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Pumping milk in advance means freedom and flexibility when it comes to feeding. But it can also mean a headache in terms of storage and making bottles. A system that keeps things fresh, organized and even preps milk when you need it? Sounds like a busy mom’s dream—one that’s now a reality. WHAT WE LOVE One pre-sterilized pouch is all you need for pumping, storing, warming and feeding. You won’t lose a drop in the process Each pouch—intended for one-time use only—is compatible with major breast pump brands, including Medela, Lansinoh, Evenflo, Ameda, Philips Avent and Tommee Tippee A compact storage case keeps up to 12 pouches of milk organized in your freezer Whether your milk is frozen, refrigerated or room temperature, the bottle and pouch warming unit heats it up to the perfect serving temperature...

Motherhood has changed you. Your baby will always be in your heart. Turns out both of these clichéd sentiments have some biological truth. Pathologists from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands discovered fetal cells are capable of escaping from mom’s uterus and spreading to other parts of her body. While the cells were few and far between — representing about 1 out of every 1000 cells — they were present in every organ and tissue researchers looked at: the heart, brain, kidneys, etc....

“It takes a village” is a parenting motto for a reason. There’s always something to do, somewhere to go, someone to care for—and it’s beyond hard to do it alone. Raising a blended family of five children (Zaire, 20, Zaya, 15, Xavier, 8, Kaavia, 3, and nephew Dahveon, 21), Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade realized the only way forward was to tap into a strong community of family, friends and caregivers for support....

Think fertility treatments are only for fantastically wealthy celebs like Sarah Jessica Parker and Nicole Kidman? Think again. While some types of babymaking assistance can cost up to $100,000, there are others that can cost as little as $5 per month. So how much will they cost you? Well, we can’t tell you that exactly. “The actual costs vary depending on where you live,” says Natalie Burger, MD, a fertility specialist at Texas Fertility Center....

For years and years, soon-to-be parents have asked themselves the same question, “Can baby hear us?” and for just as long the question has gone unanswered. Now, however, researchers have finally come to a conclusion and it’s sure to be one that mom and dads-to-be are over the moon about! Newborns are much more attuned the the sound of the native language than we ever thought, linguists say. Newborns can pick up on distinctive sounds of their mother tongue while in utero....

Good news: The nonstress test lives up to its name, both for you and baby. It’s totally noninvasive, and poses no risk to baby. Be prepared, though—it can easily take up to 40 minutes (make a bathroom stop first!). The nonstress test evaluates baby’s well-being by measuring how her heart rate responds to movement. It’s a fetal monitoring method, meaning the purpose is simply to check on baby’s well-being, not cure a problem or ensure that baby’s born healthy....

What is plagiocephaly? Plagiocephaly is sometimes known as “flat head syndrome.” You probably know a baby or two who has this. It’s a flat spot on baby’s head that doesn’t go away. What are the symptoms of plagiocephaly in babies? They’re exactly that — the flat spot. While some babies have funny-looking heads after birth, they usually become rounded pretty quickly. Plagiocephaly is a flat spot that stays flat. Are there any tests for plagiocephaly?...

Towards the end of my pregnancy, I dutifully prepared for the postpartum period by doing all the things the experts recommend: Plan to have help at home! Stock up on cabbage leaves and the most absorbent maxi pads you can find! Make and freeze 30 trays of lasagna because you’ll never have time to cook again! But the most important thing of all—and the one that ultimately got me through those emotionally turbulent first months without totally losing my mind—was nowhere to be found on my collection of trusty postpartum checklists....

FSH, or your follicle-stimulating hormone, is something you’ll likely become intimately familiar with if you’re looking to start a family (especially with help from a fertility specialist). The hormone is manufactured in your brain by the pituitary gland. Its primary job is to control the ovaries and help to develop follicles (egg sacs). The pituitary gland can sense when your egg supplies start to run low and start to produce higher amounts of FSH in an effort to drive ovaries to produce more follicles....

