Baby Gear

pPregnancy pillows are all the rage to help you get comfortable and sleep well in pregnancy, particularly in those last few months when a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/symptoms/a/sleeptips.htminsomnia/a is a real bear. While they sell big pregnancy pillows and small pregnancy pillows, pregnancy pillows that encircle you and pregnancy pillows that you lay on, the truth is - you don't need a pregnancy pillow.Pbr / That said, I think that pillows to help you sleep are a huge benefit. You can simply choose to use more of your normal bed pillows creatively or you can use a standard body pillow. The truth is, many of these pillows are exactly the same, minus the jacked up price for the word pregnancy tucked in the front./p pPbr / Related:/p ul li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/symptoms/qt/backsleeping.htmWhen sleeping on your back is a problem in pregnancy?/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/symptoms/a/insomnia.htm5 Ways to Cope with Insomnia in Pregnancy/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/symptoms/a/aareminsomnia.htmInsomnia/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/symptoms/a/sleeptips.htmPregnancy Sleep Tips/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/pregnancycalendar/a/aa092400a.htmLate Pregnancy Discomforts/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/symptoms/gr/snoozerpillow.htmSnoozer Body Pillow Review/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/babyproducts/fr/boppybodypillow.htmBoppy Total Body Pillow Review/a /ul pstrongMore Thrifty Thursday:/strongbr //p ul lia href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://parentingteens.about.com/b/a/259211.htmMoney Saving Tips for Reading Teens/a/li lia href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://grandparents.about.com/b/a/001848.htmCutting Back on Cosmetics/a/li lia href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/a/257632.htmSave Money on Pregnancy Pillows/a/li /ul p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/04/save-on-pregnancy-pillows.htm"Save on Pregnancy Pillows/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/"About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth/a on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 05:00:52./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/04/save-on-pregnancy-pillows.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/04/save-on-pregnancy-pillows.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://pregnancy.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/04/save-on-pregnancy-pillows.htm#038;zItl=Save on Pregnancy Pillows"Email this/a/p

pToday the Centers for Health Statistics at the CDC released data on the trends in home births and birth centers from 1990-2006. Considering some of the recent releases about increasing trends in prematurity and cesarean rates, it was nice to see that home and other out of hospital births are on the rise for low risk women. Here are some of the findings from the study:/p ul li Out of hospital birth comprised about 1% of all births. Two thirds of these births were at home and about a third at birth centers.P li Home births increased by 5% in 2005 and stayed the same in 2006.P li Home births were less likely to have preterm births and multiples. (Planned and unplanned are included in the data.)P li 61% of the home births were attended by midwives, which is up from 43% in 1990.P li Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) births may be under reported, in all births, because of how these births are coded. /ul pP/p pWhile many will be tempted to say that this increase is due to the efforts of a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/trailer.phpThe Business of Being Born/a and a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://www.thebigpushformidwives.org/The Big Push for Midwives/a, these were not yet available for the years when this data was compounded. I think that when we see the influence that they have had in the years since their campaigns began we will see the numbers of home births and a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/birthcenters/a/birthcenters.htmbirth center births/a rise even more for low risk women.Pbr / Home birth is certainly not for every woman. It is best for low risk women who have skilled care providers, though many women who would like to have home births are not able to find these care providers due to licensing issues in their states, though home birth is legal in all 50 states. The Big Push for Midwives is working tirelessly to see to it that this happens for every woman who would like it. /p p pPbRelated:/bP/p ul li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/homebirth/a/aahomebirth.htmQuestions About Home Birth/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/homebirth/f/safetyofhomebirth.htmIs home birth safe?/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/birthcenters/a/birthcenters.htmHow to Choose a Birth Center/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/birthstories/a/homebirth.htmHome Birth Birth Stories/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/birthstories/l/blcenterstory.htmBirth Center Birth Stories/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/homebirth/a/supplylist.htmHome Birth Supply List/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/unassistedbirth/a/aa080999.htmUnassisted Birth/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://www.thebigpushformidwives.org/The Big Push for Midwives/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://www.mybestbirth.com/My Best Birth/a - Community #038; Book Information from Ricki Lake #038; Abby Epstein /ul pP/p psubSource: /subbr /br / subMacDorman M, Menacker F, Declercq E. Trends and characteristics of home and other out-of-hospital births in the United States, 1990-2006. National vital statistics reports; vol 58 no 11. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2010. /sub/p p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/03/home-births-increase.htm"Home Births Increase/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/"About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth/a on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 11:30:46./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/03/home-births-increase.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/03/home-births-increase.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://pregnancy.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/03/home-births-increase.htm#038;zItl=Home Births Increase"Email this/a/p

