Breastfeeding mamas have made the big time! Actress Olivia Wilde allowed photographers to take photos of her breastfeeding son Otis, standing (OK, technically sitting) arm-in-arm with other moms who "dare" to breastfeed in public. Not seeing the big fuss? Glamour magazine put Wilde on the cover ... and the breastfeeding shot in its spread on their cover girl.

It's official. You can breastfeed and still be a vibrant, sexy, fashionable woman. Isn't that what we expect to find in your standard women's magazine, after all?

Check this baby (and mama) out:

Lovely. Isn't it?

So natural. So normal.

The spread is in Glamour's September issue, which will hit newstands August 12, but it showed up on the magazine's website just in time for World Breastfeeding Week and shatters outdated notions of breastfeeding moms as being part of some crunchy cult of women who eschew the trappings of modern femininity.

Breastfeeding moms -- they're just like us.

Because they ARE us.

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It's true that breastfeeding mothers have been in national magazines before. Who doesn't remember that disastrous TIME magazine article with its incendiary "are you mom enough" tagline.

But what Glamour -- and Wilde -- are doing with this photo isn't challenging moms, not even moms who choose to formula-feed. It's celebrating them. It's reminding women that we can be many things all at once -- moms, sexual beings, fashionistas, thinkers, doers ...

Said the actress to the magazine:

Being shot with Otis is so perfect because any portrait of me right now isn’t complete without my identity as a mother being a part of that. Breastfeeding is the most natural thing. I don’t know, now it feels like Otis should always be on my breast. It felt like we were capturing that multifaceted woman we’ve been discussing—that we know we can be. You can be someone who is at once maternal and professional and sexy and self-possessed. [But] I mean, I certainly don’t really look like that when I’m [typically] breastfeeding. And there’s usually a diaper involved.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

What do you think of this photo of mom and baby? Is this what you want to see more of in national magazines?

Images via Patrick Demarchelier/Glamour

Sometimes I have to just give props when props are due. Bow down. Give a mom her well-earned moment in the spotlight. Supermom Alyse Ogletreebroke the Guinness World Record by donating 414 gallons of breast milk to the Mother’s Milk Bank of North Texas. Nope, 414 gallons is not a typo. She pumped out enough breast milk to feed a small army of hungry babies. Give that woman a cape!

Alyse, I am not worthy. Honestly. I couldn’t manage to exclusively breastfeed my one baby. I screamed obscenities at the dreaded breast pump every single time I had to saddle up next to it at night. I always tap into my inner drama queen when I recall the hours I spent squirting and measuring and storing. It’s impossible for me to wrap my head around generating 414 gallons of breast milk.  

Alyse averaged about 130 ounces a day. I am in udder (sorry, couldn’t help it) disbelief that she produced that much ... and had the time to do it.

More From The Stir: Exclusively Pumping Breast Milk: 7 Tips to Guarantee Baby's Bottles Will Be Filled

While I celebrate Alyse’s accomplishment, it does make me feel just a tad inadequate. She breastfed ... and she helped babies in need. She shattered the previous world record of 16,000 ounces. Maybe I could have tried harder, bitched less. Gave my breasts a pep talk that they, too, could deliver. If I looked at the pump differently, just maybe ...

Nah. I really hated that thing. Loved breastfeeding my son, the bond it reinforced, but it was on my terms. So grateful there are women like Alyse to compensate for moms like me. And hey, maybe other moms will look at the pump differently now?

How did pumping go for you? Any good tips for other moms? 

Image via Bliss Baby Charity/Flickr

On June 10, Terri Lynn Wells, 30, and Anthony C. Schlieper, 24, woke up to find their 4-month-old baby Anterio K. Schlieper unresponsive. The Moline, Iowa, family were co-sleeping. It is alleged that the mother and father were "morbidly intoxicated" -- so said Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson who is investigating the case with police. This is a true tragedy, and my heart breaks for this family and for the little boy whose life was cut short.

I'm inclined to believe that the parents didn't intend to harm their child. They made one mistake -- mixing drinking with co-sleeping. Co-sleeping didn't kill this child. The reported detail that the parents were intoxicated is what led to the fatal mistake. We should not villainize co-sleepers. It's like blaming a car seat for not keeping your child safe when you didn't install or buckle the child in correctly.

These parents have been charge with a felony -- endangering the welfare of a child. The investigation has so far revealed that they believe one of the parents rolled onto the child while sleeping. They are facing up to five years in prison.

Their loss is immeasurable, as is the pain they must feel. As the coroner stated, this was a preventable death. Still, we are human. There are accidents. We make mistakes. The mistake here is that the parents were intoxicated, creating an unsafe environment for co-sleeping. There are rules to be followed when co-sleeping, and it's not for everyone. But the majority of the people who do co-sleep on a daily basis are not putting their kids at risk for death.

I co-slept with my babies. It helped me be in tune with them as they slept. When they were infants, I would wake up before they started to cry, when they just began to stir. I was able to soothe them, change them, breastfeed them -- whatever it was that they needed -- before their bodies worked up into a cry, which could sometimes make the soothing part more challenging. Since they were right there next to me, it made the waking in the nighttime feedings so much easier. No stumbling down stairs or into another room. Bed sharing also keeps you closer to baby, not just proximity, but in bond -- these are just some of the benefits of co-sleeping.

