Goodbye, Mothering

It's just a magazine, but it's also a little bit like an old friend.

I remember the day I first saw Mothering on the shelf at a bookstore. My first child was just a few months old, and I was still reveling in the miracle of his birth and taking in all that came along with being a new mother.

I remember reading an article by a father about his wife giving birth to their child at home, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Though my first son's birth was unmedicated, and not surgical, the hospital experience was far from the "natural" birth I wanted. But without anyone close to me who had given birth naturally, I lacked the support or information to make better choices at that time. I read that article and knew that was what I wanted for my future childrens' births, and immediately subscribed to the magazine. I set off to read every book about birth that I could, and 2 years later gave birth to my second son in our living room.

From when I first subscribed as a new mother in 2006, until now, I have looked forward to Mothering arriving in the mail every 60 days. I usually read it in bed, and always learn something new. Most importantly, I always feel connected to a greater community of mothers who are a lot like me, often making choices that mainstream society does not understand or agree with.

A couple of years ago, my husband submitted an essay he wrote that was published in the Nov/Dec 2009 Mothering. It was such an exciting day to see our names and our son's photos (that I had taken) right there in the pages of this magazine I loved so much.

So it is a sad day today, as I learned that Mothering will not be printing any more issues. I am thankful for the insight and guidance I came to expect in each issue, and the online community that I have been a part of for the past 4 years also. I hope that Mothering's online presence will still offer some of the same things to new parents, like what it offered me when I first picked it up 4 years ago.

Goodbye, Mothering. You will be missed.