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When you are trying to conceive it can be hard to weed through all of the advice you may receive to find the truth. Between reading books, researching online, and getting tips from friends and family you will find you have a mountain of tips, tricks and techniques running through your head. Trying to conceive a child can be an exciting (and fun 
) time for you and your spouse. Everyone would love for it to happen that first magical time you try, but it doesn’t always work that way in the real world. Often times you have to try and try again before becoming pregnant.
There are a few misconceptions out there about trying to conceive. Here’s a quick look at a few of the myths out there and the truths behind them.
Myth #1: It is easy to get pregnant.
Truth: For many couples it is not easy to get pregnant. There is only a 25% chance of becoming pregnant during any given menstrual cycle. Don’t get upset if it doesn’t happen the first try, it may take a little while.
Myth #2: Having too much sex could hurt your chances of conceiving.
Truth: Unless your husband has been diagnosed with a low sperm count it doesn’t matter how often you have sex, it won’t impact your chances of conceiving.
Myth #3: The best time to try to conceive is the day you ovulate.
Truth: You are actually more fertile during the five days preceding ovulation. Use an ovulation kit to predict the day, then aim to have sex at least every other day for the five days leading up to your ovulation day.
Myth #4: Using lubrication makes it harder to get pregnant.
Truth: Some studies suggest that lubricants can slow a man’s sperm down, however, most couples shouldn’t worry about it. If you are having fertility issues your doctor may recommend either not using lubricant or using Pre-Seed, a brand that doesn’t affect sperm.
Myth #5: You can get pregnant as soon as you stop using birth control.
Truth: While this is true for contraceptives such as condoms it is not necessarily true for hormone based contraceptives such as the pill or patch. While there is a chance of becoming pregnant as soon as you stop using your birth control it does take a few months for your cycle to return to normal and you may not ovulate during this time.
And those are just a few of the myths floating around out there. Remember that most couples, about 80%, conceive within the first year of trying. So, although it may not happen in the first couple of tries it will happen eventually. If you do not become pregnant after one full year of trying to conceive you should talk to your doctor about possible fertility issues.
I read about this interesting new study done by the University of Dundee in Scotland regarding the best position for your baby in the stroller. It had nothing to do with safety but rather with their social development and stress level. According to the researchers babies and toddlers who face out are more stressed and less aware that their parents are still there. Whereas babies and toddlers who face their parents are more content, had a lower heart-rate and were twice as likely to fall asleep during the walk. The study found that parents who faced their children outward were 50% less likely to interact and talk with their child.
Most strollers now adays have the child facing out once they no longer use the infant carseat in the stroller. So, a lot of parents don’t have the option of facing their child towards them after a certain age. The key in this situation is to talk to your child, point things out, communicate with words, gestures and laughter.
I personally think my daughter would not enjoy her stroller as much if she faced backwards. She loves looking out and observing everything around. I talk to her almost the whole time though, when she is babbling away!! I think that as long as your child is comfortable, enjoying him or herself, and you are still interacting with your child then it doesn’t matter which way they face.
Anyway, I just thought it was an interesting study and wanted to share it will you.
My daughter is 16 months old now. She has entered the “cleaning and doing helpful things for Mommy is fun” stage. It is so cute to watch! One of her favorite things to do right now is to put laundry in the hamper and little bits of garbage in the garbage can. Oh, the things one year olds find entertaining 
Of course, making a mess is probably still her MOST favorite thing to do. She loves to pull all the pots out of the cupboard while I’m cooking dinner.
The great thing about this stage is that I can get a few things done around the house while entertaining my daughter all at the same time. When I vacuum she loves to “help”. She runs immediately to her little ball popper thing and follows me around the house “vacuuming”. Of course, if I put the vacuum down for a second the ball popper is no longer good enough and she starts trying to use the real thing!
Another of her favorites is to help me clean the bathroom. Now, if I can only keep her convinced that cleaning bathrooms is the most fun thing in the world then just maybe I can pass off my least favorite chore on to her one day!! When I am cleaning the bathroom I just give her a few pieces of paper towel and off she goes. She’ll clean the top of the toilet seat, the floor, and the edge of the bathtub. The best part is that when she is done with her paper towel she’ll throw it in the garbage.
