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From unwelcome body hair to nosy questions from strangers, pregnancy comes with its fair share of awkward and embarrassing moments. In case we haven’t emphasized the fact that you’re not alone enough, we’ve found some adorable cartoons to drive the point home. Norwegian illustrator and mom-of-two Line Severinsen has been drawing hilarious cartoons of pregnancy and parenting challenges since 2012, when she was expecting her first baby. From bedroom blunders to grooming gaffes, her illustrations help moms and moms-to-be laugh at things they rarely even talk about....

When mom Michelle found out that she was pregnant with her second child in two years, one of the first people she told was Marysol Blomerus, the Cape Town photographer that documented her first son Aiden’s arrival via emergency c-section, in hopes that she would be available again. Like with her first birth, Michelle went into labor early, and just like last time Blomerus was on hand to document the day through photos and video, compiling the two into her first birth film....

Many moms describe the sensations of let-down (aka “milk ejection reflex”) as a tingling or pins-and-needles feeling. You might feel this sensation deep in your breast as milk ducts force milk towards the nipple. This can hurt a bit at the beginning, as your body gets accustomed to breastfeeding, but should essentially disappear in the coming weeks. Let-down can occur when you’re trying to nurse baby…or sometimes occurs if you hear baby fuss or squeal, or simply think of his sweet little face....

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause severe diarrhea illnesses. The most common places you’ll find it are in raw or undercooked chicken and other meats (a good reason to keep your hands and cutting/cooking surfaces clean). Sometimes, salmonella contaminates vegetables, getting at them through the dirt. When this happens, it doesn’t really get inside them — it’s on the skins. In this case, the best way to prevent illnesses is to thoroughly wash all of your fruits and veggies, even if you aren’t actually eating the skins....

Toddlers are the kings and queens of short attention spans! Seriously — virtually every toddler in the world flits from activity to activity every few minutes, and that’s perfectly normal. In fact, it’s far more unusual to have a toddler who can pay attention for long periods of time than one who becomes restless within a few minutes of, well, just about anything. That said, toddlers’ attention spans tend to expand as they grow....

The number of options out there is dizzying: There’s the Moses basket, co-sleeper, crib, bassinet — and each sleeping situation has its own selling points and drawbacks. It’s enough to make even the most prepared parent question which one is the “right” choice for their newborn. The most important thing when it comes to baby sleep is safety. “The safest option out there is a completely flat mattress in a crib, Moses basket or bassinet,” says Preeti Parikh, MD, a board-certified pediatrician, assistant clinical professor in the Pediatrics Department at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and an American Academy of Pediatrics fellow and spokeswoman....

What is asthma in babies? Asthma is a common lung disease that can cause wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. The latest research suggests that asthma is essentially the result of a hypersensitive airway. In other words, when the airway of someone with asthma is exposed to a trigger substance, such as smoke or an environmental allergen, the airway constricts and the tissue inside the airway becomes inflamed. At the same time, the body produces excess mucus in a misguided attempt to flush the allergen out of the airway....

I’m not a babysitter. I’m not a best friend. I’m not the muscle. I’m a dad, and not only can I change a diaper as well as my wife—I choose to. But at most places I go, I don’t even have the option to change my sons because the men’s rooms don’t have changing tables. Even when I can, I know on the way there or back, at least one person will make a condescending comment about how I’m the one doing it....

If you’re a new parent, someone has probably recommended that you read Dr. Harvey Karp’s book, Happiest Baby on the Block, or at least told you about the “five s’s.” Wondering what he’s been up to lately? He spent years working with MIT researchers to develop the safest, smartest crib possible. And it doesn’t disappoint. WHAT WE LOVE With the push of a button, the SNOO begins to gently rock your baby, choosing the best motion for soothing based on the sound of his or her cries Need more soothing?...

Once upon a time, Cupid struck you and your partner. You fell in love, you did what many couples do…and now you have a baby. With all the changes baby brings, being a new parent can affect your relationship—but Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to step back, relax and enjoy each other. Easier said than done, right? Sure, romance can be a bit more elusive with a newborn in the picture, but there are some simple ways to spice up your day (and night)....