With everything, there is a right way to do things and a wrong way. The decision to co-sleep while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (including prescription) isn't a good one. The decision to co-sleep, the right way, is. Co-sleeping isn't deadly.

More From The Stir: 10 Things Never to Say to a Co-Sleeping Parent

Parents who co-sleep are doing so because it's best for their family, for their baby, for the well-being of their child. They do so out of love and care. Not out of negligence. This case is one instance -- a terribly sad and tragic instance -- of a way to co-sleep that isn't safe. We cannot say co-sleeping is bad or dangerous because of this case. We cannot believe or generalize that if you co-sleep, something bad will happen. Instead, we have to educate ourselves on safe co-sleeping practices. And not insult or vilify parents who do choose to co-sleep. Just like we cannot blame a car seat if your child was injured in an accident when the car seat wasn't being used properly. Just like we cannot blame a baby carrier for coming undone when it wasn't secured properly to begin with. Just like we cannot blame a pool if a child drowned.

My thoughts are with this family as they cope with this awful tragedy.

What are your thoughts regarding co-sleeping?

Image via © Radius Images/Corbis

It's one of the biggest mysteries of new motherhood: baby has been breastfeeding like a champ, then suddenly, out of the blue, decides to call it quits. These so-called nursing strikes may be baffling but are surprisingly common -- and while some moms might assume it's a sign their baby is ready to self-wean, lactation consultant Aliza Bancoff, founder of Main Line Doulas, says that's rarely the case.

"What differentiates a nursing strike from self-weaning is that self-weaning is usually a slow, gradual process, whereas a nursing strike is very abrupt," Bancoff explains. "Self-weaning usually would look like this: baby is nursing six times a day, then the next month just four times a day, and then the next week two times a day, until they drop the last feed. Self-weaning rarely happens before 9 and 12 months."

Nursing strikes, on the other hand, happen most often when babies are 4 to 8 months old.

"A nursing strike would look like this: baby is feeding fine, six times per day," Bancoff explains. "The very next day, baby is brought to the breast and refuses to latch on, and that refusal continues for a day, a few days, or more."

So, why does it happen? Nursing strikes can have any number of causes, but one common culprit is teething.

"Often when a baby is teething, the inflammation can cause discomfort in their gums and/or ears and make nursing unpleasant," explains lactation consultant Leigh Anne O'Connor.

Don't think teething is the culprit?

Your baby may have an ear infection, stuffy nose, sore throat, thrush, or a cut in the mouth that makes nursing uncomfortable. If you're supplementing the breast with bottle feedings, a fast-flowing bottle can make a baby accustomed to getting more milk with less work than nursing, which can lead to a strike.

More from The Stir: 8 Breastfeeding Positions to Make Nursing Easier on Mom

This doesn't have to mean the end of breastfeeding, however. If your baby goes on a nursing strike, pinpoint the problem with the help of your pediatrician or a lactation consultant if necessary, then try adjusting your breastfeeding routine to alleviate the issue.

Sometimes just changing your nursing position can make a difference. Upright positions, for instance, are good if baby is teething since this gives him more control over the amount of pressure he feels on his gums.

It can also help to just "minimize distraction and nurse in a dark, quiet place," says Bancoff. "Get lots of skin to skin contact, and nurse when baby is very sleepy. Or since movement can help, wear baby in a baby carrier or sit in a rocking chair."

If you're worried your baby isn't getting enough sustenance through the strike, check with your pediatrician. If they suggest you find an alternate feeding method, spoon-feeding baby pumped milk or using a supplemental feeding system or syringe are both viable options, says Bancoff.

Last but not least, be patient: You can't force a baby to breastfeed, and getting frustrated or upset could backfire. Try to relax and know that baby will breastfeed once he's ready.

Did your baby go on a nursing strike? How did you cope?

Image via Celeste Burke/Flickr; Credit: © iStock.com/erierika      

Remember back when Katherine Heigl was still on Grey's Anatomy, and she complained about it all the time? Well, maybe not all the time, but certainly enough so that we all noticed. Then she became a mom, and voila! It was the perfect excuse to quit the prime-time drama about angsty Seattle doctors in 2010.

It seems as though that's her story, and she's sticking to it. The 35-year-old actress recently graced the cover of Good Housekeeping for the September 2014 issue, and opened up about how resentful she became of being a working mom.

Growing weary of managing the work-life balance, Heigl confessed, "I would come home angry and frustrated that I'd missed everything with my kid that day." She and hubs Josh Kelley had just adopted daughter Naleigh, now 5. She continued, "I didn't get to wake her up from her nap, or do bath time or bedtime. I'd have to sneak into her room and kiss her when she was sleeping, hoping not to wake her up."

She said she knew something had to go. "I felt like my priorities were messed up ... I was putting so much time and energy into just my work, but I was raised [to believe] that family comes first."

