Archive for the 'Pregnancy' Category
27 Emilys
CNN reported that “for the 10th year running, Emily is the most popular name for infant girls in the United States, according to figures being released this Mother’s Day weekend from the Social Security Administration.” The most popular name for infant boys is Jacob.
This reminds me of my wife’s experience growing up. She was surrounded by girlfriends named Jennifer. She identifies well with Mike Doughty’s song, 27 Jennifers. Her best friend and most of her good friends were named Jennifer, and even when she went to college, some of her best friends were named Jennifer. Was she simply drawn towards girls named Jennifer, or did she not have a choice, because similar to how Emily will be, she was surrounded by them?
Emily and Jacob are obviously very fine names, even if they’re supposedly diluted in America. However, if you’re interested in finding a more unique name, I encourage you to do what my wife and I did and peruse FamilyResource.com’s Baby Names section. It has over 10,000 names to pick from.
Posted in Parenting, Pregnancy | No Comments »
Mother’s Day Can Be Difficult for Those Experiencing Infertility
It can be particularly difficult to face the many emotional issues raised by infertility at a time when everyone is celebrating motherhood and fatherhood. RESOLVE urges men, women and couples who are experiencing infertility to plan ahead for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, acknowledge their feelings and prepare themselves emotionally to handle questions and comments from family and friends. The Coping with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day article has a list of suggestions to help those who are experiencing infertility get through the holidays.
For women experiencing infertility, Mother’s Day can also be difficult in places where they expect to get the most support — their church. Here’s a letter from an anonymous church member to her pastor describing what it’s like for her when mother’s are celebrated during the church service.
Dear Pastor,
It’s almost Mother’s Day again. They seem to come so quickly. I’m sure you are planning a very special service for all of the mothers. I know that it is such a special day for them, and I do not want to spoil anyone’s joy. It is important for all of us to rejoice with each other, and even those of us who are not mothers can give thanks for those who are mothers.
All I ask is that you remember that this day can be extremely difficult for a number of members in our congregation. For women like me who struggle with infertility, Mother’s Day can be the most painful day of the year. I’ve thought about staying home, but I know I need to be in God’s house.
The most challenging part of the service is when all the mothers stand and the congregation smiles and applauds them. It feels awful to be the only one still sitting. I want to be able to stand with them. I want more than anything in this world to be a mother. It’s something I have always wanted. I have carried children, but they were taken before they were ever born. I do have children in heaven, but I’m not a mother in the eyes of those here on earth.
So, on Mother’s Day I often go home and cry, not quite able to understand why I am unable to become what so many in the church consider to be “God’s highest calling”…a mother.
t is not only the un-mothers who feel lonely on this day. It must also be a painful day for single women who have never married, for mothers who have lost children, and for moms who have sons or daughters wandering from the Lord.
As Mother’s Day approaches, I pray that you will remember that it is not only a day of rejoicing for some, but a day of painful reminders for others. I know that God will help you to be a blessing to our congregation as you minister to us on this Mother’s Day.
Anonymous
From Bethany - Letter to My Pastor
Posted in Holidays, Infertility | No Comments »
World Travelin’ Snacks
I have always loved that my kids are fairly experimental with their eating habits. My 19-month-old loves Indian food (her favorite is Sag or Vegetable Korma) and my six year old is a glutton for any kind of sushi or asian food.
This has lead me to wonder what else they may try and like. I discovered a great little gem of a website that tallies up snack ideas from children all over the world. Of course, the largest amount of entries are from the U.S. but there are plenty of interesting small recipes from all over. My personal favorite, and one we are sure to try, is from a teacher in France:
A favorite of all my students on food days is the chocolate sandwich. Take two pieces of bread (French, bien sur!) and put a plain chocolate bar in between. Voila! A typical French child’s favorite afterschool snack.
Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is living!
