Flying While Pregnant

I was afraid to get into my car when I was pregnant let alone an airplane. However, many women wonder whether or not it's safe to fly when pregnant. The following article pretty much gives the green light up to 35 weeks unless you are experiencing certain complications.

Although the article briefly discusses exposure to radiation on airplane flights, I should mention that I knew a fertility doctor who would not let his clients fly during and after their fertility treatments because of the exposure to radiation at high altitudes. Read more:

Flying During Your Pregnancy (www.pregnancy-calendars.net)

Daddy's Bond Too, But In A Different Way

Yes, fathers are important too. Many moms forget that kids want a relationhip with both their parents. Fathers have their own way of relating to kids and even though it's different from women, its valuable to kids. Read more:
From the article:

Fathers Gain Respect From Experts (and Mothers)(www.nytimes.com)


“Daddy’s bonding time with his girls is working on cars,” said Ms. Calapini, of Olivehurst, Calif. “He has his own way of communicating with them, and that’s O.K.”

As much as mothers want their partners to be involved with their children, experts say they often unintentionally discourage men from doing so. Because mothering is their realm, some women micromanage fathers and expect them to do things their way, said Marsha Kline Pruett, a professor at the Smith College School for Social Work at Smith College and a co-author of the new book “Partnership Parenting,” with her husband, the child psychiatrist Dr. Kyle Pruett (Da Capo Press).

Facts and Myths About Motherhood Over 40

I've often resented some of the comments I hear about how it is selfish to want or to have babies in your 40's because your age may predispose your child to a lifetime of caring for an older parent. Here is an article that helps to dispel that myth and many others:

Midlife Motherhood Myths Dispelled by a Midlife Mom
by Cynthia Wilson James

I've been able to "run circles" around many younger moms who aren't quite as skilled at planning, multitasking and negotiating (with a toddler) as I am. I've also learned over the years how to be more assertive with the world in general. I can resolve most problems so much more efficiently now that I know how to navigate in a somewhat complicated society. There's no substitute for real life experience, and the only way you get that is to live it!

Feng Shui For Your Baby

Have you ever thought about using the principles of feng shui in your home? Here is an article about feng shui for the nursery:


fengshui.about.com

From the article:

How do you know if a room has a good flow of energy? You can use the following feng shui tips to check the flow of chi, and you can also always use your senses! How does the room feel, look, smell? All your senses come into play when understanding the world of energy.

Nourishing all senses in the baby's room is especially important in order to create a good and healthy foundation for your little one.

Your baby will soon be exploring the world by awakening all her senses, so as a parent you can use feng shui nursery tips to create a safe, healthy and nourishing environment.

Along with the basic feng shui guidelines for a healthy baby's room, also be aware of lowering the EMF levels that are potentially very harmful.

Bombarding the energy of your baby's room with all the latest electrical gadgets available on the market (often not really needed!), is contributing to challenging feng shui in the baby's room.

Is Your Husband Pregnant Too? What is Couvade Syndrome?

Couvade Syndrome may also be referred to as "Sympathetic Pregnancy". This is when your husband starts feeling pregnant just like you. I must say, my husband didn't experience this even to the slightest degree. Sometimes I wish he had...especially since I had such terrible morning sickness...but then who would have done my grocery shopping? Read more:

Couvade Syndrome (pregnancy.about.com)

Some people have doubted the reality of couvade syndrome. These doubters say that the weight gain that the father may experience is caused by the eating habits of the mother, nerves, or other changes that pregnancy makes in one's life.The vomiting? Of course, that is blamed on nerves, too.

What do the dads have to say about this? They don't know what to think about vomiting, weight gain, and changes in sexual appetite. How can you tell everyone at work that you need to lie down because you have morning sickness?!? And, of course, they would stop vomiting if they could.

This is something that has been researched and found to be quite real. Some men are more susceptible to couvade than others. For instance if you and your partner have experienced infertility or if you were adopted, you could be more likely to experience couvade syndrome.

Vaginal Exams In Pregnancy

I was always worried about having any kind of exam when I was pregnant, especially vaginal exams. I didn't want anything coming close to my baby - even a doctor with gloves on. My doctor would usually do an exam to check my cervix, and it actually was somewhat painful. Of course, I worried that it would throw me into labor! Well... it didn't (as it turned out I was induced). Here is an article about what information vaginal exams can give you and your doctor late in pregnancy:

Vaginal Exams in Late Pregnancy (www.childbirth.org)

From the article:

Remember vaginal exams measure several things:


Dilation & thinning of the cervix
Position of the baby
Station of the baby
Position of the cervix

Vaginal exams do not measure:

When the baby is coming
Whether the baby will fit (in most cases)
All the progress being made in labor

Nitrate Dangers In Pregnancy

I've heard that processed lunch meats can be a problem in pregnancy for a number of reasons. This article addresses the use of nitrites as a preservative in meats and how they could be a problem in pregnancy:

parenting.ivillage.com

From the article:

In recent years, the level of nitrates contained in processed foods has decreased, and is considered safe for pregnant women. In fact, nitrates are used as a preservative in meats, often making the meat safer than it would be otherwise, from a bacterial safety standpoint. However, I would suggest that you avoid them whenever possible, as foods containing nitrates, such as preserved meats like hot dogs and bacon, are not good nutritional choices for pregnant women because of their high sodium and fat content.

On the other hand, nitrates in food are a danger in that they can be converted to nitrites, which can react in your stomach to form nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are potent cancer-causing chemicals. Generally nitrates are most dangerous when they are converted to nitrites prior to ingestion, which happens during the cooking process. Nitrites form under conditions of extreme heat, such as frying. Therefore, if you choose to eat nitrate-containing foods, do so in a manner that minimizes the conversion. For example, you will want to avoid using bacon dripping for cooking, or frying processed ham. It just makes sense to avoid exposure to any potentially cancer-causing compounds whenever possible, but most certainly when you are pregnant.