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    BabyZone

    BabyZone

  • Dads Latch on to Project Breastfeeding... But Does it Make a Difference?

    I'm at a loss as to how pictures of shirtless men is going to inspire companies to make it easier for nursing mothers to pump at work, or even start offering real maternity leaves instead of the legally mandated FMLA. I hate to sound cynical, but it seems that our Western society thinks you can solve almost any problem with a glossy ad campaign. And a lot of those problems involve not adequately supporting women and mothers with affordable heath care, paid maternity leave, easy access to birth control and affordable childcare. None of which can be solved with an ad campaign featuring shirtless men holding babies.

  • New Study: Breastfeeding Might Be Overrated

    Research led by Cynthia Colen, assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State University, reveals that the advantages of breastfeeding may be inflated. Colen's research tried to do what no other breastfeeding study has done before, namely control for selection bias.

  • A New Mom's Guide to Internet Acronyms

    When I was a FTM, newly PG, I became addicted to a message board on a very popular site for moms. I called them "the boards" and would frequently begin conversations with my husband by saying, "Well, the girls on the boards say..." He begged me to quit. But I was addicted. I found it deeply therapeutic to immerse myself in world of women talking and griping about cervical fluid, mucous plugs and who was gaining the least pregnancy weight. It was only after the pregnancy hormones exited my body, and my baby was six months old, did I finally break myself of the habit. The world of online forums is an entire culture of it's own with it's own rules, etiquette and language. Here is a brief primer to the most relevant acronyms. If you need more, here is a full list of baby board abbreviations. Good luck. -By Lyz Lenz MORE ON BABYZONE 5 weird ways childbirth has changed me physically How to spot a new mom: 11 tell-tale signs 10 Facebook rules for new moms

  • New Research Reveals Naps Help Preschoolers Learn Better

    For me, when my preschooler doesn't nap, the witching hour, which begins around 4 PM in my house, tends to be way worse when a nap is not had thus making it tough for both my daughter and I. Suffice it to say, I do all I can to make sure she gets a nap in, though it doesn't always happen despite my best efforts. New research suggests, though, that naps for preschoolers are more than just to help quell all the moodiness, but rather regular napping helps these preschool aged children learn better. It's not just about being well-rested to deal with the day's tasks, but rather getting enough slumber actually helps preschoolers to absorb more information as their day progresses.

  • An Ode to Single Parenthood

    My husband has just arrived home after a month long stint working at the Winter Games in Sochi. As a media professional, he had a few hurdles to overcome with housing and food (you certainly read all about it) and sufficed to say, he was as ready to come home as we were to have him.

  • Preterm Babies Benefit from More "Adult Talk"

    If you're a mom to a preterm baby, adding these 100 words (or any 100 extra words) to how much you say to your baby may make a big difference in your child's speech development, according to new research linking adult speech exposure in preterm infants with their later speech development as toddlers. It's long been recognized that preterm infants are at higher risk for language delays. In the new study, published in the March 2014 issue of Pediatrics, researchers from a hospital in Rhode Island recorded 16 hours of sounds in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The goal was to test the connection between the amount of talking a baby was exposed to at what would have been week 32 and week 36 of pregnancy (if the baby had been born full-term) and how well the baby scored on certain speech development tests at 18 months.

  • Why a Kale-Eating Baby Irks Us so Much

    I know Slate is an edgy site but what does the world gain with headlines like this one: "Your Kale-Eating Baby Does Not Impress Me"? In this saucy article, Jessica Grose describes the "smug" attitude conveyed by another blog post, this one in The New York Times' Motherlode. When the Times writer adopted "baby led weaning" (giving babies soft finger foods as first foods instead of purees) and wrote enthusiastically about how easily her baby took to it, that was it. An e-fight practically broke out. She's "adding more fuel to the fire of what she refers to as breast versus bottle 2. ...

  • An Open Letter to All Grandmas

    To All The Grandmas:

  • New Guidelines Aim to Lower Cesarean Section Rates

    In recent years approximately one in three women in the United States give birth by Cesarean delivery, a 60 percent increase since 1996. Cesarean birth can be a life-saver for both babies and moms, but the rapid increase in Cesarean birth rates, especially among first-time moms, has raised significant concern that Cesarean delivery is being overused without clear evidence that it's really needed in most low-risk situations. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), with help from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), has just issued Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery, a new set of recommendations designed to decrease the nation's overall Cesarean rate.

  • Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard Fight to Protect Kids from Paparazzi... And Us

    In order to spread the word, they've teamed up with Entertainment Tonight, and Bell has been very vocal about which outlets she'll refuse to work with from now on should they buy unauthorized photos (versus pictures taken of celebrities who attend premieres with their children or schedule photo shoots with a magazine). I have to applaud Kristen and Dax, and many other celebrity moms, who are standing up for their children. But, I don't think anyone can say it's fair to their children, who have nothing to do with their parents' celebrity stature. While I rarely buy a magazine, I do like to look at photos on E! Online of celebrities, which often include photos of their children.

