That first
pregnancy is an experience that can never be repeated. You approached
parenthood with a novice set of eyes. Every experience was a new
experience, every pain a new pain and every stress was a new stress.
One late
fall afternoon, a coffee shop was booming. The line of patrons waiting
to order espressos, lattes and cappuccinos stretched out the door and
around the corner. A couple with a small child took their place at the
end of the line.
According to a piece published in the journal Nursing Standard from Mary Steen at the University of Chester, nurses play several crucial parts in patient care after childbirth, including bowel and bladder care.
I recently stumbled on a blog post claiming Crossfit is safe for pregnant women. While staying physically active during pregnancy is vital, Crossfit may not by ideal for the majority of pregnant women.
In these countries, according the violence against women, maternal and infant mortality rates are higher than countries who do not frequently practice underage marriage.
New parents
take great care in choosing just the right stroller. They shop for
comfort, ease of use and style, but what if after all that shopping and
careful selection the stroller you chose caused serious health issues
for your child?
I’m constantly reading online pregnancy forums and Q&A websites looking for unanswered pregnancy questions. Recently, I noticed a huge influx of interesting questions I’d never come across before.
When I was in school, nearly all of my peers had parents that were generally the same age. I remember one classmate who did not fall into that group. Her father was in his late 60s when she was a senior in high school.
Where does a
woman turn when she’s too embarrassed or too scared to ask the most
intimate questions of her health care providers?
I blame Hollywood for convincing me that pregnancy was going to be nothing but rosy cheeks, smiles and tummy rubs from strangers. I always knew I wanted to be a mom, but I never expected to hate being pregnant.
There are limits to confronting parents about their parenting choices. Just because a parent does not believe in the disciplinary style you believe in does not mean they are putting their children at risk – and that’s what’s truly important – risk.
There are experts who believe maternal instinct is not a genetic, basic
drive at all, but rather a learned behavior developed during pregnancy
and infancy via hormonal changes and close bonding.
The idea of describing a set of parents based on a set of pre-determined
characteristics is not a new concept, though the need to define parents
and place them into parenting style categories is a modern ploy.
Research studies have proven obesity is a major concern during
pregnancy. Pregnancy complications associated with pre-pregnancy obesity
may include increased risk of C-section and excessive fetal weight
gain.
I remember toying with the idea of a water birth with my first two
children. I can’t say I thought of the idea on my own. I watched a water
birth on television and was amazed by the fact that an infant can be
born into the water and swim to the surface.
As the parent of a child with life-threatening food allergies I
immediately thought the child was having an allergic response to food,
but could the parents order food allergy testing at nine months old?
The million-dollar-question many pregnant women want answered is about
the truth behind labor pain. Labor pain, like all other forms of pain,
cannot be described in a way that pertains to all pregnant women.
More than 70,000 cancer diagnoses are given each year to patients
between 15 and 39 years old. Many patients are women still in their
reproductive years. The life-saving chemotherapy these women need is the
same chemotherapy that kills off any hopes of natural reproduction.
With age, chances of getting pregnant through natural or assisted
methods grow smaller, so when is it time to let go of fertility hopes?
Your family is planning a dinner at the local Chinese restaurant and you want to join. Are buffet meals safe for pregnant women?