img src=http://z.about.com/d/babyparenting/1/0/H/p/Tony2halfyearsstickers.jpg border=0/ title=We let the kids play with stickers at our friend's New Years Eve party. Tony got a little carried away and is trying to look at the stickers on his nose. /pThanks to a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://www.chrisandcassie.net/Cassie Melvin/a for sharing this picture of 2-and-a-half-year-old Tony.ulliba href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyparenting.about.com/library/blphotoguide.htmHow to Get Your Toddler Featured on Wordless Wednesday/a/b/lilia href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://collectibles.about.com/od/valuableresources/a/wordlesswednes.htmMore Wordless Wednesday posts at About.com/a/lilia href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/More Wordless Wednesday Posts from other bloggers/a/li/ul/p pa href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://twitter.com/mamaratiFollow me on Twitter/a #124; a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://www.facebook.com/about.toddlersBecome a fan on Facebook/a/p p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyparenting.about.com/b/2010/03/03/wordless-wednesday-meet-tony.htm"Wordless Wednesday: Meet Tony/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyparenting.about.com/"About.com Babies & Toddlers/a on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 08:00:09./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyparenting.about.com/b/2010/03/03/wordless-wednesday-meet-tony.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyparenting.about.com/b/2010/03/03/wordless-wednesday-meet-tony.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://babyparenting.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://babyparenting.about.com/b/2010/03/03/wordless-wednesday-meet-tony.htm#038;zItl=Wordless Wednesday: Meet Tony"Email this/a/p

Calling all daddy and mommy bloggers (and anyone else who blogs on family issues): There's a new blog carnival slated to go live Monday that will focus on the topic of emSt. Patrick's Day/em. Deadlines for submissions will be this Friday, March 5, so fire up the blog and get crackin'. a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://familyinternet.about.com/od/sharingcommunicating/a/blogcarnivalfaq.htmHere are the rules for the carnival/a and you can a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyclothes.about.com/b/2010/02/22/march-blog-carnival-its-time-to-celebrate-the-luck-of-the-irish.htmlearn more about how to send your submission to Baby Clothes Guide Stacie McClintock here/a. pa href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://twitter.com/mamaratiFollow me on Twitter/a #124; a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://www.facebook.com/about.toddlersBecome a fan on Facebook/a/p p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyparenting.about.com/b/2010/03/02/parenting-bloggers-join-the-march-blog-carnival-about-st-patricks-day.htm"Parenting Bloggers: Join the March Blog Carnival About St. Patrick's Day/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyparenting.about.com/"About.com Babies & Toddlers/a on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 22:05:44./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyparenting.about.com/b/2010/03/02/parenting-bloggers-join-the-march-blog-carnival-about-st-patricks-day.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://babyparenting.about.com/b/2010/03/02/parenting-bloggers-join-the-march-blog-carnival-about-st-patricks-day.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://babyparenting.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://babyparenting.about.com/b/2010/03/02/parenting-bloggers-join-the-march-blog-carnival-about-st-patricks-day.htm#038;zItl=Parenting Bloggers: Join the March Blog Carnival About St. Patrick's Day"Email this/a/p

