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When A Pregnancy Announcement Causes Negative Reactions

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I’ve spent the last hour reading first hand accounts from women who have large families about the negative feedback they have received from family and friends when sharing the news of a pregnancy. Can you imagine telling your mother-in-law you are pregnant with your fourth child, only to have her refuse to speak to you for months? Imagine hiding your pregnancy until it’s impossible to conceal because you’re dreading the negative comments. These scenarios have happened to real women. I even encountered one story in which a woman did not tell her mother-in-law about her eighth child until the day … Continue reading →

Stocking Up On Diapers Ahead Of Time?

Stocking up on diapers while you are pregnant is a good idea for a number of reasons. When you have a newborn, making trips to the store is a little more work than it used to be, so anything you can do to eliminate these trips is a plus. When you don’t have an immediate need for diapers, you can wait around for the best sales and buy in bulk at rock bottom prices. You won’t have that luxury once you have the baby and all you have left is what’s still packed in the diaper bag. (Now, if you … Continue reading →

Maternity Coat Shopping Guide

Looking for a warm coat that will fit over your baby bump? All of these winter coats are available for less than $80. Snag one now just in time for Christmas. (Tell your hubby to wrap it and pretend to be surprised when you open it!) 1. Liz Lange® Maternity Melton Wool Coat in Red – Available at Target for $49.99 (sale) I’m partial to this coat because it’s the one I wore last year and I loved it. It’s incredibly warm and the pleats allow the coat to expand while you grow. It’s also the perfect coat for postpartum … Continue reading →

The Pregnancy Blog Week in Review for Jan 27 – Feb 2

Time flies when you are pregnant. With the pressures of work, other children and family responsibilities, it’s easy to get busy and miss some of the articles posted in the Pregnancy Blog. This weekly review is an easy and fast way to get caught up on your reading. Saturday, January 27 Let’s Talk About Water Birth: Fluid Pain Relief Sara Denomme talks about the magical experience of her daughter’s home water birth. Sunday, January 28 If you are planning to breastfeed your new baby, you will need a good book as a resource. Check out Great Breastfeeding Books for some … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About Pregnancy and Finances

You may recall me mentioning how finances may be affected in Let’s Talk About Pregnancy: Your Parenting Primer: You’ve got ten months to pay off and cut up those credit cards, missy. But are babies really that much of a financial burden? How much do they really cost? I was on the phone with a good, married friend the other day. She is the last of my good friends from high school to still be baby-less. She admitted that having a baby at this time in her life would probably put her in the poor house, but I insisted that … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About Offsetting the Financial Squeeze of Parenting

What every parent-to-be needs is a list of inspiring ways to assure them that their new little bundle of joy won’t suck dry the retirement fund. Well, I can assure you that you don’t have to be a millionare to raise a family comfortably. Here are the ways our family does it: Tax Credits The federal government has created ways to ease parents’ burden via a tax bill signed into law in May 2003 that gives parents a larger tax write-off on minor children. The child tax credit is now $1,000 for each child under age 17, as long as … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About How Much Babies Really Cost

The Center for Nutrition/Policy and Promotion division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that by the time a child born in 2004 reaches age 6, parents with an income exceeding $70,200 a year (the median family income for 2003 was $52,680) will have spent $95,840 on said child. The report also notes that parents with a $70,200-plus income will have shelled out about $353,000 by their child’s eighteenth birthday. It’s no wonder that people are intimidated by the supposed large price tag of raising a family. If you don’t have insurance to cover the cost of delivering the baby, … Continue reading →