Pregnancy is a beautiful nine-month whirlwind adventure that, in the end, will completely change everything. But while baby’s busy cooking in mom’s belly, there can come a point where daddy-to-be feels a little left out. It’s not that we don’t want him to be part of the adventure every step of the way, it’s just that, quite frankly, it’s pretty tough to put into words all the amazing, unbelievable and brand new things happening inside your belly for a dude.

But now, there’s an answer for even that. Huggies has created the “Pregnancy Belt” as a way for dad’s to feel baby’s kick, in real time, as it’s happening. The belts come in both his and hers waistbands — one to fit mom and her growing tummy and one to fit dad. Whenever baby kicks in mama’s belly, feedback sensors send the sensation on over to daddy in the exact spot that baby kicks. Filmed in Spanish, the subtitles help reveal just how taken back dad is with the sensation of his little guy (or girl) moving around.

It’s a total tearjerker, so seriously: Prepare to melt. In honor of dads, moms and baby-to-be, check out these adorable dudes feeling baby’s movements in the own bodies, for the first time:

How amazing is this? Go, dads!

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Breastfeeding has been one of the most rewarding parts of motherhood for me (and in so many unexpected ways!). It has given me a very plump and healthy baby, helped me lose the baby weight and even given me a bit more in the cleavage department. Not too shabby. However, I am here to tell you that nursing my son at eight months is very different from nursing him during his newborn days.

I look back to his newborn days and remember quiet, calm and peaceful nursing sessions. Sessions where he was easy to hold because he loved being swaddled and was more than content with being near his mom. There were times where I would even fall asleep because of how peaceful it was! Fast forward to the more recent weeks and in some ways breastfeeding has become a whole new experience!

Here are three changes that we have encountered:

1. There is a new word that enters your vocabulary: Niplash.

What is niplash? Let me explain. You are sitting in a quiet room nursing, then your husband walks looking all sorts of good and you turn your head to look at him. Well, guess what? So does baby, while remaining latched on. Niplash.

2. There are teeth involved.

Remember when people tell you that most babies do not get their first tooth until around six months or so? My son got TWO teeth at exactly four months. Here we sit at eight months and he is cutting his seventh tooth. Now luckily, we do not have excessive biting, but there have been a few times where I was pretty sure he bit my nipple clear off (he did not). I have learned to pay close attention when he is getting tired or cutting a new tooth to get my finger in there and unlatch him quickly when necessary! I must add, it hasn’t been that bad though, I mean, I am still doing it — right?

3. He knows where the “ladies” live.

This hasn’t become a huge problem yet, but I see it on our horizon. My little guy knows that under mom’s shirt lies his favorite meal. So why not pull on my V-neck to see if they are available? Why not try to unbutton my shirt when I am not paying attention? It makes sense because he is telling me is hungry and ready to eat but you just have to make sure you are ready because they don’t care whether you are in the middle of the grocery store or Easter dinner!

Overall, I have the outlook now as I had at day one: breastfeeding is an adventure. Each age brings along its own quirks and trials but all are manageable. You adapt, you laugh and you just keep going! I am hoping to continue breastfeeding to a year and beyond so I am sure this list will only continue to grow!

What challenges or funny things have happened to you while breastfeeding?

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I have a small Ziploc bag in my desk drawer containing a lock of hair from my son’s first haircut. I’m not sure exactly why I saved it (or what I’m going to do with it) but it seemed like something a mom is supposed to save. Same with other stuff I’ve kept for sentimental reasons – the extra birth announcements, the burp cloths, the binkies and every stuffed animal he ever snuggled.

I know some people who’ve made lovely shadow boxes and scrapbooks with their baby keepsakes, but I’m not that crafty. And besides, what do you do with the bigger stuff, like the teddy bears?

Here’s what I’ve decided to save and toss:

SAVE

The birth announcement. Well, duh, right? But with my first baby, I handmade my birth announcements (I was 10 days overdue and had a LOT of time on my hands), but forgot to make myself one. I thought I’d remember every detail – time of birth, weight, etc. I didn’t realize then what years of sleep deprivation would do to my memory.

