Author Archives: Leila

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

The Hardest Part of Recovering from Postpartum Depression Was Learning to Speak Up for My Own Needs

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After being ravaged by postpartum depression for most of 2015, my 2016 goal was to retain sanity — by any means necessary. Things had fallen apart soon after I gave birth to my daughter, with the pressures of work and new motherhood driving me to depression and sleep deprivation. To overcome this I was willing…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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Why I Won’t Buy My Daughter a Baby Doll Unless She Asks

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I don’t have anything against dolls. I don’t think they make or break a girl’s sense of self. I don’t think they promote domesticity — and I don’t think being domestic is a bad thing! But I do feel that, in the world of children’s toys, their value is overrated. And for that reason I…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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We Shouldn’t Need to Point Fingers at Other Mothers to Validate Our Parenting Decisions

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I was recently reading a mother’s reflection about her choice to leave the workplace to focus on raising her children. Although I am a working mother I nodded along, resonating with her words. Juggling my work, marriage and children has pushed my boundaries. I have come to the conclusion that I cannot have any more…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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10 Foolproof Ways I Keep My Children’s Play Area Organized and Tidy

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When it comes to my kids’ play area, I try to keep it small, colorful and neat I am a huge fan of unstructured play for my kids. Play is how they learn about themselves and the world, and develop critical thinking skills and self-direction. I got my son started with independent play as early…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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Facing My Limitations: I Want More Children, But I Cannot Mentally or Emotionally Afford Them

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I have three siblings and growing up I always enjoyed being part of a large family. My siblings and I would play elaborate games together, forming teams and coming up with complicated rules. And yes, at one point my mom turned us into a family band. I always assumed that I would follow in my…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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No, I Don’t Spank or Yell at My Toddler. Yes, He is Very Well Behaved.

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Recently I was a member of a black moms Facebook group where the topic of discipline came up frequently. It’s one of those hardline subjects in black culture that folks debate heavily but rarely change their minds on. The main argument in defense of spanking seemed to be that children who are whooped grow up…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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Why Africans are the Originators of Attachment Parenting

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By Claire Niala for The Natural Child Project I was born and grew up in Kenya & Cote d’Ivoire. Then from the age of fifteen I lived in the UK. However, I always knew that I wanted to raise my children (whenever I had them) at home in Kenya. And yes, I assumed I was…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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Breastfeeding Shouldn’t Make You Crazy: How I Learned There Is More to New Motherhood Than Breastfeeding

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My daughter drinking it up… Recently two breastfeeding stories have gone viral online. A mother was nursing her 16 day old baby at a rec center, and asked by a staff member to leave. The confrontation was caught on camera, and the mom had to invoke her legal right to breastfeeding to get the staff…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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When Former Sexual Abuse Makes Breastfeeding Difficult: Actress Tisha Martin Campbell Opens Up

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The physicality of being a woman can be challenging — because our bodies are both sexual and functional, many of our body parts have dual purposes and we are often made to feel ashamed for that. The situation gets even more challenging when a woman is sexually abused, and becomes a mother later on. The…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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It’s Not a Cherry That Can Be Popped: 7 Misconceptions About Virginity and the Hymen

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I wish I could say that I was aware of all these misconceptions, but I would be fronting. This hilarious and super informative video from CollegeHumor.com breaks down the many, many misconceptions around the hymen and the physical concept of virginity. Learn these facts and teach them to your daughters and sons! 1. The hymen…

Leila

About Leila

Leila is the founding editor of Baby and Blog. She splits her time between editing hair and culture site, Black Girl with Long Hair, whipping up butters at BGLH Marketplace, and writing here. She adores her husband and two kids, her parents and her friends. But she hates Chicago weather although she is slowly coming to peace with it...

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