Giving Birth After Age 33 Relates to Longevity

A new study determined that women who give birth after age 33 had twice the odds of having a longer lifespan than women who did not do so. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should consider having a baby (or another baby) after age 33 in an effort to increase your lifespan. The reality is a bit more complex than that. Researchers at Boston University, Boston Medical Center (and elsewhere) conducted a study about aging. They looked at information that was gathered in a previous study that was called the Long Life Family Study. In other words, this study used previously … Continue reading →

Pregnant: Am I Doing It Right?

During my pregnancy I’ve felt a couple times like I wasn’t “doing it right.” Not that I wasn’t taking care of my body or baby properly, but that I didn’t care enough, and that meant I wasn’t going to be very good at this whole mothering thing. I didn’t feel that way in response to serious events, or in the face of friends with children, or anything like that. It started when I was asked “what’s your countdown?” I had no idea what the person was talking about. Apparently it meant how many days left until my due date. I … Continue reading →

The Importance of Pregnancy Support Groups

If you’re pregnant and feeling uncertain, or even if you feel great about pregnancy/childbirth, I still have an important recommendation: try to find a support group. Not necessarily one called “pregnancy support group,” but try to find a group of other veteran, new, or expecting moms to spend time with. The support that’s offered just from spending time with others in the same boat, or who have been through it recently, is invaluable. A lot of the weird things about pregnancy can be less alarming if you have others to talk about them with, who can say: “oh yes, that … Continue reading →

Got The Baby Budget Blues? Don’t Worry, You Have Options.

If you are wondering how you will ever get everything that you need for your baby on your budget, I would like to let you in on a little secret. The secret is this: babies really don’t need all that many things, and the things that they need the most are the things that can not be bought. We all know that babies need love, and plenty of it. Some of their other needs do involve equipment and or supplies, but there are various options that parents can choose from. For example, a baby needs a safe place to sleep. … Continue reading →

Two Strategies for Saving Money on Baby Items

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 →

Can Men Really Experience Pregnancy Symptoms?

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 →

Three Common Breastfeeding Myths Explained

Part of getting yourself ready for the day when you welcome your new baby into the world involves thinking about how you plan to feed your baby. As is the case with many of the decisions that you will make regarding your baby, the best way to prepare yourself is with information. The more you know about infant feeding and nutrition in advance, the better prepared you will be to navigate the ins and outs of feeding your baby once he or she is born. One helpful type of information to have at the ready if you plan to breastfeed … Continue reading →

Some Thoughts on Strollers and Baby Carriers

Over the weekend, we had some very nice weather. Even though the dirt road that we live on is muddy and full of deep ruts, I really wanted to take the boys out for a walk. Dylan really wanted me to take the double stroller out so that he could ride with his baby brother for part of our walk. I thought that it might be fun to see whether our beat up double jogging stroller (which we got from the thrift store last year) was up to the challenge. We enjoyed a wonderful walk, and since the stroller is … Continue reading →

Who Will Be At Home With You and Your New Baby?

One thing that you may be thinking about now that you are pregnant is who will be at home with you and for how long during those first few weeks after your baby is born. For many people, a spouse or partner will be able to be at home for a week or two, or even longer. That is a good thing, because it not only gives them time to get acquainted with the baby, it gives you a set of helping hands as you learn how to balance baby care, self care, and other things like cooking and cleaning. … Continue reading →

Breastfeeding – Every Baby is Different

If you are planning to breastfeed your baby, you may have already spent some time learning about breastfeeding. That is a good thing. You may also have prepared your home and your wardrobe with things that will be of use to you as you nurse your baby, such as a breast pump, breastfeeding – friendly clothing, a nursing pillow, and the like. You may even have nursed another child. In fact, you may still be nursing your baby’s older sibling. These are all good things, things that can help you to be prepared for breastfeeding your new baby. However, there … Continue reading →