MINNESOTA, USA: Surviving Postpartum Depression

It wasn’t supposed to happen.  Not to me.  Yet, two agonizing days after the birth of my first child I knew that things weren’t right.  It had nothing to do with my brand new baby boy, Max.  He was perfect.

The beautiful, full-head of dark brown hair and angelic dark blue-eyed newborn was healthy.  No, he was everything I’d ever imagined him to be and more.  Instead, it was me.  There was something wrong.  Terribly wrong.

I brought my new son home less than two days after a long, exhausting induced labor and was scared beyond belief to leave the hospital.  I had never been around babies before.

I was almost thirty-three years old and had no idea how to even change a dirty diaper let alone breast-fed a baby.  I was afraid to hold him, panicked when I heard him cry and felt unbelievably exhausted, sore, anxious and scared. (more…)

Nicole Melancon (USA)

Third Eye Mom is a stay-at-home mom living in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her two children Max (6) and Sophia (4). Her children keep her continually busy and she is constantly amazed by the imagination, energy and joy of life that they possess! A world wanderer at heart, she has also been fortunate to have visited over 30 countries by either traveling, working, studying or volunteering and she continues to keep on the traveling path. A graduate of French and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin Madison, where she met her husband Paul, she has always been a Midwest gal living in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Chicago. This adventurous mom loves to be outside doing anything athletic (hiking, running, biking, skiing, snowshoeing or simply enjoying nature), to travel and volunteer abroad, to write, and to spend time with her beloved family and friends. Her latest venture involves her dream to raise enough money on her own to build and open a brand-new school in rural Nepal, and to teach her children to live compassionately, open-minded lives that understand different cultures and the importance of giving back to those in need. Third Eye Mom believes strongly in the value of making a difference in the world, no matter how small it may be. If there is a will, there is a way, and that anything is possible (as long as you set your heart and mind to it!). Visit her on her blog, Thirdeyemom, where she writes about her travels and experiences in other lands!

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ITALY: Interview with Mom in Rome

ITALY: Interview with Mom in Rome

When did you first become a mother?

I will become a mother at the end of June. At the moment, I am carrying a huge egg-shaped belly!

Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?

I live in Rome, Italy, and I was born here. I used to live in New York (two years) and Paris (two years), which makes me kind of a gipsy.

My family and life are now in Rome ,and it’s definitely a pleasant place to live in for both, children and adults.

What language(s) do you speak?

I speak Italian (of course), English, French and a little bit of Spanish.

I really like to learn languages and, for some reason, it comes really easy to me.

However, the writing part gets a little more difficult sometimes. (more…)

Jennifer Burden

Jennifer Burden is the Founder and CEO of World Moms Network, an award winning website on global motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. World Moms Network writes from over 30 countries, has over 70 contributors and was listed by Forbes as one of the “Best 100 Websites for Women”, named a “must read” by The New York Times, and was recommended by The Times of India. She was also invited to Uganda to view UNICEF’s family health programs with Shot@Life and was previously named a “Global Influencer Fellow” and “Social Media Fellow” by the UN Foundation. Jennifer was invited to the White House twice, including as a nominated "Changemaker" for the State of the World Women Summit. She also participated in the One Campaign’s first AYA Summit on the topic of women and girl empowerment and organized and spoke on an international panel at the World Bank in Washington, DC on the importance of a universal education for all girls. Her writing has been featured by Baby Center, Huffington Post, ONE.org, the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life, and The Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimists.” She is currently a candidate in Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in the Executive Masters of Public Affairs program, where she hopes to further her study of global policies affecting women and girls. Jennifer can be found on Twitter @JenniferBurden.

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A Norwegian Mother’s Frenzy

When the wee lad was born, we had read all about the baby’s development, up until that point. I mean, that I had read everything there was to read about the pregnancy, including what was happening to the baby and what was happening to me.  There was so much to focus on, and it didn’t actually cross my mind that I should read the next chapter, i.e. what happens when the baby is actually there.

To be honest, I had also skipped the chapter that was focusing on the birth, as I found it too scary!  I was just so caught up in the moment, and there was so much information to deal with that I didn’t have the capacity to read about the next steps. (more…)

Astrid Warren (Norway)

Astrid is a Norwegian thirty something, married, working mum to a wee lad who is almost three and a baby born in 2012! She grew up in Norway, but moved to London, England after she met her husband. After living there during her twenties, she has since returned to Norway and settled down in her nation's capital of Oslo to raise her family. She finds herself slowly turning into her own mother as her free time is spent reading, walking, knitting and meeting up with other mums for coffee. (Ok, she still secretly loves going to the pub, too!). However, there isn't much time for any of the above, as she now enjoys spending most of her time crawling around on the floor, while playing with her children! Check out her blog, Quintessentially Burrows. She's also on Twitter @MrsSWarren.

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