pimg src=http://z.about.com/d/pregnancy/1/0/2/c/3/iStock_000003663720XSmall.jpg/p pBeing pregnant means you worry. There is so much to think about! But one thing I find that is universal to worry about is the a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/pregnantbody/ss/bellyworries.htmsize and shape/a of your pregnant belly. Does it stick out too much? Is your belly too small? What does that mean for the baby?Pbr / We do some of this to ourselves by comparing bellies. You go to childbirth class and memorize everyone's due date so that you can ask yourself and your husband like 400 times, Is her belly insert description than mine? Some of the issue comes from things other people say to us, you know, the fun stuff like, Are you sure it's not twins?Pbr / So here's a stroll down pregnant belly lane... A a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/pregnantbody/ss/bellyworries.htmguide/a on when to worry about the bump and when to get over it./p pPbRelated:/bP/p ul li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/pregnancyphotos/a/galleryguide.htmPregnant Belly Galleries/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/u/ua/pregnantbody/pregnantbelly.htmWhen did your belly show?/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/stretchmarks/ig/Stretch-Marks-Photo-Gallery/Stretch Marks Photo Gallery/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/stretchmarks/p/stretchmarks.htmStretch Marks/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/stretchmarks/a/skinchanges.htmSkin Changes in Pregnancy/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/pregnancyglossary/g/lineanegra.htmLinea Negra/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/beautyfashioninpregnancy/a/makeup.htmMake up in Pregnancy/a /ul pPsubPhoto © iStockPhoto /sub/p p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/02/worrying-about-your-pregnant-belly.htm"Worrying About Your Pregnant Belly/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/"About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth/a on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 09:00:33./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/02/worrying-about-your-pregnant-belly.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/02/worrying-about-your-pregnant-belly.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://pregnancy.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/02/worrying-about-your-pregnant-belly.htm#038;zItl=Worrying About Your Pregnant Belly"Email this/a/p

pNew research is saying that we are missing many cases of gestational diabetes. They believe that the screening numbers need to be lower to include more women in the diagnosis. This will mean potentially three times as many women will test positive for gestational diabetes. Pbr / Most practitioners routinely screen fora href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/diabetes/a/gestdiabetes.htmgestational Diabetes (GD)/a between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy using your a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/glucosetolerance/a/gttest.htmhealth history/a and a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/glucosetolerance/a/gttest.htmblood samples/a. First you drink a really sweet drink called Glucola, then you have your blood taken for testing. If you do not pass this version, then you will take a three hour test for a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://adam.about.com/encyclopedia/000896.htmgestational diabetes/a. Thankfully my doctor let me do the a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/glucosetolerance/l/bljellybean.htmjelly bean alternative/a so I didn't have to drink the glucola./p pPSome of the researchers worry that with the increasing number of women being given the diagnosis of gestational diabetes, that they will overwhelm resources in the midwife and OB offices. Typically women with gestational diabetes can be treated with lifestyle changes alone, like diet and exercise. Though the goal is to decrease the rates of potential complications from gestational diabetes./p pbr class=spacer_ //p p strongRelated:/strong/p pbr class=spacer_ //p ul li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/diabetes/a/gestdiabetes.htmGestational Diabetes (GD)/a /li li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/diabetes/p/diabetesinpregnancy.htmDiabetes in Pregnancy/a/li li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/glucosetolerance/a/gttest.htmGlucose Tolerance Test (GTT)/a /li li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/glucosetolerance/l/bljellybean.htmJelly Bean Diabetes Testing/a /li li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/prenataltests/ss/prenataltests.htmCommon Prenatal Tests/a /li li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/prenataltests/f/commonbd.htmMost Common Birth Defects/a /li li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/conditionscomplications/p/complications.htmPregnancy Complications/a /li /ul psubSource:/subbr /br / subMetzger, B.E. Diabetes Care, March 2010; vol 33: pp 676-682./sub/p p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/01/gestational-diabetes-more-common-than-previously-thought.htm"Gestational Diabetes More Common Than Previously Thought?/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/"About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth/a on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 00:14:41./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/01/gestational-diabetes-more-common-than-previously-thought.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/01/gestational-diabetes-more-common-than-previously-thought.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://pregnancy.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/03/01/gestational-diabetes-more-common-than-previously-thought.htm#038;zItl=Gestational Diabetes More Common Than Previously Thought?"Email this/a/p

