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Reasons Parents Should talk to Their Teens About Pregnancy

It might be uncomfortable, but it is important that parents talk with their teens about pregnancy. Having that discussion, in a non-judgmental way, can inspire a teen to really open up and ask the questions that are on their mind. It can also help build trust between you and your teen. That’s important if you want them to come to you for answers about pregnancy in the future. Make sure you speak with your daughters and your sons. The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is high. The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate among countries that … Continue reading →

Late Trimester Test: The Cervical Exam

  As your due date approaches, you’ll start getting more and more checks by your doctor.  Your appointment schedule will increase to every two weeks from around week 30, and then every week from around week 37.  In addition to the fetal heartbeat check, you’ll probably have your belly measured as well, and your provider will feel around your stomach to determine the baby’s position.  Some doctors might even do a vaginal exam for this, if they’re having trouble determining where the baby is. You’ll get your group B strep test, and this might also be around the time you’ll … Continue reading →

Joyful Noise Is Music To My Ears

Have you ever caught yourself becoming annoyed at your toddler when he or she is simply bubbling over with joy? For some reason, many parents (myself included) sometimes feel irritated by their toddlers when they babble, sing, or otherwise express how happy they are. I have no idea why this is or why I do it, but today I caught myself doing it and I realized that it made no sense. It made no sense to feel irritated because Dylan was splashing around in the shower, singing at the top of his lungs. After all, he had gotten quite dirty … Continue reading →

Doctor Performs Daughters’ Plastic Surgery

I am rather anti-plastic surgery, at least for young women. Maybe that is because I am older and can see sagging places that could use a nip or tuck (not that I’d have that done). I figure when you are young, plastic surgery is unnecessary unless you have some physical defect that needs to be corrected. So, when I read that Dr. Michael Niccole performed plastic surgery on his daughter Brittani, I was somewhat aghast. I read once about an emergency room doctor who had to perform emergency surgery on his wife who had been hit while bicycling. That is … Continue reading →

The Right Time

Sometimes you’ve just got to be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes, though, you can increase your odds of being in the right place at the right time if you constantly hang around the right place. (Did you follow that? If not, read it again.) At any rate, I recently realized how beneficial it is to be in the right place a lot of the time concerning research. It just so happens that I’m lucky: I really love the subject I choose to study. In addition to it being my academic job it is also my personal … Continue reading →

The Insurance Policy (Part I)

I mentioned in a previous blog posting about my midwife’s “Insurance Policy.” This really has nothing to do with policy coverage, hospitals, or insurance companies; this is a different kind of insurance policy. With her extensive experience as a nurse midwife, she has seen time and time again the value of her insurance policy as she attends to expectant mothers. Her insurance policy is based on maintaining optimum health, which is something EVERYONE should be concerned about. This is how she can almost guarantee a healthy mother, a healthy baby, and a complication free pregnancy and delivery. My midwife’s insurance … Continue reading →

How to Save Money on Gas in 2011

Do you remember how we all complained when gas prices hit $3 a gallon? Well that just seems like the good old days now, doesn’t it? With gas prices reaching and exceeding $4 a gallon, it is taking the equivalent of some people’s monthly rent just to pay for gas. What can you do? Drive less, yes, but that isn’t going to solve the problem for a lot of us who have to drive to work in order to pay for all of that gas. And with summer approaching, it is hard to tell the kids that they will have … Continue reading →

10 Reasons Why We Chose a Midwife

My quest for a midwife was largely motivated by my dislike of shots, needles, drugs, and hospitals. After reading a large number of books and several articles comparing and contrasting birthing options, the benefits of using a midwife for the pregnancy and birth of our son was undeniable and 100% desirable. Here are our top ten reasons for choosing a midwife in no particular order: Reason Number One — More Control: Instead of being a passive participant with things happening to me, I was actively seeking to ensure the best possible outcome for both pregnancy and birth. The midwives supported … Continue reading →

Someone Like Me

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When our son and his cousin get together something magical happens. His cousin is less than one year older and while a lot of things happen developmentally at that age they really aren’t that far apart. What brings them even closer together now is that my son has recently started walking. His improvement every day is exponential and mystifying. Perhaps it is simply that he devotes 100% of his time and effort on walking that gives him superhuman skill-learning abilities. Whatever it is that makes him progress so quickly I know that his cousin is one aspect of that motivation … Continue reading →

Public Speaking Problems #2

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Last time I started talking about problems with speeches and public speaking in general and now I’m going to tackle some of the main issues and simple solutions that will help you with your speech. As I said last time I recently attended a public speaking event as a member of the audience and had difficulty following the speaker for a variety of reasons. While the speaker was a professional and was certainly educated about the topic they were still difficult to follow. Why was it difficult to follow this excellent speaker? What could have improved the situation? I will … Continue reading →