So she said goodbye to Grey's, and it nothing to do with tensions on sets or contracts or the fact that drama seemed to surround her the whole time she was there, people. Mmmkay?

Anyway, three years later the fam added another baby girl to the brood, again via adoption, and Heigl admitted it was a much different experience the second time around. She said she was able to enjoy Adalaide in a relaxed way that she missed out on with Naleigh.

"Naleigh would go off to her ballet classes and other stuff, and I would sit with the baby at home," she shared. "I would read, and she would lie on my chest, and we'd lie on the couch with, like, four dogs, and watch Friday Night Lights. I found it so peaceful."

Yeah, I'm thinking that the anger and frustration she felt had less to do with her being a working mom, and more to do with going to a job that you can't stand every day. That's going to bleed over into anyone's personal life, whether they're a parent or not.

Regardless of why Heigl really quit Grey's and cut back on her rom-com gigs, it sounds like she made the best choice for her family. And if she needs to use the motherhood thing as a face-saver for the fact that she didn't seem to get along with people on set, more power to her.

Do you think a stressful work environment can affect your family life in a big way?

Image via Good Housekeeping

Canadian aviation rules that say moms can’t handle more than one child under the age of 2. Shocking, right? And that backward stance has left a mom stranded in Montreal with her kids, facing the impossible choice of leaving one behind.

Here’s the story: A pregnant woman from a remote part of Canada, Annie Kilabuk, decided to travel to Montreal with her toddler in tow to snag some baby bargains for her new arrival. Totally understandable. Unfortunately, she went into labor prematurely and had to deliver her baby. After she recovered from her scary ordeal, she wanted to fly home with her kids ... but she’s not allowed.

Canadian aviation regulations stipulate that no person can be responsible for more than one child under the age of 2 in case there's a need to evacuate. So Annie is going to have to choose between her baby, who has a heart murmur, and her toddler to travel home with and leave the other behind (until she can fly back for the child).

Seriously? I have no doubt that that woman can juggle her two kids, luggage, diaper bags, tickets ... even carry a baggie of Cheerios in her mouth and balance a teething toy on her nose. She’s a mom. We can see anything out of the corners of our eyes. We can detect trouble on sound level alone (quiet = something’s going down). We are magicians that can carry twice our body weight in kids’ stuff before your very eyes without breaking a sweat. Poof! We get it done.

More from The Stir: Airline Responds to Breastfeeding Mother Harassed On Plane In Best Way Possible

Newsflash, Canada: Moms give birth to twins, triplets, even sextuplets. Some moms have 19 Kids & Counting, popping out one a year or so. How can an airline possibly ask a mom to choose between children? How can it prevent a mom from flying her kids back home together where they belong? Is this outrageous or what?

How would you feel if you were told you aren’t allowed to be responsible for your two young kids on a flight?

Image via Rishi S/Flickr

By now everyone has seen this gorgeous, glam shot of Olivia Wilde breastfeeding her son Otis in Glamour magazine, right?

It's interesting. It's stunning. It's uber-modern yet timeless.

It's also not at all what it seems.

Look closely and you'll notice her cutie pie isn't wearing a diaper. Moms everywhere, Olivia included, know that can only mean one thing is bound to happen -- and did on this photo shoot. Yes, the beautiful Olivia, clad in designer clothing, was peed on by little Otis.

A few days after this photo was released, the always-funny Olivia cracked a joke about how she really doesn't look like a total goddess while nursing -- and that "there's usually a diaper involved."

Like so many of our babies who see being naked in our arms as an opportunity to go hog wild and do their business all over our laps, Otis realized Olivia's flawless Roberto Cavalli gown would be the perfect place in which to show the world exactly how much milk he's consuming.

Olivia posted the photo to her Twitter along with the hilarious message: "Otis ordered milkshakes. Luckily I had some on me. Then he peed on my dress. Good kid. #boobfood #whennaturecalls"

We're all for more mags showing beautiful photos of celebs and models nursing their babies because any publicity for breastfeeding is good publicity. But what is with their obsession with diaper-less tots? Sure, it looks sweet and emphasizes the idea that nursing is as natural as being naked, but if we're aiming for realism here, I am going to bet 99 percent of moms make darn sure there's a diaper barrier between them and baby while spending 10 minutes (or sometimes 45 in my case) feeding their child.

Then again, realism isn't really the goal, is it? When's the last time any of us ordered fries at the diner in a $5,000 dress, baby clinging to one breast?

Do you think photos of babies breastfeeding naked are silly or beautiful?

Image via Patrick Demarchelier

A young, innocent man was shot and killed by police for reportedly playing with a toy gun at Walmart, and yet Josh Duggar can take a family photo with his kids' hands on an assault weapon and we are supposed to think it's okay. Another Duggar -- Jessa -- recently encountered a bit of controversy when she posted a photo of herself holding a firearm. What is with all these gun photos?

This isn't exactly about gun laws here. It's about gun safety. The more there are photos of kids posing with guns, the more kids will think it's okay to handle guns ... on their own ... without adult supervision.

