their bodies is actually a normal response to the abnormal circumstance that they find themselves in, giving them tools to understand how to calm themselves down, how to keep themselves safe, how to connect with nurturing relationships—I’ve seen it be life-changing and life-saving." ~ Dr. Nadine Burke Harris