When a popular baby detergent gave her a rash, Jessica Alba didn’t ignore it. She got passionate about it — and started The Honest Company, a line of nontoxic, eco-friendly products. Now, the actress-turned-businesswoman has added a new credit to her résumé: author. Her book, The Honest Life, is packed full of Jessica’s healthy and green secrets, from fashion and beauty to cleaning and planning baby’s nursery. She’s also got these surprises up her sleeve....
Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new numbers that show that more children than ever before received their flu shot vaccination during the 2012-2013 flu season. And it wasn’t just kids who were getting the shot; researchers also noted a slight increase in the number of adults who received the flu vaccination. For the 2012-2013 flu season, the CDC noted that 56.5 percent of kids between the ages of six months and 17 years old were vaccinated....
You’ll probably find yourself flipping through waiting room magazines far more often than some of your friends who are just carrying one baby. Your visits will depend largely on the number of babies you’re carrying. If you’re pregnant with nonidentical twins (aka dizygotic, meaning two of your eggs were fertilized by two of your partner’s different sperm) you get a bit of a break in the appointment department. Once you’ve gone for your first trimester screening (typically between 11 and 14 weeks), you’ll be back every month or so—at first for another set of screenings (15 to 20 weeks) and then for your anatomy scan (18 to 22 weeks)....
There’s no doubt that convulsions are _scary _stuff, but the good news is that they’re very rare (epilepsy only affects 1 percent of the general population). So why does baby have convulsions if she isn’t epileptic? Well, think of the brain as a circuit board, where electrical impulses allow us to do things like move our arms and legs, eat, drink and so on. A convulsion (also called a grand mal seizure) occurs when there’s a short circuit and _all _the electrical circuits are flying at the same time....
Miscarriage is more common than you might think. According to experts, about 10 to 25 percent of pregnancies will result in a miscarriage. Still, many couples find it difficult to talk about pregnancy loss, and instead face their grief and frustration alone. Ultimately, this means less awareness around the topic, which can make it even more scary and confusing for those going through the experience. It’s not particularly light or uplifting, but some basic education around the often taboo topic of miscarriage can help you navigate this tricky terrain....
You know that talking to baby is good for her development. But you may not know baby talk is yet another battle of the sexes. A new study published in the journal Pediatrics looked at how moms and dads talk to their babies, since most existing research only examines how moms interact with infants. To conduct the study, researchers attached a small recording device to babies with a vest, tracking verbal interactions at three different times: in the hospital, a few weeks after discharge and at seven months....
There’s no denying it: Becoming a mom is hard work. After nine+ months of preparing for baby and the actual labor, followed by a post-birth recovery, this stage of life can be a whirlwind (to say the least!). Aside from the emotional highs and lows of new parenthood, your body goes through a lot of physical changes too. Of course, all bodies are beautiful, but some people struggle to regain body confidence after having a child....
Now that you’re expecting, you may be radiating with excitment, but your pregnancy complexion doesn’t always reflect that inner joy. Skin issues can abound during pregnancy—we’re talking everything from teenage-like acne to stretch marks and strange rashes. Here are some of the most common skin problems women encounter during pregnancy, and what you can do about them. Issue #1: Newfound Sensitivities Your skin is extra-sensitive right now, so be easier on it now that you’re pregnant....
You don’t have to be an experienced mom to know about baby acetaminophen (aka Infants’ Tylenol). While scientists are still unclear how it works (there are several theories, including its ability to affect chemical messengers in the brain), the drug has been used to relieve fevers and soothe mild pain (such as from earaches) in babies as young as 12 weeks old. When your child reaches the six-month mark, however, you have a new choice when it comes over-the-counter pain relief for baby: ibuprofen—typically in the form of Infants’ Motrin or Infants’ Advil....
The latest study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that doing away with naptime actually interferes with your preschooler’s ability to process — and remember — the information they learn in school. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst tested the memory retention skills of 40 preschool students by playing a Memory-like game with them during regular school hours. In one condition, the kids took their regular classroom nap after the Memory game (averaging about 77 minutes of sleep) and in the second condition, kids were kept awake following the Memory game for the same amount of time....
