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All mommies know it exists. You forget where you put your keys, you get to the store and can’t remember what you needed to buy, you sometimes feel like you would lose your head if it wasn’t attached to your body! Somehow when our babies are born we suddenly lose our ability to remember anything. Well, not really, but it feels like that sometimes.
Mommy brain is the result of part exhaustion and part having so much more on your mind. Scientists seem to go back and forth as to whether this is a real phenomenon or not. But I know it is real and every mom who has suffered from mommy brain knows it is real.
Some women seem to suffer from mommy brain worse than others. I sometimes have a mild case of mommy brain. Here are a few tricks to help you combat mommy brain.
- Make lists for everything. Lists for what you need at the store, what you need to do this week, what to pack for a trip, when the bills are due, etc.
- Keep your important things like keys, wallet, etc in the same place all the time. If they are always in the same place you are less likely to lose them.
- Give yourself a break. Don’t expect to be able to remember everything off the top of your head, no one can do that!
- Get enough rest. I know this can be hard sometimes but try to get an adequate amount of rest everyday.
- Create a checklist that you run through in your head before you head out the door, that way you won’t feel like you are forgetting something.
- Write things down. If someone tells you something you want or need to remember, write it down.
- Keep a detailed calendar of the goings-on of the family.
The trick is the use little techniques that make it look like you aren’t suffering from mommy brain!
Do you suffer from mommy brain? What tricks do you find help you remember everything?
As any parent of a baby with cradle cap surely knows it can be stubborn stuff. Getting rid of it can be very difficult. Cradle cap is sort of like baby dandruff. It is a film that forms on the baby’s head, sort of like sticky little scabs. Doctor’s don’t really know exactly what causes it, but they suspect it is caused by the rush of hormones to the baby during delivery. Some baby’s don’t get it at all, others get only a minor case that goes away quickly, while others get a stubborn case that can stick around for quite a while.
My daughter has had a very stubborn case of cradle cap since she was born. We have tried everything to get rid of it. For those of you trying to battle your own child’s cradle cap I thought I would share with you what we did, both what worked and what didn’t.
At first I didn’t think I would worry about it. My daughter has pretty sensitive skin (just like her mom!) so I didn’t want to fiddle too much with it. It didn’t seem to bother her and it didn’t really bother us either. So, for the first few months I didn’t do anything. At one of our appointments with the pediatrician she suggested trying the dandruff shampoo, Selsun Blue. She had used it on her daughter and had pretty good success with it. We thought we would give it a try, it did get rid of a little bit of the cradle cap, but not much. I tried it a couple of times and didn’t really have any success with it. I pretty much gave up and figured I would just let it go away on its own. However, a few weeks ago our waitress at dinner happened to also be a skin care specialist. She mentioned that one of her children had a stubborn case of cradle cap when he was a baby. Her recommendation was to use oil on her head to loosen it and then I should be able to comb it out. I mentioned that my daughter’s skin is sensitive and she reacts to baby oil. She recommend something that would be a little more gentle on the skin, like olive oil or grape seed oil.
Well I am happy to report that it worked. I had to do it a couple of times and for the most part it is all gone. Here’s what I did:
- Rub olive oil (can also use grape seed oil) onto the affected area.
- Using a baby comb gently comb out the loosened flakes.
- Use your finger nails to rub up any stubborn spots.
- Wash baby’s hair immediately (I did a double wash both times).
I admit I was a little skeptical at first, but surprisingly it seems to have worked like a charm. The olive oil was gentle enough that it didn’t bother her skin at all. If you are battling a stubborn case of cradle cap I would recommend giving this method a try.
Have you battled stubborn cradle cap on your own child, what worked for you?
Welcome to the first ever group writing project here at Let’s Talk Babies.
I recently received the offer of a couple of Elizabeth Pantley’s “No Cry Sleep Solution” books to give away on my site (autographed I might add). I came up with the idea of a group writing project as my way to give the books away. Thanks, Elizabeth!
The topic I have aptly chosen is Sleep. Write about anything related to sleep; your own sleep troubles, your baby’s sleep troubles, creative ways you have handled sleep problems, whatever you can come up with. The post must be a new one. When you have written and posted your submission please email it to me using the contact form on my site. Include the title of your post, a link to the post, and your name. I will compile a list of all the submissions and post it here on Let’s Talk Babies, I will email you the link to add to your site. I will update the list at the end of each day. All submissions should be in no later than 12pm (noon) central time on 7/25/2008.