Posted in Cooking, Nutrition, Parent Education | 2 Comments »
Year of the Soccer Mom
This weekend, I crossed a threshold that I wasn’t sure I would ever be crossing. I am now a partaker in the weekend, rush-hour life of youth sports. My son had his first soccer meeting this past Saturday. The only thing that eased the fright of the loud chaotic room of kids running amok was the absolute look of eagerness and exuberance on my son’s face. The parents were a mixed group: half who looked liked this overkill of kid-crazy (imagine a Chuck E. Cheese playroom on speed) was something they had gotten accustomed to after several years and then there were the ones that looked more terrified of this strange universe than if they were being charged at by a mad, flame snorting bull . I would fall under the latter category, in case you weren’t sure. I sort of just backed myself up against the wall, wide eyed, and watched and listened and smiled and nodded a lot.
I like to think of myself as a good parent. I pay attention and listen. I read stories and am an active participant in my kids’ interests. I balance it with my life, making sure not to exclude my wants and needs. I feel I have found an equilibrium. However, and I am not sure if this is a shortcoming yet, I can’t get into the “spirit� of the active-child lifestyle. I like that we sit around and read books and eat home-made cinnamon rolls on Saturday mornings – followed by a leisurely walk after our nap. I like that we have time spent sitting around parks and libraries, telling stories and making up games. Not to make it all about me but, I am not quite ready to let that go. But I think I have to. Seeing the look on my little boy’s face this past Saturday makes me realize that he is ready to be a bigger part of the world. He is ready to get out there and make a mark – and in order to do that, he musn’t be exclusively sitting about eating cinnamon rolls and taking leisurely walks with his parents. His excitement is, really, all I need to get over the fact that in order for him to find his way that he has to break away from our cozy family time. And him realizing his independence and finding his passions in this world is, ultimately, the highest form of gratification for me. We’ll sneak the cinnamon rolls in later.
Posted in Concerns and Expectations, Lifestyles, Sports | No Comments »
Raising a Sharp Toothed Carnivore
When my son turned three and after a year of studying anything dinosaur related, he very exuberantly said to me that since he did indeed have sharp teeth that he wasn’t meant to be a vegetarian. The conversation actually went something like this:
Joseph: “Mommy, see my two sharp pointy teeth?”
Me: “Yes, honey, I do”
Joseph: “We can tell carnivore dinosaurs apart from vegetarian ones because they have sharp teeth, right?”
Me: “Yup”
Joseph: “Well, see, if you don’t let me eat meat I will go extinct”
I have been a vegetarian for fourteen years. At first it was adamantly for ethical reasons, now it is a combination of health and the former. I always had this daydream that I would have a lovely vegetarian kitchen with a husband and children who loved my cooking and felt like they were better off for it. Not so. Joseph comes up with repeated scientific facts as to why it is not only lame, but utterly detrimental to his existence for him to not have a slab of meat on a daily basis. My husband — well, he is polite and tolerant and respects my choice in our home. Occasionally, though, he and Joseph will go for a “walk” and come home looking as if they have just been to their first nudie show together, smelling of cheeseburgers. It should be said, at this point, that I have always (when out of the house) let him decide whether or not he wants meat for a meal. I stand my ground when it comes to fast food (thanks to my mom he has developed a penchant for McDonald’s — it is something he knows, by now, that I will not partake in). However, when we go out to the occasional restaurant, despite my alluring descriptions of the mac n’ cheese and steamed broccoli, he always winds up with the grilled chicken or hot dog.
My thwarted attempts aside, I wanted to mention some positive resources for vegetarian mothers. There are some really important books you should read if you are a vegetarian with kids (whether or not they subscribe to your eating philosophy). Vegetarian Baby by Sharon Yntema was my food bible with both of my children. And Super Baby Foods by Ruth Yaron is another with very pro-vegetarian tips and cooking methods. It is important to educate yourself about how to keep a nutritional balance in their diet, vegetarian or not, just as you would for yourself. For me, it was also important to realize that I can live by example but I cannot impose my ideals too too much or else it will be all for naught. Despite his resistance, I feel confidant that one day, even if he isn’t a pacifist animal loving vegetarian like me, that he will at least have the reverence and respect for those that are.
