Mothering
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on Aug 01 2026
Originally Published August, 2014, By Jasmine Wood
August is Breastfeeding Awareness month and I’ve got boob on the brain!
My baby girl, Rita Cassidy was born 3 summers ago, in August of 2011. We are about to celebrate her 3rd birthday later this week! It is truly amazing how quickly little ones grow!
I cannot put very many accomplishments above watching my daughter’s growth in those first 8 months during which she was exclusively breastfed! I remember moments of pride that couldn’t be contained after well-visits with the pediatrician confirmed our belief that our daughter was thriving on her mama’s milk.
There are few relationships in life that are as basic, primal, and intrinsic as that of the newborn baby and mother: an exclusive, yet mutually beneficial symbiotic partnership!
I remember there were moments during pregnancy where I found it difficult to visualize what my days would be like with a new baby in our home: what would it be like to breastfeed? Would my breasts meet their required duties? Would they leak like a dripping faucet? All of these questions whirled through my mind as Rita’s expected arrival in the world drew nearer…
I told myself, time and again during pregnancy, when it came to breastfeeding, "Just take it day by day." I had faith in my body, but the breastfeeding class I had participated in left me with doubts! In my last trimester I came to the realization that I had done enough breastfeeding homework. I felt like the only way to learn breastfeeding, was to have my baby at my breast!
12 days after her expected due date, Rita arrived right on time! One hour after she was born, she successfully latched and nursed on both sides. My heart was full. There are no words to describe the emotions which new parents go through in the first few days after welcoming a new baby to the world. It is a feeling I will cherish forever. What I find so remarkable is that although my baby and I had never exchanged glances before, this was not the beginning of our journey.
The journey together for mother and baby begins with conception, peaks at birth and then is nurtured through breastfeeding! After coming home from the hospital with our daughter I was surprised how quickly we were able to find our own rhythms. At the heart of our daily rhythm was breastfeeding.
Finding our way to a happy nursing relationship facilitated my ability to create daily patterns that kept both me and Rita content! Our first waking moments together each morning were shared during breastfeeding. Nursing led to Rita’s naps and helped her transition back to wakefulness from rest. Finally, nursing was how would say good night to each other at the end of each day!
We weaned when she was 25 months. These days my breasts still hold a special place in Rita’s heart! Looking back it almost seems the weaning period was more difficult for me than her, emotionally speaking! Every once in a while she will catch an exposed breast and attempt a lightning fast latch on! But, to our surprise she has forgotten how to latch properly and we both start to giggle!
She recently told me “I want big boobs!” I laughed and asked her what she would do with them?” She responded “I would let Mama nurse on them!”
Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding empowered me as a woman! Through these experiences I became passionate about autonomy in birth, lactivism and family wellness! I want to dedicate some of my time to fostering a way of societal thinking that promotes holistic wellness from conception through breastfeeding and onward! I feel so blessed to be raising my daughter in a conscious community like New Paltz. Our community is a Mecca for holistic living particularly in the childbirth department!
Let us work together: Mothers, Fathers, Grandmothers, Lactivists, Midwives, Doulas and Childbirth Educators, all side by side, in an effort to create a space where children come into this world peacefully and parents feel empowered to make their own informed choices!
Power to the Peaceful Parent!
Till Next Time, Be Well!
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on Jan 05 2026
On a more mundane note, my thoughts have been scattered for, oh, about 17 months now . . .
I’m bringing this up because I just couldn’t figure out what to write for the newsletter and I realized it was because this is what was going on...
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on Jul 29 2025
No matter when your baby is due, you are probably thinking of all the things you need to have done for baby’s first weeks at home.
Whether you are actually doing it is another thing..."PROCRASTINATORS UNITE!"
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on Apr 27 2024
Join the Hudson Valley Due Date Club on Facebook
2025 Winter - January, February, March
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hudsonvalleyduewinter2025/
2024 Summer - July, August, September
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hudsonvalleyduesummer2024
2024 Spring - April, May June
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2024 Fall - October, November, December
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2021
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2898832337027283
2020
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2019
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HVDue2019
2018
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HVDue2018
2017 Winter
https://www.facebook.com/groups/264309607282673
2017 Summer
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1205497089542566
2017 Spring
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1134036109989818
2017 Fall
https://www.facebook.com/groups/718359808346029
2016 winter
https://www.facebook.com/groups/738002119650497
2016 Summer
https://www.facebook.com/groups/484718028382715
2016 Spring
https://www.facebook.com/groups/803841046415757
2016 Fall
https://www.facebook.com/groups/987936631246509
2015 Winter
https://www.facebook.com/groups/634571309960439
2015 Summer
https://www.facebook.com/groups/367220770125534
2015 Spring
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1533518816867273
2015 Fall
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2014 Winter
https://www.facebook.com/groups/200791346761635
2014 Summer
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2014 Spring
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2014 Fall
https://www.facebook.com/groups/569022456500927
Mothering
What Do I Register For on my Baby Registry?