Honored to meet a soldier in the honor guard @ArmyFifeandDrum at @JBMHH the other night! #ar15#soldier#familypic.twitter.com/N7iIgSGN42

Guns aren't toys. We cannot risk sending a message to kids that they are. We cannot take smiling photos next to a weapon that is used in war to kill people, allowing our children to touch it, and then wonder why there is so much violence in our society. Maybe some will think I am going too far in saying this, but again, this isn't about open carry or gun laws, this is about kids and guns. Guns just shouldn't be props for a photo either. Parents get flak for posting pics of kids pretending to drink alcohol; it's kind of the same thing. It's not funny or cute. They are simply too young to handle a gun, so they shouldn't be posed or propped up in a photo with a gun.

More from The Stir: Michelle Duggar Gives Wise Marriage Advice We All Need to Hear

Guns are used to kill. Why would we think it's okay to pose our kids next to one? As parents, we need to be mindful of these things. We do need to teach our kids about guns -- that they are not something to play with, that they are dangerous, that guns can hurt them and kill them, and that if for some reason they are ever in a situation when their friend is playing with a gun, they must remove themselves from that situation and tell an adult. Photos like this send the message that instead they should take out their cameraphone and take a selfie. That could be the first fatal mistake.

What do you think of the photo?

Image via Josh Duggar/Twitter

One evening I spent three hours with a squirmy 2-year-old on a plane waiting to take off… only we didn't. The flight ended up cancelled, so I towed my daughter home, then spent three hours on hold before I managed to re-book my flight. The next day, I packed us all up once again and headed to the airport. Only as I checked in, the airline attendant droned, "Your flight's been cancelled. And there are no more flights to your destination today."

Had I been traveling alone, my only option at that point would have been to walk off in a huff. Only I wasn't alone. I had a 2-year-old, which is equivalent to carrying a nuclear warhead. So I stood my ground, plunked my daughter's diapered butt on the counter, and I played the baby card.

"But my BABY is flying to see her GRANDPARENTS!" I wailed, then started sobbing with gusto. Then, as if on cue, my daughter started crying too. Sure, there were some real tears of frustration in there, but mixed in that cocktail was a strong dose of Machiavellian maneuvering which gave me a hunch that a hysterical mother clutching a hysterical baby might cause this impassive airline attendant to crack.

I was right. Rattled, the airline attendant said, "Wait here," scurried off for 5 minutes, then reappeared. "It turns out we've found a seat for you on a flight leaving later today!" she chirped.

Battle won, my tears stopped immediately. I smiled. Thank you, airline attendant! And thank YOU, baby!

More from The Stir: Parents Deserve Special Treatment on Airlines (& Other Places, Too!)

You know how on sinking ships, captains always say, "Women and children first?" In addition to life rafts, babies are your ticket onto overbooked planes and far more, if this ace up your sleeve is played right. It got me priority boarding onto that plane, to start. People also give up their subway and bus seats for me and my child. And if there's a long line to use the bathroom, my dancing toddler is carte blanche to cut to the front.

I know this "entitled parent" attitude rubs people the wrong way, but I would actually say that I don't feel "entitled" to plane seats, bus seats, toilet seats, or any of the perks I've enjoyed with a kid. I agree, wholeheartedly, that the baby card hits below the belt. But I use it anyway.

If I have any defense, it's this: moms face so many disadvantages -- in terms of work, wages, even in our struggle to carve out time to take a spin class -- that I feel it's okay to sometimes fight dirty to make up the difference.

And besides, moms are supposed to look out for their kids, sometimes to a fault. So while I do make my kid wait her turn for the baby swings or a seat at Chuck E. Cheese, I might not be so "fair" with more pivotal opportunities. For instance, I've seen plenty of parents pull strings to get their kids into private school. Is that fair? Hardly, so let's just admit that pretty much everyone pulls strings when they can. It's a war zone out there, and babies are great ammo.

For the record, if I were on a sinking ship and there weren't enough life rafts, I'd be the first to bellow, "Women and children first!" and make sure my daughter made it out alive. If that's the baby card, then sign me up for a lifetime membership.

Where have you played the baby card? Would you do it again?

Image © Marc Romanelli/Blend Images/Corbis

JWoww -- aka Jenni Farley -- says she was sure she'd look like a "walrus" after she gave birth to her gorgeous baby girl, Meilani. But fast forward about three weeks, and the Jersey Shore star confesses she has already lost all of her baby weight -- and she has no idea where the heck it all went! Her quick transformation has even inspired her to help BFF Snooki lose her baby weight after she gives birth and prepares to walk down the aisle.

And, by the sound of it, JWoww's weight loss method -- which doesn't include extreme dieting or exercise -- is one every new mom can easily follow.

Jenni isn't sure how she lost so much weight because she was too busy cooing over and caring for Meilani to even notice her figure. Too simple to be true, maybe, but true!

The 28-year-old says she and fiance Roger Mathews are wild about their "pretty" daughter and even compete for who gets to change her dirty diapers. Can you imagine? Jenni is so blown away by Roger's eager attempts to do everything for his daughter that she says she actually has to tell him to give her a chance to hold Meilani. How cute is that?! And how many of you totally saw this coming? Love, love Roger!

