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Deciding to bank cord blood is a costly and confusing endeavor. This website, A Parent's Guide to Cord Blood, helps compare some of the different cord banks. Cryocell is soon going to offer additional services which include plureon cell collection, which has not yet been used for medical treatment of disease, but is showing promise in research for the years ahead.
Consumer Reports has a good checklist of things to make sure you have if you are expecting a baby. Also useful it you are registering for a babyshower or need to buy a gift for a baby shower.
Insure.com has a good article explaining your basic insurance options when pregnant, including changes with "HIPAA", COBRA options and when pregnancy can and cannot be a pre-existing condition.
Another thing to keep in mind, is don't forget to put the baby on your health insurance! Human resource employees say this is a common oversight... in particular with the dads. This usually has to be done within 30 days or you have to wait for open enrollment.
Babymed.com has a list of calculator/tools which are helpful and/or fun. There is a Downs syndrome risk calculator, weight change calculator, retrospective conception date. You have to register for some of these, but others are readily available and basic registration is free.
Expectingfitness.com is a website that addresses exercise and pregnancy issues. The very basic rules are that exercise in moderation is good, your heart rate should not exceed 140 beats per minute, don't get too hot, and drink lots of water. You should stop if you feel faint or light-headed. Of course, check with your health care provider. Don't do activities where you or your abdomen are at risk of being injured (kick-boxing, etc.)
Who knew there were Juicy Couture Boot-Cut Maternity Jeans? Neiman Marcus did apparently. They have some very hip maternity clothes and baby supplies. A bit excessive, but it is nice to know that high fashion is catering to the pregnant women. And don't forget baby, they actually have a footie that costs $99 dollars! Unbelievable!
The prices are high, but maybe for one little splurge, not on the $99 footie though!
Babystyle has some cool maternity clothes and they are running a$20 off $100 or more with free online shipping. They just sent out the mailers with the rebate code for the sale. I'm sure if you contacted them they would send you one. The offer is good until 4/30/06.
If you are a do-it-yourselfer, there are some great ideas for creating your own birth annoucements.
Cute magnetic ones, and announcements with vellum accents are at DIYNET.
HGTV has some inspiration for baby announcements (but less detail) in their
crafting area.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are fats that we don't make on our own, so we have to get through our diet. They have been found to be very good to have a reasonable intake of them while pregnant since they are necessary for healthy brain and eye development. There are also some studies that suggest it decreases the risk of the baby developing allegies.
Continue reading "Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Good For The Baby" »
I love cheese! So when my doctor told me not to eat certain cheeses when pregnant, at first I was very alarmed and paid a lot of attention to it. But as time went on, I started thinking, oh, I'm not really going to get sick from cheese, come on! So kind of forgot about it.
Well, I did read up on Listeriosis, the illness that you can get from eating some cheeses and it did make me a believer. Shockingly, my doctor was right and I should listen to her.
Continue reading "Can I Eat Cheese and Cold Cuts When Pregnant? Listeriosis" »
Stork Radio will rent you a fetal doppler which allows you to listen to your baby's heartbeat at home. It does require a doctor's prescription, and rents for about 30 to 40 dollars per month, though they have some special deals for a little cheaper. It can be very reassuring and exciting to hear the baby's heartbeat whenever you want. For details, click here.
Everyone says to talk to your stylist and your doctor about dying your hair when you are pregnant. There is no hard and fast rule, that's why you have to talk it over with professionals, who also vary on their opinions about this sort of thing.
There are two concerns about dying your hair when pregnant:
1) The chemicals in the hair coloring product being harmful to the baby.
2) The changes of pregnancy altering the coloring process.
Continue reading "Should You Dye Your Hair When Pregnant?" »
Your baby bad should have three sections: diaper section, feeding section and the extras section.
Diaper bag section:
1) 2-5+ diapers
2) Plastic bags for carrying dirty diapers
3) Diaper wipes
4) Changing pad
Time for the Babymoon! This is the last big trip before the baby arrives. Last chance to get some alone couple time for a while. Look for Babymoon specials at places like www.babymoonfinder.com.
Some places provide upgrades, some will send you a bib with their logo on it when the baby is born, and some provide specialty services such as a pregnancy massage.
A change in pigmentation of the facial skin is common in pregnancy. (It also can happen from taking oral contraceptive pills.) It is called Melasma and is sometimes referred to as the mask of pregnancy. This can cause areas of cheeks, forehead, upper lip, nose and chin to change pigmentation to appear light brown, dark brown, blue gray or ashen gray.
There are lots of things to avoid in pregnancy. Alcohol and smoking are pretty well known. Some less well known things are:
1) Avoid saunas, hot tubs, or other things that will elevate your body temperature. (Although appropriate exercise is encouraged.)
2) Many types of fish. (Because of the possibility of mercury poisoning.) Start limiting intake of these fish 3 months prior to trying to conceive. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish. For details on safe amounts of other fish click here.
3) Too much Vitamin A. (Can cause birth defects. The amount found in most Prenatal Vitamins is appropriate and is usually also a safer formulation of vitamin A.)
4) Cod liver oil. (You may consider taking this because of the omega-3 content; however, it actually contains a high amount of Vitamin A, so should be avoided.)
Recent reviews from the Journal of the American Medical Association indicate that taking many of the medications used to treat depression (listed below) during the third trimester can increase the likelihood of your baby having a temporary mild syndrome that goes away within the first 2 weeks of life. Severe problems are very unlikely. There are benefits and risks to taking and to not taking medications, it all depends on your particular situation, so talk it over with your doctor.
Continue reading "Should I Take Medication for Depression in the 3rd Trimester?" »