by Donna Bruschi
on Apr 08 2024
Ask any parent and you will get a confusing list of "must haves" and "must avoids" This is because we all have personal preferences, and guess what? So does your baby! So how do you buy a gift for a baby you've never met? And equipment for a game you've never played? Here's a place to start:
Mothering
Ringing in the New Year- A Time for Reflection
by Donna Bruschi
on Jan 01 2024
As mothers we sit in a unique position! We have the ability to mold and shape mind sets for our whole family. Isn’t it almost always true that a happy mom is a happy family! Going beyond self improvement we can work with our family to create goals and mind sets we would all like to work on in the New Year, providing our children with a valuable framework for their future!
Mothering
The Healing Energies of Children
by Donna Bruschi
on Oct 06 2023
Children offer us heart-centered healing energy. Next time you find yourself feeling down, or caught up in past emotional trauma, take a walk with your child. Hold their tiny hand and allow yourself to be healed.
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on Aug 09 2023
The quote of a wise individual comes to mind “There is no hurry bone in a young child’s body, you cannot rush a toddler.” In fact, when you try to rush a toddler it always seems to backfire and you spend even more time and end up with a frustrated child more times than not!
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on Jun 11 2023
There is someone very special in my life who does not get enough credit in my weekly writings; he goes by the name of Papa Bear or Rita’s Daddy! This wonderful man is also my best companion and husband. Since we decided to have a child, our journey together has been full of pleasant surprises: how exciting and intoxicating it is to watch the man you love take on the role of father.
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on Apr 01 2023
"Little Peter Cottontail hoppin’ down the bunny trail… " I will never forget Rita’s first spring and her amazing ability to spot bunny rabbits on our walks from as early as 6 months old, my newborn nature observer! She was exactly what I needed, a constant companion for all my nature observations and wildlife viewing expeditions!
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on Mar 24 2023
Hello Mamas!
I just can’t wait for the turn of seasons, I long for the type of days where I can just send little Rita out the door barefoot in a sundress! As the snow continues to melt and songbirds welcome the return of spring with a song, I am reminded that good things truly do come to those who wait.
Signs of spring begin to surround us, buds breathe new life into the trees, Mother Maple begins her first flows of sugary goodness, all the while the Earth slowly moves those of us in the northern hemisphere closer to the sun. As northerners we are rewarded for our patience with spring, glorious spring!
But, alas it is still a long way to barefoot days, as spring rains make rain boots an absolute necessity for little explorers! The transition of late winter into spring is a time of hope. We have passed through the long cold winter and we are comforted by the knowledge that warmer more simple days are soon on their way. Days where runny noses and colds are few, while outside play dates and barbeques are plenty!
Tiny fingers and toes touch new spring grass for the first time! I will always carry with me happy memories of my daughter’s first spring, how exciting it was for this touch oriented little being to experience the wonders of nature first hand.
Imagine the transition from a winter world filled with carpets, cabinets and electric heating followed by spring filled with fresh grass, cold stones, wet mud and emerging crocus flowers! There must be a burst of neurological activity as babies are able to explore the outside world for the first time.
Spring is the mother of the seasons; she gives birth to summer which nourishes life through fall and winter! I find that the energies of spring strongly align themselves with the energies of mothering.
So many of our mammalian relatives give birth in the spring, while simultaneously our plant allies blossom and fruit throughout the season, it is no wonder that my mothering instincts so too seem to flourish and blossom.
Spring serves as a reminder to rejoice in the magnificence life has to offer. When I witness the explosion of life that spring embodies I am reminded how sacred the beginnings of life truly are. It is no wonder that most ancient fertility festivals take place in spring!
As I look at my daughter, I am humbled. The miracle of life resides in her and it is through her that I have been reborn! Through the journey of motherhood I have become a first hand participant in the miracle of life, the never ending spiral. As woman, as mother, I am sister to the spring, bearer of life, ever connected to all things.