On 7/25/08, once all submissions are in I will pick the two “winners” using the very scientific all names in a hat method. I’ll email you if you have “won” to get your address so Elizabeth Pantley can send you your prize.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with a group writing project let me give you a little background. A group writing project is basically an opportunity to share your work with new readers and fellow bloggers. Each entrant writes a new post on the designated topic and submits it to the “project”. All the posts are listed on the host site. Each entrant will post a link back to the “project” so their readers can share in the fun as well.
So let your creative juices flow, be the first to get your post submitted, and don’t forget to come up with a great title so your post will stand out! I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with.
If you have any questions let me know.
I receive a lot of questions from readers of my Early Signs of Pregnancy and What to Do if You Think You Are Pregnant articles wondering what their chances of getting pregnant are. Most of the questions come from women and girls who do not want to be pregnant yet still had unprotected sex.
My answer to these questions is usually pretty similar, any time you have unprotected sex there is a chance of becoming pregnant. Now depending on when during your cycle the unprotected sex took place will greatly impact your odds of becoming pregnant.
During any given cycle a fertile woman has a 25% chance of becoming pregnant. If you are desperately trying to get pregnant those odds may not seem very good, however, for those who desperately DON’T want to be pregnant those odds may seem pretty high.
An average menstrual cycle is 28 days beginning with the start of your period and ending with the start of your next period. However, it is perfectly normal to have a menstrual cycle as long as 35 days or as short as 21 days. For a 28 day cycle ovulation typically occurs on day 14, however, it can occur any where from day 11 to day 21. Some woman will ovulate like clockwork on the same day of their cycle every month, others will experience erratic ovulation.
A woman can become pregnant during ovulation. The best chances of becoming pregnant are the couple of days before ovulation through 24 hours after ovulation. Timing is key when you are trying to get pregnant, so you can see why your chances of getting pregnant during any given cycle is only 25%.
For those women who do not wish to become pregnant your best chance is to always use protection. Any time you have unprotected sex there is a chance of becoming pregnant, always keep that in the back of your mind.
If you have questions about your own menstrual cycle or your own specific chances of becoming pregnant talk to your doctor.
(source: WebMD)
It seems that stories about teen pregnancy are in the news all the time nowadays. Recent data seems to suggest that the teen birth rate is on the rise here in the United States after many years of declining rates. The good news is that over the last decade we have seen teen pregnancy rates fall by about 30%. However, the current rate of teen pregnancy in the in United States is 42 births per 1000 teen girls, which is up slightly from the last few years. Some of the states with the highest teen pregnancy rates include Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico and Washington DC, with a total of 22 states having teen pregnancy rates higher than the national average. The United States remains at the top of the list of industrialized countries for highest teen pregnancy rates.
I’m sure many of you have heard the story in the news lately about the “pregnancy pact” made by a group of girls in a Glouchester, Mass. high school. Reportedly, 17 girls made a pact to become pregnant and raise their babies together. We really can’t be surprised that so many teen girls see pregnancy as “cool” and “easy” when it has been glamorized by high profile teens like Jamie-Lynn Spears flaunting their own teen pregnancies all over every magazine cover.
A new NBC series, The Baby Borrowers, profiles a group of teen couples who claim to be ready for “adult” life and parenthood. The show is supposed to be showing these kids just how hard it is to be an adult, raise a family and be responsible for yourself and others. It remains to be seen if this show has the desired effect or if it will just continue the trend of glorifying teen pregnancy and parenthood.
The only way to end this trend of increased teen pregnancy rates and the glamorization of teen pregnancy is through education and a change in the media coverage of high profile, pregnant teens. Kids need to be taught about safe sex, and the consequences of practicing unsafe sex. The media needs to “just say no” to covering famous pregnant teens. Maybe if teens get the message that being pregnant and being a parent isn’t as easy as it is portrayed on television or in the movies then maybe we will see that teen pregnancy rate drop again.
For more information on teen pregnancy trends, what needs to be done to prevent teen pregnancy, and much more visit The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy