I agree that women should not be judged for the choices they make about birth, but it is not true that birth at home for a healthy, full term pregnancy is any more dangerous than birth in a hospital, and a planned home birth may be safer in some cases.

Birth is birth home, hospital or elsewhere. There are risks inherent, just as there are risks you take every time you get into a car. It is very unfortunate that many women don’t have access to accurate information about the choices they can make regarding childbirth, and it is very sad that many women feel they have no choices at all.

Many thanks to Malora for sharing her perspective!

A mama after my own heart!

Great interview, I loved what she had to say and how she said it! Thanks for posting this!

thanks, juliana and carrie, for answering my questions about the family bed. i totally forgot about things like nap times. that makes sense. also, i didn’t realize that co-sleeping children were actually willing to sleep in their own rooms for an hour or two whenever the parents wanted alone time. i guess i just presumed (incorrectly) that the kids would always want to sleep with the parents and would put up a huge fuss if they were laid down to rest without them.

I’m so glad a celebrity is coming out and talking about these things. One thing to note, though, it’s not “extended” nursing, it’s FULL TERM nursing!! One year is NOT full term for human babies. But I do like her answer to “Are you going to do that until he’s 16?” Stupid people with stupid questions!

I think it’s really unfortunate that some ladies criticize c-sections (elective or not) and praise homebirths. Both are more risky than vaginal birth in a hospital. I think all ways are fine, however…as women we must all support each other. Always.

That being said, Melora sounds like a wonderful woman and the type of person I would want to be friends with in real life. So honest and happy.

What a breath of fresh air! Thank you for posting this!

She has a good point: do what is best for you. The only thing we need to remember. I cannot imagine asking someone how long they will breast feed! She handled those rude questions a LOT better than I would have.

Re: the family bed (Kristen.. you asked) well, we have one as well. We had a crib and as aware as I am on the dangers of co-sleeping (I read extensively on pros/cons when pregnant) I felt compelled to sleep next to my son. I also liked reading how in other cultures the mother is always next to her child, even sleeping- so this made me feel less apprehensive. It felt natural to me and my husband. It is something I feel needs to be ok with your partne, too, to avoid conflict. Too make time for intimacy, we do and have our son in his room in his crib. It’s that simple. It’s nice to see other parents (Melora and also commenters here) openly talk about this and other facets of AP. I know it seems to be making a comeback

Sometimes family bed can be a challenge, I will say that. And toddlers def. sleep any which way they want, which means a lot of feet kicking in your back. My husband and I sometimes move her into her own bed for a while, when we need some alone time, and when she wakes up at night she comes back in. Most of the time, we have our alone time, during nap times and on the couch after she’s already sleeping. But certainly the family bed allows you to feel intimate in a different way. It has worked for us, but it’s not a silly question, because I had the same kind of questions, also I’m not always ready for bed at 8 like my daughter and wondered how family bed would work if you wanted to stay up later, but we just figure out what works for us as we go along

this might sound like a weird question, but i honestly don’t know, and i don’t know anyone who practices the family bed. maybe one of you can enlighten me…

when do the parents who practice co-sleeping have the chance to be intimate with each other?