Pregnancy

7 Tips For Choosing Your Baby's Name

Choosing your baby's name is one of the most important things you will ever do.

When choosing your baby's name, make sure to keep in mind that your baby won't be a baby forever, and he or she will have to carry this name for the rest of his or her life.

Keep these tips in mind when choosing your baby's name:

• List the names you are considering and then say them out loud. See if you really like how they sound.
   
• Don't choose a name that's difficult to pronounce. If your baby's name is hard to pronounce, then she is going to resent you for it later because everyone from her teachers to her friends' parents are going to pronounce it wrong.
   
• Make sure you have the correct spelling of the name you choose. Otherwise, your child will be stuck with the incorrect spelling for the rest of his life since it's on his birth certificate.
   
• Check out the intials your baby's full name makes and be sure they don't stand for something nasty. A good example would be some of the abbreviations used in e-mails like WTF. So a name like William Tiberius Ferguson for example could end up really getting your child teased.
   
• Make sure the name you choose fits your baby. While you may not know exactly what your baby's personality will be like, you'll get an inkling of it after she's born.
   
• Don't name your baby after a celebrity. The bad thing about this is that by the time your baby is a young child, people may have forgotten about this celebrity so kids may just think your child has a weird name.
   
• Make sure if your baby's name is shortened to a nickname that it is a desireable one. My parents decided not to name me Rebecca because they didn't like the idea of me being called Becky Bennett.

For more helpful hints when choosing your baby's name, check out these tips for choosing a unique and modern baby name.

5 Tips For Knowing When It's Time to Call Your Doctor For Delivery

Knowing just when it's time to call your doctor can sometimes be difficult to tell, especially when it's your first baby.

As if the pains of the contractions aren't enough to distract you, there's a whole other set of things you need to pay attention to.

Here's how to tell when you're having your baby and it's time to call your doctor:

• If you're having vaginal bleeding, then you definitely need to call your doctor.
• When you're having contractions that are 5 to 10 minutes apart.
• If you cannot walk while you're having contractions.
• When your water breaks, and most especially if the fluid is stained a greenish brown or colored dark.
• If for some reason, you think you or your baby's well-being is in danger.

What To Expect With Regard To Discharge After Giving Birth

There is a certain amount of bleeding after you give birth which is called Lochia. It's your body's way of getting rid of all the extra mucous, blood and fluids that it collected while you were pregnant and carrying your baby.

So, it's perfectly natural to have some bleeding and discharge for up to 6 weeks after you give birth to your baby -- whether you had a vaginal birth or cesarean birth.

Lochia will be bright red to start out with for the first 5 to 10 days, and then will level off to pink and then yellowish white. Also, don't be surprised if there are some blood clots.

Most women are used to having some discharge for 5 days or so, but weeks is another matter entirely. 

Check out these tips for keeping on top of all that discharge after you give birth:

• Wear heavy duty sanitary pads. In this case, there will be enough discharge that thin maxis aren't going to cut it.
• Don't wear tampons because they can cause infections. And let's face it, you don't want one of those!
• Rest as much as you can. If you do a lot of walking this can increase the flow of the discharge.

Here are some things you want to look out for. If you have any of these symptoms contact your doctor:

• Your discharge smells. If your discharge smells bad, then this could indicate an infection or some other problem.
• You have bright red discharge for longer than 10 days.
• You're having a discharge flow that soaks a heavy duty sanitary pad in less than an hour.
• You're shivering and or you have a fever.

4 Signs You May Be Pregnant During Breastfeeding

Some women have the misconception that if they are breastfeeding, they won't get pregnant.

While it is true that you are less fertile when you're breastfeeding, you can still become pregnant.

Check out these signs that you may be pregnant even though you're breastfeeding:

• Tender breasts and nipples. If you're breasts and nipples become very tender and you notice it while breastfeeding, this may be a sign that you are pregnant again.
   
• Less milk. If you suddenly notice that you seem to be producing less milk than you were when you started breastfeeding, this can also be a sign that you are pregnant.
   
• Your baby starts drinking less of your breast milk. If you're pregnant again, the hormones your body is producing may change the flavor of your breast milk, and this in turn may cause your baby to try and self-wean.
   
• Any of the other normal symptoms with pregnancy apply as well such as, cramps, nausea, and fatigue for example.

5 Ways To Prevent Diaper Rash

Diaper rash is an unfortunate fact of life for both babies and their parents.

While you will probably have to deal with diaper rash for the first 2 years of your baby's life, there are some things you can do to ultimately prevent and get rid of diaper rash.

Follow these tips to conquer the diaper rash monster:

• Change your baby's diaper often, and as soon as it is soiled. If your baby sits too long in a diaper with feces and or urine in it, this can cause diaper rash to develop and to become worse.
• Switch between the different brands of diapers until you find the one that seems to affect your baby's sensitive skin the least. This will help to keep diaper rash at a minimum.
• Avoid scented baby wipes. Scented baby wipes can exacerbate diaper rash, and your baby's skin in general. Unscented wipes or even just plain water is best.
• Clean your baby's bottom, thighs and genitals well each time you change his diaper. Even leaving a bit of urine or feces on the skin can exacerbate your baby's delicate skin and cause diaper rash.
• Put white zinc oxide or petroleum ointment on your baby's diaper rash to help keep him as comfortable as possible and help towards healing the diaper rash.

What Moms-To-Be Really Need To Buy

It's easy when you're a new mom-to-be to go out and spend a bundle on the latest baby gadgets and goodies. But this can also put you in serious credit card debt, if you're not careful.

That being the case, knowing exactly what you need to buy for your new baby is crucial -- both to save money, and just so you know.

These items are crucial to have on hand when your baby is born:

• Baby wipes. These are just all around handy because they clean up not only poop and urine, but dirt and slobber as well. Unscented are the best ones because they are less likely to irritate baby's sensitive skin.
• Car seat. Most hospitals will not even let you leave with your new baby unless you have a car seat, whether your baby is riding home in a car or not.
• Baby carrier. Baby carriers are essential because they allow you to have your hands free to do other things, and they foster closeness with your baby as well.
• Stroller. Strollers are great because they allow you to take the baby out and about without  having to worry about sunlight being too bright (thanks to the stroller's cover) or having to carry your baby everywhere you go.
• Baby toys. Infant toys that are soft are best because, let's face it, not every baby is going to be an angel 100% of the time. Soft baby toys help keep your baby occupied during those times when he is being less than easy to deal with.

For more important necessities for new moms, check out the top 5 things every pregnant woman needs to buy!

The Natural Way To Get Pregnant Fast

Not everyone has an easy time getting pregnant, and for some couples it can be months or even years trying before they turn to their doctor for assistance.

The nice thing is there are few things that you can do to increase your odds of not only getting pregnant, but having a healthy baby.

Here are a few things to get you started:

• Begin taking folic acid at least 3 months before you start trying to get pregnant. This will help to ensure you don't have a baby with a neural tube defect.
• Don't run to the bathroom immediately after sex, try and wait at least 5 minutes. This gives the sperm a better chance of reaching a fertile egg.
• Have sex with your partner as often as possible during your fertile time. This is usually the 5 days preceding ovulation.

See this list of fertility tips for more ways to get pregnant fast!

Also, here is a list of blogs that deal with infertility, and what other couples are going through with regards to this issue.