Romper

Jam Kotenko

Jam Kotenko is a freelance contributor for Romper who occasionally writes personal essays about her experiences relating to marriage, motherhood, and everything in between. Before becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom, she used to write about cool tech and social media, often tapped to test and review new mobile apps. She's also been interviewed and asked multiple times to write about her OKCupid success story and is considered an online dating guru by people in her circles. Her bylines have appeared in Digital Trends, The Daily Dot, and GottaBeMobile. She is a mom to a 3 year old named Jasper, an 8 month old named Jones, and Chance, a rambunctious Jack Russell Terrier-Chihuahua mix. When she's not keeping her babies entertained, she can be found binge-watching TV shows on Netflix or Hulu, listening to Drag Race-related podcasts, raiding the kitchen for snacks, or trying her damnedest to nap. She hasn't had a decent nap since getting pregnant in 2015.
A Love Letter To My Postpartum Body
Hey body: thank you. Thank you for carrying our newest buddy for 37 or so weeks within you, without complaint or disaster. Thank you for producing the perfect cocktail of hormones that didn’t result in a repeat performance of gestational diabetes.…
By Jam Kotenko
I Want My Kid To Experience The Wonder Of Santa, But I Don't Want To Lie To Him
Now that our son is 2, we've begun to discuss how to tell our child about Santa. The old man in red seeps into kids' consciousnesses somewhere after they start to recognize patterns — you don't need to introduce Santa to your kid; the mall has it…
By Jam Kotenko
A Mom At Our Baby-Mommy Class Turned Everyone Against Us
A vast majority of moms — if not every single one — ends up becoming their kid’s number one fan. You can’t help it. It’s human nature to love something you’ve made with every fiber of your being, no matter what. As a mom to an adorable…
By Jam Kotenko
The $10 Dress That Every New Mom Needs
Let’s be very, very honest about this — pregnancy and childbirth change your body. Regardless of what tabloid headlines about celebrities’ post-baby bodies and Instagram #fitspo posts might tell you, the reality is that your body’s going to look and…
By Jam Kotenko
I Want Another Baby, But It’s So Hard To Schedule Time To Make One
My husband and I have been successful so far in planning our shared life milestones (and making them happen) ever since we got together eight years ago. We online dated for three months before meeting in person, waited five months before moving in…
By Jam Kotenko
The Book That Got Me Through My Mom Funk
Reading a book 200 times is a surefire way to find out whether you love it or want to throw its rhyming llama couplets into the diaper pail. Children's books especially do a tricky dance for an audience of squinty-eyed parents and wide-eyed tots:…
By Jam Kotenko
Kids Need To Hear About Consent Way Younger Than We Think — I Learned That The Hard Way
"What shall we do about our Large Grown Sons?" the internet has wondered these past weeks. "Surely they aren't all bad." We have all been so busy deconstructing past sexual encounters that people have begun to worry that we are in a "sex panic." Let…
By Jam Kotenko
I Drank Dark Beer For A Week To Boost My Milk Supply, & Here's What Happened
My son is now almost 17 months old, and I'm still breastfeeding him. While I’ve successfully been his only source of liquid nourishment for the first six months of his life, my supply recently took a dip following a stressful family move, and I've…
By Jam Kotenko
Dear People Who Insist I Cut My Son’s Hair
Dear friends, family, and random strangers alike, The next time you see me and my handsome baby, whether it's in person while running errands at the grocery, or virtually on Facebook video chat or Instagram stories, please do me this one favor: stop…
By Jam Kotenko
I Sacrificed My Health To Keep Nursing
I usually love breastfeeding. I love how my 16-month-old son mewls and jumps into my lap when he wants to suckle and be comforted. When he breastfeeds, I feel important and needed and like I’m his favorite person in the world. Breastfeeding is…
By Jam Kotenko