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Pre-Planning Your Diet During Pregnancy with Diabetes Ideally, you should have your blood sugar levels within good control three to six months prior to pregnancy. Good planning means following a diet and exercise plan and getting your blood sugar levels in good control. It’s also important that you are receiving management and diet education from your doctor, dietitian and a diabetes educator. During this time, your healthcare team will also assess your current medication regimen....

With the emphasis in the media on age and fertility, it’s not hard to see where people may think that infertility is limited to older couples. Just about every month there seems to be a news story reporting on women over 35 and their diminishing fertility. So when a couple in their 20s or early 30s has trouble getting pregnant, it may come as a surprise. However, infertility in younger women is not so uncommon....

However, the process is not without its risks. One important risk that you should consider with IVF is the risk of preterm birth. By understanding the increased risk of premature birth and learning how to reduce it, you can make a more informed decision about conceiving through IVF. Risk for Preterm Birth After IVF No matter how you conceive, your chances of having a premature baby vary depending on a number of factors....

Caffeine in Breast Milk While it is known for certain that the caffeine you consume by drinking coffee, tea, and through other common caffeine-containing foods and drinks will go into your breast milk, the actual amount of caffeine in the breast milk of women who consume caffeine varies. There are great differences between the amounts of caffeine contained in foods and drinks, but also in the rates of absorption and elimination of caffeine from one woman to another....

Whether you are the type to drive around campus hoping to catch a glimpse of your teen or the type to suck it up and leave campus as quickly as possible, you will get through this. And before you know it, Thanksgiving break will be here. To get you started on that game plan, here is a list of 30 things you need to know (and do) before the college drop-off day actually arrives....

The numbers for the 2016 study are as follows: Monitoring the Future Study: Trends in Prevalence of Steroids for 8th Graders, 10th Graders, and 12th Graders; 2015 (in percent)* 1.0 percent of 8th graders,1.2 percent of 10th graders,and 2.3 percent of 12th graders. If your teen shows one or more of these symptoms, talk to their pediatrician about screening them further. They can also help you figure out the best approach to talk to your teen about the possibility of illicit drug use....

Overview The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) explains that flat head syndrome, also sometimes called cranial asymmetry, which means the head is not symmetrical, is usually not medically worrisome and often temporary. The most common issue with flat head syndrome is making sure that your baby’s head is flat because of positioning, and not a bigger medical condition, such as an actual deformity or underlying issue with the brain. In some rare cases, for example, a skull condition might not be apparent until the baby is a few weeks or months old, so if you suspect your baby has a flat head, you will want to have him or her evaluated by a doctor....

The Foley catheter is a device normally used to empty the bladder. But in this use, the balloon portion of it is inserted into the uterus and inflated, which puts pressure on the cervix to promote dilation and contractions. How It Works This induction method begins by your practitioner inserting the Foley balloon, sometimes using a speculum, into the uterus via your vagina. The balloon is placed between your amniotic sac and lower uterine segment (bottom of the uterus) on the other side of your cervix....

Whatever kids’ chores you decide to assign to your grade-schooler, try to tailor it to her abilities and what she wants to do. Giving kids chores boosts their self-esteem, teaches them the importance of having a job and finishing it, teaches them responsibility, and shows them the importance of keeping things clean and organized, among other benefits. This list of some age-appropriate chores for kids may help you consider what jobs your child may be able to handle....

Working toward a goal can help your teen learn about themself. And it can help them create bigger goals for themself in the future. Goals require teens to think about what they want to accomplish. Then, in order to be successful, they have to identify the steps they need to take to reach those goals. How Parents Can Help Young children require a lot of support from grownups to help them reach their goals....

With a focus on COVID-19 safety, most hospitals have limited the amount of support allowed in the delivery room, mandated induction of labor, and isolated babies from parents that show symptoms of the virus. This has pushed many people to reconsider their birth plans. Midwives and doulas guide women through pregnancies and deliveries at home. These specialists have seen an uptick in demand for their services during the pandemic as more women are shying away from hospital deliveries and opting for home births....

People who have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) might benefit from taking metformin alone, with Clomid, or during IVF treatment. Studies show that taking the drug in combination with other treatments like Clomid typically produces better results than using it on its own. While metformin can be used for the treatment of infertility, it is not technically a fertility drug. When taken to treat infertility, it is considered an off-label use (which means that pregnancy achievement is not the original purpose of the drug)....

Pumping Breast Milk in the Early Days Whether you are pumping breast milk for a premature baby, or you plan to feed your newborn pumped breast milk only, you may find that you need to pump frequently. In the first day or two after birth, you may only pump a teaspoon or two of milk at a time. This early breast milk is called colostrum. Although moms only make a small amount of colostrum, it is packed with immunities and nutrients, and is very valuable to your baby (premature or full-term)....

In fact, researchers are finding more and more evidence pointing to the benefits of positive thinking and optimism. Additionally, people who think positive thoughts also may experience a number of other benefits including lower rates of depression, lower levels of distress, and better coping skills. Positive thinking can even lower this risk of dying from stroke, heart disease, infection, cancer, and respiratory disease. In fact, in one 2017 study, the most optimistic women (or the top quartile of the study) had nearly a 36% lower risk of dying from the diseases analyzed compared with bottom quartile of the study....

The first thing you’ll notice when you start shopping is that humidifiers fall into two main categories: Warm vs. cool mist. Since both work well, deciding which type to buy is largely a matter of preference. Warm vs. Cool Mist Humidifiers Warm-mist humidifiers (also known as vaporizers) use a heating element to boil water and produce steam. Due to their simplicity, warm-mist models tend to be quieter, less expensive and less likely to break than cool-mist humidifiers....

Aside from starting to learn the basics like the alphabet and numbers, preschool teaches important social skills like how to be independent, how to share, and how to follow directions. Determine Preschool Readiness The first step in getting ready for preschool is making sure that your child is ready. There is a great deal of variability—and what is right for one child is not always appropriate for another. Once you decide your child is ready, choosing the best preschool can seem like a daunting process—but a lot of it is knowing what you want and what is best for your child....

But for bisexual parents, particularly those in relationships that society might perceive as “straight,” coming out to their child might prove to be trickier. In a world that unfairly assumes a “default” of straightness unless stated otherwise, how does a parent come out to their child? What questions will children have? And how can parents speak to them in a way that doesn’t overwhelm them—or the parents themselves? We turned to some experts to find out ways to talk to children about sexual identity, how to prepare for their questions, and how to keep the conversation going....