pa href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/std/a/herpes.htmHerpes/a is a very common a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://std.about.com/sexually transmitted disease (STD)/a. There are risk factors that can make it risky for pregnant women, particularly if they have their first or initial outbreak near term or the end of their pregnancy. There is research that indicates an effective way to reduce not only the number of cases of genital herpes at term, but the number of cesareans done for genital herpes at term. a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/sexuallytransmitt/qt/valtrexatterm.htmRead how to reap this benefit.../aP/p pbRelated:/bP/p ul li a href=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/std/a/chlamydia.htmChlamydia/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/healthduringpreg/a/yeastinfections.htmYeast Infections in Pregnancy/a /ul pPbr / subbSource:/b/subPbr /sub Jeanne S. Sheffield et al. Valacyclovir Prophylaxis to Prevent Recurrent Herpes at Delivery: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Obstet Gynecol 2006;108:141-7./sub/p p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/27/reducing-the-herpes-rates-at-term.htm"Reducing the Herpes Rates at Term/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/"About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth/a on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 06:26:52./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/27/reducing-the-herpes-rates-at-term.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/27/reducing-the-herpes-rates-at-term.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://pregnancy.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/27/reducing-the-herpes-rates-at-term.htm#038;zItl=Reducing the Herpes Rates at Term"Email this/a/p

pYour a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/consumerissues/a/hospitalint.htmchoice of hospital/a is important to achieving your breastfeeding goals. This is probably not a surprising statement. What may surprise is how much that influence really is on your ability to get a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/feedingyourbaby/p/breastfeeding.htmbreastfeeding/a off on the right foot. Researchers recently looked at over 1,500 mothers who gave birth in 2005. They were asked about their original breastfeeding goals and about seven hospital policies that are a part of the a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/supportbreast/qt/babyfriendly.htmten steps/a to becoming a Baby-Friendly hospital.Pbr / 70% of the first time mothers said that their goal was to breastfeed exclusively. At the end of the first week, only 50% were breastfeeding exclusively. What the study found was that if the hospitals had practiced six or seven of the steps in question, these first time moms where six times more likely to still be breastfeeding exclusively, which was their intention.Pbr / Some of the steps included:P/p ul li Initiate breastfeeding within the first hour after bith/li li Practice rooming in/li li Encourage unrestricted breastfeeding/li li No supplementation for newborns unless medically necessary/li li No pacifiers or artificial nipples for breastfeeding babies/li li Train all staff in breastfeeding skills to help mothers as they implement this policy /ul pPbr / I think that there are so many ways that the hospital and the staff can influence breastfeeding mothers. The last point is really important because I'm hearing from so many mothers that one of the things that really gets to them is the fact that every nurse or nurses aid who walks in has a different set of instructions for how to breastfeed, which leads to confusion. Was that ever an issue for you?/p pbRelated articles:/bP/p ul li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/u/ua/supportbreast/breastfeedingsupport.htmHow did your hospital help you breastfeed?/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/consumerissues/a/hospitalint.htmHow to Choose a Hospital for Your Baby's Birth/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/supportbreast/qt/babyfriendly.htmBeing a Baby Friendly Hospital/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/feedingyourbaby/p/breastfeeding.htmBreastfeeding Your Baby/a /ul pPbr / subbr / bSource:/b/subPbr /subbr / Declercq, Eugene, Labbok, Miriam, Sakala, Carol, O'Hara, MaryAnnbr / Hospital Practices and Women's Likelihood of Fulfilling Their Intention to Exclusively Breastfeedbr / Am J Public Health 2009 0: AJPH.2008.135236br / /sub/p p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/26/how-your-hospital-can-help-you-breastfeed.htm"How Your Hospital Can Help You Breastfeed/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/"About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth/a on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 12:25:43./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/26/how-your-hospital-can-help-you-breastfeed.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/26/how-your-hospital-can-help-you-breastfeed.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://pregnancy.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/26/how-your-hospital-can-help-you-breastfeed.htm#038;zItl=How Your Hospital Can Help You Breastfeed"Email this/a/p

