About halfway through the labor, I distinctly remember thinking, I'll never say no to this woman again...whatever she asks for from now on, my answer will be yes. I know this is a bit of a funny thought to have had while she was crushing my hands during each wave of contractions, but the point that shouldn't be missed is this: I felt some serious respect and awe for my wife as I witnessed her giving birth to our firstborn. Read more
Back when our firstborn, Joshua, was about six months old and had trouble getting to sleep without one of us holding him, we resorted to the universal remedy of strapping him into his car seat and going for a long drive. Read more
What follows is a list of the most important steps that you and your partner can take to increase your chances of getting pregnant. Read more
Unfortunately, some new moms who have every intention of nursing their babies end up switching to formula within the first few weeks of their babies' lives. Read more
As a follow-up to my article on Natural Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting Pregnant, this article describes what men should and shouldn't do to improve sperm count and quality.
According to Dr. Bernard Robaire, a professor in obstetrics and gynecology at McGill University, men produce about 100 million sperm per day - about 1,000 sperm for every heartbeat. So in the vast majority of cases, improving sperm count and quality is all about providing healthy nutrients to make sperm, and making sure that one's lifestyle choices aren't damaging one's sperm. Put another way, men don't have to do much to increase overall sperm production; the focus should be on providing the right materials to produce healthy sperm, and then keeping those sperm healthy. Read more
Before my wife gave birth to our first child, our primary midwife asked us to think about whether we wanted our child to receive a vitamin K shot after he was born or not.
Vitamin K shots are routinely administered to newborn babies because 1.8 out of every 100,000 babies who do not receive vitamin K injections suffer permanent injury or death due to uncontrolled bleeding in the brain that may be the result of having extremely low levels of vitamin K in their systems. Read more
About ten years ago, I devoted several months of my evening hours researching the ins and outs of C-section deliveries. I was stunned to discover that in some cases, C-section deliveries are encouraged because they are more profitable and convenient for doctors to perform, even though C-sections are clearly more dangerous than natural vaginal deliveries that take place in a supportive environment. Read more
According to widely accepted folklore, if weight gain during pregnancy occurs mainly at the front of the abdomen, one can expect a baby boy. If weight gain occurs more evenly throughout a woman's body and face, it's most likely a girl. Read more
Jealousy. Nowhere is this emotion more evident than in a toddler who suddenly finds a new baby in the house to gobble up mommy's and daddy's attention.
My mother-in-law once told me about walking into a room to see her then-5-year-old son about to smother his infant sister's (my wife) face with a pillow. In the same breath of laughter, she went on to tell of another time when she was nursing her youngest, when suddenly, her baby screamed in pain. My mother-in-law wheeled around to discover that her son had pinched his baby sister on the arm while he was behind his mother's back. Read more
In a study to be published in this month's edition of the journal Pediatrics, researchers from the CDC say that approximately 33 percent of infant deaths can be attributed to premature births. This number is much higher than all previous estimates. Read more