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We understand: You want to keep baby near you for peace of mind—and convenience (no one really enjoys getting up multiple times a night). The Halo bassinet was designed for exactly that—keeping baby safely within arm’s reach for those late-night feedings and comfort sessions. WHAT WE LOVE The Bassinest lets you reach out and soothe or nurse baby without getting out of bed. The stand can be adjusted to put baby at eye-level, and the body swivels over your bedside so baby can come to you (and not the other way around) Mesh walls provide breathability and visibility....

The day my son was born started with a mad dash to the midwife. We were late for a checkup, and my wife, Liz, was discovering the futility of telling someone who is 8 months pregnant to “hurry.” When we learned the baby’s heart rate was high, I chalked it up to my stress. Still, our midwife said, we should go to the hospital—just to be safe. We nonchalantly arrived at Labor & Delivery carrying our iced coffees; but, within minutes, I was in a hospital bed, connected to fetal monitors, looking up at grim-faced doctors and nurses....

What’s the real goal of all your financial decisions? Some people would say security. Some would say retirement. Others would say simply having more money. Here’s my take: Personal finance is about creating the freedom to make lifestyle decisions that make you happy, both now and in the future. It’s about being able to do work because it matters to you, not because you need the paycheck. It’s about being able to support your children and your spouse in the things they care about....

Lucky you! Just don’t tell your pregnant friends about this. You have nothing to worry about. Pregnancies come in all shapes, sizes and configurations. Some include every pregnancy symptom in the book; others have next to no issues. (You’re heard those stories of women who give birth without ever realizing they were pregnant, right?) And even though you’ve done this before, it’s perfectly normal for your body to be responding completely differently than it did the first time around....

Multiple configurations, matching diaper bags, a one-handed fold; these features are no longer exclusive to the crème de la crème of strollers. But there’s one trending point of differentiation that seems to be a new hallmark of luxury strollers: Ladies and gentlemen, introducing leather (or leatherette) trim. It first caught our eye on the new Rachel Zoe collection for Quinny and Maxi Cosi. Both the stroller and car seats feature rich cognac leather on the handles....

“I leave my baby with my in-law’s once every other week and tell them that I’m on the way to a ‘postpartum check-up.’ I really just go to get a mani and pedi.” — Charlotte K. “We started on solids when our son was four months — way earlier than we should have! He just seemed ready. When our doctor asked, we lied and told him we hadn’t. I didn’t want him to think we were bad parents!...

No matter how fit you were before and even during pregnancy, postpartum exercise presents a unique set of challenges. Your body is still healing from delivery, and with a newborn in the house, you might be feeling more tired than ever. But finding time to fit in fitness is amazing for both your body and mind—it can be just what you need to get back to feeling like your pre-pregnancy self....

Other than finding out whether you’re having a boy or a girl, most women prefer to do without surprises when expecting. We all want pregnancy to go according to plan, and this includes hitting the full-term delivery window of about 40 weeks. So if signs of preterm labor, such as early-stage contractions, appear weeks in advance of your due date, confusion and panic may set in—and that’s absolutely understandable. It’s also understandable that, until reading this article, you’ve probably paid zero attention to what causes preterm labor....

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s (er, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) first wedding anniversary is this Sunday, April 29th. Can you believe it’s been a year since that wedding craziness? I don’t know about you guys, but I watched all the royal wedding specials leading up to the main event and then I woke up at 4 a.m. for the viewing (and then I took a nap after!). My friend even DVR’ed it and we watched the highlights a few days later....

When you’re expecting, getting an ultrasound is one of the most anticipated events of pregnancy. It’s during this exam that you’ll see the first adorable images of your tiny baby—and you’ll probably even get to bring home their very first picture. But if you’ve heard your doctor or someone else refer to the exam as a sonogram, you may be feeling a bit confused about the difference between a sonogram vs....

It may be a small start, but a text message could be the simplest way to boost a new mom’s day. With the help of a grant from the Maternal Child and Family Health Coalition (MCHFC), researchers from Saint Louis University explored how supportive text messages could help low-income, racial minority mothers with postpartum depression. Their study was published in the journal JMIR Mental Health. While they also had access to traditional counseling services, 54 at-risk moms received four text messages per week for six months....

Midwives and doulas seem similar, since they’re both people (who aren’t OBs) who help women through labor. And they are both most commonly chosen by moms-to-be who go drug-free during their delivery. But their roles in the childbirth process are actually quite different. A midwife is a health care provider, while a doula is more of a childbirth coach. You might choose to have a midwife instead of an OB for prenatal care and to deliver your baby—midwives can deliver babies in hospitals, birthing centers or even in your home....

Over the last few months, we polled thousands of women – some pregnant, some new moms, some who haven’t yet started their families, and even some who aren’t planning to – and asked them all to weigh in with their thoughts, experiences, and opinions when it comes to breastfeeding. So what did we find? Turns out, most women polled agreed that BFing is just about the best thing a mama can do for her baby – and herself....

Baby is finally here! Now that you have a newborn in the house, though, you no doubt have a billion questions. After all, everything is new. Babies typically head to their pediatrician’s office for a newborn well visit two to three days after birth. Here are the top 10 questions we as pediatricians hear from parents during that first check-up. How Much Should My Newborn Be Eating? When a baby is first born, you should feed a newborn “on demand” or whenever they seem hungry....

If you’ve never breastfed before, you might think it’ll come naturally to you and your newborn. Baby is hungry, you offer up your nipple, baby latches on and sucks sweetly until he’s full. Easy, right? But what’s natural isn’t necessarily always intuitive (at least at first)—for either mom or baby. We talked to breastfeeding experts and moms who’ve experienced nursing challenges to round up the best breastfeeding tips to help set you and baby up for success....

Preparing your home for the newest member of the family requires some next-level organizational skills. For someone so small, a newborn needs a surprising amount of gear, and as you start to set up the nursery, you might be wondering where you’re going to put it all—not to mention how to afford big-ticket items like a crib, glider and changing table on a budget. Check out our top tips for how to make the most of your space and budget with these clever nursery storage ideas....

Thicker, shiny hair Those hormones responsible for a million crappy symptoms could also make your hair thicker and shinier, and some moms-to-be swear theirs grows faster than it used to: “It normally takes me forever to grow my hair out, and now it grows like weeds,” says kara29. Nail growth Increases in blood pressure and hormone levels may ramp up fingernail growth, finally giving you the French-manicure-worthy nails you’ve always dreamed of....

You just finished potty training your daughter, Satyana. I need your advice — I have to have my son potty-trained by September for preschool! How do I get it together that fast? Well, that’s actually perfect, because now you can just pick a date and start. My daughter showed interest in potty training one day when she saw me go to the bathroom. So I put her on the potty to try; after that, she would occasionally go — and we’d make a huge deal of it!...

New research on bed rest during pregnancy reveals that taking the doctor’s orders may not be as helpful as previously recommended. According to the latest study, some specialists feel that the age-old treatment doesn’t, in fact, seem to prevent the risk for premature birth — it might actually worsen the risk. In a study of 646 women, Dr. Catherine Spong and a team of researchers took a closer look at a study of treatments for women at risk of premature birth due to a complication called " short cervix....

Feeling stressed as a new or expectant mom? Trust us, you’re not alone. Your body, your emotions and your sleep schedule are all out of whack, so it’s no wonder you’re feeling overwhelmed. But just because it’s a common issue doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. After all, finding your zen is good for mom and baby. So how can you center yourself? Meditation. And you don’t even need a guru to guide you in person—there are apps for that....