This way of thinking left me feeling condemned and exhausted, and it set me up to fail. I got that epidural, because I needed it (and I don’t regret it now); I struggled to breastfeed ( thank you, mastitis ); and I (carefully) gave both my sons Tylenol when I felt they needed it. Brace yourselves: I vaccinated, too. I relied heavily on personal preference in theory, and before I had any kids of my own, but in the heat of the moment, when my children's health was in question, I found my proclivity for the natural wasn’t always easy or sustainable. And when I went the other way, I liked it. The pressure wasn’t on me anymore. It was on science.