Archive for July, 2009
Baby Boy or Baby Girl?
Posted on July 29, 2009 - by Bradley Hebdon
It’s nearly Monday, the day when we should hopefully know the baby’s sex. We don’t have a gender preference, but only hope that all signs point to a healthy baby boy or girl. We’ll post the ultrasound image and make an announcement early next week.
Listen closely, that’s Chopin Baby
Posted on July 29, 2009 - by Bradley Hebdon
Apparently babies can hear and recall sounds from outside the womb, at around 20 weeks old. Naturally, baby just received their first piano lesson today. That’s right, Denise played some Chopin.
Twittering from the womb with the Kickbee
Posted on July 20, 2009 - by Bradley Hebdon
Corey Menscher, a father-to-be, has constructed a device called the Kickbee that notifies him when his unborn baby kicks inside the womb.
The Kickbee is a stretchable band with attached sensors, and is worn by a pregnant mother over her stomach. A microcontroller in the band then captures the movement of the baby kicking, and transmits the signals wirelessly to an application on a nearby computer. The computer in turn broadcasts short messages of “I kicked Mommy!” on Twitter, which can be shared with family and friends.
The device is not yet available for purchase, but you can follow the Kickbee on Twitter.
Top 10 Pregnancy Books for Women
Posted on July 13, 2009 - by Bradley Hebdon
The following books are highly recommended reads for expecting moms-to-be. Whether you want a laugh, or an in-depth resource, these books cover a wide range of subject matter.
1. What to Expect When You’re Expecting
Announcing a brand new, cover-to-cover revision of America’s pregnancy bible. What to Expect When You’re Expecting is a perennial New York Times bestseller and one of USA Today‘s 25 most influential books of the past 25 years. It’s read by more than 90% of pregnant women who read a pregnancy book–the most iconic, must-have book for parents-to-be, with over 14.5 million copies in print.
2. Taking Charge of your Fertility | by Toni Weschler
This comprehensive book explains in lucid, assured terms how to practice the fertility awareness method (FAM), a natural, scientifically proven but little-known form of birth control (which is notto be confused with the woefully ineffective “rhythm” method). Author Toni Weschler has been teaching fertility awareness for almost 20 years, and it’s only just now gaining in popularity.
3. Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy | by Mayo Clinic
Would-be mothers looking for precise, accurate information from a reputable source will appreciate this mammoth pregnancy guide from the celebrated Mayo Clinic. The volume actually provides much more information than most parents will need: week by week accounts of the baby’s development, entries on how pregnancy can be affected by dozens of previous health conditions (such as HIV and diabetes), self-care tips for side effects like nausea and back pain, sidebars that explain the difference between identical and fraternal twins, etc.
4. The Birth Partner: Everything You Need to Know to Help a Woman Through Childbirth
by Penny Simkin
The role of birth partner is a tough one. A birth partner may be expected to help a laboring woman make decisions and help her get through the pain and discomfort of childbirth. During this high-intensity time, the birth partner–whether father, partner, or friend–needs a book that can give thorough information for studying ahead of time, yet can be easily referenced in an emergency or for quick answers during labor and delivery. The Birth Partner fills both needs.
5. The Little Big Book for Moms
The Little Big Book for Moms is packed with all the fun, magic, and wonder of early childhood in a beautifully designed, chunky little package. Illustrated throughout with early 20th-century work by artists like Jessie Wilcox Smith and Ida Waugh, this is a delicious treasure for the expectant mother to savor in anticipation, and for the new mother to share with her little ones.
6. The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book
Written by an obstetrician who is also a mother, it is chocked-full of information useful to all mothers, not just for the corporate woman. She takes the reader through the life-changing process starting with a pre-pregnancy life survey and shares fundamental advice for every demographic. An in-depth A+ resource guide
7. Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth
McCarthy applies her in-your-face manner and blue humor to the subject of pregnancy and childbirth in this little piece of fun. The former Playboycenterfold and all-around bad girl recounts her journey to motherhood with utter abandon, discussing topics that those other wholesome books tend to treat too gently, such as enemas, pubic hair growth, and sex in the ninth month.
8. Your Pregnancy Week by Week
This book is a worthy addition in this subject area. Its format, information, and language are both highly accessible and current. As the title states, pregnancy is followed week by week. A chapter is devoted to each week, covering six basic areas: baby size; mother’s size; baby’s growth and development; changes in the mother; how the mother’s behavior affects development; and things “you should also know.”
9. The Mother of All Pregnancy Books
A book that lives up to its name, author Ann Douglas has packed a remarkable amount of text, charts and tables into this 500-plus page volume that covers nearly every aspect of pregnancy, from considering pregnancy (is there ever a “good” time to do it?) to nutrition, exercise, breast-feeding and the top 10 worries for each trimester.
10. The Girlfriends’ Guide to Pregnancy
For first-time mothers-to-be, this candid, funny and very reassuring guide to pregnancy is just what the doctor ordered?or would if he/she knew about it. Iovine, who has had four babies and who seemingly has girlfriends with many more, believes that women learn the really valuable things about pregnancy from other women.
Tests confirm Baby & Mom Healthy
Posted on July 12, 2009 - by Bradley Hebdon
Doc says things are looking good on the health front. Baby’s heart beat at 160 beats per minute. This is excellent news, and we’re both relieved.
Overwhelmed R Us
Posted on July 4, 2009 - by Bradley Hebdon
After checking out IKEA and being disappointed at what they had to offer future parents, we decided to take a look at Babies R Us. The pendulum certainly swung with a completely overwhelming selection of baby stuff. Throughout the isles, cutesy baby gadgets lined the colorful shelves, but after careful inspection, it become apparent that many of these “necessaries” were in fact “unnecessaries”. I wonder how babies and parents had being surviving all these millennia without all this stuff. It turns out, pretty well.