Anyway, it sounds like the couple has a live wire on their hands because Meilani is already doing things like recognizing her parents' faces, grabbing their fingers, and staying awake for long periods of time. Jenni says her little girl is super alert and so "lively" that she giggles in her sleep.

I always wondered what it would be like to have a newborn who did normal newborn things, like SLEEP. But, like JWoww, my kids loved to be awake for hours at a time and it took a lot of energy out of me. Without trying, my baby weight kind of just came off quickly. This isn't to say exercise wasn't needed to tone everything up, but an active child can definitely kickstart the process.

Did simply being a busy mom help you lose baby weight?

Image via Eddie Mejia/Splash News

Surprise! Christina Ricci has given birth to a baby boy, sources have confirmed directly to Us Weekly. The actress kept her pregnancy a secret for months last spring, until she was spotted outside LAX with hubby James Heerdegen and a bump too big to blame on an indulgent lunch, but it seems as though an actual baby is too big of news to keep on the DL.

The first-time parents are over-the-moon excited to welcome their new little bundle, whose name is yet to be released. A friend dished, "They are thrilled and ready for a change of pace."

The 34-year-old former child actress met her hubs on the set of ABC's Pan Am in 2011, and tied the knot in October 2013. The bride wore a stunning wedding dress in an intimate ceremony attended by close friends and family only on New York City's Upper East Side.

It's not surprising this couple is welcoming a honeymoon baby -- Christina made no secret of the fact that she was eager for children with her true love.

Back in May 2013, she dished to Us about her soon-to-be-husband, "I love so many things about him ... he's my favorite person on Earth." She went on to say she "absolutely" wanted kids. "I can't wait to have our own little world replete with small beings!"

It looks like they're off to a good start! Congrats to the new family.

Can you believe Christina Ricci is a mom now?

Image via Richie Buxo/Splash News

You probably should refrain from reading this if you happen to be eating anything right now, because the image this story conjures up just might make you lose your lunch!

After realizing that the restaurant she was dining at with her kids did not have a changing table in the bathroom, a mom changed her baby's diaper at the table. That promptly got her kicked out of the joint as I'm sure you can imagine.

The incident took place at the Brothers Pizza Express in Spring, Texas. Miranda Sowers was there with her three kids, ages 8, 4, and 4 months. And when nature called for her baby and she was not able to change her in the restroom, she opted not to go back out to her minivan where she could've done a diaper swap without other diners nearby.

She decided heading to the car was way too inconvenient, so she put her changing pad on the chair at her table and did the deed.

Not surprisingly, other patrons complained upon seeing (and smelling) what was going down. That's when Miranda's food was brought to her in to-go containers and she was asked to leave the restaurant.

And now she's all bent out of shape and has filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

The restaurant employees are of course sticking by their decision to make Sowers leave, as they should. Um, can you even imagine how you would feel if you were sitting there enjoying your meal and looked over and saw and/or caught a whiff of the contents of a soiled diaper staring back at you?

The thought alone is enough to make me nauseated!

While I understand that this mother clearly had her hands full with three children, and it had to be a real buzz kill that there wasn't a changing table for her to use -- sometimes you have to take other people into consideration even if it winds up inconveniencing you. The people dining at that pizza place went there to eat, not witness a diaper change, so no one can fault them for being disgusted. 

And aside from the other diners, it seems kind of odd that Sowers wasn't the least bit worried about changing her baby at the same table where her other two children were about to eat! Isn't that kind of, well ... gross?

More from The Stir: Restaurant Bans Crying Babies, High Chairs & Strollers (Otherwise, Your Kid Is Totally Welcome!)

I'm sorry, but this woman needs to realize that if she ever runs into a similar situation again, she's just going to have to suck it up and take the baby out to the car to take care of business. Either that, or she should at least check with a manager to see if there is some other area away from the dining room where she can tend to her baby's needs without making other customers feel the urge to get up and run to the bathroom themselves.

Yes, life with a baby can be tough sometimes. But having an infant doesn't excuse you from a little thing called common courtesy.

Would you ever change your baby at the table?

Image via ©iStock.com/marcoroco

They say breast is best, so it's hard to imagine a hospital advising a mom who wants to breastfeed that she shouldn't even attempt to nurse. But that's exactly what happened to a new mom in Oregon this month. Crystal Cain was told she couldn't breastfeed her daughter in the hospital because she's used medical marijuana since pregnancy. 

Take note of the word "medical." Cain is not your garden variety pothead. She actually took the drug -- legally -- on the advice of her midwife as a means to control both anxiety and nausea during pregnancy.

Cain's daughter was born eight weeks premature and required a hospital stay before coming home. That's where the mom says she was told she couldn't nurse the child because of her marijuana use. She didn't want to stop the treatment because it was helping her, but she didn't want her child to miss out on the benefits of the breast either.

When Cain put up a fight, the hospital backed off, forcing her to sign a waiver that acknowledged the potential risks of simultaneous marijuana usage and breastfeeding.

