After writing two articles for the OC Family newspaper section, I was contracted to be a monthly columnist for the magazine. My column on the 0-2 age range began in January 2014. The columns are similar to stories – in that I find and interview appropriate sources — and are a column in the sense that I develop the editorial content and schedule.

January issue: Keeping cherished memories (Modern ways of preserving memories of your child’s firsts)

February issue: Food for thought (What vitamins and minerals are most important for pregnant or breastfeeding moms)

March issue: Baby talk (The latest research and advice on nurturing your baby’s language development)

April issue: That baby looks great on you (The how’s and why’s of baby wearing)

Link: Labor of Love

I was chosen to write the January OC Family magazine cover story. My mission: to tell the birth stories of three Orange County women. One woman gave birth in a pool in a birthing center, another in a hospital using an epidural and another in a hospital attempting a natural labor that turned into a cesarian delivery.

I loved listening to the stories of these women. Giving birth is certainly not a new practice – but still, every single delivery is a miracle. Even for the same woman each labor is unique and beautiful on its own.

In this story, I set out to not compare and contrast each different labor. I instead worked to tell each woman’s story on its own. I then included statistics and history of different labor forms and developments.