by Patricia Hughes

One of the biggest worries during pregnancy is the fear that something is wrong with the baby. Women who experience this fear breathe a sigh of relief during prenatal visits when the baby’s heart beat is heard. Hearing the baby’s heart beat and movements is reassuring for these mothers. There is a way for you to monitor fetal movement at home, with fetal kick counts.

Read More

When you find out you are pregnant, a range of emotions often run through your mind. Initial joy can quickly be replaced by fear and anxiety. This is because whilst expecting a baby can be a wonderful experience, it can also be really stressful too as you try to prepare for your new arrival. Some mothers don’t even plan anything at all until the last minute as at first nine months seems like a really long time. However, you will soon find that the earlier you start preparing for your baby the better.

Read More

by Patricia Hughes

Choosing your baby’s doctor is a big decision. You may want to start thinking about it and checking around before your baby is born. This person will care for your baby for well visits and through illness. You need to find a doctor that has a similar philosophy about infant care and that you are able to communicate with comfortably.

Finding a Pediatrician

There are several sources of information about pediatricians. One good place to get a recommendation is from friends or family members. Ask your friends with babies and young children about their pediatricians. Also ask your obstetrician (OB) for suggestions.

If you are new to the area or don’t have friends with young children, you can ask your health care provider for a recommendation. If you are pregnant, you will be asked for the name of your pediatrician in the hospital. If this is your first pregnancy, the time to shop for a doctor is before the baby arrives.

Read More

by Patricia Hughes

If your baby is born in a hospital, testing will begin immediately after the birth. Depending on where you live, your baby may be tested for a variety of disorders. In addition to testing, there are several procedures that are common after the birth of a baby. Become familiar with these procedures so you can make decisions and include these in your birth plan.

The baby’s first test is the APGAR. This is done at one and five minutes after the birth to evaluate the baby’s condition. The test was developed by Dr. Virginia Apgar to assess newborns. The test assess five areas to determine baby’s condition at birth. These are Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance and Respiration. Each area is given a score from 0 to 2. The total possible score is 10. Don’t panic if your baby doesn’t have a perfect score; most babies don’t.

Read More

Will it be a boy or a girl? Women having babies today have an option their mothers and grandmothers didn’t have, they can find out the gender of the baby before it is born. Throughout human history, mothers had to wait until the baby was born to discover the gender. With testing such as ultrasound and amniocentesis, you can learn the baby’s gender while you are still pregnant.

Read More

Picking a baby name can be a daunting and challening task for a parent to be. Every year the social security administration compiles a myrad of information. One piece of information that is useful and interesting to parenting planning a baby is their Top 10 Names. This can be a valuable tool in helping a parent pick their childs name. You can go back over time and enter the year you want along with the ability to request the top 10, 20, 50, 100 or even 1000 names for that particular year. They also provide top names by state, popular twins names. You can visit this tool at http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

Without further ado, here are the top baby names for 2006: 

There are so many things to think of during your pregnancy. As you prepare for the birth of your child, no doubt you have already set up a nursery for the new arrival. Between the baby shower and other items you may have purchased, there is no doubt the new baby’s nursery has every possible thing you could think of. Just in case, here are 5 things every nursery needs, and then some.

Read More

You get married and everyone wants to know when you will have a baby. You have a baby and they ask when you will have another baby?  At first you roll your eyes and laugh at the suggestion. At some point, you may start thinking of adding another child to your family. Can you handle another pregnancy? Whether this will be your second or your sixth baby, you may wonder if the timing is right.

Read More

by Patricia Hughes

Welcoming a new baby into the family can be stressful for young children. This is a major life change for your child, who has been the center of your attention since his own birth. Your child needs time to prepare for this change. You can help your child adjust to the role of big brother or sister by reading and talking about newborn babies often.

Read More

by Patricia Hughes

Baby names, there are thousands to pick from. During your pregnancy, you may spend a fair amount of time considering names for your baby. You may have some names in mind even before you get pregnant. If not, a good baby name book may help. There are many websites with databases of baby names for you to peruse. Once you have found the perfect name, you will have to negotiate with your partner. There are several things to consider when choosing the perfect name for your baby. Here are some questions to ask when selecting a name:

Read More

Read More

Most Popular Baby Names 2005

  I thought this would be interesting. Below is listed the 100 most popular baby names in 2005.

Read More