Favorite loveys. I actually don’t have to worry about this one because my son is still using his 7 years later! I have heard of some moms salvaging a square of their child’s disintegrating blankie, and some who’ve turned pieces of beloved blankies and clothing into a quilt. Some people are just so darn crafty.

TOSS

The hospital bracelet. For a long time I hung onto the plastic bracelets they gave me and the baby at the hospital. Then one day I asked myself why I was saving an ugly piece of plastic scrawled on with ballpoint pen. I have plenty of photos to remember the occasion – not to mention the actual baby. Toss!

Everything the baby ever wore. I was guilty of this one. “Oh, his first swimsuit!” “The hat he wore on his first trip to the beach!” “His first pair of rain boots…” When the bins of clothes began to take over the basement, I saved a couple of my favorite outfits — including that first pair of shoes — gave my second-favorites to friends’ kids and donated the rest to Goodwill.

HIDE

Baby teeth. OK, this is a third category I snuck in here, purely for the benefit of you new moms. In a few years, your baby will start losing his teeth, and the “tooth fairy” will whisk them away while he sleeps. “What does the tooth fairy do with my teeth?” asked my son. She keeps them in a jewelry box where he will accidentally stumble upon them one day, prompting all sorts of awkward questions. So do yourselves a favor and HIDE those baby teeth, moms/tooth fairies! You’ll thank me one day.

What baby mementos do you save? Have you done anything creative with them?

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7 Surprising (and Sweet) Things About Being a Mom

We’ve known forever that the bonds between mom and baby run deeper, stronger and more fluid than anyone could ever begin to explain. Now, new research proves that there’s a physical connection, more interconnected and integral to our being than anyone ever imagined. As mom carries baby during pregnancy and shares a physical connection through the placenta, cells can travel freely between mom and baby (by way of the placenta). And while human intellect has us intent on believing that we are autonomous individuals, it’s impossible to deny the fact that so many of the cells that passed between mom and baby during gestation stay there — forever.

The stunning findings from the latest research show that cells from other individuals are also found in the brain. Male cells were found in the brains of women, living there, as some research pointed out, for more than several decades. Their impact and purpose may be entirely a guessing game at this point, but the study went on to show that microchimeric cells are not only found circulating in the blood, but they’re also embedded in the brain. Microchimerism most commonly occurs from the exchanging of cells through the placenta during pregnancy (and as of late, there is more and more evidence pointing to the fact that these cells may also be transferred from mother to infant through nursing, as well).

Throughout the study, researchers found the possibility that microchimerism may also take place in the exchange of cells between twins in utero, as well as the possibility of cells from an older sibling residing in the mother could potentially find it’s way back through the placenta while mom is pregnant with a younger sibling. What’s more, women may also have microchimeric cells within them from their mother. As it all comes together and the research only further proves the fact that what’s in mom is also in baby and in ourselves and within our siblings — its incredible to find that what’s in one of us is found in all of us. The bonds of family, of mom and baby are more integral than we’d ever before been able to prove through scientific research and it’s amazing that research has been able to take us this far.

At this point in the research, what the fetal microchimeric cells do within the mother’s body is unclear, but researchers are delighted by the intriguing possibilities — and the fact that these cellular links appear between baby and mother so long after baby has left the womb is mystifying. Because fetal microchimeric cells are similar to stem cells because hey are able to become a variety of diffierent tissues, one research group found that these fetal cells migrated to the maternal heart to help repair heart damage. Another study, on animals, found that microchimeric cells could be fond within the maternal brain, where they had become nerve cells, which prompted researchers to note that these cells might have become functionally integrated to the brain.

Do you think you’re connected to baby in this way?

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Although at least 33 percent of U.S births are via cesarean birth (C-section), the latest study raises concerns over babies born via C-section and their risk of developing obesity or becoming overweight. According to the research, babies who are born via C-section are much more likely to become obese when they grow up as opposed to babies who are delivered vaginally.

