Think there’s no reason to eat organic? Think it’s not worth the cost? That there’s no benefits? Think again. Eating fewer pesticides may result in a healthier baby.

Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine did a study this year that showed that children conceived during the spring and early summer have a higher risk for a wide range of birth defects, including Down syndrome, cleft palate, and spina bifida AND later on these children scored lower during math and language tests than children conceived at other times. While the reported increase in birth defects was modest it still coincided …read more

I was never nauseous when I was pregnant. Not one day. Not even before Truman, when that blighted ovum sat in my uterus fooling me by placing a plus-sign on my pee stick. But I thought about it. I thought once while opening the fridge that I might feel a little queasy. I was so excited I called my husband. But that feeling passed even before my husband picked up the other line. I was fine.
If I had a wave of anything remotely like nausea it would be when I thought about or walked into Italian restaurants. I kept this …read more

Swine flu is not something to be ignored. I hear some people here say that they want to it over and done with. You know, get the flu, let it run its course then you’re good to go.
Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. I have friends who are registered nurses and they tell me that swine flu is really bad and should be avoided at all costs. I even heard that the swine flu strain is mutating and that the vaccine, tamiflu is not working anymore.
If I were you and you’re pregnant, I’d be more careful as apparently, pregnant women …read more

I can only picture what this father is thinking at the moment. I mean when you think of your 12-year-old daughter, you might think of her just gettingut of the tomboy phase and beginning to like boys. Or if you are lucky enough she is still playing with Barbie dolls and walking around with her baby dolls. Maybe she’s outgrown the dolls and is in the designing purses or any type of craft phase. Either way, you don’t normally sit and wonder what type of mom she will be, or how you could’ve prevented this. There is a 12-year-old in …read more

If you are the parent of a young child, pregnant, breastfeeding or thinking of becoming pregnant, the swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, should be of particular concern to you.
During a pandemic, children and pregnant women are at high risk of serious complications and even death if they become ill with the flu, according to the March of Dimes. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has developed extensive plans for minimizing the impact of the pandemic flu, and once a vaccine has been developed for the virus causing the pandemic, pregnant women and children from age 6 to …read more

The “Octomom” (Nadya Suleman), has us talking about a lot of things these days relating to babies and childcare. Now, new research suggests that have multiple births can increase the mother’s risk of postpartum depression.

Researchers did not get into the specifics of why this happens, but with multiple births I’m sure the stress of handling so many babies at once certainly can add to things.
The study was out ” April 1 in the journal Pediatrics.” With Octomom in the news lately, it brings this information to the forefront. Postpartum is a serious disease and new moms should …read more

Ok. I’m not pregnant. It was an April Fool’s Day joke. I’m sorry. Go ahead and throw that tomato, but truth be told, the whole post sort of shook me up a bit. Really.
I wrote that post from the perspective of actually being accidentally pregnant – as an actor would preparing for a role in a movie, I suppose. I tried to take on the thoughts and fears and excitement I would have felt. Those feelings were real. And for a moment – no, a while – I was actually a little disappointed not to be pregnant.
I had never questioned …read more

With the World Health Organization recommending only 1 ultrasound, around 18 weeks of pregnancy, for uncomplicated pregnancies, the 2 or 3 ultrasounds that pregnant women in Canada seem to be getting is many more than ideal.
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Maternity Experiences Survey, based on interviews by Statistics Canada, involved 6,421 women. Virtually all women had at least one ultrasound, but the average was 3. If that’s the average, it means several women had more than 3. If you look at the comments in the article linked below, you’ll see that some women have them routinely once a month.
Although …read more

One quarter of all pregnant women experience migraines. Now, a new study suggests that migraines can be an indicator of stroke, heart disease, or vascular problems as well.
According to the Ithica Journal, pregnant women who have migraines “are 15 times more likely than other women to suffer a stroke, twice as likely to have heart disease and three times more likely to have blood clots and other vascular problems during pregnancy.”
The study also found that women over 35 were more likely to experience migraines. The condition was also present in white more often than in other ethnic or …read more

When I was a teen (in the dark ages), the most women had to worry about if they were sexually active was getting pregnant or catching a treatable sexually transmitted disease (STD). Because of the pregnancy concern, the Pill was a major breakthrough for women, changing their lives.
Unfortunately, the world has changed significantly since the 70s. Now, sex without a barrier method of protection is like playing Russian Roulette. I don’t think we should even call barrier protection birth control. That’s a misnomer, in my mind. Those barriers are life-savers. They prevent the transmission of illnesses like HIV, which may …read more