It's about as happy a medium as you can expect, but the issue certainly opens up a debate for mothers across the country. Who gets to decide what moms are doing while breastfeeding, especially in respect to legal drugs such as marijuana? A mother? A doctor? Who?

Who decides what's worth the risk to baby and what isn't?

More From The Stir: Mom Explains Why Her 4-Year-Old Uses Medical Marijuana Every Day

As medical marijuana usage gains popularity -- and legality -- in various states, there are bound to be more and more moms who are nursing ... and inhaling.

While the American Academy of Pediatrics still advises breastfeeding moms to pass on the bong, the pharmaceutical means used to treat conditions such as anxiety also scare breastfeeding moms. The medical establishment seems to waffle on the safety of taking antidepressants while nursing so often that it's hardly surprising that a mom might choose a more natural option.

Some moms opt out of breastfeeding entirely, turning to formula, because they just don't feel the risk is worth it. But it's hard to say which is better for baby -- getting the benefits of nursing with the drawbacks of anxiety and depression treatment (of any form) or going on formula to avoid those risks but not getting the nursing benefits.

Unfortunately, there isn't much medical research on marijuana usage while breastfeeding. No wonder -- what mother wants to be the one who puts her baby at a potential risk for the sake of science? That puts hospitals in a sticky position. On the other hand, moms need to make the decisions best for them and for their babies, and we need to be trusted to make that decision.

Would you smoke pot and breastfeed at the same time? How about taking antidepressants?

Image via © iStock.com/hidesy

When it comes to deciding whether you should use cloth diapers or disposable, the former has a lot going for it. Cloth diapering is cost effective and good for the environment too. But if you're considering going with cloth, you might be worried about all that laundry.

It's true the disposable diapers are easier in this regard -- take it off baby and throw it in the trash. But washing your cloth diapers is not nearly as complicated -- or time consuming -- as it was in the olden days. Forget those visions of women slaving over vats of boiling water. Today's diapers are much simpler to launder. Here's how to wash your cloth diapers:

1. Pre-treat diapers as soon as possible. "Pre-treating is necessary mainly for removal of more deeply embedded stains," explains Roy Couvillion, a product designer for FuzziBunz cloth diaper company.

To pre-treat, knock any solids into your toilet (yes, you can use some toilet paper so you don't have to touch the poop!), then rinse the diaper well with water. If there are any diaper creams on the diaper or absorbent insert, Couvillion suggests using a grease-cutting pre-treatment.

"Oils or creams can linger on microfibers and degrade their functionality," he warns. "A good grease cutting pre-treater will loosen and remove that residue in the wash."

2. Choose detergents wisely. Just because a detergent says it's "non-toxic" doesn't mean it's safe for baby. When researchers at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) looked at more than 2,000 detergents and other cleaning products, they found more than half contained chemicals that can harm the lungs and a quarter contained ingredients known to cause asthma. Not something you want to use on baby's diapers. Fortunately the EWG has a handy laundry guide for parents.

If you have hard water, it can degrade the diaper, so Couvillion suggests adding a laundry water softener, phosphate or washing soda, or borax to soften the water.

3. Wash dirty diapers within 24 hours of soiling. It may sound like a lot of work, but remember, you invested in quality diapers. Don't let them be ruined because you don't have time for laundry. Not to mention, daily washings can help prevent diaper rash.

More From The Stir: Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers: The Pros & Cons of Each

"Nothing good comes from leaving dirty diapers in a warm moist environment for over a day," Couvillion warns. "It’s a perfect environment for bacteria to grow and for urea to convert to ammonia. Also, the longer you let strong odors sit on polyester, the harder it will be to remove them without a long detergent soak."

3. Let them dry completely. Because many cloth diapers with multi-layer inserts are made to be absorbent, they can appear dry on the outside, but be wet in the middle. To gauge if your diaper is really dry, place a piece of colored construction paper on a table, lay the all-in-one or insert over the construction paper, and press down hard with your knuckles. If wet spots appear on that paper, there's still water inside the pad. Drying in sunlight can help speed the process -- and make sure bacteria is truly dead.

4. Smell the diaper. Urea, ammonia, and active bacteria can all build up in cloth diapers, Couvillion says, and if it's there, you're going to smell it. If you smell it, it's not ready to go back on baby's bottom!

"An odor is a sign the diaper is not clean," he explains. "Masking the odor will not clean the diaper. If a diaper is washed in a perfume-free (and odor-blocker-free) detergent and it smells like urine after a vigorous wash, wash it again!"

You can use a clean rinsing laundry agent to do that second wash (Couivillion suggests doing it twice). Separate inserts can also be disinfected with a tablespoon of chlorine bleach or two tablespoons of concentrated oxygen bleach.

5. Check for degradation. High quality diapers can last up to 15 years, Couvillion says, but degraded elastic can cause leakage, so check to see that the elastic is still snug. When everything is dry, and it's time to re-stuff your diaper, remove your rings. Turns out stuffing pocket diapers while wearing a diamond ring is one of the biggest causes of diaper damage!

Are you using cloth diapers? What's your washing process like?