pA new study in the American Heart Journal shows that women who have had five or more births have a greater risk of heart disease. The risk was lowest for women who had two children, with increased risks seen even in the no birth and one birth groups. Researchers say that it may be because of how pregnancy changes the blood flow in the body.PPrevious studies looked at very small numbers of women. They were also conflicting. This study looked at a very large number of women and even looked at data regarding pregnancy complications that may have factored in. This rise in risk was beginning in middle age and going forward. It is also important to note that an increase in risk, even when multiple times higher, may not be that significant for an individual with a very low risk in general. Though this study may be something to consider if you are at a a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://heartdisease.about.com/od/womenheartdisease/a/womenrisk2.htmhigher risk of heart disease/a and stroke and wish to have a big family.br / Pbr / Related:P/p ul li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://heartdisease.about.com/od/womenheartdisease/a/womenrisk2.htmRisk of Heart Disease in Women/a /ul pPbr / subSource:/subbr / br /br / subbr / a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://www.ahjonline.com/article/S0002-8703%2809%2900897-7/fulltextParity and risk of later-life maternal cardiovascular disease/a Nisha I. Parikh, Sven Cnattingius, Paul W. Dickman, Murray A. Mittleman, Jonas F. Ludvigsson, Erik Ingelsson pages 215-221.e6./sub/p p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/26/having-more-than-5-children-increases-heart-disease-risk.htm"Having More Than 5 Children Increases Heart Disease Risk/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/"About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth/a on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 11:17:59./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/26/having-more-than-5-children-increases-heart-disease-risk.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/26/having-more-than-5-children-increases-heart-disease-risk.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://pregnancy.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/26/having-more-than-5-children-increases-heart-disease-risk.htm#038;zItl=Having More Than 5 Children Increases Heart Disease Risk"Email this/a/p

pLet's face it, there are a ton of baby products out there and available for you to buy. You have money, we can find you something to spend it on. And even as budgets tighten, people are still spending money on their kids. That said, even if you have the money, you can still find yourself wasting the money. Or if you are trying to save money, you might want to save it for an extra special something. So what can you save money on?Pbr / Certainly, there are a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/babyproducts/tp/10things4baby.htmthings that you need for your baby/a, there are also things that you don't need. A good example might be buying a convertible car seat rather than an infant car seat and then, later, an additional car seat. Many moms I talked to actually said that a a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/babyproducts/bb/aabyb101903a.htmcrib/a was a waste of money, for a variety of reasons. Some moms said that they used other items like a pack and play, while others found that co-sleeping worked better for them. Pa href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/u/ua/babyproducts/baby_needs.htmWhat baby item could you live without?/a/p pbRelated:/bP/p ul li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/od/babyproducts/tp/10things4baby.htmThings You Need for Baby/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/u/ua/babyproducts/baby_needs.htmWhat did you buy for baby that you didn't need?/a li a href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/babyproducts/bb/aabyb101903a.htmBefore You Buy a Crib/a /ul pstrongMore Thrifty Thursday from About.com Parenting:/strongP/p ul lia href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/a/257589.htmDon't Buy Baby Stuff You Don't Need/a/li lia href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://preschoolers.about.com/b/2010/02/25/thrifty-thursday-save-on-tax-returns-with-upromise.htmSave on Tax Returns with Upromise/a/li lia href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://baby.about.com/b/2010/02/25/thrifty-thursday-crib-bedding-is-a-waste-of-money.htmCrib Bedding Is a Waste of Money/a/li lia href=http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://stayathomemoms.about.com/b/2010/02/25/thrifty-thursday-save-money-on-as-seen-on-tv-products.htmSave Money on As Seen on TV Products/a/li /ul p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/25/dont-buy-baby-stuff-you-dont-need.htm"Don't Buy Baby Stuff You Don't Need/a originally appeared on a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/"About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth/a on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 05:00:58./ppa href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/25/dont-buy-baby-stuff-you-dont-need.htm"Permalink/a | a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc#038;zu=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/25/dont-buy-baby-stuff-you-dont-need.htm#gB3"Comment/a | a href="http://pregnancy.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://pregnancy.about.com/b/2010/02/25/dont-buy-baby-stuff-you-dont-need.htm#038;zItl=Don't Buy Baby Stuff You Don't Need"Email this/a/p