How do I explain to my 5 year old son how a man can be pregnant?  Thankfully my brain quickly came up with a simple answer he understood.  People on t.v were referring to Thomas Beatie (the pregnant man from Bend, Oregon) who is pregnant again.  I know these children are born into a family full of love which is what any kid needs.  However, how do you explain to those kids that the person they think is daddy was the one to birth them?  I wonder about peer teasing and how they will be accepted.  I personally feel sorry for Thomas because he seems to be confused.  He wants to be a man yet at the same time he wants to do the one thing that truly sets woman and men apart.  I see the ability to have babies a woman’s sacred ability.  I can understand transgender thinking, however, I just cannot wrap my mind around this.  He wants the be man and woman.  What do you think?

Clearblue has always been on the cutting edge of pregnancy/conception tests.  They have come through with another groundbreaking test.  You will soon be able to find the exact day you conceived.  It will be meant to confirm your pregnancy as well as tell you the date of conception for about $20.  It will work like a regular pregnancy test, however, it will also contain two hCG hormone detectors.  A digital screen will tell you exactly how many weeks pregnant you are.  In labratory testing, it has proven to be 92% accurate.  Maybe Maury Povich can invest in some of these.  Perhaps when these become mainstream, he may be out of a job.

I am always fascinated by the pictures that are taken of a fetus.  It never ceases to amaze me how far technology has come in a relatively short amount of time.  I found by far the coolest gallery of fetus photos.  It shows pictures from the very beginning of conception up until the baby is born.  There are multiple pictures for each week.  It really is amazing and a must see!  Go to EHD and check it out.

I remember long ago when my siblings were born (there was quite an age difference) and all the “stuff” my mom had (why couldn’t the battery powered swing had been invented yet??). When my first was born, I was amazed at how much more “stuff” there was. I found myself wandering the aisles of Baby’s R Us in a fog. Too many cute little outfits and fun toys. What kind of bottles did I need? What kind of car seat did I need? Did I really need the baby wipe warmer?

Becky Bloomwood finally nagged the guy of her dreams in Shopaholic Ties the Knot and is now Becky Brandon (of the famous Brandon Communications, at least it will be). Now, She finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. What does any shopaholic want? To be a yummy mummy of course! What does a yummy mummy need? Well, she needs the perfect pram for every possible situation, she needs designer baby clothes, a photo shoot for Vogue, and of course THE A-list OB-GYN.

After she pops into Bambino and overhears a conversation, Becky realizes she needs to get up to speed quick! Five prams, check. Baby clothes, check (she wishes she hadn’t been such a good wife and let Luke talk her into not finding out the babies gender). Now, the A-list OB-GYN. That was a little bit harder; however, Becky sure is good with words! A-list OB-GYN, check (now she will meet celebrities and have a holistic water birth with a Thai massage and lotus flowers!) Oh no, wait, she is Luke’s ex-girlfriend?! He never mentioned her! Shoot, they are now texting in Latin, and she told Becky she thinks she might be getting a varicose vein in her leg. What’s a girl to do? She talks to her sister and her best friend. They tell her to take back her territory. Didn’t Venetia notice the eye move? Now all of a sudden Luke is taking calls more privately and suddenly leaving. Are they having an affair? In classic Becky fashion, she follows Luke one day, and then hires a private investigator to tail him. Luke begins to think he is being followed. Shoot, shoot shoot!

She doesn’t have time for Venetia anymore; she must get ready for her Vogue photo shoot. What, now Fabia wants the blue shoes in order to use her house? Doesn’t she understand these green ones were flown in personally by a model upon request from Danny, her famous designer friend? I want a famous designer friend! Oh, wait, she is the one who discovered him….anyone? Anyone?? Now she is finally in the house and puts up some pictures of her and Luke, some monogrammed items, and a few sweet notes on the fridge. As she is putting the finishing touches, adding some of her shoes in the Shoe Room (don’t they always take shots in your closet?), the doorbell rings. Making mental notes of where everything is in the house, she answers the door. It isn’t the team from Vogue, its Luke and he wants to talk. All of a sudden she is in makeup and wardrobe, and Luke is charming the crowd acting like he owns the place (he is such a great guy and Becky can’t believe she is loosing him). Vogue has had horrible luck with this piece and Becky is their last yummy mummy available for it. What happens when the camera starts clicking? Becky begins having contractions! Call the ambulance! i guess Vogue will have to scrap their yummy mummy piece all together.

To find out how Becky seeks revenge on Venetia, and has the birth of her dreams (minus the lotus flowers and Thai massage), pick up Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella. It is such a fun read as you find yourself rooting for Becky, laughing hysterically from her less-than-thought-out plans, and wanting to reach through the pages and give her a hug (or perhaps a belly rub).

*They have just finished filming Confessions of a Shopaholic movie! Starring Isla Fisher as Becky Bloomwood and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.*

We have been hearing that all pregnant women, young children, and elderly people need to get a flu shot. How about your unborn baby? He/she could use one too. “Our data show that a single dose of maternal influenza vaccine provides a considerable two-for-one benefit to both mothers and their young infants,” wrote a team led by Dr. Mark C. Steinhoff, of Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore. They also wrote, “childhood deaths associated with influenza are most frequent in infants under the age of 6 months,”. Unfortunately, for children under 6 months, it is not recommended they receive a flu shot. The researchers knew newborns did receive some immunities to the flu virus from the mother’s antibodies which circulate in the fetal environment. They wondered if a flu shot would have the same effect. To find out, the team tracked 340 Bangladeshi mother-infant pairs during 2004-2005.

The researchers found that babies born to vaccinated mothers had a 63% lower risk of laboratory-confirmed influenza compared to babies whose mothers had not received the flu shot. The incidence of any type of respiratory illness with fever also declined, from 153 cases among infants born to unvaccinated mothers to 110 cases among babies whose mothers had gotten the flu shot. Researchers say this trial offers “unique evidence supporting the strategy of maternal immunization to prevent influenza infection in young infants and their mothers.”

Few pregnant women actually follow CDC recommendations and receive the flu shot. I know I have never had one. Even my kids don’t get one every year. We are a generally healthy family so I don’t really think about it. Maybe this year, I will have to join the line and get injected (oops did I let the cat out of the bag? I guess another post is needed).

If you are pregnant, get your flu shot!

When shopping for breastfeeding wear, I am usually pretty disappointed by the options. Why can’t there be pretty bras?  Womama has the cutest and sexiest nursing bras. They also carry the only organic birthing wrap in the world. It is incredible! You can wear it during pregnancy as a wrap, then wear it while giving birth. You can even wear it after as a nightie or a wrap after the baby is born. This would be such a great gift for the pregnant mama who isn’t all that excited about wearing the very chic hospital gowns.  I might have to get one for my next baby so i can be the chicest mama in the maternity ward.  Womama also has nursing singlets.  These are tank tops which unhook at the strap.  You can still be modestly covered while the baby is feeding.  No one has to see that post baby belly we are usually really concious of.  It is certainly for that mama who wants some ingenious, fun, and funky maternity/breastfeeding wear. Womama has so many really cool products, you really need to just go to their site and check it out!

It never ceases to amaze me where medicine takes us.  This is a video clip from The Today Show.  Matt Lauer interviews a couple who had a baby and is pregnant again.  What is amazing about this?  Annie had one her ovaries frozen before under going chemotherapy.  After she was in remission, the ovary was grafted back on.  It is only the second time a baby was born after an ovary was frozen.  There are less than 10 babies born in this way so far!