Amy Wright Glenn
Amy Wright Glenn earned her MA in Religion and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She taught for 11 years in the Religion and Philosophy Department at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey earning the Dunbar Abston Jr. Chair for Teaching Excellence. She is a Kripalu Yoga teacher, Birthing Mama® Prenatal Yoga and Wellness Teacher Trainer, (CD)DONA birth doula, hospital chaplain, and founder of the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death. Amy is a regular contributor to PhillyVoice and author of Birth, Breath, and Death: Meditations on Motherhood, Chaplaincy, and Life as a Doula and Holding Space -- On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go.
To learn more, visit: www.birthbreathanddeath.com
June 15, 2015
Parenting
Breast Memories: Remembering the breast-feeding years
Certainly, implicit, or non-conscious, memories drawn from our earliest experiences profoundly shape us. A great deal of research connects breast-feeding, maternal responsiveness and skin-to-skin contact with the development of secure attachment bonds in infancy and beyond.June 8, 2015
Opinion
One boy slumbers while another suffers: A mother reflects on Hironimus vs. Nebus
Tonight, I wonder why my son is safe and close to my arms when another little boy — longing for his own mother — is hurting so.June 3, 2015
Parenting
Daddy Jekyll, Daddy Hyde: Transforming patterns of verbal abuse for the sake of our children
Underneath anger is always the wound of grief. Sadness is the undercurrent characterizing the life of the verbally abusive. Underneath the ugly words is a great deal of heartache. For men, in particular, it is much easier to stay with the surface emotion of anger -- to humiliate, point fingers, yell, curse and claim that another is the source of one’s righteous rage.May 23, 2015
Parenting
Failure is impossible: The significance of the Hironimus vs. Nebus circumcision case for America
I am an intactivist.I firmly support the right to genital integrity for all children. I uphold the rights of individuals, upon reaching the age of consent, to choose whether or not they want to permanently alter the most private parts of their bodies -- be it for religious, cultural or personal reasons.May 20, 2015
Parenting
Update: Federal circumcision lawsuit dropped by jailed mother
On Thursday evening, May 14, Heather Hironimus was arrested by Broward County, Florida, deputies and jailed. Her crime? Refusing to sign court-ordered consent forms authorizing the genital cutting of her healthy 4 ½- year-old son.May 13, 2015
Lifestyle
Secondhand media smoke: When children are exposed to violent inflight content
I don’t know how many murders or acts of violence my son will have witnessed by the time he is 18. It probably will be in the thousands. Will he sit down one day consuming popcorn while watching heads, arms, torsos, and legs torn apart in the latest action flick? Will he look up one day from an airline seat to find his conscience undisturbed by acts of domestic violence? I don’t know. What I do know, without a doubt, is that today’s poorly chosen inflight entertainment would strip away a precious innocence in my 3-year-old sonMay 7, 2015
Lifestyle
Giving birth to life and death
Having worked as a hospital chaplain, I’ve witnessed very painful episodes in life. From holding the shaking body of a mother whose son committed suicide, to placing my hand on the lifeless chest of a murdered man, I know what it is like to cry and pray with strangers. Having looked at the still face of death, I breathe in wonder and bow to the mystery that awaits us all. As a chaplain, I needed to breathe particularly mindfully while supporting parents through the bewildering grief of losing a baby.April 29, 2015
Lifestyle
America's parenting coach: Dr. Laura Markham on peaceful parenting practices
Three transformative practices characterize Markham’s work: “self-regulation, connection and coaching instead of controlling.” Like the ballast of a boat, these practices steady parents as they navigate the emotionally turbulent journey of nurturing the next generation. They constitute the theoretical framework found in Markham’s first book, “Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting,” and her soon-to-be-released “Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings: How to Stop the Fighting and Raise Friends for Life,” which is slated to hit the stands on May 5.April 23, 2015
Lifestyle
The spiritual and religious dimensions of doula support
As a scholar of comparative religion, a birth doula and a hospital chaplain, I am particularly interested in examining how doulas can best support a birthing woman’s spiritual or religious practice. So much of contemporary doula training consists of mastering proven comfort measures for the body and mind. We are trained to offer our best with regard to easing the physical pain of labor. We offer loving and empathetic connection to women as they traverse labor’s emotional ups and downs.April 14, 2015
Caregiving
Doula for the dying: Connecting birth and death
I am a doula. I am also a hospital chaplain. In holding space for birthing and dying, I’ve come to see one thing clearly. Standing with an open heart in the presence of birth is very much like standing with an open heart in the presence of death.Just In
- Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe named 2026 NBA Rising Stars MVP after scoring both game-winners for Team Vince
- Jill Scott pays homage to North Philly on new album 'To Whom This May Concern'
- Longwood Gardens' new nighttime display bathes its indoor plants in multicolored lights
- DoorDash, Uber Eats can deliver alcohol in 30 states, but not Pennsylvania. Lawmakers may change that
- How Philadelphia became the sweet spot for America's iconic holiday candies
- Eagles offensive coordinator search, coach rumor and report tracker
Must Read
