My husband, Matthew, and I chose the surrogacy path to fatherhood. When we started our journey in November 2014, my employer provided six weeks of paternity leave to primary caregivers; Matthew’s only provided one day for the birth of a child. Fast forward to January 2017. My employer, American Express, extended parental and paternity leave to 20 weeks to all care givers! In addition, it was paid paternity leave -- at 100% pay -- and your job remains protected for the duration -- well beyond the protected, unpaid 12 weeks of leave made available to parents through the federal Family and … [Read more...]
Babies / pregnancy
These articles are all about babies, pregnancy and baby/pregnancy related issues.
Early Days with Baby for Memory Making, Not Perfect Parenting
Your daughter is precious and beautiful, little brother, and, I’m sure, the apple of your eye even after only a few hours of existence. I’m so happy for you and your lovely wife. And, without sounding like our dad, I’m damn proud of you, too. While I look at your beaming smiles and the picture of her in that tiny Chicago Bears jersey, I can’t help but think about the first days of each of my kids’ lives. The truth is, though, there isn’t much to reflect upon. You see, I just can’t seem to remember much of anything about any one of my five kids’ early days. My memories of each, regrettably, … [Read more...]
Neonatal Unit Success Stories Teach Parents Valuable Lessons
Editor's Note: September is Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Awareness Month, designed to honor families who have used these medical facilities (one in 10 babies spend some time in a NICU) and the health professionals who care for the them. Several contributors to the website Fathers of Multiples, where this article first appeared, recently wrote about their NICU experiences. Most defining, stressing time of our lives No words or experience can prepare you for the roller coaster of emotions of being a NICU parent. Our children are both NICU graduates. Born at 33 weeks gestation, they … [Read more...]
NICU Struggles Recalled on Son’s First Day of Preschool
Editor's Note: September is Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Awareness Month, designed to honor families who have used these medical facilities and the health professionals who care for the them. My son starts preschool today. It doesn’t seem like that long ago when I was sitting in the NICU snuggling his entire tiny body on my chest. My son was a preemie, born at 34 weeks. Those were some really long and tough days for us. My wife felt guilty but it certainly wasn’t her fault. She had a normal, healthy pregnancy. We don’t know why he came early and we’ll probably never know. … [Read more...]
LGBTQ Parenting: How Different is It from Just ‘Parenting’
As an openly LGBTQ parent of twins, I'm often asked, “How different is it raising your children?” Our household must be a complete contrast from our heterosexual counterparts, right? Well, I’ve put together our household routine – let’s count the differences together, shall we? Wake up and sing Every morning when the kids wake up, we sing, “Good Morning, Sun.” I take off their sleep sacks, we stretch our arms and give great morning smiles. Sometimes they go on their tummies to stretch after a long sleep in the same position. Diaper change The kids really love their diaper changes. (And … [Read more...]
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