Romper

De Elizabeth

De is a Boston-based writer and editor. She's passionate about coffee, perfect winged eyeliner, and pretending it's still 1995. In addition to writing features for Romper and Bustle, she also works as the Weekend Editor for Teen Vogue. Feel free to get in touch at http://de-lightful.com.
Moms Want *You* To Make The Decisions This Sunday: You Have Been Warned
“What do you want to do for Mother’s Day?” The question always comes with good intentions, asked by well-meaning people: my partner, relatives, or friends, all of whom are likely expressing the desire to make me happy. And despite the fact that I…
Set On Two Kids... Until They Had Their First
It wasn’t long after my daughter was born that well-meaning friends and family started asking the inevitable: " When are you having your second baby?" (To be honest, plenty of people even asked this question while I was still pregnant.) The truth…
I Used To Think The Mom On 'Boy Meets World' Was Invisible — But I Was Wrong
Growing up in the '90s, there were several staples in my life: a rainbow collection of scrunchies, a pantry stocked with Dunkaroos, and a daily dose of Boy Meets World on TV. Despite being such an avid fan of the show, there were two characters I…
Let's Not Make Shaming Moms Who Wear Makeup After Birth A Thing
It is one British icon pitted against another, as Keira Knightley critiques Kate Middleton’s three postpartum photo calls on the steps of the Lindo Wing — an appearance that Knightley describes as an attempt to hide the "reality" of motherhood in a…
How A Daycare Teacher, A Pediatrician, & A Mom of Four Avoid Getting Sick All The Time
There is nothing ruder than a cold on a 90-degree day. But for those of us in charge of multiple sets of sticky fingers, colds are just as likely to arrive in August as they are in the depths of January. And when it comes to common illnesses, it…
They Do Grow Up So Fast, & We Need To Stop Acting Like That's A Bad Thing
There are a handful of comments that I’m used to hearing about my baby on a regular basis (many of which are from complete strangers, much to my overwhelming exasperation). But one stands out to me, as though it’s on an endless loop, because I’ve…
The Intrusive Questions Don't Stop After You Give Birth
When I was pregnant, I felt like I couldn’t go anywhere without someone commenting on my belly, asking a personal question, or generally turning my body into a conversation piece. (I can recall one particularly frustrating encounter during my third…
I Thought I Was *So* Psyched to Wean, But It Turns Out I'm Not Ready
“I can’t wait to be done with breastfeeding.” A sentence I must have thought, or said aloud, at least a hundred times since my daughter was born last summer and I made the goal of breastfeeding her for at least one year before weaning. In the…
Why Moms Suddenly Have Super-Human Strength When They Need It
When you become a parent, the instinct to protect your child is almost a given. Pretty much every person in the world who has children would say that they’d do anything — yes literally anything — if it meant keeping their little one from danger.…
Why 'Tully's' Plot Twist Is So Difficult For Moms To Take
It only takes a few minutes watching Tully to realize this is not your typical Hollywood portrayal of motherhood. From the glimpse of mesh underwear at the hospital to the flickers of frustration and exhaustion that play across the face of Marlo…
Here's How Much Money I Had To Spend To *Finally* Get My 5-Month-Old To Sleep
When it comes to being a new parent, one of the most challenging, frustrating, and straight-up mysterious issues is definitely a baby’s sleep habits. Before I gave birth to my daughter, I had the naive misconception that she would simply sleep when…
You Might Think My Flu Prevention Strategy Is Extreme, But We Need To Do More
A few days ago, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to have a get-together with our babies at our local mall. “Maybe in a few weeks,” I told her. “Or, actually, maybe later this spring.” It’s not that I had other plans, or that my schedule was too…
Moms Should Get A Raincheck On Plans For An Entire Year, Don't @ Me
I gave birth to my first child in September 2017, and since then, I can count on one hand the amount of times I left the apartment without a diaper bag in tow. And, on all of those occasions, my “outing” was simply a solo trip to Target or a quick…
Why Are Women Checking Out Of The Maternity Ward Early?
Paula, a mother of two, gave birth to her second child at 5:30 in the evening. Five hours later, she was home with her family — and, looking back now, she knows it was the right choice. “It was so much nicer being home,” she tells Romper. “It was…
Dear Kylie and Khloe, Please Be Honest About Your Postpartum Bodies
The other other shoe dropped on Sunday as Kylie Jenner released a birth announcement video, confirming her pregnancy by presenting the story of its grand finale. Kylie's pregnancy was defined by a choice to shelter from the intrusive gaze of the…
The Life-Saving Piece of Advice Moms Quietly Give to Other Moms
There’s no shortage of advice that new moms receive — and a lot of it is often garbage. “Sleep when your baby sleeps” has never proven to be helpful to me, and “put your baby down to sleep ‘awake but drowsy’” has often resulted in more tears than…
These Moms Think You Should Be Talking Consent With Your Newborns
Julie often narrates her actions when touching her three-month-old son. “I’ll say to him, ‘I’m going to take off your diaper,’ or, ‘I’m going to undress you for the bath,’" she tells Romper. "He may not be able to respond yet, but I want him to…
Is Your Mom In The Birth Plan? These Women Had 4 Different Answers
A lot has changed about giving birth over the years, especially when it comes to who is in the delivery room along with the expecting mother. Prior to the 20th century, midwives were overwhelmingly present at birth, along with female relatives. It…
I Always Judged New Moms Who Gave Away Their Pets, & Now I Am One
I’ve been a cat person all my life. I remember crying tears of joy as a little kid when my mom surprised me with my first kitten; it was probably the first time I ever for-real cried out of happiness. As I got older, I wanted to save every cat I…
Experts Warn That The DockATot Is Dangerous, But It's Been Lowkey Miraculous For Me
Before my daughter was born this September, I did what all first-time parents probably do: research the most popular baby items on the internet. While googling for that elusive miracle baby sleep product, I kept coming across one device that was…