womenTALK: Notes from the Nursery

Friday, Dec 07th 2012

Nobody Told Me: The Highs and Lows of Becoming a Mother

by Jenny W.

I feel lucky to have given birth to a beautiful and vibrant baby boy this September, after an unplanned C-section. And despite that joy, and the incredible depth of my love for him, it's not always fun and games. I'd heard about "baby blues" but didn't really know what it meant. I also feel like I could never have known the difficulties I might have, because people forget over time and recount mostly the good baby stuff.

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Wednesday, Dec 05th 2012

Kate Middleton’s Pregnancy Symptoms: What Is Hyperemesis Gravidarum?

authored by Sally Jones

Britain's Royal family announced that the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is pregnant and was admitted to a London hospital with severe morning sickness. The hospitalization prompted an early public announcement of the pregnancy -- she is said to be less than 12 weeks pregnant.

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Wednesday, Dec 05th 2012

Laugh and the Whole World Laughs With You!

by Judy Laufer

It seems that laughing can be contagious. Have you ever found yourself laughing after you see someone else laughing? You don't know why you are laughing but just seeing someone laugh can cause you to do the same. Wouldn't you rather catch a laugh than a cold or the flu?

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Wednesday, Oct 10th 2012

The Truth About Inducing Labor: What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know

authored by Kristen Mucci-Mosier

You may have heard about a woman who has had her labor induced by the drug Pitocin simply because her doctor was heading out on vacation. Or perhaps, it was that the expecting mom just couldn't stand being pregnant any longer.

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Tuesday, Oct 09th 2012

4 Tips for Building Your Baby's Brain Health During Pregnancy

authored by Kristen Mucci-Mosier

Oftentimes, a woman begins to think like a mother as soon as the stick turns pink. She may ask herself: What can I do to create the healthiest most nurturing environment for this fetus to grow and develop physically? She may also wonder if there are actions she can take to help build her baby's brain health and intellect.

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Monday, Oct 08th 2012

A New Understanding of Midwifery Care

October 7 – 13 is National Midwifery Week in the U.S. and a perfect time to raise awareness about midwifery care. Midwives offer excellent women-centered care but many folks have an incomplete understanding of what they do and where they do it. Did you know that in addition to maternity care, midwives also focus on primary care including annual check-ups/GYN exams, family planning and menopause care?

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Friday, Oct 05th 2012

Foods That Should Be on Every Pregnant Woman's Shopping List

authored by Kristen Mucci-Mosier

Healthy eating during pregnancy isn't about weight loss; it's about maintaining a diet to meet the demands of your changing body and growing baby. Table for two please!

Heading to the food store? Want a cheat sheet? Here is the short list of must-have dietary items for pregnancy, all containing a combination of protein, calcium and iron:
Broccoli
Chickpeas/hummus
Dark, leafy greens (spinach, kale)
Figs and raisins

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Thursday, Sep 06th 2012

The Real Scoop on Dropping Post-Pregnancy Pounds

authored by Kristen Mucci-Mosier

"I can't believe you just had a baby!"

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Wednesday, Aug 01st 2012

Whooping Cough as We Haven’t Seen it Since 1959

by Sally Jones

Whooping Cough Is Vaccine-PreventableA record 18,000 whooping cough cases have been reported to the CDC so far this year - that's twice the number compared to this time last year. If this mid-year trend continues we could be looking at rates of whooping cough the likes of which we haven't seen since 1959.

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Tuesday, Jul 03rd 2012

Anniversary of Accident Makes Me Appreciate My Children

authored by Marcia Mangum Cronin

July 2 was the one-year anniversary of my younger daughter's serious car accident. I didn't want to dwell on it yesterday—and possibly increase my anxiety—but I feel some reflection is still needed, as part of my healing process. Early on the morning of July 2, 2011, my daughter was riding in a van with five other teenagers and an adult driver traveling up the Eastern Shore of Virginia on their way to a religious camp in New York.

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