Posted in Healthy Living, Nutrition, Parent Education | 1 Comment »
Risk of Depression Relapse High During Pregnancy
Here’s an interesting report I heard on NPR today:
Women with a history of major depression who stop taking their medication during pregnancy have a high likelihood of relapse. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association is the first to quantify the risk of relapse during pregnancy and counters earlier thinking that pregnancy protects women from depression. Sasha Aslanian of American RadioWorks reports.
Listen to Risk of Depression Relapse High During Pregnancy
Posted in Concerns and Expectations, Pregnancy | No Comments »
Obesity Before Pregnancy Linked To Childhood Weight Problems - Pregnancy And Baby
Results of the study, which included more than 3,000 children, suggest that a child is far more likely to be overweight at a very young age — at 2 or 3 years old — if his mother was overweight or obese before she became pregnant. A child is also at greater risk of becoming overweight if he is born to a black or Hispanic mother, or to a mother who smoked during her pregnancy.
And there’s a good chance that an overweight child will stay overweight for the rest of his or her life.
(Full Story - Via Google Search: pregnancy.)
Posted in Concerns and Expectations, Nutrition, Pregnancy, Weight Management | No Comments »
Researchers Discover Evidence Of Babies Crying In The Womb
Researchers studying the the effects of maternal smoking and cocaine use during pregnancy discovered something they didn’t expect — signs of crying in unborn babies.
With the help of video-recorded ultrasound images, the investigators found that a group of third-trimester fetuses showed evidence of “crying behavior” in response to a low-decibel noise played on the mother’s abdomen.
Fetuses showed a “startle” response to the noise, along with deep inhalations and exhalations,an open mouth and a “quivering” chin — all signs of crying.
The behaviour, seen in 11 fetuses, began as early as the 28th week of pregnancy. It was only by chance that the researchers made their observations, said study co-author Dr Ed Mitchell of the University in Auckland in New Zealand.
My guess would be that like many behaviors inside the womb, the baby’s body is testing and turning on its newly wired responses — all related to survival outside of the womb. We already know that unborn babies can suck on their thumb, and that they can also sense external stimuli, like the sound in this study. So, it’s not a huge surprise that unborn babies would be able to exhibit signs of crying, especially since that’s one of the first survival behaviors they do immediately after they’re born.
Posted in Pregnancy | No Comments »
A Little Pregnant - One Woman’s Public Struggle With Infertility
Julie is in her thirties, and lives in a small town in New England. Julie has fertility problems, which have included several IUIs and four rounds of IVF, which ended in an ectopic pregnancy, a miscarriage, a negative, and a current pregnancy respectively.
When Julie started to try to get pregnant, she started a personal journal. As the days wore on, it became clear to her that she wasn’t going to have an easy time conceiving. She spent a lot of time scouring the Internet to learn more about what was happening to her, but she wasn’t always able to find the kind of information that would have helped her.
This led her to continue her journal in a more public way. She offered insights into procedures, and also expressed the emotional turmoil that accompanies them. She didn’t know how popular her website was going to be. All she knew was that she wanted her experience to be public, and that it would hopefully help others who might be going through the same thing. As it turned out, there were a lot of people who were going through the same thing, and she began to gather a large community of women that began to follow and discuss their experiences on her website.
Her blog chronicles much of her struggle with infertility. She allows comments on her website, which allows visitors to respond and communicate with Julie and the other visitors. You can visit her blog at http://www.alittlepregnant.com/.
Posted in Infertility, Pregnancy | No Comments »
New Study Suggests No Link Between Stress And IVF Success
WebMD is reporting on a new study from Sweden that suggests stress doesn’t play a role in the success or failure of conceiving through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
Researchers assessed stress levels among women undergoing their first in vitro fertilization treatment and found similar pregnancy rates in women reporting high levels of anxiety and depression and women who did not…
…Of the 139 women who had embryos available for transfer, 58 became pregnant and 81 did not. The researchers show there was no difference in the emotional status during treatment in women who became pregnant and those who didn’t.
Although the research may give hope to those going through IVF treatment, the President of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) had this to say:
“Some of the studies are reassuring while others suggest that stress may be detrimental to IVF success rate…One of the problems is that it is difficult to measure the impact of stress with the tools we have.”
Posted in Infertility, Pregnancy | 1 Comment »
