WHAT WE ARE READING, AUGUST 2022
Mom Congress
This month’s What We Are Reading articles highlight that mothers aren’t crazy –it’s not us but U.S. policies (or lack thereof) that continue to fail in providing infrastructure that so many other critical societal roles have (police, airline workers, teachers, and more).
But don’t let these articles throw you into a slump. Instead, it’s time to get fired up and help to build the Mom Congress movement so our voice is strong enough to be heard and tended to in 2023. After reading these articles, invite a couple of friends to read them, and direct them to the membership page –it’s time we grow, and grow loudly.
Women Were Already Tired. Then 2022 Happened.
These women told CNN they have more to worry about than ever.
Thoughts, wants and worries ping around a woman’s mind each day. And this year has added even more challenges to the mix.
CNN asked women how they are handling the curveballs of 2022. Hundreds responded telling us they have more to worry about than ever — and more than 3,500 reacted after Roe v. Wade was overturned. School shootings, inflation, work-life imbalance and the ongoing baby formula shortage are just a few of the themes they focused on.
Here are some of their stories, as told in their own words.
Inflation and COVID, a Baby Formula Shortage and Food Insecurity: Why Aren’t More Eligible Americans Using WIC?
Amid today's economic uncertainty, food insecurity and inflation at a near 40-year peak as the nation struggles to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, experts want to see more people turn to WIC.
Millions of eligible people do not participate in the program, which is largely inflation-proof: Most food allowances, for example, are determined by the size of the item as opposed to price. Many say outdated technology, stigma and parents' difficulty in getting to required health care checks remain barriers.
States With the Toughest Abortion Laws Have the Weakest Maternal Supports, Data Shows
States with abortion bans tend to have…higher rates of uninsurance for women ages 19-64.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Burnt Out Parents Worry About Their Kid’s Mental Health
According to a recent report from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a majority of working parents and caregivers said their work is affected by their children’s mental health and behavior.
People Are Sharing What Parental Leave Looks Like Around the World, and I, as an American Woman, Feel Completely Stunned
"I'm originally from the US but now I live in Germany. I honestly can't fathom having a baby in my home country."
Maternal Instinct Is a Myth That Men Created
Ms. Conaboy is a journalist specializing in health and the author of the forthcoming book “Mother Brain: How Neuroscience Is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood,” from which this essay has been adapted.
Postpartum Depression Risk Higher With Family Psych History
Mothers who have a family history of any psychiatric disorder have almost two times the risk of postpartum depression as do mothers without such history, according to a new study.
Mette-Marie Zacher Kjeldsen, MSc, with the National Centre for Register-based Research at Aarhus (Denmark) University, led the study, a meta-analysis that included 26 studies with information on 100,877 women.
Moms Favor Telehealth: Here's Why
Telemedicine took the sentiment of "from the comfort of your own home" to a new level for parents.
Criminalization of Pregnancy Has Already Been Happening to the Poor and Women of Color
The criminalization of pregnancy is already here.
The patients were deemed suspicious, or they had not received good prenatal care, some had unexplained preterm labor, others a history of alcohol or drug abuse.
These were the pregnant women that the Medical University of South Carolina, in cooperation with police and the local prosecutor, drug tested without their knowledge in 1989.
There's a Reason We Can't Have Nice Things
Paid leave, child care systems and child allowances are so common as to be banal in much of the rest of the developed world. But the United States has none of these things.
Woman Fired While on Maternity Leave From RI Town Receives $800,000 Judgment 8 Years Later
One of Rhode Island’s most financially beleaguered towns has been hit with an $800,000 judgment for firing an employee who was on maternity leave.
Active Treatment for Extremely Preterm Babies on the Rise
— Yet researchers find racial and ethnic disparities in treatment initiation.
The Financial Stress of Motherhood Led Her to Postpartum Depression.
When Ament found out had her son back in 2016, she and her husband were overjoyed. But, because she had to return to work just three months after giving birth, life soon began to take its toll.
While juggling work and taking care of a baby, Ament became depressed, which led to her becoming suicidal.