Led by Dr. Jan Blustein, Ph.D., M.D., from the New York University of Medicine, the study analyzed data on a total of 10,2019 British-born children born between 1001 and 1992. Just over 9 percent of infants analyzed in the study were delivered via C-section. The aim of the study, published in the International Journal of Obesity was to “assess associations of C-sections with body mass from birth through adolescence.” Blustien said, “there may be long-term consequences to children that we don’t know” for children born via C-section and not vaginally delivered.

What’s surprising is that, on average, infants delivered by C-section were born slightly smaller (by less than two ounces) than those infants who were delivered through the vaginal canal. Beginning around six weeks old, researchers found that C-section babies were consistently heavier than vaginally-born infants at almost all of their check-ins. Blustein and her colleagues reported that the link in weight gain was especially strong among children who were born to overweight mothers. For the entire study, rates of overweight and obesity ranged from 31 percent at 3-years-old to 17 percent at ages seven and 15.

The results of the study found that eleven-year-olds delivered by C-section were 83 percent more likely to be overweight or obese, compared to their vaginally-born peers. While Blustein said that the size of the obesity risk for kids is “not great,” and shouldn’t come into play for women who need a C-section for medical reasons, the findings of her study support the conclusions of nine previous studies, which has already found a link between C-sections and childhood obesity. However, “A woman who’s considering C-section electively should probably know about those risks,” she added.

Though research hasn’t been able to prove whether a C-section is a reason some babies tend to gain more weight, Blustein does speculate that it might have something to do with the fact that C-section babies are missing out on important exposures to friendly bacteria during the trip through the birth canal. “The other possibilities,” she said, “are (that) these are children that would have been heavier anyway,” Blustein said.

As far as risk factors go due to the fact that overweight parents are more likely to have overweight children Blustein said, “Being heavy as a woman is a risk factor for C-section, so that’s the problem with trying to figure out whether this is real or if it’s simply a matter of selection.” Her study was able to take a mother’s weight into account and her team of researchers was able to find the link between C-section births and child obesity was “weak” among kids born to normal-weight mothers. Still, there could be unmeasured factors that exist to help explain the overall link between delivery method and child’s weight. Said Blustein of the future work that has yet to be done, “This is certainly not the last word.”

Could baby’s weight be affected by delivery method?

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The latest study to come from the journal Breastfeeding Medicine found that children with children who breastfeed for shorter durations may be more likely to have ADHD.

Researchers at Schneider’s Children Medical Center studied over 50 children (age 6-12) who had been diagnosed with ADHD between 2008 and 2009. These children were compared to two control groups: the first consisted of healthy (non-ADHD) siblings of ADHD children and the second control group was composed of children of similar ages without ADHD. Researchers also presented a questionnaire to both parents of children in all three groups that addressed: demographic, medical and perinatal findings, as well as feeding history during their child’s first year of life. Parents were also given a validated adult ADHD screening questionnaire.

From the study and the questionnaire results, researchers found that the rates of breastfeeding were substantially lower among those children diagnosed with ADHD: only 43 percent were breastfed until they were three months old. When researchers studied the two control groups, they found that 69 percent of the siblings and 73 percent of the children not related to the kids with ADHD were breastfed until they were three months old. What’s  more, only 29 percent of children with ADHD were breastfed until they were six months old. When studied, scientists found 50 percent of siblings and 57 percent of kids in the second control group were breastfed until they were six months.

According to the authors of the study, those differences suggest that partial prevention of ADHD could be found in breastfeeding. And from the results, researchers were able to conclude that children with ADHD were less likely to breastfeed at 3 and 6 months. But researchers and doctors in general agree that this is only the tip of the iceberg — and there is much, much more work to be done if they are to show the association between breastfeeding and prevention of ADHD.

Though he was not involved in the study, Dr. Andrew Gerber said, “You can never know in a very basic, statistical way whether you have controlled adequately for other variables. You do the best you can, and I believe these authors tried, but it’s very hard to take a study like this and infer anything.” He went on to add, “Is it plausible that there are aspects of breastfeeding and bonding with the baby that are important and can have wide-reaching implications for development, both intellectually and emotionally? Yes. But does that mean in a concrete way that lack of breastfeeding leads to ADHD? The answer to that is almost certainly ‘no.’”

