"Lotus Birth" is a very pretty, innocent sounding name for this latest childbirth trend that has nothing to do with yoga, and even less to do with flowers. Its other name, however, sheds a little more light, and little more fear: "umbilical nonseverance", or carrying around your placenta in a bowl until the umbilical cord detaches from the baby naturally.

Carry what now?

If you think the sight of a woman nursing her child is obscene, then you are not supporting the act of breastfeeding. It's really that simple. This goes for when a mom is nursing in public or when posting a photo of her feeding her child on Facebook. And even though Facebook claims they respect a woman's right to post photos of a child breastfeeding, they once again went back on their word and not only deleted breastfeeding images from a page devoted to supporting breastfeeding mothers, but blocked the page's owner from accessing her page for 24 hours.

Kristy Kemp's Breastfeeding/Mama Talk is a community page that answers questions and gives support to breastfeeding moms. Members help other members with questions and concerns. It's exactly the kind of support that many mothers need. When Kemp posted a new photo of a mom breastfeeding (among the many, many others), that photo was removed and she was locked out of her page. But now Facebook is saying "sorry."

We know there are many benefits of co-sleeping. Happy babies, happy parents, happy planet! Co-sleeping can be a rewarding family practice, but you have to do it the right way. 

This? This is not how you co-sleep. And it's not how you sleep-train, either. I don't know what you would even call this. Some completely whacked-out, bananas kind of co-sleep-training only a dad would come up with? Parents. Do not do this.

Dr. Sears would say no. The American Academy of Pediatrics would say Shut It Down, Son. You would totally lose your parenting license. But if you absolutely insist on crib-sharing (There! That's what you call it), here are some important tips.

Breastfeeding. It’s a personal decision. It’s the way God made mothers; it’s best for baby; blah blah blah. Look, in a perfect world, breastfeeding would be a beautiful, wonderful bonding experience for every mama out there, and we would all do it for just the perfect amount of time before creating a national scandal by nursing your preschooler on the cover of a magazine.

But it’s not a perfect world, and that’s why God gave us scientists and nutritionists to make formula. Or something. But if any of you moms-to-be out there are still wavering on the whole issue, a new discovery might influence your decision: Breastfeeding exclusively for six months significantly reduces your chances of getting cancer later in life.

Before I was a mom, when I thought about co-sleeping I thought it sounded like the worst thing ever. When my twins were born I realized how amazing it was. Everyone in the family bed! It was cozy and sweet and we all slept better. My daughter is still co-sleeping after more than 3 years. I co-slept with my mother well into my pre-teen years (my father worked nights). I feel that the benefits far outweigh the issues of how acrobatic in nature some kids can be in their sleep. (A kick to the mouth at 3 a.m. isn't that bad.)

Just like anything else, there are safe ways to co-sleep and unsafe ways. And it sure isn't for everyone, but for those who are interested, here are 11 ways co-sleeping is beneficial.

Let's talk about weaning your baby. A lot of moms believe in "self-weaning." That's where you let your baby decide when she's finished breastfeeding. It's a beautiful, gentle process that honors your child's own timetable.

And then there's the rest of us.

I swear to God, if I hadn't weaned my son, he would have kept breastfeeding up to the first grade. Some babies (kids? whatever ...) need more of a nudge. So what, do you just cut your child off, cold turkey? Here's some weaning wisdom we collected from parenting experts around the web.

You want to save the planet, but you've got this baby who poops a lot. What's a mom to do? Try some eco-friendly diapers! There are loads of options out there now, ranging from cloth to totally disposable, and I've tried almost all of them. (Well, except for that no-diaper "elimination communication" option.) Here are seven earth-friendly diapers, with how much they cost, what makes them green, and how to tell if they're the right diapers for you.

As parents, we multitask just like everyone else except we have children often hanging on us while we do it. Literally. Enter the baby carrier, aka another set of arms to help you carry your kid. Now imagine if you are with your 4-month-old baby in the carrier and your 2-year-old doing some grocery shopping when you are suddenly approached by the manager who asks you to stop what you are doing or leave. I bet you can guess what this mother was doing. She was breastfeeding. Apparently the manager of the Schofield Barracks commissary in Hawaii respects the fact that Tamara Algots' husband is an information technology specialist with the 25th Infantry Division, but she cannot respect that a baby needs to eat. She perhaps felt pressure from a complaining costumer who couldn't handle knowing that a woman's breasts aren't sexual when it comes to breastfeeding.

This is why there are so many stories of moms asked to stop breastfeeding in public when it is within our rights to do so.