Images via © iStock.com/pekkak; iStock.com/nojman

It's official! Susan Sarandon is a grandma, err, Honey! Her daughter Eva Amurri Martino gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday, and the little little lady has quite a unique name. Mom Eva and dad Kyle Martino have chosen a classically boy name for their daughter ... Marlowe Mae.

Mom and dad are already overjoyed:

What a weekend! @kylemartino are thrilled to announce the arrival of our sweet baby girl! Mama and Daddy love you a zillion, Marlowe Mae �

Can't believe I'm a dad!!! @4EvaMartino and I are over the moon in love with our little girl Marlowe. #Love

Aww! With Martino as the last name, this little girl will be a triple threat!

Traditionally, Marlowe has been a boys' name. It's been spelled as Marlow or Marlo, and is traced back to Christopher Marlowe, a 16th century poet.

More from The Stir: Drew Barrymore's Baby Name Sounds Like a Nickname But It's Not

But a number of celebs have taken it on as a name for their little ladies. Jason Schwartzman and Sienna Miller both have daughters named Marlowe, and now Susan Sarandon's grandbaby joins the bona fide trend.

It's nice to see classically boyish names getting new life under gender neutral naming, and it's not a celebrity-only trend. There are plenty of options out there for regular moms and dads. 

Love the name Dylan but find out you're having a girl? Still works. Gender lines are gone, moms! Go wild with choosing the names. It'll definitely expand the search.

What do you think of the name Marlowe?

For more great gender neutral baby name ideas, visit BabyNameWizard.
 

Image via Michael Buckner/Getty Images

Leaving your baby alone with a babysitter is a big step for any new parent. But letting your 8-month-old stay overnight with your closest friends might help to ease some of the tension and stress. So that's what these new parents did. But when they left, the babysitters sent them hourly picture updates of the baby's activities, and you'll never believe the scary monsters that made an appearance (thanks to Photoshop).

There were dinosaurs, sharks, a cobra, UFOs, and even a bear. And baby seemed to be having an absolute ball during it all. Hannes Sigrist and his wife, Erica, produced these gems and the little tot went along for the ride. With their babysitting adventure going viral, The Stir tracked down Hannes, who hails from Switzerland, for the whole story behind these funny photos:

"We were babysitting him for the first time for a full day and night and were therefore quite nervous," Hannes says. "So after the parents, our closest friends, had left, we started imagining what's the worst thing that can go wrong and came up with these. It made us more relaxed (without being irresponsible) in the process and accounted for a really fun and great day with him."

And you can totally tell. The 8-month-old dude (his age was originally posted incorrectly on Reddit, where it said he was 6 months old) spent an entire day being "chased" by wild monsters and creatures. And while his stone-cold face (seriously, he could give KStew a run for her money) doesn't give anything away, he'll have the snapshots to remember all the fun.

"It'll all make for an amazing memory book for him that he'll get to enjoy one day," says Hannes.

As for mom and dad? They're totally cool with it all.

"They were happy to share them with the world and all was good," says Hannes. "They're just enjoying the viral wave and will most likely invite us to look after him again."

We're sure they will. Everything seems to always work out better, for the parents, the sitters, and the baby, if they can all have fun together. The baby was absolutely safe the entire time, but you also know that he was entertained and played with when mom and dad were absent. And the parents can breathe a great sigh of relief knowing that the baby is cared for and amused.

Take a look at the hilarious photos below.

What would you do if you got these from your babysitter?

Images via Hannes Sigrist 

Social media has elevated mommyhood to a whole new level of competition. Forget keeping up with the Joneses ... there’s now the desire to show them, their friends, and their friends’ friends what’s trending. An Ohio mom took her “like” obsession too far by allegedly posting a picture of her baby with her pacifier duct taped to her mouth on Facebook. #WTF?

The mom said it was supposed to be a gag ... not something that would hurt her 2-month-old. No child endangerment, she claims, just a joke taken out of context. (She was investigated; no criminal charges were filed, but the prosecutor may pursue a misdemeanor case.) 

Maybe the prospect of “likes” made her tipsy and impaired her judgment? Posting a super cute photo of your kid on social media can set your smartphone ablaze with praise. She’s so gorgeous! OMG ... he’s hilarious. Totally made my day! Who doesn’t need some positive reinforcement on any given Tuesday doing the hardest job in the world?

More From The Stir: TMI Alert: 7 Things About Your Kid We Don't Want to Hear

The pursuit to “one-up” other moms is nothing new. It’s sport for some, their chance to win gold. You know the ones: An impeccably dressed, toned size two who works out at 4 a.m. to start her day. She’s head of the PTA with a serious Martha Stewart streak, delivering baked goods that put yours to shame for every fundraiser. Her husband? Doting. Her kids? Well-behaved, straight-A students who are stars of every team, kings and queens of every club, and volunteer because they want to, not because they are forced. Moms like that may even have a successful, home-based business just to put you over the edge ... and she documents every second of her superstar life on social media (and may find a reason to tag you if she’s extra bitchy). That’s the difference.