Last night after her bath I was cleaning up her bath toys and getting things sorted out in the bathroom. I asked her to put her clothes in the laundry for me. Off she ran only too happy to oblige. Next thing I knew every article of clothing that was lying on the bathroom floor (my PJs, Daddy’s PJs and a towel) had joined her clothes in the laundry hamper! It was too cute.
Besides being an adorable Mommy’s Little Helper she is also an ever changing, into everything, learning so fast toddler. Her vocabulary is growing pretty rapidly right now. She seems to be learning a new word every couple of days. A few of her newest words are backpack, bye-bye, car, plane and truck. All in all she has about 25-30 words that she can say along with about 10 signs.
Now that the weather is getting nice here we are spending more time outside, which she just loves. I think she would spend all day outside if I let her. We are looking forward to lots of walks around the neighborhood, spending time at the playground and all the other fun activities that spring and summer bring our way. I can only imagine what new and exciting things she’ll be up to over the next couple of months.
A vast majority of the recent layoffs have affected men, however, many women are also suddenly finding themselves the victims of this recession and joining the ranks of the unemployed. Instead of digging in and trying to find a new job right away, or because jobs in their field are lacking, these women are choosing to take this opportunity to change careers, at least for the short-term, and becoming a full-time moms.
Being a stay-at-home mom myself I applaud these women and welcome them into the wonderful world of full-time childrearing. I find this to be the most rewarding job I have ever had and hope all these new stay-at-home moms enjoy themselves just as much.
There can be a bit of an adjustment period. Getting used to your child’s daily schedule including when they like to eat their meals and snacks, when they like to nap, what their favorite activities are, etc, etc, etc. Not to mention finding some playgroups, finding the best parks in your area, juggling housework with play time, and getting used to not always being able to have meaningful adult conversation. Once all the kinks are worked out and you get into a nice rhythm you’ll be having a blast.
Being a stay-at-home mom is not for everyone, however, the unfortunate situation of losing your job will afford you the opportunity to spend some extra time with your little ones and see a different side of life for a little while. Even if you decide to go back to work you’ll have some great memories from the time you spent at home, and you’ll know being a part of the work world is the right place for you.
With all the stories filling the evening news about internet safety, cyberbullying, and sexting, parents are understandably worried about what their own children are doing on the internet and how they can keep them safe. In fact, the recent news stories on cyberbullying and teens using cellphones to send sexual images of themselves are great ways to get the conversation started with your teens. Talking to your teens about internet use and safety are keys to helping your child make the right decisions when it comes to their own internet use. Open communication leads to successful teen parenting, and dealing with internet safety is no exception.
So, how can you help your teens make the right decisions about their internet use to help ensure their safety? Here are a few quick tips:
- Keep the computer in an open area where you can walk by at any time. Instead of having the computer in your child’s bedroom consider setting up a family office in an open area of your home, or share your own office with your teen.
- Set limits on how often your teen can use the computer. Exceptions may need to be made if your child has a large school project they are working on, of course you’ll need to talk about this before hand.
- Talk to your child openly about email use and social networking sites. Set a rule that you can look at your child’s email or social networking site page at anytime. Don’t sneak in to do ask them to pull it up in front of you and look at it together.
- If you notice your child has done a good job of setting up a website or a social networking site page tell them. It is just as important to tell our children when they are doing something right as it is to tell them when they have done something wrong.
- Set up the proper firewall and virus protections, spam blockers and pop-up blockers. This will help the whole family, especially if your teen is downloading videos or music from online sources.
- Talk to your teen about what types of sites it is appropriate for them to be using and set guidelines on what sites are completely off limits.
- Talk to your teen about what type of information it is OK and not OK to share online.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate.
You can’t keep your teen off the internet and you can’t be there to monitor their every move. By talking with your teen open and honestly about their internet use you can give your teen the tools he or she needs to make the right decision about their internet use.
Do you have teens? What sort of restrictions and guidelines have you set up regarding internet use? What have you found works best with your teen?
Here is an excellent site for more information on teens and internet safety.