What Gerber did say, however, was that if future studies confirm that breastfeeding has a direct, protective effect against ADHD, he believed it would most likely stem from the fact that breastfeeding promotes early mother-infant bonding, which, through several studies, has shown to influence a child’s emotional and intellectual development.

Until further research is done, Gerber warns expectant mothers and moms from taking these findings too seriously. He said of that the conclusions researchers drew from the study should not, “put mothers in a position where they think this particular ingredient is so crucial, that if they can’t do it, they’re bad moms. What matters more in emotional and intellectual development is that they be competent, comfortable mothers. For some moms, that means breastfeeding.”

Do you think breastfeeding could help prevent ADHD in your babies?

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I don’t condone lying. Honesty is always the best policy, right?  Weeeell, I may have been fudging a few things lately… um… to our pediatrician. I know, I know, I’m a terrible mom. Or so I thought — until I talked to other moms who admitted to telling a few little white lies to their pediatricians too. Then I thought, why? Why did I feel that I couldn’t be honest with the one person I’ve elected to care for our child’s medical needs?

I’m as familiar with the conventional wisdom as the next momma when it comes to baby care. I did have the standard nine months to prepare, after all. On top of that, I got all the little baggies full of pamphlets, brochures, samples and free magazine subscriptions from the moment my pee stick said “Yay!” Each little piece of propaganda fit together in an all-encompassing guide on how to take care of an infant. I plowed through them all. I could have recited proper sleep schedules, feeding schedules and techniques by age and rank. The problem? Baby’s don’t always go by the book.

At our very first appointment, our pediatrician used a lot of the phrase, “He should be [...]” and “He needs to be [...].” By the time we left, I felt certain I had all the instructions I needed to put this little guy together… er …wait. He was already assembled — I’d already spent nine months doing that. So wait, how long should his nap intervals be?  Black and tar-like. Yeah, that was it. No, that’s poo color. What was the nap thing?  ”Hon! Where’d you put those napping instructions?” The point is, I left feeling like I had a set of instructions that had to be followed precisely or the world would surely self-destruct.

Fast forward:  Our son, despite our best efforts (honestly!) to have him sleep in the bassinet beside our bed, would not sleep. He just wouldn’t. I’m not talking normal-newborn-waking-up-in-the-night stuff. I’m talking would. not. sleep. After a week or so, we decided to try co-sleeping. It was fabulous (and has been ever since). It was a personal choice, made with careful consideration, and it worked for our family.

What does this have to do with lies and deceit?

Enter lie #1:

Doc: “How is he sleeping?”
Me: “Great!  I can’t complain at all.”
Doc: “Sleeping through the night? On his back?”
Me: “Yep.” (All true so far!)
Doc: “Where does he sleep?”
Me: [oh, $%#@] ”In his bassinet next to the bed.”
Doc: “Good, good.”

I knew what the pediatrician wanted to hear, so I just blurted it out like I was playing Catch Phrase after too many glasses of wine. I felt like I had a giant neon “liar” sign blinking from my forehead, but he moved on to feeding.

Doc: “How often is he nursing?”
Me: [damn, this test is hard!] “Uh, every hour and a half maybe?”
Doc: “Ok, mom you’re spoiling him.  He should be eating every 3-4 hours at three months. He’s a snacker.”
Me: “Oh.”

Here’s the thing: By month three, I’d stopped tracking and charting every last feeding, poo color, and nap time down to the second. We’d already had a routine that felt natural and everyone was happy. Besides, I didn’t think you could really “spoil” a 3-month old. At our 6-month appointment, my husband and I were both there. Thankfully the feeding intervals didn’t come up that time, because I was prepared to lie again. Then, the questions started flying before I realized… I’d forgotten to brief my husband on my little ruse.

Doc: “Where is he sleeping.”
Husband: “In bed with us.”
Me: [Noooooooo!]