It used to be that moms could artfully avoid moms who got under their skin ... but social media has changed everything. There is no escape. Even if you’re not friends with the ultra-annoying, Olympian wannabe mom on Facebook, chances are your friends are, and her perfect posts show up on your newsfeed anyway. Seeing them day after day can make moms a little insecure ... maybe even a little loopy. But does it now have the power to make an average mom think duct taping her innocent baby’s mouth is a good idea for “likes” and a laugh? (Peeling or ripping duct tape off sensitive baby skin must have really hurt!)

Have you ever regretted a post you shared on Facebook involving your kids?

Image via © Mother Image/Redshorts/Corbis

Moms may disagree about many things, but the one thing they're unanimous on is this: Babies smell ah-mazing! Every scent from the tippy top of their peach fuzz hair to their funky little feet just sock us in the gut. And recent research suggests there's a scientific reason babies smell so good: It triggers the "pleasure centers" in our brains, inspiring us to care for these helpless infants. Whatever the reason, all we can say is breathe deep and savor every scent, mamas, since these aromas won't be around forever. Take a whiff of any of these top 10 best baby smells below and you'll see what we mean.

More from The Stir: 5 Sweet Ways to Celebrate Your Baby's Milestones

What's the best smell of babyhood for you?

Image via © Ale Ventura/PhotoAlto/Corbis

Breaking news: Megan Fox poops. I may have just gotten some men a little annoyed. (My apologies.) Okay, poop comes out of her perfect little behind ... but, really, guys, that’s not what’s upsetting. When Megan disclosed on Chelsea Lately last night that she poops in front of her son Bodhi, some moms got upset.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actress made her dirty confession to host Chelsea Handler:

When you have babies you don’t really have a life. Every minute is dedicated to someone else. You don’t even get to poop alone. You have to take the baby with you.

So what are you thinking, moms?

TMI!

Gross. Babies are capable of sitting in their bouncy seat or pack and play for a few minutes.

How dare Megan poop in front of her son? He’s a boy!

More from The Stir:Megan Fox Talks Choosing Motherhood Over Hollywood

While no one needs the visual of her pooping with an audience, is it really a problem because she does it in front of her boys?

Megan has two boys under the age of 2. Her son, Bodhi, was born in February, and her older son, Noah, is 23 months. She undeniably suffers from exhaustion, so that could excuse her potty candor.

She gave these boys life. She has probably had every body explosion -- spit up, throw up, pee, poop -- splattered on her designer outfits as unwanted accessories. She deals with their butts on a daily basis, so why can’t they return the favor? 

I brought this up to some of my mom friends, and here’s the general consensus: Megan’s diarrhea of the mouth shed light on something most moms are forced to do at one time or another. Sure, they’re a little annoyed that Megan broke the mommy codeon the subject, but they acknowledged peeing in peace is an impossibility with kids ... and that both their boys and girls have seen them drop trou as needed. Some ensure pooping remains private, but most say it’s a part of life as a mom.

Demonstrating that Everyone Poops may help with potty training down the road. Get over it.

Do you go to the bathroom in front of your kids? Even if they're the opposite gender?

Image via © Armando Gallo/Corbis

So, according to a new study, pacifiers may ruin the emotional bond between babies and their caregivers. Is there no end to the psychobabble designed to give me mommy guilt? Pass me a bar of chocolate, please. Stat.

Here’s the gist: a team of psychologists recruited 29 women and monitored their facial reactions with electrodes as they viewed photographs of babies with pacifiers, with white squares covering their mouths, or with nothing on their faces. Babies displayed one of three emotions -- happiness, sadness, or anger -- or a neutral expression, and the women rated the intensity. 

The findings? It didn't make a difference how babies were covered; the women’s reciprocal facial expressions were muted when babies had a pacifier or white square over their mouths. According to the authors:

The relationship between facial activity and the corresponding experience of emotion is particularly important for pre-verbal infants, because they rely on facial expressions of caretakers for behavioral regulation and learning.

Oh boy.

More from The Stir: Weaning Kids Off Pacifiers: 7 Dos and Don'ts

Well, the damage is done. Now I have to wonder if I emotionally scarred my son by popping a paci in his mouth with wild abandon during the first couple years of his life. Add it to the never-ending list. I still honor the almighty binky for sparing me from many evil looks. It made me a more productive -- and zen -- mom. Sorry if I didn't show you how happy you made me when you had a pacifier in your mouth, sweet son of mine. I was definitely smiling on the inside.

Calling strange men “dada” at Target? (Oh, how I loved that phase.) Paci to the rescue. Putting germ-infested toys in his mouth at the library? Stop; binky time! Meltdown in the grocery store? I did the unthinkable by dipping his pacifier in juice before giving it to him. Now I am in trouble with the researchers and pediatric dentists. 

What do you think, moms? Are pacifiers worth the emotional risk? I have to say yes! Pacifiers were saviors for me at times. Bedtime would have been even harder without them. They managed to soothe my son anytime he was in distress ... even when I fell short. For me, the risk is worth the reward. (Just give me that huge piece of chocolate already.)

Do you think pacifiers impact the emotional bond babies have with their caretakers? Or are they little rubber lifesavers that should be used guilt-free?

Image via © Image Source/Corbis