Words Have Many Meanings, Part 2

Adrienne Martini — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

A couple of days ago, I groused about the use of the word "mompreneurs." My issue with this smooshing together of two other perfectly good words is that it makes businesswomen who happen to be mothers sound like they are somehow different than entrepreneurs who are child-free and/or male. Fortunately, someone has explained how a mompreneur is different from anyone else who starts a business.

The difference is that mompreneurs work every minute of every day, squeezing their chosen vocation into the corners around soccer games, taxi duty and sleeping. It also means that you squeeze phone calls around videos and tv shows. Or, if you can't find a convenient time to talk to another person in real time, taking care of most of your business via electronic channels when everyone else in the house is asleep.

So the difference is that "entrepreneurs" don't have to juggle schedules, watch kids and obsess about face time with everyone while "mompreneurs" spend 24/7 wearing a different hat every second of every day? How is this different from what other working mothers face? Or am I missing something?

The Bottom Line of Childbirth

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:30:00 GMT

After the birth of my second baby, I honestly felt that I could conquer everything from brokering peace in the Mid-East to bending steel with my bare hands. Even after the endorphins and epidural wore off, I still felt like a powerful goddess. Not to get too airy-fairy about it -- but it was a life-changer of an experience and not just in the obvious physical ways. Beyond what it did to everything south of my belly button, it was emotionally empowering.

The birth of my first baby, however, was the exact opposite of that.

Just about every woman who has given birth has a similar story to tell, which is why Ricki Lake's newest project should be required viewing for anyone who has had a baby, will have a baby or will be in the room while someone else has a baby. The Business of Being Born, directed by Abby Epstein, chronicles the births of a couple of women and examines the machinery of modern medicine.

As the Huffington Post's Heather Cabot points out today, Lake and Epstein's film has the potential to open up discussions about the hows and whys of birth - even for those of us who didn't labor in a bathtub surrounded by incense and tinkly new age tunes.

While the project itself might be required viewing, Lake herself might have some 'splaining to do about exactly how far her assistant had to go to keep her job. Is the cleaning up of various bodily fluids addressed in the film? And, if so, does that figure into the cost of being born?

Strollerderby : Heather Cabot

Words Have Many Meanings, Part 2

The Bottom Line of Childbirth