When Can Babies Have Juice: The 3 AM Apple Juice Disaster
It was 2:14 AM on a random Tuesday, and I was sitting cross-legged on the cold linoleum of my kitchen floor staring blindly at the humming refrigerator. I was wearing a maternity tank top that I'm pretty sure had three-day-old...
The 3 AM Monitor Panic: Surviving The Stomach Sleeping Phase
The glowing screen of the baby monitor was blinding in the pitch-black bedroom, and my heart was hammering against my ribs at roughly 140 beats per minute. It was 3:14 AM. The temperature in the nursery was exactly 69.4 degrees,...
When Do Babies Get Measles Vaccine? A Portland Dad's Guide
I was sitting in Dr. Lin's examination room with a color-coded spreadsheet printed on actual paper, which should tell you everything about my mental state at the time. My daughter was six months old, we were exactly three weeks out...
When Do Babies Start Seeing Color? A Letter to Past Me
Dear Jess from six months ago, You're currently sitting in the rocking chair at 2 AM, running on three hours of sleep and a cold cup of coffee, frantically waving a muted sage-green wooden toy in front of your new...
The Ugly Truth About Figuring Out Early Infant Tooth Brushing
Dear Sarah from exactly six months ago: Put down your lukewarm half-caf oat milk flat white, stop scrolling through Instagram reels of perfectly beige minimalist nurseries, and listen to me. Because right now, you're sitting in the ridiculously brightly colored...
When to Take a Baby With RSV to the Hospital: A Nurse's Guide
I usually sit in the dark next to the crib at 2 AM, listening to my toddler breathe like a congested pug, and think about all the terrified first-time parents I used to triage. Back when I wore scrubs instead...
Why do babies cry: A late-night letter to my exhausted self
It's 3:14 AM and you're standing barefoot on the cold hardwood floor of our Chicago apartment. The radiator is hissing that metallic, rhythmic sound it only makes when the temperature outside drops below zero. Your three-week-old is screaming a jagged,...
What I Wish I Knew About Using Pedialyte for Baby Stomach Bugs
It was 2:14 in the morning and I was standing in the middle of the nursery covered in what used to be breastmilk and cherry-flavored fluid, wondering if I needed to call an ambulance or just burn the rug. My...
The Ugly Truth About Raising A Pacifier Baby In A Perfect World
The nurse lactation consultant at the hospital looked at me like I had just suggested feeding my newborn a shot of espresso. It was 3 a.m. on my second night postpartum, I was bleeding through my mesh underwear, and my...