As I feel spring move through me I am reassured that I am one with the world, standing just where I am supposed to be. With two feet on the ground I embrace the path that motherhood has taken me on; spring reminds me to let loose, be free and enjoy the ride!
Till Next Time, Sing a Song of Spring!
Be Well,
Jasmine
Mothering
How Long You Gonna Breastfeed that Baby?
by Donna Bruschi
on Mar 06 2023
Ending breastfeeding is full of emotions for you and your baby. It can be hard to be OK with all of your own feelings around weaning, let alone articulate and share them with random strangers and rude relatives.
Mothering
How come you're nursing? You're not a tiny baby!
by Donna Bruschi
on Feb 23 2023
Recently, my 2 ½ year old daughter and I were at the library socializing with other children her age. A nursing toddler, a little girl, Rita’s size, caught her eye. She hurried over and asked “Are you nursing?” The mother replied “Yes.” politely, while the nursing toddler continued breastfeeding.
Mothering
An Infinite World of Possibility!
by Donna Bruschi
on Jan 21 2023
“Someday when I’m a kitty I will do that too!”
Little Rita Cassidy profoundly exclaimed this to me after I explained to her how our cat cleans himself by licking. This line of thinking was very amusing to me. In her world there exists a someday in which she will be a cat!
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on Dec 22 2022
The commotion was suddenly halted by a sharp cry coming from our bedroom. At this point Rita, a very able-bodied walker, whom I had watched just moments ago wander through the doorway into our room, now stumbled back out, crying and holding her hand to her eye.
Mothering
The Shop Local and Small Manifesto
by Donna Bruschi
on Nov 25 2022
Opt-Out Black Friday-Small Business Saturday-Cyber Monday.
Starts 12:00 am on Friday 11/25/22.
Ends 11:59 pm on Monday 11/28/22.
We at New Baby New Paltz live in a place of stunning natural beauty. We spend a lot of time in nature.
The pandemic changed the landscape of shopping in-person.
Many small businesses (like New Baby New Paltz) now have ecommerce catalogs and ship anywhere in the USA.
On this Opt-Out Black Friday-Small Business Saturday-Cyber Monday Sale weekend...
1. Opt Outside with your kids for fresh air, dirt, plants, trees, water, rocks and vistas during daylight hours.
2. Shop from home when it's dark, (which is most of the day.)
3. Shop small businesses as much as possible.
4. Choose businesses in your community, so the benefits echo out into your schools, churches, sports and scouts. Local small business supports programs that benefit you and the babies and children you love.
5. Choose sustainable products made of paper, rubber, cotton, bamboo, wool and wood, over plastics and polyesters. Plastics are forever and are now present everywhere, even in unborn babies. Let's work on stabilizing and cleaning this plastic mess, so our children have a healthier world.
Shop one of our local manufacturers: baby deedee, 20% OFF cozy and well thought out sleepwear. No coupon code needed.
bumGenius Elemental Joy $5 each no coupon needed
GroVia: 20% off - Coupon Code: GROVIABF20
All Nursing Bras and Tanks: Buy 2 get 1 FREE - Coupon Code: BLACKFRIDAYBLACKBRA
Mothering
Becoming a Mother Means Stepping into the Uncharted Territories of Your Heart.
by Donna Bruschi
on Jun 09 2022
You are leaving childish ways behind and integrating them into daily life at the same time. You will give up all you hold dear. You will have more fun and laugh harder at silly things. You will feel your heart expand with love and then break a million times over again.
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi
on May 12 2022
1
What do you do when you are at the end of your rope?
You know, the point where you can't take it any more and lash out at your baby or child. And then, feel terrible because, your child is only a child, doing childish things, and doesn't deserve to be the object of your anger.
Mothering
Maternal Archetypes- Earth Mothers & Creative Mamas
by Donna Bruschi
on May 06 2022
Over the last two years of raising Rita, my personal struggle has been to find the right balance between my nurturing and creative sides. Perhaps it is when we nurture our rainbow mother, that our inner earth mother is able to shine.
Mothering
Threading and Wearing Your Ring Sling
by Donna Bruschi
on Apr 24 2022
Don't panic if your Sakura Bloom, Moby, Studio Tekhni or Lillebaby ring sling comes undone. Here is a step-by-step tutorial. You can also use this to make it easier to adjust your sling for babywearing from birth to preschool.
