Pregnancy may guarantee you a seat on the bus, but it doesn’t grant you a free pass from germs. In fact, your developing baby puts your immune system into relaxation mode, making you more susceptible to everyday illnesses. This dip in resistance may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s crucial—if your body didn’t surrender to foreign bodies, it might actually reject your … [Read more...] about The pregnancy-safe way to beat cold and flu
Pregnancy
Your first trimester questions – answered!
All right, moms-to-be, the doctor is in! Our OB, Dr. Stephen Weiss, answers your first trimester questions. Smoked out Q: I’ve been to a few parties this winter where I can smell smoke from a fire in the fireplace. I’ve read that breathing smoke can be harmful for a fetus. How seriously should I take that warning? A: Burning wood in the fireplace is generally safe during … [Read more...] about Your first trimester questions – answered!
How to create a perfect nursery for less
One night, when I was about 20 weeks pregnant, my husband came home to find me in tears, selling off our clothes on eBay and looking for a second job. “We can’t afford this baby!” I cried. According to the various sources I’d consulted, caring for a baby required thousands of dollars worth of special equipment— everything from a gadget that warms wipes to a device that … [Read more...] about How to create a perfect nursery for less
How to handle mom’s unsolicited advice during pregnancy
Partly out of superstition, and partly because of Jewish tradition, Liz Gumbinner of Brooklyn, NY, asked her family not to give her baby gifts until the very end of her pregnancy. “When I was six weeks pregnant, and just two days after we’d announced it,” Gumbinner says, “My overexcited mother-in-law sent a onesie set.” There’s no getting around it: Becoming a parent changes … [Read more...] about How to handle mom’s unsolicited advice during pregnancy
Dream or reality? A blood test for postpartum depression
Would you believe that, each year in the United States, more people suffer from postpartum depression than they do strokes, or even heart attacks? The numbers are so high—roughly 950,000 new moms every year—and the effects so heart-wrenching that science is scrambling to the rescue. A new study, published this summer in the medical journal Frontiers in Genetics, suggests … [Read more...] about Dream or reality? A blood test for postpartum depression