After months of anticipation leading up to baby’s birth, your little one is finally here! You’re officially a dad, and you’ve never felt more…depressed. Not what you were expecting from fatherhood. While the first weeks and months of being a new dad are built up to be an exciting (albeit exhausting) time, the truth is that up to 25 percent of men deal with postpartum depression, and if their partner has postpartum depression, the risk is even higher....

When you hold that tiny bundle for the first time, you’ll wonder how you’ll ever care for something so impossibly small and fragile. You’re sure baby will break if you’re not careful. But trust us—despite how fragile your infant seems, within the first few weeks baby’s already working on key muscles s/he’ll need in order to meet one of life’s first milestones—baby head control. But when do babies hold their heads up?...

Think about it this way: The typical baby shower should take place around your sixth or seventh month, and shower invitations should be sent out about four weeks beforehand. So you’re looking at about your five- or six-month mark. Earlier than that, guests might forget. And any later, they’re more likely to have already made plans. The reason the best time for the shower is somewhere between the end of the second trimester and the beginning of the third trimester is that this is the time when you’re likely to be feeling good and looking plenty pregnant, with a nice-size bump....

And the Winner Is: The Honest Company Training Pants for Toddlers When it comes time to tackle toilet training, arm yourself with a contingency plan. Things can get messy. These thin, underwear-like training pants offer leak protection (even overnight) while your little one gets the hang of using the potty. Just like Honest Company diapers, these toddler pants are disposable and made from the best—and safest—ingredients. They also come in super-fun “big kid” prints....

Amanda Kloots is always on the move. A woman with many passions, she balances several roles as a mom, dancer, fitness instructor, author and actress, to name a few. But her favorite role is that of a creator, and it’s been the driving force behind several of her initiatives—from creating her own line of prenatal fitness classes during pregnancy to finding new passions after tragically losing her husband to COVID-19. The Bump caught up with her to talk about how she balances all her projects, how she’s balancing her motherhood journey and how she’s keeping her husband’s memory alive for her son....

Don’t get us wrong: the pros of having a baby always outweight the cons. But it’s tough being a new mom. These Bump users reveal the best—and worst—part of those crazy first few months. “The best: the constant cuddles. The worst: not knowing what’s wrong when they’re fussy.” — Erin F. “You finally get to meet your bundle of joy! But the worst is when they’re up every three hours to eat....

New research states that babies as young as seven months can distinguish between — and begin to learn! — two languages with vastly different grammatical structures! (And here I was thinking that being able to navigate just the English language was an accomplishment!) The research, conducted by University of British Columbia and Université Paris Descartes and published in the Nature Communications journal, shows that infants in bilingual environments use pitch and duration to discriminate between languages with opposite word orders....

Bonding with baby is one of the storied joys of new parenthood. We’re told it should be instantaneous and magical. But the truth is: It doesn’t always work that way—and, as a result, new parents sometimes feel guilt, shame and anxiety when the connection is slower to form. If you’re struggling to bond with your little one, know that you’re not alone, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. This transition can be tricky....

For women who are pregnant, a small pilot study suggests that a new nutritional supplement called myo-inositol could help fight the risk of gestational diabetes. 220 pregnant women with a family history of type 2 diabetes (people suffer from high blood sugar because they are unable to store the sugar in cells properly) were selected for the research. Within that selected group, half were given two grams of myo-inositol supplements twice a day along with the recommended amount of folic acid....

Have you ever wondered how working mamas handle it all? Even the most successful female CEOs will tell you it’s not easy—but over time they’ve figured out how to juggle their roles as professionals and as mothers. Hint: The key to it all is support. Here, seven powerhouse women open up about the challenges of being working moms and how they’ve learned to navigate them, and the empowering advice they have for other mamas out there....

Separation anxiety is a phase all toddlers experience, but it usually comes and goes and passes entirely by age three. Until then, there are several strategies you can try, and there’s also a few to avoid. It’s a common misconception that your toddler will react to your absence more favorably if you sneak out without saying goodbye. The same goes for putting him to sleep and leaving the house; if he wakes up, he’ll be upset and confused when it’s unexpectedly a babysitter who comes to comfort him and not you....