For a c-section, the choices are an epidural block, a spinal block, or general anesthesia. You may or may not have a choice — your OB may take your preferences into account, but she’ll ultimately make a decision based on both your and baby’s well-being. If you’re put under general anesthesia, you won’t be awake for the cesarean. With the epidural and spinal blocks, the lower half of your body will be numbed for the surgery, but you’ll remain awake....
Now that you’re pregnant, you’re hyperaware of everything that’s going into your body. From tuna to Tylenol, you’re second-guessing everything. But a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you shouldn’t think twice about a flu shot. The March of Dimes backs the report, emphasizing that changes to a pregnant woman’s immune system, heart and lungs put her at an increased risk of harmful flu effects. Babies born to moms who got vaccinated reap the benefits too; your flu shot protects baby from serious influenza-related illnesses for her first six months of life, plus a slew of other conditions, like asthma, heart problems and diabetes....
Watching your belly grow throughout pregnancy is pretty mesmerizing. It’s amazing what the body does in order to accommodate a growing baby. But at some point during those 40+ weeks, the wonderment of it all begins to wane, and you just want to have that baby in your arms—and your tummy back to its normal shape and size! The thing is: Once baby is out, your postpartum belly won’t look or feel like it did pre-pregnancy (at least, not for some time)....
Once you’ve made the big decision to start a family, it’s hard to wait. And while your patience may be waning, you can (and should!) begin planning right away. That’s because—as it turns out—there’s more to getting pregnant fast than just having sex at the right time; it’s also about creating the perfect environment so that when sperm meets egg, a healthy embryo grows into a healthy baby. Conceiving quickly may be the goal, but it’s never a guarantee....
Yes, it’s okay for your toddler to play with her food — but within reason. Toddlers are experiential learners, so resist the urge to interfere when your child pulls apart, smells or smashes a new food. That’s how they learn! As hard as it may be, it’s best not to comment at all. (Resist the urge to roll your eyes too!) Remember, it’s completely normal for kids to play with their food before trying it, and it may take a couple of tries before your child gets the food anywhere near her mouth....
If you’ve come to count on day care as an essential part of your back-to-work routine, it can be stressful to think you might suddenly lose this safety net. You can take heart in knowing that having your baby summarily dismissed from the daycare center is a relatively unlikely occurrence. Sometimes older children may be asked to leave because of repeated negative behaviors, such as biting or hitting, or because of a concern for a child’s safety, such as allergies that are so severe the staff feels they can’t adequately care for him....
Forget walking and talking; the mobile media milestone comes first for many babies. A new study published in Pediatrics confirms that kids as young as one are using tablets for more than 20 minutes a day on average. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against screen time for infants under age two, explaining that interacting with people — not screens — best facilitates learning and development. But these new findings aren’t necessarily a bad thing....
Looking for some babies, animals and a whole lot of pink to brighten up your Sunday? Photographer Lindsey Bonnice has you covered with her Instagram acccount, Live Sweet Photography, which is largely dedicated to chronicling the relationship between her two-year-old adopted daughter Libby and their three-month-old pet pig, Pearl. Bonnice has documented some pretty sweet moments, from tea parties and pajama parties to cuddle sessions. The best part? Libby loved pigs even before Pearl came along....
Finding out I was pregnant at 20 years old was terrifying. I was worried it was a huge disappointment to my family, as they had rallied behind me and supported my move to college. What’s more, I was unsure how I was going to care for and provide for a little one. Riddled with shame and terrified that I had ruined my life, I hid my pregnancy from most of my family for six months....
Good question, considering you’ll have between 10 and 15 OB visits throughout the pregnancy. During the first and second trimester, you’ll see the doc roughly every four weeks, then every two weeks through week 36, and then weekly until delivery. At every visit, your blood pressure, weight and urine will be tested. The doc will also check the fetal heartbeat,and around week 20 start measuring your belly’s growth and checking baby’s position....
