background preloader

Parenting

Facebook Twitter

How to Know if You are Pregnant: Early Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms. The following symptoms apply to those who are casually trying to conceive as well as to those who are using fertility charting.

How to Know if You are Pregnant: Early Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms

Please keep in mind that pregnancy doesn't begin until implantation and that your hormones won't be rising enough to produce symptoms until your fertilized egg has implanted on the uterine wall. Implantation usually occurs roughly 6-12 days after ovulation. If you don't know when you ovulated, you will find it much more difficult to follow your symptoms! Charting is always a good idea, even if you are trying to prevent pregnancy! I am placing these symptoms in order from most obscure to most well known.

Stuffy Nose Most women don't know that a stuffy nose is a symptom of pregnancy, but it can be! Metallic Taste in the Mouth Dry mouth, with a metallic taste, can be a symptom of pregnancy. Dark Blue Veins in the Breasts Consider your breasts. Nursing in Public. My husband and I are huge fans of dining out.

Nursing in Public

We both enjoy the dining experience and I'm not the best cook in the world. For a long time it worked out for us (because we were able to afford it). Our daughter went with us, because she was still on the breast and I couldn't imagine leaving her behind in order to go out for a meal with my husband. One Wednesday night when she was about three months old, we went to Olive Garden. I noticed, as she began to fuss, that there were several men watching what I did as I popped her on the breast and threw a blanket over my shoulder (nobody complained). Our waitress, who we had known for quite some time, came over to the table and saw what I was doing. The waitress said "Can I peek? " It isn't disgusting. Cuties in Cloth. In my research, I uncovered several solid reasons to use cloth diapers over disposable diapers.

Cuties in Cloth

Whatever your feelings on earth-friendly products and whatever your income, you should still be able to find a good reason to use cloth on this list! Disposable Diapers Contain Harmful Chemicals My research shows that disposable diapers include trace amounts of Dioxin, a toxic by-product of the paper bleaching process applied to disposable diapers. This chemical is a known carcinogen and is known by the EPA to be the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. Another chemical found in disposable diapers is Tributyl-tin, known to cause hormonal problems in both humans and animals.

Finally, the absorbant "beads" in disposable diapers contain a similar chemical to that which was used in super-absorbancy tampons and which is associated with toxic-shock syndrome! Disposable Diapers are Worse for the Environment Cloth diapers are reusable in more ways than one. Babies aren't convenient. Choosing the Right Breastpump For You. I believe that depends on your circumstances.

Choosing the Right Breastpump For You

If you are going to be a stay-at-home mom who, for some reason, needs to pump (perhaps you're very active and out of the house quite a bit with your baby or maybe your baby needs supplemental bottle feeding or perhaps you even don't want to nurse but want the benefits of breastmilk), then the hospital grade breast pump might be the right option for you. At the time of writing there are two models available. The first is the Medela Lactina, pictured at right, and the Medela Symphony. I have used the Lactina, and I have to say that the results are phenomenal. The machine itself is intuitive and changes the pressure in order to help to produce a letdown reflex. If your baby is premature, you will probably have the opportunity to test drive one of these pumps if you are expressing breast milk while your baby is in the NICU.

Advice to stop a 14 month old toddler from Biting His Playmates. This is a somewhat difficult question to answer, and I am sure that over time there will be many answers (some very similar and some quite unique).

Advice to stop a 14 month old toddler from Biting His Playmates

I feel that parents need to determine their own way in how they handle discipline problems with their children. Normal Developmental Stage Let's begin by discussing the fact that biting is a normal developmental stage. It is not in the least bit uncommon for your child to begin to bite his playmates as well as his parents. Your toddler is beginning to see himself as a unique individual in his world and is becoming more independent from his parents. Your fourteen month-old doesn't possess the necessary tools to deal effectively with frustration. Keep in mind that this is very difficult for your toddler. Help Him Cope with Frustration You have tools at your disposal as a parent, and those tools don't (exclusively) include punishment. How to Prepare for Natural Childbirth: I did it and so can you! It is an unfortunate situation in the United States in particular that we are beginning to treat pregnancy and childbirth as though they are illnesses rather than the natural biological processes that they are.

How to Prepare for Natural Childbirth: I did it and so can you!

Where women once worked the fields until the day they gave birth (and then headed back to work afterward!) American women are more and more submitting to medicated pregnancy and childbirth. Why? Pregnancy isn't always pleasant. Sometimes it is downright ugly! At this point in our history, we have been treating pregnancy for generations. Pregnancy, however, is a natural process. Deciding to Breastfeed.

.bodycard 1608