  • Are “Lap Babies” Safe Enough on Airplanes?

    On long international flights, some airlines have attachable bassinets available in bulkhead rows. I can see why a lap baby might get hurt in roller coaster turbulence but can't help but question the one thing that's always surprised me: airlines' universal policy AGAINST wearing babies in a Bjorn, Ergo or any other carrier, at least not for takeoff or landing.

  • The "My Child First" Parenting Style Ruined My Playdates

    I have a hard time criticizing the parenting of others. Yes, I do find it irksome that a restaurant that advertises itself as family friendly doesn't have a changing table in the bathroom, but, oh well, I change the baby in the car or on a changing pad on the floor of the bathroom.

  • 2014 Car Seat Changes and LATCH: What You Need to Know

    Keeping up with car seat recommendations can make your head spin, but this is one change you'll want to be aware of. The 2014 rule requires child-seat manufactures to advise against the use of LATCH (required in cars since 2001) if children and their car seats have a combined weight of 65 pounds. Lower anchors connect the car seat to the vehicle without the use of the vehicle's seat belts. The tether is a strap that secures the car seat to the frame of the vehicle. When asked if LATCH was safer than a vehicles seat restraint system, highly respected The Car Seat Lady states, "No! Seat belts have always been a very safe and effective way to secure a car seat… the problem is that getting a secure installation with a seat belt is often confusing and challenging.

  • 7 Ideas for a Robot-Themed Nursery

    Looking for a cute and quirky theme for your baby's nursery? Prepare for a robot invasion! With their bright geometric style and fun retro vibe, robots add geeky cool to any baby's crib. For nursery decor inspiration, check out these 7 robot-inspired ideas. -By Jacqueline Tourville MORE ON BABYZONE A triangle-inspired modern nursery 10 ideas for a circus-themed nursery Everything you need for an elephant-themed nursery

  • Surprising Number of Pregnant Women Use Prescription Pain Relievers

    No one denies that pregnancy can lead to some serious aches and pains. But how safe are pain relief medications when you're a mom-to-be? New questions are being raised about the use of certain pain medications after a recent Harvard-led study uncovered just how many women are being prescribed oxycodone, codeine and other "heavy duty" opioid pain relievers during pregnancy. According to data from over 530,000 women who gave birth sometime between 2005 and 2011, approximately 77,000 (14.4 percent) were prescribed opioids pain relievers at some point during their pregnancy. Women took the medications to deal with a wide variety of pain issues.

  • Why the Duchess of Cambridge Should Be Talking About Folic Acid

    Knowing that, there's rather shocking news out of Great Britain: a large study of expectant moms in the country (nearly 500,000!) has revealed that less than one in three of them are taking this advice, with most avoiding folic acid and the essential supplements while pregnant. Even worse, the study found that almost half the women who had experience with previous pregnancies where there was a neural birth defect were still omitting folic acid from their diet, and only 51 percent were taking supplements. Most birth defects, like spina bifida (a neural tube defect involving the spinal column), can be prevented by taking supplements. While spina bifida can be rectified through surgery, often nerves have already been damaged, which can lead to paralysis, incontinence, and loss of skin sensation.

  • Doctors Advise Longer Labor to Avoid C-Sections

    "Women giving birth for the first time should be allowed to push for at least three hours, the guidelines say. As an American in Italy, I was lucky to have a private OB-GYN who came to the clinic with me (and delivered my second daughter at home), but he was strict about not arriving at the clinic too early for fear of a C-section for no other reason that labor taking longer than the hospital's guidelines permitted.

  • Dental Group Now Says Kids Should Use Fluoride Much Earlier

    "Parents should use a tiny smear of fluoride toothpaste to brush baby teeth twice daily as soon as they erupt, instead of waiting until children are older, according to new guidelines by the American Dental Association." And boy did we get this one wrong: A. Apparently I was supposed to be brushing those baby teeth every day all along.

  • What Your Baby Knows Will Shock You

    These are the questions being examined at the Yale Infant Cognition Center, where Karen Wynn and Paul Bloom are studying infant morality. Bloom, the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen professor of psychology at Yale University is also the author of the new book, "Just Babies," wherein he argues, "Babies and toddlers can judge the goodness and badness of others' actions;

  • Survey Says 32% of Moms Have Sex Every Few Years? Craziness!

    Doing the deed definitely takes on new meaning when you become a mom. One second, you're bringing all the boys to the yard, the next, your lawn is covered with wooden swing sets and play houses. Booties are constantly on the brain-but for what comes out of them, and that isn't so sexy. Being a mom while navigating a healthy sex life is an arduous task, to be sure, but that doesn't make it any less important. So why are 32 percent of moms going years without having sex?