People don’t tend to be secretive when it comes to how their pregnancies go. Call it part of the mommy wars or what have you, but women love to share the ups and — especially — the downs of pregnancy. So, we grow up hearing all the horror stories about the crazy cravings, horrible morning sickness, extreme pain in childbirth — and don’t forget the horrifying tales about your mom’s cousin’s best friend’s brother who gave birth in the car while stranded in 4 feet of snow....

Yes, I admit it, I bribe my children , for everything from chores to reading to eating their veggies. Why? Because it works. When my youngest started a Montessori preschool at the ago of 3 a few years ago, the Montessori expert who consulted for the new school held several parent meetings to train us in the Montessori ways. She said that the school wouldn’t be using rewards to encourage desirable behavior, that instead they would use praise and positive reinforcement to teach the children to do what was expected of them....

For preemies, every day in the mother’s womb makes a huge difference. But what exactly does it mean to be a preemie? Technically, any baby born before week 37 is considered premature, however, 24 weeks is the commonly-held age of viability in the medical community. But a new study suggests survival might be possible at 22. Last week, The New England Journal of Medicine published a study examining babies born as early as 22 weeks....

According to a representative from the NYC Poison Control Center, this shouldn’t be a concern. While gel sanitizers often contain more than 60% alcohol, it evaporates very quickly. (Part of the alcohol’s purpose, after all, is to help the stuff dry quickly so you aren’t all gooey afterwards.) Even if you were to rub a bit on your hands and immediately reach into baby’s mouth, any amount of alcohol transferred would be insubstantial....

For most moms, labor is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. And after discovering that the caloric demands of laboring women are literally comparable to those of marathon runners, researchers suggest that a light meal during labor would be beneficial. Sure, eating might not be top priority as you battle your way through contractions, but a lack of adequate nutrition comes with consequences. By not eating, women’s bodies will begin to turn to fat as an energy source, upping the level of acidity in mom and baby’s blood....

Doctors have some serious misgivings about water births and according to the new joint guidelines released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), they have good reason why. According to the new guidelines, it’s okay for a woman to labor in the tub (to take some off the pressure of), actually giving birth in water could be dangerous for baby. Dr. Tonse Raju, chief of the pregnancy and perinatology branch at the National Institude of Child Health and Human Development, told TODAY, “Before this report, there wasn’t any standard advice....

To treat any reccuring breastfeeding problem, it is most benificial to know whatare the risk factors and causes of the problem and then take steps to alleviatethem and thereby eliminating the reccurance. The underlying cause of mastitis isthe pooling of milk within the breast, which leads to inflammation and eventuallyinfection. Poor removal of milk can be caused by a variety of factors such aslimiting the time that baby spends at the breast, skipping feedings, a pluggedduct, or even oversupply....

The most typical symptom is a “seal-like” cough or a bark-sounding cough. The best at-home remedy is cold air, so wrap your baby up in blankets and open the window or go for a walk around the block. If that doesn’t help, call your pediatrician. There are prescription steroid medications that also are helpful for treating the symptoms. But because croup is caused by a virus, it will resolve on its own in a few days and won’t get better with antibiotics....

A new report, published in the journal Pediatrics, conducted more than 2,700 interviews with 532 first-time moms after giving birth and found that women who worried — from the start — about their ability to nurse their infants were more likely to switch to formula sooner than those who didn’t share those same concerns. Researchers met with new moms just 24 hours after they’d delivered and followed them through 60 days postpartum....

If you feel like you got hit with tons of parenting advice the second you started sporting a bump, you’re not alone. Moms-to-be often discover that everyone from future grandparents to the guy at the corner deli have plenty of unsolicited words of wisdom to share. Sure, some of the advice you get from well-meaning friends (or strangers) may turn out to be helpful, but sometimes it can also be downright crazy....