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There’s really no single answer that will suit everyone. The “push” phase of your delivery depends on many different factors, including what kind of shape you’re in, how big the baby is, if you’ve received an epidural, and so on. Some women push for as long as four hours straight, and some deliver baby on their second push. There are a few more rules of thumb that can help you estimate whether you’ll push for a little or a lot of time: In general, you’ll probably push longer with your first baby than you will with subsequent deliveries....

Every parent wonders when baby will say their first words and what those words will be—but don’t discount the importance of the cooing and babbling that comes first. Before getting to their first words, babies need to figure out how their mouths actually work. During the first year of life, babies begin to make a variety of sounds using their lips and tongue, which will eventually lead to first words around their first birthday....

It’s no secret that young children need a lot of sleep to support their development and growth. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, getting enough sleep helps kids build a healthier immune system and improve their behavior, memory and mental health. One of the best things you can do to help baby get the shut-eye they need? Establish a baby bedtime routine early on. There’s a reason experts recommend bedtime rituals: They offer a sense of stability from a very young age....

Many a first-time mom has confused these two, especially since a ton of discharge can follow the loss of your mucus plug. Think of it this way: Mucus is gooey; water is liquid. So if it’s thick, it’s not your water. When your water breaks, it will be like…water. Amniotic fluid will trickle or gush, and shouldn’t have any color at all. It’s possible, though, that the mucus will have a yellow, brown, or green tint—if so, be sure to let your OB know....

Meet Dina DiMaggio, MD, and Anthony F. Porto MD, MPH, official spokespeople for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the co-authors of The Pediatrician’s Guide to Feeding Babies and Toddlers. Each month, they’ll write about the latest AAP guidelines, studies and seasonal issues affecting babies and toddlers. Follow them on Instagram @pediatriciansguide. As you’re probably well aware, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of baby’s life....

The day before The Bump invaded Hilaria Baldwin’s New York City studio, Yoga Vida, for a photo shoot, she had her 20-week ultrasound, where she and hubby Alec caught glimpses of her baby-girl-to-be. “We counted 10 fingers and 10 toes,” she gushes. “You see everything. It’s such a beautiful experience.” You may recognize Hilaria from the red carpet, where she often accompanies Alec, or from her gig as an Extra correspondent, but the Spanish beauty’s first love is fitness....

There is a relatively easy way to figure out how much your baby should eat while you’re gone. A full milk supply for a breastfed baby is approximately 30 ounces per 24 hours. If you figure out how many times your baby eats in a 24-hour period, just divide 30 ounces by this number. This is about how much your baby takes per feed. For example: If your baby eats 10 times in 24 hours, then he probably takes about three ounces per feeding....

And the Winner Is: aden + anais Disposable Super Soft Diaper Super-soft? Check. Super-absorbant? Check. Super-cute? Check. These disposable diapers are the perfect blend of performance and style. We’ve yet to find a softer option (think: cozy cashmere), plus they’re hypoallergenic and free of harsh chemicals, including chlorine and latex. They’ll take you from newborn days (size 1 and 2 have a helpful wetness indicator) to toddlerhood and even hold up overnight too....

In the latest study published by The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Kate Grimshaw, researcher at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, and a team of researchers found that babies who eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer packaged foods were less likely to develop food allergies. The study, which looked at overall diet patterns instead of just specific foods, collected food diaries from the parents of 1,140 babies during their first year of life to see just how parents are feeding their infants and whether or not that had any affect on food allergies....

Here’s the good news: Planning your maternity leave is definitely not as complicated as it seems. Use this guide to help put together a plan. • Know your rights Read up on your company’s policies regarding pregnancy rights and maternity leave, as well as your rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). • Ask an expert If possible, confer with a (trustworthy) colleague who’s been in the same situation....

Stake out any daycare drop-off zone or toddler music class, and the number of dads you see tending to their children’s sticky little hearts illustrates something we’ve known for a while: The rhythms and rituals of parenthood are no longer the preeminent domain of women. But while the number of fathers wanting to be more hands-on in their kids’ daily lives has steadily increased over the years, when it comes to working parents taking time off to bond with their newborns, fathers and other non-birth partners traditionally get the short end of the stick....

