I’m starting a new meme on my blog called Friday Favorites. Each Friday I’ll feature an article or articles from other bloggers that I’ve really enjoyed over the week. If any of you think you might like to participate from time to time, I’ll set up a Mr. Linky account. So, here are this week’s favorites, in no particular order:

Anne at Dou-La-La is a blogger I’ve gotten to know from Twitter. [That’s a great place to find fabulous blogs to read, by the way!] A month or two ago we got into a conversation about the use of doulas for planned c-section births. I wondered whether they would be useful, since it seems so much of their purpose is in supporting the mother during labor and helping prevent c-sections. Anne showed me how useful one would have been for Menininho’s delivery and promised to write a blog post about the use of doulas for c-sections. I thought it was great!

Enjoying the Small Things is another blog I came across via Twitter. In this post Kelley, the author, details the birth story of her daughter Nella Cordelia. It’s one of the most beautiful birth stories I’ve ever read. You might need some tissues but I think everyone should read this!

Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess wrote a great response to the Today Show’s segment on a woman having a c-section because her baby was estimated at 10 pounds. Without passing judgement on the mother, Amy succinctly summarizes one of the misconceptions about birth. It, and the follow-up post on her main blog, are good articles to read for any expecting mother.

I came across Marcus’ blog via Twitter too. He writes an article entitled Who’s Black and Who Isn’t? about what it means to be multi-racial in the UK. As a bi-racial person myself, this really resonated with me. My favorite quote is: “So when it come to ticking the box on a form, for mixed race people there will never be one answer as to how we define ourselves. It may differ from our own siblings, and may even change over time. They key thing is, it’s all about self-definition.”

Putting the Fun in DsyFUNctional is a blog I’ve come to read through Mama Kat’s weekly writing workshop. This week I learned she’s an ICU clerk, and she put together a great list of Dos and Don’ts for when you have a family member in the ICU. These are all great and I have to agree: DO bring treats for the nurses!

I hope you enjoy these articles and bloggers as much as I did!!!