Aug 31, 2009 Posted by Jolene

But What About Breast Feeding? Part Two

In the previous post, I explained the important role breast feeding played in our newborn son’s recovery from surgery immediately after his birth. In this post, I want to assure those of you who aren’t breast feeding for whatever reason, I am not trying to burden you with guilt or judge you in any way. That said, I encourage moms who want to breast feed, even if their newborns are struggling... read more

Aug 27, 2009 Posted by Jolene

But What About Breast Feeding? Part One

What about breast feeding? If your newborn is in neonatal intensive care, that’s a question you should be asking. Our son’s story tells you why. And it explains why I’m the proud owner of an early 1900s vintage breast pump. Allen’s Story When Allen was born with an esophageal birth defect, he couldn’t eat through his mouth for several weeks. “But what about breast... read more

Aug 13, 2009 Posted by Jolene

The Survivor Challenge: How to Handle a Healthy Kid

When a child survives a serious illness, life is good again, right? Of course it’s good, but most likely it isn’t perfect since raising a survivor comes with a number of potential challenges. In this post, we’ll identify some of those challenges and the typical ways parents respond to them. Future posts will discuss each one in greater depth and point you to available... read more

Aug 13, 2009 Posted by Jolene

Why I Don’t Know How You Feel

When I wrote A Different Dream for My Child, the meditations addressing the death of children were the hardest ones to complete. Why? Because my child lived, and I felt hypocritical trying to comfort parents who have lost much more than I have. God’s Holy Work If my editor hadn’t insisted, I wouldn’t have tackled the subject. And even though several parents agreed to share their stories... read more

Aug 13, 2009 Posted by Jolene

Why Can this Wimpy Woman Steer a Wheelchair?

Why I Get Aggravated I get so aggravated when big, burly guys try to negotiate Grandma Myrtle or Great-Uncle Oscar’s wheelchair over bumps in sidewalks and slightly raised thresholds, or onto a shallow-stepped landing. Their standard method of operation is to ram the wheelchair at the obstacle, jarring Grandma or Oscar in the process and nearly scaring them to death. “What’s the matter... read more