Those nine months from conception to birth will change your life forever. Learn more about the condition of pregnancy here at the Families.com Pregnancy Blog.
While it may be tempting to think of labor and delivery as a primarily physical experience, it is important that you do not underestimate the mind’s role in the process of birth. Mental preparation for the birth of your baby is important, and preparing yourself for success can help you to have a smoother labor and delivery. Here are a few things that you can do to mentally prepare yourself for the big day. Read positive birth stories. When I was pregnant, I used to avoid hearing birth stories because many of the ones that I had initially heard were … Continue reading →
As you make a list of all of the things that you will need for your new baby, you may become overwhelmed. It might seem as though there is no way that you will be able to afford all of the things that you think you will need to take care of your baby. Fortunately, there are ways that you can bring down the cost of caring for your baby. One way to trim expenses is to think carefully about what items you absolutely must have for your new baby. If you really sit down and think about it, baby … Continue reading →
When you are experiencing painful or annoying pregnancy symptoms like heartburn and cravings, you might wish that your husband or partner would also experience those symptoms so that they might understand how you feel. Did you know that your husband or partner may actually be feeling some of the symptoms of pregnancy along with you? The French call it “couvade syndrome”, but it is more commonly referred to as “sympathetic pregnancy” and most fathers to be experience it to some degree. The variety of pregnancy related symptoms that men can experience alongside their pregnant partners is quite wide. This is … Continue reading →
One topic that can be both confusing and agonizing for pregnant women is the topic of weight gain. Not only do doctors and midwives sometimes differ on the advice that they dole out regarding how much gain to aim for, they differ in how they handle situations where their patients gain too much weight or do not gain enough weight. Now, consider that all of your friends and family have different opinions and experiences with the topic of pregnancy weight gain which they are all too happy to share with you whether you like it or not. Top it all … Continue reading →
When you plan to have your baby at home, part of preparing yourself for the birth of your baby includes preparing your home so that you have a safe and comfortable place to give birth. As your pregnancy progresses, why not gather up everything that you will need and place it in the area where you would like your birth to take place. The biggest item that you will need is the birthing tub, if you would like to have a water birth. Tubs can be purchased or rented, so ask your midwives about what options there are in your … Continue reading →
Did you know that one out of every five mothers will be prescribed bed rest during her pregnancy? Since there is a chance that you may have to become familiar with bed rest, here are some basics to get you started. First of all, let’s talk about what bed rest is. Bed rest can mean anything from complete and total confinement to one’s bed for twenty four hours a day to taking time to lay down for an hour or so a couple of times a day. Make sure that your prenatal care provider is specific in telling you exactly … Continue reading →
When I was pregnant with my first son, part of my prenatal care included attending childbirth classes at the birthing center where Dylan was going to be born. During one of the classes, we toured the birthing center and one of the midwives showed us all of the things that were available for us to use during labor and delivery. While bouncing around on a birthing ball sounded interesting and the birthing stool looked like it could certainly be effective, the thing that I remember most about my birthing center tour was the birthing tub. As soon as I saw … Continue reading →
When my first son was born, I knew that I wanted to start wearing him in a baby sling as soon as I could. I had read a great deal about babywearing, and at my baby shower I was lucky enough to receive not just one but two baby slings. Before Dylan was born, I read the instructions that came with each of the slings, and they both stated that they were designed for babies weighing eight pounds and up. When Dylan was born, he weighed under seven pounds. It seemed as though I would not be able to use … Continue reading →
Have you heard stories of pregnant women who suddenly become possessed with an urge to deep – clean their entire homes from top to bottom? It does happen some times, and it is called “nesting”. Please note that I said that it happens some times, for some pregnant women. I never experienced an overwhelming urge to deep clean my house during either of my pregnancies. I kept wondering (and I am sure that my husband did too) when I would find myself washing the windows or mopping the floors like a woman possessed, but it just never happened. If you … Continue reading →
As you prepare for the birth of your baby, you are likely to be preparing yourself in many ways for your baby’s arrival. While being prepared may not help you to navigate every possible thing that might happen during and shortly after the birth of your baby, there are a few things that you can think about and plan for ahead of time. One of these things is deciding whether or not to allow your baby to be given a dose of synthetic Vitamin K shortly after birth. Vitamin K is routinely administered to newborn babies in the United States … Continue reading →
Signup for the email newsletter from Families.com. Read the
latest articles and learn about families, parenting and more.