There may have been a nervous laugh or two as I sheepishly concurred (red-faced and pit-stained by now) with what my husband had so easily disclosed: the truth. And guess what? The world did not self-destruct. Our pediatrician did not bite me. But I still left questioning my position on co-sleeping, feeding times, and a lot of other things. Then I realized, our way was working just fine. I was getting all in a tither over things that didn’t really need fixing. Medically, our son was actually ahead of the game. The doc had even complimented his advanced motor skills. It was the expectation that was killing me — expectations set by by all the “should be’s” and “need to be’s”. I didn’t want to be scolded or judged, so I lied.

Should I have told the truth from the beginning? Probably. Are expectations placed upon new parents sometimes such that we feel the need to fib? Definitely.

Are you guilty of telling white lies to your doctor?

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A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that a link exists between the flu in pregnancy and the instance of Bipolar disorder found in infants.

Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center studied 814 moms-to-be, and shows that infection made bipolar disorder four times more likely for baby. Though the overall risk for bipolar disorder remained low, the conclusions are concerning for researchers because it echoes previous findings that have also linked flu in mom and schizophrenia in baby.

Researchers looked at people born in the early 1960s and found that bipolar disorder was nearly four times as common in people whose mothers caught flu during their pregnancies. Lead researchers Professor Alan Brown, estimated that influenza infection during pregnancy could lead to a 3-4% chance of bipolar disorder in the resulting children.

The study sheds light on the need for further research on the flu and the instance of bipolar disorder in babies. Researchers have also found a link between the flu in mom and the instance of schizophrenia found in baby — now, it seems, more studies are needed to confirm that the links exist and to attempt to discover why they do.

But how can moms-to-be protect themselves from the seasonal flu?

Though Brown says that he doesn’t think the findings of the study “should raise alarms for mothers” just yet, he did say that the seasonal flu vaccination, which is advised for many expectant women across many countries, would help reduce the risk of catching the flu.

Dr. Fiona Gaughran, the lead consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, who was not affiliated with the study at all said, “If future work confirms the link reported here, policymakers may need to consider implications for flu prevention pre-pregnancy.”

Did you get a flu shot during your pregnancy? Why or why not?

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A shocking new study completed by Swedish researchers and published in the journal Pediatrics found that parents who pick up a dropped pacifier and suck it clean may be helping their infants become better germ fighters.

Crazy, right? We didn’t believe it at first either! But you can’t ignore the research. Here’s what they found:

Researchers in Sweden studied 184 infants at the age of four months old. Scientists collected saliva samples from each infant to determine which times of bacteria resided in baby’s guts. At six months old, parents were asked to report on whether their infants used pacifiers and how moms and dads cleaned them. At ages 18 and 36 months old, researchers checked back in with parents to see if the babies had developed allergies and when their first symptoms appeared.

By 18 months old, 25% of babies whose parents did not clean baby’s pacifier with their own saliva had eczema, 15% had developed some type of food allergy and 5% had been diagnosed with asthma. Compared to babies whose parents did suck baby’s pacifier clean, these infants were one-third less likely to develop eczema. At the age of 3 years old, these children were still less likely to develop eczema than their peers.

Beyond just cleaning off baby’s pacifier, researchers also looked for correlations between how a mother delivered baby and her tendency to suck the pacifiers clean. Moms who gave birth vaginally tended to favor the cleaning practice more than C-section moms. In a previous study, researchers concluded that vaginally-delivered babies are already exposed to more maternal bacteria as they traveled through the birth canal.

From the current study, researchers found that infants whose parents used their tongues to clean off baby’s binky were more likely to have different strands of bacteria, with more helpful bacteria in their intestines, than babies whose parents did not use their tongue to clean off baby’s bink. “Parental sucking of their infant’s pacifier is associated with a reduced risk of allergy development and an altered oral flora in their child,” researchers noted.

One of the main concerns of the study was whether or not parents who chose to sanitize baby’s binky with their own saliva were passing on more germs and harmful infections to their little ones, but it turns out that it was just the opposite. Researchers found that all of the babies involved in the study developed an average of one and a half colds in the first six months of life.
What do you think, mom and dad? How should you clean baby’s pacifier?

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