Mothering
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Feb 17, 2014
Sometimes I want to cry and freeze time.
I exclaim, “Stop growing! Just for a little while! You’re so perfect just the way you are!” What I really want is not for Rita to remain a toddler forever, but rather I want to remember with every fiber of my being what these amazing years are like.
Mothering
Holding my Baby Through the Long Feverish Night
by Donna Bruschi on Feb 10, 2014
Perhaps the warm thaw of the last several days has you feeling like I do? I feel like there is an itch deep down that just needs to be scratched, the eternal itch for spring. The itch for new life, for many shades of green, the itch to spy a newly emerged crocus and to feel the caress of warm spring sunshine on your cheek!
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Feb 09, 2014
One day a hole opened up and through this hole fell Skywoman. As Skywoman fell, she left behind everyone and everything she had ever known. The only remnants of her whole world was a small bundle she clutched tightly to her chest as she fell, spiraling endlessly downward through darkness.
Mothering
OMG! Why is there High Fructose Corn Syrup in My Croutons?
by Donna Bruschi on Jan 28, 2014
We stand at a critical time in history;
Humans for the first time ever are both overweight and malnourished at the same time! I just finished reading a book by Michael Pollan, entitled In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. I thought, “I’m going to start reading another Pollan book and start incessantly dwelling on our family diet!” But, to my surprise, once I delved headfirst into the book, I realized what he was recommending was not drastic at all.
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Jan 20, 2014
My mom (who had three kids, and apparently amnesia) asked more than once how I could stand it when all three kids were all crying. I would said, "This is nothing. I don't think it's bad until I'm crying."
Mothering
Celebrating the Woman Within the Mother
by Donna Bruschi on Jan 05, 2014
Happy, Happy 2014!
As we take time to embrace a new year, it is important that we also take some time and embrace ourselves. That is, give yourself a little pat on the back! A pat on the back for all the hard work you put in and the love you pour out as a mother.
Take some time to enjoy some activities simply because they make you happy! You as a person, as an individual with needs, beyond the all encompassing realm of motherhood!
“I mourn the life I had before I was a mother,” a dear friend of mine and mother of two beautiful young children articulated in a recent phone conversation of ours. These may seem like the words of a new mom burdened with the many duties and responsibilities of motherhood or from a woman adjusting to the idea of herself as a mother figure, but no!
These words come from a strong, devoted woman who always saw herself as a mother within her lifetime. A mother who chooses to stay at home with her young children, to raise them, to exclusively breastfeed, to grow a garden to provide her family with optimal nourishment, ultimately a mother whose greatest priority is providing her children with the best start in life she can!
What is it that calls her to mourn the life she had prior to becoming a mom?
It is apparent she finds her role as a mother most fulfilling! However, it is not the mother within her who mourns, it is the woman! The woman who spent her maiden days wandering through the forest, creating art and poetry, going to rock and roll concerts, baking birthday cakes for friends, and simply reading books, this woman inside grieves!
As fellow mothers, comrades on this spiraling journey, we understand all too well how few and far between moments meant for idleness and indulging in one’s passions come along. Most of us find joy in the simple pleasure of brushing our hair and teeth before leaving the house! When we can barely find the time for oral hygiene, where do our needs as women fall?
All too often our needs as a woman, within the mother, fall by the wayside. This neglect for the woman within us leaves us feeling frazzled, totally drained and mundane. The frazzled mother grieves for the woman who once ruled her days, not because she wishes to go back to that time in her life, but rather because that woman is still inside her begging to be indulged!
That woman calls to her from within! But, surrounded by the seemingly never-ending tasks of motherhood, her cries remain unheard and unanswered. When these calls remain unanswered for too long the results can be destructive; sadness and depression, hopelessness, and devaluation of oneself for not finding happiness in motherhood. At the end of the day there exists a mother and a woman who is unhappy.
This is a call to action!
Take the time to nourish your inner sacred reservoir! This sacred reservoir is the place where the woman in you resides. When your reservoir is depleted just getting through life’s daily tasks can seem daunting.
Conversely, when your sacred reservoir is full you are able to flow through each day in sink with the universe broad stepping daily inconveniences without a negative thought! In this fulfilled and optimally nourished state of being you are able to be the sacred blessed mother you strive to be!
How do I nourish my inner sacred reservoir?
The answer to this question is different for each mother and can be formulated by listening to the woman within! Some woman may require more creative independent time than others, while an indulgent bath may do the trick for some, a solo walk in the woods or a visit with old friends may be necessary for others. Only you can stake out the path, the perfect mixture of “me time” which will sustain you as a mother and nourish the woman within!
Be an advocate; recognize this need in other moms!
