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We’re guessing this topic came up in conversation with a friend who gave birth many years ago — nonreactive nonstress tests used to be routinely followed by a contraction stress test, but today the biophysical profile (less expensive, less cumbersome and fewer potential risks) is more often used to measure fetal well-being. The contraction stress test (also called an oxytocin challenge test, or simply a stress test) involves tracking fetal heart rate while minor contractions are stimulated in your uterus, and is useful in evaluating whether baby is in strong enough condition to go through vaginal birth....

Adapted from The Unmumsy Mum by Sarah Turner with the permission of TarcherPerigee, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Copyright © 2017 by Sarah Turner. When morning comes around, I sometimes look at the day stretching out in front of me and think, “Oh God. James’s alarm goes off, he gets up, has a shower and gets ready for work.” My alarm these days is Henry, who loudly shouts, “Are you awake, Mummy?...

Oh, pregnancy: While it’s a journey that’s filled with lots of joy, it can also be fraught with lots of aches and pains. Round ligament pain, or the sharp sensation felt shooting from your lower abdomen into your groin, can be a major source of discomfort. The good news? “The pain is fairly common, intermittent and usually disappears on its own within a few weeks,” explains Frederick Friedman, Jr., MD, director of obstetrics at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City....

Some people would say, “Never!” Others — you know, the ones who bring their kids along to midnight showings of violent action movies — seem to think that any movie is fair game. The very fact that you’re asking this question shows that you think there might be a reasonable middle ground. It’s not okay to bring a toddler to adult-themed movies. Get a sitter if you want to catch the latest R-rated rom-com....

Congratulations! You got that positive test result. Now it’s time to make a doctor’s appointment. Your first prenatal appointment with an ob-gyn is separate from a confirmation of pregnancy appointment (if you choose to schedule one), during which any physician, not necessarily an OB, can adminster a blood test to determine whether or not you’re pregnant. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, your actual antepartum care begins around eight or nine weeks when an OB gets your comprehensive medical history and you receive a full physical examination and various screenings....

Your toddler should be able to learn the basics of table manners: to wash his hands before each meal, to eat with utensils instead of his fingers, to say please and thank you, to keep his voice down. And be firm and consistent when you’re teaching him these skills. Sometimes toddlers forget the rules — for example, eating with their hands because it just seems like a faster way to get the food to his mouth....

“My partner would kill me if he knew I was telling people this, but I actually asked him if I could hit him in the balls so he could understand the pain I was going through!” — Kim T. “When I progressed so quickly and missed the window for an epidural, I turned to my mom and said, ‘Pack up my stuff. I’m done with this sh*t.’ Apparently, I thought was going to leave....

Four-month checkup? Well-child visits? Baby vaccination schedule? See all newborn Q&As Mouthing off Baby may start sprouting her first tooth (usually the lower middle) this month, but don’t be concerned if those pearly whites aren’t popping up just yet. It takes three years for baby to completely grow her first set of 20 teeth, so she’s got a lot of time left. In the meantime, continue to admire her expanding baby vocabulary....

Some reassuring news for expectant moms: If you happen to get sick during pregnancy, two common antibiotics have just been proven a-ok. Researchers from the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine children’s hospital wondered if it was a pregnant woman’s infection or the antibiotics used to treat it that had the potential to be linked to birth defects. “With penicillin, macrolides are amongst the most used medications in the general population and in pregnancy,” says lead researcher Anick Bérard....

In the process of decorating baby’s nursery? Try this tip from user Surprise3rd, who posted on our 3rd Trimester message board. Before you place the crib in the room, Surprise3rd suggests testing the set-up by cracking the door to baby’s room by about an inch and peeking in. “Whatever portion of the room you can see [from the door] is where you should put the crib,” she says. “That way, you can easily crack the door to check on them....

March of 2020 seems like a distant memory, but every day we’re greeted by reminders that COVID-19 is here to stay. As parents, we continue to have to make important decisions about our families in an ever-evolving situation. Choices about childcare, playdates and health appointments feel weighty and are measured against our own personal risk tolerance. But COVID’s far-reaching consequences don’t stop there: New research suggests that children who were born during the pandemic are experiencing greater delays in their fine and gross motor skills....

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At 6 p.m. every night, my phone rings. When I answer, the first question is always, “where’s meow meow two?” It’s my 2-year-old niece BB calling, and for some reason, she is more interested in speaking to my cats than to her very cool aunt. Since BB was born, I’ve flown to Miami each month to make sure her speech and language skills were up to par. (I’m a speech language pathologist, after all....

Raising a child is hard enough on its own. But it can be even more challenging for LGBTQ+ parents who may face bias, stigma and outside stress along the way. Fortunately, having the right support in place can help if and when issues arise. Whether you’re just now pondering the possibility of parenthood or in the throes of it, here’s expert intel on how to maintain your mental health through the trials, tribulations and triumphs that come with the territory....

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. There is no parenting win too small—which Hillary Frank knows from firsthand experience. Though perhaps best known for her acclaimed podcast, The Longest Shortest Time, which discusses the surprises and absurdities of parenting, Frank is a mom first....

Your Pregnancy Week-By-Week Hello, second trimester! Time to pull your head out of the sand (or the toilet) and enjoy the real perks of pregnancy, like unexpected chivalry from complete strangers and a cute round tummy popping out from under your shirt. Baby is getting down to business in there, growing from a little peach to a sizeable eggplant. He’s also starting to exercise his little limbs, so you’ll be feeling those little baby kicks pretty soon (when you least expect them)....

You should stop sleeping on your stomach or back by around 20 weeks of pregnancy. By this point, you may notice that sleeping either way — especially on your stomach — is pretty uncomfortable. The concern with sleeping on your back is that the enlarging uterus can compress the large veins in the back of your abdomen, which can in turn decrease the amount of blood returning to your heart. As a result, your blood pressure can drop, and you may feel lightheaded or nauseated....

Shrieking works, but it might scare baby…or worse, wake him or her up. Two tried-and-true tactics for taking off the edge: venting to friends (or other new moms) and getting some exercise. Find mom-to-mom support on online message boards (like ours!) or by joining a mommy group in your area. And exercise doesn’t have to mean a trip to the gym and a total body workout. A brisk walk around the block can work wonders for your nerves....

You’ve got the baby shower invite, selected the most adorable gift and can’t wait to see the glowing mom-to-be. But what do you wear to an event that’s definitely not as fancy as a wedding, yet more dressed up than a birthday party? If you’re having trouble deciding what to wear to a baby shower, don’t worry—we’ve got some simple advice on etiquette, dress codes and outfit ideas to get you started....

You’ve had the bag packed for weeks. Relaxing music? Check. Favorite pillow? Check. But have you given any thought to who you’ll bring into the delivery room? It may sound like a pretty simple consideration, but some women find it surprisingly tricky to negotiate—particularly when family members take the liberty of inviting themselves. Here are a few things to think about and some advice from moms who’ve been there: Hospital regulations Many have a two-person rule (mom-to-be plus two); others have no official limits and leave it up to the doctors to decide....