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2006 has certainly seen pregnancy and babies in the national spotlight. With countless celebrities either being pregnant and having babies in 2006 it seemed that every time I turned around this year there was a new round little face gracing the cover of one magazine or another. Not to mention national stories about breastfeeding in public. Here are just a few of the pregnancy and baby news stories we have seen in 2006.
Babytalk magazine found itself in the spot light for placing a baby suckling a breast on the cover of their magazine. People around the country were outraged, either by the cover itself or by people’s lack of acceptance of a breastfeeding mother. The debate over breastfeeding in public was again front and center.
Thanks to the celebrity baby boom maternity fashion continued to improve. Women can now found fashionable maternity clothing in all price ranges. You no longer have to suffer through those nine months of pregnancy where unflattering clothing that contains hideous bows and ridiculous pictures of bears.
Changes and advancing continued in the fields of genetic research and fertility. Couples are finding they have more and more options when it comes to solutions and alternatives for fertility issues. Genetic testing is becoming more and more common. Tailor made babies are no longer a thing of the sci-fi future, they are being created and born today.
Breastfeeding mothers were again thrust into the spot light for a second time late this year when a nursing mother was kicked off flight because the flight attendant was offended by the sight of her breastfeeding her child. Nursing mothers banded together this time and staged “nurse ins” at airports around the country to show their support.
And of course, who can forget the arrival of such big name celebrity babies as Suri Cruise and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt!!
This year saw babies and pregnancy in the headlines over and over again. 2006 quickly became the year of the baby. 2007 is sure to bring more changes and developments in the obstetric and pediatric fields and I am sure we have not seen the end of the celebrity baby boom.
Each year fosters in a chance for new beginnings and what makes a better new beginning than a baby. 2006 may have been the year of the baby in the national spotlight and in the celebrity world, but here’s hoping that 2007 is the year of the baby for me (or at least the year of the pregnancy!)
This is a busy week for blog carnivals. I am participating in three carnivals this week. I encourage you to stop by and check them out. There are some great articles and an abundance of information to be had.
Enjoy!!
It is that part of parenting that everyone is afraid of, getting through the teenage years. We all remember what it was like to be a teenager. We know about all the challenges that face a teenager, like peer pressure, drinking, smoking, drugs, sex, getting into college, the SATs. Too many things to mention really. So what is a parent of a teenager to do?
I have heard it said a thousand times, communication is key when raising a teenager. It might seem like the hardest thing when faced with a 15 year old girl who has no desire to talk to you, or a 16 year old boy who doesn’t seem to speak to anyone anymore, but it is, I hear, the best approach.
When I was growing up my family was big on open communication. My parents wanted me to feel comfortable telling them about anything, even if it was bad. Now, like any other teenager I certainly didn’t feel comfortable telling them everything, that’s what my friends were for, but I knew that if I needed their help or advice I could always go to them. They also made sure I was armed with the knowledge to make the right decisions for myself.
Teenagers are in a very unusual place in their lives, I think it is helpful for parents to remember that fact (we were all that age once!!). They no longer feel like little kids but they aren’t yet adults. Teenagers face a lot of pressure, from friends, parents, teachers, and so on. What parents can do is help them get through these years by being there for them and keeping the lines of communication open.
- Talk to you child often. Ask them questions about who their friends are, what they are doing and where they are going. You might not get answers from them all the time (truthful ones anyway), but for the most part it will keep you informed and will let them know that you care about them.
- Provide them with information about things like drugs, drinking, sex, and smoking so that when they are faced by the inevitable peer pressure to try these things they will be able to make informed decisions. Make sure they know they can always talk to you about this stuff.
- Trust your child to make good decisions. Don’t just assume that they are destined to make poor choices simply because they are teenagers. They may not always make the right decisions, but they will at least try (most of the time!).
- If your child seems to be in trouble talk to them about what is going on, and enlist the help of your child’s pediatrician or school counselor. It is always easier to work through problems together.
Raising teenagers has always been a challenge for parents, and it will continue to be a challenge. Remember to keep the lines of communication open, trust your child, and remember what it was like to be their age. Talk to their pediatrician, school counselor, or another health professional if you have specific questions about your teenager, or need help facing a difficult situation.
Are you currently raising a teenager, or have you made it through the teenage years already? What did you find worked the best for you? What advice do you have for other parents facing the challenge?
Kids and the doctor typically don’t mix well. From the time of birth a trip to the doctor usually means something uncomfortable for the child, like a shot. Can you really blame them for not being too psyched about a visit to their least favorite place? Unfortunately, trips to the doctor’s office are a necessary evil and will happen countless times as your child grows up.
What can parents do to help make the trips a little easier for both kid and parent? Here are a few tips and tricks to make that next visit to the pediatrician a little more bearable.
- If your child will be getting a shot at this visit try giving them some children’s Tylenol before you head out. This will help ease the inevitable bite of the needle.
- Be sure to bring along a distraction like a favorite toy or book. This can be helpful for a couple of different things. It will give your child something to do to distract them while they are getting a shot, and it can also be helpful to keep your child quiet while you talk with the doctor.
- If you need to discuss something with your doctor that may embarrass your child, such as a bed wetting problem, consider calling the doctor’s office ahead of time to advise of the problem, that way when you get there the doctor can have all the information ready for you. It may help ease your child’s discomfort about a sensitive topic.
- If the trip is a result of an injury or illness do whatever is necessary to make your child comfortable. Bring along a favorite, comfy blanket or stuffed toy. Try to schedule the appointment for a time of the day when the office will be less busy and you hopefully won’t have to wait to long.
- Play down the visit, particularly if it will involve shots. If you make a big deal about the doctor’s visit your child will sense something is up and it will make it that much more difficult to keep them calm.
- Be sure to tell your child what to expect if they are old enough. If they will be getting a shot, tell them, explain the importance of vaccinations and why we get them. If they have a broken arm explain what will likely happen as you wait in the hospital waiting room.
- Give lots of praise. If your child handles the visit well give them credit where credit is due. Help make them feel proud of tackling something that is scary to them. Bringing treats along as a reward doesn’t hurt either.
As I said earlier, doctor’s visits are a necessary evil. Your child will see the inside of their pediatrician’s office many times throughout the years. It is never fun, but we can do a few things to help make the experience a little better for them. Talk to the pediatrician about your child’s fears, they may have some great pointers for making the visit easier. Also, if they are aware of your child’s specific fears, for example if they know your child has a particularly hard time with shots, they can try to make the experience a little easier for them.
Do you have any great tips to pass along? What seems to work for your kids?
(source WebMD)
Some people will go to any lengths!!
I recently came across a story about a new technique being used in Japan to notify a woman that she is fertile.
According to the article there is a cell phone available in Japan that is designed to ring or send a text message to let a woman trying to get pregnant know that she is at her most fertile. The user can enter data into the phone about her menstrual cycle and then program the phone to alert her three days before ovulation and again on the actual day of ovulation. It sounds a little out there doesn’t it?
For women who are having a hard time getting pregnant this might just be a perfect solution. Timing your ovulation and figuring out when you are most fertile can be a bit of challenge, why not have your cell phone help out a little?
In Japan the birth rate is pretty low. On average a woman will bear only 1.25 children in her lifetime. This is an all time low for the birth rate in Japan, and is one of the lowest in the world. Maybe this new cell phone will help bring their birth rate up a little.