As mothers we are often able to recognize the signs of burnout in a fellow mother. Be the first to tell a friend, “It sounds like you need a break”. I find it helps to emphasize the fact that taking time out for your self is not selfish, but rather it is compassionate, because understanding your needs as a woman will allow you to find the balance you need to be a joyful mother.
Perhaps you can help out a mother in need by offering to host a play date at your place allowing her some free time or try to entice her with an afternoon out on the town while dad stays at home with the little one. Of course, we can always help each other by providing a shoulder to lean on, someone who will listen without quickly countering with how difficult your day as a mother was, a caring friend!
Whether you’re an earth mama or a rainbow mother, two cups of coffee to start the day or a strictly herbal type of gal, you have needs! Always take some time to nourish your inner sacred reservoir and listen to the woman within, after all she is wise and lives at the core of your being.
The thought of mothers looking out for mothers and creating a space of compassion, makes my heart full! It is my hope that we never lose touch with our inner voice, the woman within who guided us on our path to motherhood. May she be ever nurtured!
Till Next Time, Be Well!
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Dec 15, 2013
As we all transitioned from sleepiness to wakefulness, we watched as caribou ran gracefully through their tundra home. Then the documentary took a turn and we were all watching a mighty wolf hungrily chow down on one of the caribou!
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Dec 01, 2013
“Do you remember being in my belly?” I asked little Rita Cassidy. She responded with a quick “Yes!” So I ventured further into the mysterious world of prenatal memories and asked “What were you doing while you were in there?” To this she replied “Rita was eating toast!”
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Nov 17, 2013
I never could have dreamed that the sound of a “Plop” and a “Tinkle, Tinkle” would be like music to my ears. These, of course, are the sounds that fill our home when my daughter goes in her potty pot.
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Nov 03, 2013
As we came to the middle of a bridge over a pond, we were surprised to see that on the other side of the pond were a mama black bear and her small cub. At first, she didn't notice us and went about her business of teaching her cub how to forage for food. Being a safe distance and separated by water, we were in a perfect position to observe this black bear family for a while.
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Oct 25, 2013
What are some better titles for what we do? I prefer "professional multi-tasker specializing in damage control" or "personal chef to a person with peculiar eating habits" even "24 hour fresh & local milk provider"
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Jan 05, 2013
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 Nov 20, 2012
I realized that Ember and I had just spent the whole day in the house, and as the night drew near, I felt a little lonely. I committed to leaving the house the next day, even if it was easier not to! The weather is getting frostier and the days darker but I don't need to let it keep me and my baby burrowed in the house.
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Sep 09, 2012
Sometimes I like to think about some of my favorite things about being a mom. We know it can be a hard job, and for me, it’s important to think sometimes about the positive parts. Here are a few of the things I’ve thought about lately:
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Jun 08, 2012
I saw a little sign that said, “It’s okay to want a break” or something along those lines. A little part of me inside breathed a sigh of relief. It was comforting to hear. After all the transitions that come with moving 2000 miles, my daughter clung to me ferociously, and I had lost the support system that I would turn to for a little break.
Mothering
Holistic Health Care For Babies
by Donna Bruschi on Dec 11, 2011
Holistic Health Care For Babies
New Paltz Oracle
December 11, 2011
By Maria Jayne
New and expecting mothers of New Paltz now have somewhere to turn to for their breastfeeding needs. Instead of traveling 30 minutes to Kingston or Poughkeepsie, they can visit New Baby New Paltz owner and lactation expert, Donna Bruschi.
Located at 15 Plattekill Ave., New Baby New Paltz offers a wide variety of classes about conception, pregnancy, birth, infancy, childhood, sleep and adult relationships. Bruschi also sells breast-feeding and baby accessories such as breast pumps, nursing tops and bras, organic skin care products and cloth diapers.
Bruschi said many doctors are ignorant when it comes to specialized information about breast-feeding. She is there to answer any questions a mother may have.
“People call me all the time with crazy things they’ve heard from friends or doctors,” Bruschi said. “I just try to set the record straight, based on the latest research and my knowledge.”
A single mother of three, Bruschi said she has been helping mothers for more than 14 years. She started New Baby New Paltz two years ago as a small group where new mothers could connect and have a place to go regularly because, according to Bruschi, new mothers can often feel isolated and may not have anywhere to turn.
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Mothering
One-stop resource for new parents now open at New Baby New Paltz
by Donna Bruschi on Nov 26, 2011
The more things change, the more things stay the same, it’s said. Breastfeeding babies has been around as long as there have been…well, babies to feed; and La Leche League has been around since the 1950s.
Mothering
by Donna Bruschi on Jul 26, 2011
Independence Day, 2011. Today is a bittersweet day that marks the end of an era. 17 years ago, I was a week overdue with my first baby. I was feeling heavy and nauseous, and not from too many hotdogs or Pina Coladas, either. I wasn't in labor, but I was sure wishing I was. It was a Monday--just like this year.