We told you a while back that the FDA and EPA introduced a minimum amount of fish that pregnant women should be eating each week: 8-12 ounces. Fish pack a healthy punch, offering plenty of protein that’s important for your growing baby. But eating too much high-mercury seafood can damage the brain and nervous system, and fetuses are especially at risk. So Consumer Reports is siding against the FDA, urging pregnant women to avoid all tuna, even the light canned tuna that the FDA and EPA deemed okay....

Pregnancy stretches us to our limits, prompting an assortment of aches and pains—from round ligament pain to back pain, gas pain and more, most moms-to-be become intimately familiar with some discomfort along their pregnancy journey. The good news? There’s something to be done about it! Certain yoga poses can not only help ease common pregnancy symptoms, but they can also help you recenter and release your mounting stress. “The poses can be anatomically great and help our bodies, but yoga also teaches us how to be present and in the moment—which can be difficult during pregnancy when there’s so much focus on future and what happens next,” says Jennifer More, E-RYT 500, RPYT, a prenatal yoga teacher, doula, and hypnotherapist based in Santa Rosa, California....

We all know kids say the darndest things—but some parents are really giving them a run for their money. Whether they’re revealing the real backstory to a funny family moment or offering a fresh perspective on what it means to parent, these moms and dads are taking to Twitter and posting pure comedy gold. Here, some of our favorite funny mom quotes and hilarious dad quotes to hit the Internet all year....

Do You Need a Baby Food Maker? Benefits of a Baby Food Maker Cost effective. While baby food makers can be pricey, they can save you money in the long run. How? Store-bought baby food and delivery services are expensive, especially if you opt for organic products. By purchasing fresh, seasonal ingredients and cooking large batches of baby food at home (pop any you won’t use in the freezer) the cost per portion reduces dramatically....

It’s not the first incident we’ve heard of, and it probably won’t be the last; another baby monitor was hacked on Tuesday, this time in a Houston home. The nanny, Ashley Stanley, was changing baby Samantha’s diaper when she heard a man’s voice telling her just how dirty it was. “I heard someone talking on the camera monitor and I was like, maybe my bosses were playing a trick on me or something,” Stanley told local news station KPRC....

“Roar” by Katy Perry: Baby can ro-oh-oh-oh-oh-ar like a lion — and you can too (we know you want to). “My baby makes the funniest roaring sound when this song comes on. Gets her happy every time.” — Ali “Happy” by Pharrell: The fast-paced beat and constant applause keep everyone entertained on a long car trip. “We all clap together in the car!” —_ Andy_ “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk: With this tune, we know you’ll get lucky in the happy baby department....

*_Baby Bling Shower *_If you’re a glamorous mom-to-be (or hoping for a girly girl), play up the sparkle and host a “Baby Bling” shower with shiny pacifier ring or bejeweled photo frame favors! — Deborah Elias, Elias Events in Houston *_Unique Centerpieces *_Use playful vessels like toy carriages or plastic baby bottles as vases. You can also skip the flowers and fill them with goodies like jelly beans, extra-large gumballs and other colorful candies....

The Bump presents #MomBoss, a series dedicated to showing off all-star moms. We catch up with mompreneurs behind products we love, influencers who get real about motherhood and SAHMs who can multitask in their sleep. We talk a lot about how breastfeeding is a natural process, but just because nursing is natural for the body doesn’t mean it’s second nature for Mom. Despite the fact that she’s a registered nurse (RN), when Krystal Nicole Duhaney became a mother, her experience breastfeeding her son was, to put it gently, a nightmare....

As grown-ups, we thought we were overwhelmed when a new baby arrives. But when we asked, “What’s the funniest thing you’ve heard a toddler say about a baby?” we were reminded that the insanity we feel is pretty minor compared to what a small tot is experiencing. As these hilarious responses reveal, it’s downright baffling when you haven’t the slightest idea what the deal is and where this strange tiny wailing creature came from....