Michele Zipp

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I'm a high heel wearing writer, magician, sleuth, and twin mama with tattoos. I take care of the kids by day and write and give Baby Prep classes by night. I get personal on Mommy With Tattoos and mouthy at Daily Momtra. I'm obsessed with taking naps, 70s vintage, chocolate chip cookies, reality TV, Mexican food, and my husband's meatballs (this is not a naughty reference).

Sipping on:

breastmilk

Michele's Latest Posts
Baby Rant

Banishing Gender Might Be Just What Our Kids Need for Equality

Posted by Michele Zipp
on May 25, 2012 at 10:00 AM

leklust catalogThe other day I was putting a barrette in my daughter's hair when my son -- her twin 2 1/2-year-old brother -- handed me the pink one and said, "For me." I put it in his hair and he wore it most of the day, never fussing with it like his sister does who usually keeps it in for five minutes before ripping it off. Of course this made me think of the whole J.Crew pink toenails boy-gate last year and the questionable outrage over it. But then I remembered that we do live in a country where people of the same sex are banned from getting married in some states.

Then I heard about Sweden who recently came up with a new gender neutral word. The pronouns "he" and "she" (in Swedish "han" and "hon") are now known as "hen." Toy company Leklust is on-board with their latest catalog, too. The Swedes are considered a leader in gay rights and same sex marriages have been legal in the whole country since 2009.

Good for the Swedes! Why are the rest of us so uptight?

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Baby Say What!?

Mom Who Left Twins in Car That Rolled Away Deserves More Understanding

Posted by Michele Zipp
on May 24, 2012 at 10:00 AM

rain puddleMotherhood is hard work. I don't care who you are -- parenthood (yep, looking at the dads, too) is tough stuff and we all make mistakes. Okay, so some of those mistakes are really, really bad ones and are more than just mistakes. I'm not going to point fingers, but you know what I'm talking about. But some mistakes are the result of a lack of sleep and a seemingly desperate situation. That's what I think happened with Natalie Akselrod, a mom of 6-month-old twins who was arrested after she left her sleeping babies in the minivan strapped in their car seats so she could run into the drugstore to drop off a prescription.

Her minivan, however, was left in neutral and when she went into the store, it rolled out of its spot and nearly crashed into another car.

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Pregnancy Mom Moment

Miracle Baby Has Surgery in Womb to Prevent Life-Threatening Condition

Posted by Michele Zipp
on May 23, 2012 at 1:26 PM

baby's footWhat we all worry about during pregnancy is that our baby is healthy and doing well in our womb. And if there is something wrong, you hope for a miracle. That's exactly what Marci Barney hoped for when she learned the baby in her belly had Spina Bifida.

Spina Bifida is when the fetus' spinal cord doesn't close all the way during development. It can cause paralysis and learning disabilities, and in severe cases lead to hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid on the brain, which can be fatal.

But there is a radical open-fetal surgery that can be performed while baby is still in the womb -- it used to be only done right after birth. Marcy and her husband Tracy decided on this procedure while the baby in her belly was 24 weeks gestation with hopes to repair the spine. Most pregnant women who undergo open-fetal surgery go into labor 10 weeks later, but Marci didn't make it that far.

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Love & Sex Love & Learn

3 Reasons Your Sex Life Is Better Than You Think It Is

Posted by Michele Zipp
on May 23, 2012 at 12:00 PM

empty bedAh sex. That thing we love to do but also love to complain about -- especially if you are married or in a relationship. What is it about commitment that makes the sex sometimes become a dreaded act? Or maybe you don't dread it but for some reason that little minx the sex fairy has become extinct in your house?

Well, I'm here to give you some good news that will hopefully come with some good lovin'. I bet your sex life is way better than you think it is. And I'm here to give you three reasons why.

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Baby Mom Moment

Having Child Care Doesn't Make You Less of a Mom

Posted by Michele Zipp
on May 22, 2012 at 2:22 PM

mom holding babyFirst you have the guilt about how you birthed your baby. Next up is whether or not you breastfeed. And then comes if you have to go back to work and leave your baby with some kind of child care provider. Depending on where you live, these people are called nannies, babysitters, day care workers, or if you are really lucky, Grandma. Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. It's inevitable for most of us. We all feel it but how we feel it, meaning how much and how much we let it really get to us, is key. Don't. Just don't let it get to you.

Easy to say, I know. I went back to work when my twins were 12 weeks old because for my family, staying home wasn't an option. We needed my health insurance and my income in addition to my husband's in order to keep our lives afloat. In NYC, many families opt for a nanny, who comes to your home and takes care of the little ones while you are working. Having a nanny was weird to me, at first.

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