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Elizabeth Helen Spencer

Elizabeth Helen Spencer is a mom of two and a freelance writer from the Philly metro area. She loves to read on the porch and dreams of someday having a regular yoga practice again. To see more of her work on parenting, personal finance, and literature, visit her website or connect with her on Twitter.
If Your Lightning Crotch Makes You Think Labor's Coming, Here's What You Need To Know
When you’re pregnant, you can expect to experience a slew of new sensations — and most of them happen in your nether regions. Waking up every half hour to pee? Well, that's a great way to prep for the sleep deprivation you're going to experience in…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
How To Get Your 6-Month-Old To Sleep Through The Night
Some babies sleep like the little angel you pictured when you were pregnant. Others sleep like, well, babies, which is to say in fits and starts and not on the preferred schedule of their tired parents. There's an entire baby sleep industry of…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer and Anne Vorrasi
6 Easter Egg Hunt Ideas For Toddlers That Go Beyond Yelling, "Find Them!"
The simple days of drugstore candy-filled Easter egg hunts are now a thing of the past, thanks to Pinterest and social media. Now it’s like everyone needs new Easter egg hunt ideas for toddlers, lest their hunts appear lame in comparison. From…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer and Cat Bowen
12 Sentimental Father's Day Cards That Will Give Dad All The Feels
Father's Day falls a month after Mother's Day and it can often feel like a "second-class" holiday. There are fewer flowers and less advertising for jewelry and special brunches. You may hear ads for steaks or tool sets, but those are hardly…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
10 Memorial Day "Thank You" Quotes To Honor Those Who Made The Ultimate Sacrifice
Memorial Day is commonly associated with barbeques and the beginning of the summer season. But this 50-plus-year-old holiday is really about honoring Americans who died during active military service. So while you're out having fun on the first…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
These Royal Wedding Party Ideas Will Make Your Home Feel Like St. George's Chapel
While Princess Diana's fairytale wedding to Prince Charles was the iconic royal marriage for a previous generation, millennials swooned over Kate and William's vows in 2011. Now we get to have fun with all things royal again as the date of Prince…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
9 Mother's Day Poems That Celebrate The Complexity Of Motherhood
If the internet is to be believed, all a mom wants on Mother's Day is breakfast in bed and gifts that give her much-needed pampering. Maybe she wants to spend the day with her children and family, maybe she'd prefer to be holed up in a hotel room…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
15 Feminist Mother's Day Quotes To Celebrate Your Pioneer Of A Mom
On Sunday, May 13, America will celebrate its mothers, grandmothers, and other mom-like figures. If you're tired of the usual platitudes that idealize mothers without granting them room for complexity or nuance, check out a refreshing list of…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
The Most Pain-Free Schedule To Stop Breastfeeding, According To Experts
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received about breastfeeding is that it's a relationship. Mother and child both need to be happy with the continuation of their nursing partnership, which means the decision to wean, whatever your reasons,…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
Here's How Getting Pregnant Can Be Impacted By The Stress Of Trying To Conceive
If you're trying to conceive, you know it isn't as easy as your middle school sex ed class made it seem. Before you start, you have to pick out a prenatal vitamin and adjust your habits (quit smoking if you're a smoker, lower your caffeine intake,…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
If You're Hoping To Take Your Placenta Home After Birth, Here's What You Need To Know
If the uterus is the strongest human muscle, the placenta is the coolest human organ. It grows from scratch when you become pregnant and supports the fetus with oxygen, nutrients, and waste disposal. The placenta even has its own stage of labor —…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
If You Have Expired Breast Milk On Hand, Here's A Beneficial Way To Use It
No one says pumping your breast milk will be easy. So if you're a mom who pumps, you want your baby to drink every last drop of the "liquid gold" you worked so hard to provide. Unfortunately, life doesn't always work out that way. From milk that…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
15 Sentimental Mother's Day 2018 Cards For Moms Who Love To Feel All The Feels
Motherhood and sentimentality go together like peanut butter and jelly. No matter how cool your mom is, all a mother really wants to hear on her special holiday is that you love her, appreciate all she's done for you, and want to be just like her.…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
Here's Everything You Actually Need To Know About The Wonder Weeks
It's normal to feel constantly baffled in the weeks and months after you welcome a new baby. First there’s a learning curve to figure out your baby’s temperament and learn what different cries mean. Just as you think you’ve got it and established a…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
8 Mister Rogers' Clips On Being Scared To Help Your Kid Feel Brave & Understood
Helping a child process and overcome fears can be a difficult task for a parent. After all, kids have big emotions and are often scared of things that adults have long learned to shrug off, like flushing the toilet or sleeping with the lights off.…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
Here's How Your Brain Reacts To Weaning Your Baby From Breastfeeding
Plenty has been written about when and how to stop breastfeeding, but most of this advice focuses on the baby. Of course, weaning will affect your child and you'll need coping strategies to help them through it. But what about you? Weaning creates…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
Here's How Accurate The Wonder Weeks Actually Are, According To Experts
If only you could read your baby's mind to know once and for all what the problem is. In the Sandra Boynton book What's Wrong Little Pookie? a mother asks a series of serious and silly questions to find out what's upsetting her child, who finally…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
How To Properly Clean Your Baby's Belly Button
For 40 weeks or so of pregnancy, you planned and anticipated. Now the picture in your mind is a living and breathing newborn. After a short hospital stay that often feels too brief, you get to take baby home and care for them without the assistance…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
Toddler Nightmares Can Be Scary For Everyone — Here's How To Help Your Kid Cope
One universal truth about babies and young children is that they are in a constant state of change. And while this is great when it comes to first steps and other milestones, it's not so great when the quality of your child's sleep is what changes.…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer
Here's What You Need To Know About The Easter Sales Happening This Weekend
Whether you're looking for last-minute Easter gifts or decor, or want to stock up on summer clothing and gear, this weekend's Easter sales won't disappoint. Big retailers like Target, Macy's, and Kohl's are offering amazing prices on merchandise in…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer