Pregnancy

Want to design your baby shower decoration like a pro? Then you come to the right place.

You don't have to be a party expert, no tricky techniques and so-called "Decoration Bible". I will tell you below how to make the party decoration by yourself.

First things first, where is the place you're going to decorate?

In your home, your neighbor's garden, private club, office meeting room, or even the church hall?

The ideas are endless.

Rent a restaurant is the most popular choice for a simple baby shower decoration. And you don't have to take care of the clean-up.

Keep in mind that to look for a place where has the right atmosphere for your baby shower theme.

For example, you can rent a local Polynesian themed restaurant or club for a Hawaiian Luau shower. The restaurant can provide basic decoration service for you.

A bouquet of balloons and ...

We were living and teaching Reiki in Darjeeling, India, when we decided to try for a child. Straight after conception I placed my hands on Bronwen's sacral chakra, the area of the ovaries and a tremendous heat was channeled into the womb and it felt as of I was helping the seeds of life. This was the first contact that I had with my child because we soon realised that Bronwen was pregnant. After a 10 year relationship we had imagined that it would take a much longer period before she became pregnant, but we were now both sure that the Reiki energy was helping to speed things up.

I decided to do a daily Reiki session on our baby. It began to feel as if I was a part of the baby and of Bronwen, who had a deeper connection than I did with our new child. When I placed my hands on the womb I immediately sensed a beautiful energy streaming into our baby and I felt overwhelmed with emot...

I don't think that most parents set out to give their babies bizarre names but sometimes it happens by accident in the 'nick name phase'.

My nephew's name is Brian Andrew and his father was adamant that no one shorten his son's name into 'Bry'. Somehow around his first birthday, the nick name 'Bubba' started and by the time he was entering pre-school, it had stuck. He was a solid little boy, but by no means chubby. I don't know how a Dad so opposed to a shortened name tolerated his son being called Bubba!

A few parents do choose unusual names. I babysat for a family of four children once in the 90s who named all of their children starting with the letter D. These children were named Destiny, Diamond, Dusty and Dinky.

Dinky was a boy too. Can you imagine that name on a grown man?

When I was young I wanted to have a boy and a girl and I planned to name them...

It is believed that only menopausal women have hot flashes. There are some medical conditions, like low blood pressure, low blood sugar and hyperthyroidism, that cause hot flashes. Male hot flashes amongst prostate cancer patients are common. A few pregnant women also suffer from hot flashes.

During pregnancy, estrogen levels tend to fluctuate in some women. Even among menopausal women, where 75% suffer from hot flashes, it is not the level of estrogen or other hormones that cause the problem, but the fluctuating hormone levels. Hot flashes are a hot feeling on the neck and face, making the face red, and may be accompanied by sweating, dizziness, head ache and heart palpitation. They can last from a few seconds up to an hour. One of the prime causes of hot flashes is stress and anxiety. Pregnant women do have a lot of anxiety.

When the hot flashes are mild, simple modifica...

It is crucial for every business to have some type of health insurance available for its employees. This insurance is typically called “group health insurance.” It refers to “securing” the health of a group of people who are working together for a business or corporation. The goal of group health insurance is to provide employees with health benefits to cover injuries or health problems, and save the business from any problems that may arise after such an incident.

The first thing that needs to be considered is the number of employees that work for the business. Additionally, executive management needs to decide what type of group health services they wish to provide, and how much the company will pay into the policy as opposed to the employees. Options include dental insurance, wellness programs (fitness clubs, weight loss, massage therapy, etc.), prescription drug plans, visio...

I didn't give a lot of thought to birth control as a young nineteen year old. I wasn't involved in a relationship and while I wasn't a virgin, I wasn't expecting to be sexually active. I didn't realize that I would be meeting Bobby.

One stupid night with a near stranger was so out of character for me that I still look back and can hardly believe my behavior. Bobby was charismatic and flattering and I was a little drunk. Before I knew it, we were making love. The night was incredible and in the morning I said good-by with a blush on my cheeks.

Bobby was a college student on vacation and I knew I would never see him again. I didn't plan to tell any of my friends about my escapade – that is until I realized that I was late for my period.

Every woman in that situation knows that moment when everything in your world seems to come to a stop. The wind dies, the radio f...

You have read all the lists about what to pack for the big day. You have outlined every aspect of your birth plan. You have copied, checked and re-checked every list to make sure you have forgotten nothing. Do you really need to pack emery boards and a facial spritzer? How about that tennis ball for lower back pain? Unless you plan to fill a steamer trunk and your luxurious birthing suite accommodates luggage for a 13-day cruise, here are the basics of what you need to have with you at delivery time.

First, and I cannot make this clear enough; pack your “suitcase” ahead of time and put it in the primary car that you drive. I have been in the baby business for six years and I have heard story after story of last minute scrambles and misplaced necessities. You might be going to your 37 week check up getting ready to spend the next 2 to 3 weeks off your feet eating bonbons only to ...

If you can, why not throw a coed baby shower and assign a male co-host for you next baby shower planning?

Not only celebrities in L.A tend to ahead of the curve when it come to trends, a famous baby site also reports that nearly half of baby showers now are coed parties.

Especially with busy soon-to-be-Moms, like business owner, company executives, and celebrities, there is often a Mr. Mom at home who expects to fully participate in the baby shower. And of course, their male buddies.

Beside, dad-to-be plays a very big role during the pregnancy and in the new baby's life, why should you get the new mom to celebrate on her own?

Of course, hosting a coed baby shower is more than just putting the male guests on the inviting list. Some shower hostesses even worry that guys would not attend such a party where participants play games such as Round-the-Tummy.

If ...

Teenage pregnancy has always been seen as a problem of the western world but the hard reality is that it exists as much in our society as it does in the west. Pre-marital sex is not just common to cultures abroad but also to our culture, whether we are willing to accept this or not another thing. Pre-marital sex and teenage pregnancy is a definite component of our society, period! It mostly goes unnoticed due to the social stigma attached to the unwed girl or her family.

Teenage pregnancy is more a problem in rural societies of India than in urban set ups. The poor soul is seen as an outcast and the stigma is carried for a life time or even for generations ahead. Urban India is changing by the day. With live-in relationships, pre-marital sex and free sex on the rampant, it’s a completely new world but rural India is unfortunately not moving with the same pace. With problems of p...

Adolescent years are the best years of our lives. Most of us have very fond memories of childhood and teenage years but then most things also look better in retrospect. With the fond memories, we are also reminded of the difficulties we faced with adjustment as teenagers, social decorum or behavioral norms.

Teenage years are very crucial and coping with them becomes easier when we have a mentor or a guide to look up to whether in the form of a parent, friend or teacher. These are the years when most of us develop our personalities. Experiences in these years shapes us in later years and determines the people we end up becoming. Adolescence comes with its set of good and bad or pros and cons to sound more conventional. Problems range from teenage pregnancy to peer pressure and depression. Some of these have a plausible solution while others do not.

Take for example teenag...

Every labor and delivery is a magically unique experience. Giving birth is a phenomenon that the majority of women experience at least once in their life, and labor and delivery is the culmination of the pregnancy and the introduction of a beautiful new soul.

Even if a woman should happen to give birth to many children, each and every labor and delivery experience has its own unique concerns. For instance, the expectant mom plans on giving birth at the local hospital, and she has chosen an epidural catheter for pain control during labor and delivery. Her water breaks a few weeks early while at their remote cabin, but suddenly the baby arrives before you can get to the hospital.

This happens more than you might think, fortunately everything usually turns out to be just fine. People have been giving birth long before there have been hospitals. Just imagine how many babies ...

For many women that are expecting babies, they can feel a little on attractive and self-conscious to say the least. Maternity clothes do not have to be huge. They do not have to be frumpy and they do not have to scream, “Pregnant lady coming!”

There are now a huge number of styles to choose from. It really is no longer an ignored fashion niche, and I say it's about time. Maternity clothing comes in a large number of designs and colors. There are so many options available in maternity clothing that you are virtually ensured of finding something that fits your sense of taste and style. Gone are the days of hiding behind ridiculously large garments that actually accentuate the negative and downplay the positive. It is come to the point where women are now much more particular about their maternity clothes and I salute them for it. With the new line of clothing available to expecti...

Prescribing a medication for pregnant women is a complex process.

Before obstetricians and gynecologists decide which dose of which drug can best treat a condition without putting any harmful side effects on the mother and the baby, they consider the patient’s age, general health, the number of months before delivery, tolerance for medications, and any other drugs the pregnant patient may be taking.

Prescribing exercise on pregnant women has to be just as scientific and precise. The type, intensity, frequency, and duration of a “dose” of exercise are all critical. One person’s healthy, vigorous workout could be hazardous to another. These dangers may be greater in pregnant women because they are more likely to have strains and other serious side effects for the would-be mother.

However, if exercise will be implemented and carried out in a normal, average range, exerc...

People will debate the ethical issues of gender selection (aka 'sex selection') for years to come, but there is no stopping the fact that it is now possible. If you have decided that it's important for your next baby to be a boy or a girl, what options do you really have?

A quick round of web surfing will reveal that there are many methods of gender selection available, from those based on ancient traditions to those based on the most recent technologies. Some approaches will cost you nothing, others will set you back several thousand dollars.

Do any of these methods really work? To a certain extent, when it comes to gender selection, you get what you pay for, but for most people with an interest in increasing their chances of having a baby of one sex or the other, a simple fertility monitor may be the most practical tool.

Ancient Arts

According to the ...

Have you been looking for a way to get rid of stretch marks on your stomach? Have stretch marks been making want to cry? Having a baby should be one of the happiest events in any woman’s life. Seeing your little one and knowing they are a such a big part of you is difficult to put into words. Many things come with having a baby including an increased feeling of pride, a desire to be the best person you can be, and unfortunately, stretch marks. Most women who become pregnant and have a baby all seem to get those unsightly marks on the bottom of their stomach.

Stretch marks are sort of a badge of honor in being a mother, and even though they are well worth the end result of having a child, they can be discouraging to many women to look at. Although you want them to disappear, you can’t just wave a magic wand and hope they go away, but you can do something about them.

What A...

The question of why so many women have to deal with heartburn during pregnancy is quite common. Time and time again this problem comes up, and many women simply deal with because they do not know any better.

Due to increased level of hormones during pregnancy, the ligaments that usually keep the lower esophageal sphincter can soften up considerably. And when this happens at the wrong time, gases and acid can reflux back up the wrong way.

Another reason that heartburn is common among pregnant women is that as the baby puts more pressure on the stomach, the contents of it can be pushed up the lower esophageal sphincter.

At this point you may be thinking that you are doomed if you are pregnant. But this is not necessarily the case. Here are a few ways to combat this problem during pregnancy.

1. Do not eat foods that are known to make heartburn worse. By avoid...

You have just found out you are expecting, congratulations! How do you find out how lone have you been pregnant? Is there any way to measure it? It actually depends on how you kept track of your menstruation cycle. Usually obstetrician-gynecologist count pregnancy from the first day of your last menstrual period. Technically, that would make you about 4 to 5 weeks pregnant by the time your next period is late, around the time you took your home pregnancy test.

But, you may not have been pregnant that long! You're most likely 2 weeks pregnant, if measured by the actual date of ovulation and conception. The pregnancy began when your egg was fertilized about 10-14 days ago.

When a woman conceives, it is within a 24-48 hour window either before or after ovulation occurs. This is usually around day 14-18 of a woman's cycle. But let's go back to the beginning of this cycle. You'...

When it comes to choosing names for your baby, you want the perfect fit. But before you scour the globe, the Internet, and the baby name books for the perfect thing to call your little tyke, why not start with the tree in your own backyard? Specifically, your family tree.

As a genealogist, I forcibly persuaded my husband to work with me in choosing names from our past. Some of the names we have chosen are recent. My first child was named for my mother and my grandmother. My second child was named for, well, my husband. My third child was named for my adopted grandfather and my grandfather.

But if these names are unacceptable – I am not willing to work with my husband’s grandparents names, Emeron and Stella (as if I could talk with a grandfather named Styrle Iretone) – you can search further into your past. Did you have a great aunt you were close to? Can your grandparents ...

Are you suffering from stress? Stress in your work place? Stress from your marriage? Or stress from not being able to conceive? Then, you are the correct person for me to talk to.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, “stress is a state of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium” Aha! There you see, stress will disturb existing equilibrium resulting in disequilibrium. This is because according to research, our bodies respond to stress by pumping adrenaline into our systems as a way to prepare for “fight or flight.” Our muscles tense, we are ready to fight or flee for our very lives just like our original ancestor.

The problem now is we can neither fight nor flee. This is because the source of our stress might not be a living thing. It is a machine. How can you fight with your own faulty computer when you want to start your w...

The ill effects of alcohol consumed during pregnancy causes a pattern of mental and physical defects in some unborn babies, known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome was named in 1973 by two dysmorphologists, Kenneth Lyons Jones and David W. Smith of the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle.

In the United States, there are more babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome than HIV or Downs Syndrome. A child born with FAS may be seriously handicapped, possibly requiring a lifetime of special care. Most of the disabilities of FAS are caused by a pregnant woman consuming alchohol between the 10th and the 20th week of pregnancy.

Alcohol interferes with the ability of the fetus to receive sufficient oxygen and nourishment for normal cell development in the brain and other body organs. FAS is characterized by abnormal facial features, growth deficiencies, ...