Guess that bump! People has a fun little quiz where you have to guess the baby bump of 9 celebrities. I scored a perfect score, although I do admit the clues helped for a few! Give it a try - fun for a Friday!

Don’t forget gym class! With all the pressures these days for even the youngest to perform academically, it is important for children to still get to gym class. And no, it is not only to discourage childhood obesity and encourage good health. A recent study on girls shows that girls who regularly attend gym class will score higher academically than girls who don’t.

Researchers believe that physical education is very important for children. But schools are very slow to catch up. These days, most schools offer phys-ed only one or two times per week. And only 12.5% are following the Healthy People 2010 objective of daily participation in phys-ed. If your child does not have the opportunity to attend gym class regularly, please contact your school board to request this.

Toys for Tots expanding to books. With the great success of the annual Christmas toy drive, Toys for Tots have decided to expand their program with a year-long book drive. They are working with Scholastic and UPS.

The program is called “Buck a Book“. How it works is that UPS will accept $1 donations in any of their stores. They have an agreement with Scholastic who will provide age-appropriate books for $1 each. UPS will cover all overhead costs, ensuring that 100% of the donations will go to the children. Also to note that the books will be distributed in the same community that the donations are received. If you ever find yourself with the opportunity to donate, please do so for this worthy cause and help stop illiteracy in America!

Strange cravings… not only for pregnant gals. If you thought your cravings will be over once the baby comes, that is not necessarily true. Sure those pregnant hormones can trick you into eating some really weird stuff, but people who aren’t pregnant sometimes do as well.

Why do people crave strange stuff? It was originally thought it was because the body was missing some important nutritional vitamin or mineral. “Cravings are believed to be emotionally or psychologically driven. People also tend to crave foods they enjoy and associate with pleasurable times and places.”

In the linked article, people shared some of their very unusual cravings. Me? I can’t say I eat too much strange stuff. I think the most exotic thing I eat is french fries dipped in my hot fudge sundae sauce. What about you?

Orgasmic birth? No, that isn’t a typo. Or-GAS-mic birth. What does it mean? Ina May Gaskin says that women experience a euphoric sensation at the moment of childbirth, and likens it to an orgasmic feeling.

Ina May Gaskin - her name may be familiar if you saw Rikki Lake’s movie about childbirth. She is a 67 year old midwife who established a commune in the 1970’s, and has done an incredible amount of work to advocate natural childbirth. She is frustrated that there are so many caesarian births, and is now writing a book about natural childbirth and the “orgasmic” euphoric feeling. She is hoping to get women to feel passionate about the birth experience and their bodies, and figured she needed something catchy to get the attention of modern women.

It certainly got my attention! And I have to say that even though I would never liken it to an actual orgasm, I do recall a distinct level of euphoria each time I pushed through that dreaded “ring of fire”, so I think I understand where she is coming from.

Well, thankfully it’s Friday. I thought I would lighten it up with some celebrity mommy gossip:

They’re here! I am talking about Jennifer Lopez’s twins. She gave birth to a bouncing baby boy and girl. No names yet. If rumors are to believed, she is set to receive a whopping $6 million payment for selling her babies first pictures to People/OK. Wow, that is a cool push present!

Nicole won’t tell. Apparently, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban already know the sex of their baby but they won’t say what it is. I am guessing that as she is of “advanced maternal age” she probably had an amnio. In any case, she is about half way through her pregnancy and check out this picture of here just a few days ago… where is her baby bump??? (yeah, I am jealous I never looked that great during pregnancy)

And can I just add that I am thrilled for her that she is pregnant after so many years and a few miscarriages. And I still am curious as to the real story behind why she and Tom adopted. I bet it has something to do with Scientology…

It’s hard being in the public eye… in general, let alone being an unmarried pregnant 16 year old. Teen mom-to-be, Jamie Lynn Spears, seems to be having some issues as reality of her pregnancy is sinking in. Family and friends are worried as she apparently wraps ace bandages around her tummy to hide her bump. I wish for her sake she was able to go through this more privately. I remember that Keisha Castle Hughes was able to go through her pregnancy at 16 without too much paparazzi disruptions. But then again, she is not a Nickelodeon children’s show star. Nor is her sister Britney Spears…

Childhood abuse leads to smoking. Children who are physically or sexually abused have much greater chances of smoking within one year of the abuse. It is seen as a coping mechanism for these children who just want life to return to normal. 80% of smokers start before they are 18 years old, and even casual smoking can lead to heavier smoking later on in life.

I see a few things from this. First, it is important for children who are abused to have access to professional help to get over it - I am sure that smoking is not the only issue they face in trying to reconcile themselves with the trauma they experienced. Secondly, I am not quite sure I buy this as an “excuse” for smokers. To smoke or not is a choice that people make. It is still legal, so people have the right to do so. Let’s not blame childhood instances on this. People should take responsibility for their actions.

What to take when you are pregnant and sick. With flu season in full swing, pregnant women who get sick often wonder what they can safely take get some relief. With each of my three pregnancies I ended up with a doozie of a cold, each time inconveniently towards the end of my first trimester when I was concerned with taking any medicines at all. With my third pregnancy, I found www.safefetus.com, a great site that explains the risks to nearly any drug out there. It is easy to use, you can search by generic or brand names. I even used the site to double check medicines that my doctors prescribed, just in case…

Yesterday, a friend (who doesn’t yet have kids) asked me if there was a particular moment when I felt like a mom for the first time - did it just “happen” as soon as I got the double lines on the pregnancy test, or what?

Of course there was a particular moment - and it was one of the most defining moments of my life.

I miscarried my first (unplanned) pregnancy around ten weeks. I had barely gotten my mind around the fact that I was pregnant, so I didn’t feel like a parent at all. I felt the loss, but not the motherhood I’d already walked into in some ways.

With my daughter, I didn’t feel very maternal for a long time. I loved this new little person growing inside me, but on some level it was still an abstract concept to me. That changed when we were sent for an ultrasound to measure my amniotic fluid levels, and the tech freaked us out by running for the doctor, who sent us straight to the hospital. We didn’t really understand until he told us that, among other things, if she rolled on her cord, she didn’t have enough room to get off of it, and she could die if she didn’t get out of there now.

Suddenly it wasn’t “the baby is” anything - it was “my child is in danger.” Over the next 22 hours, I went from passive observer of my pregnancy to mama bear mode, and when she finally cried that first ticked off cry, all was right with the world. My daughter was safe, and I was firmly entrenched in motherhood in every possible sense of the word.

Was there an equally defining moment for you, when you realized “Wow - I’m a parent!” for the first time? Squawk back and share!

Posted by Sunshine.

Parenting classes won’t guarantee a better child. Many parents reach out to parenting classes when they are having issues at home. But a new study shows that these classes do not seem to have an impact on helping a difficult child. They do help the parent manage the stress and help them to set realistic expectations.

Behavioral problems impact nearly 15% of all children, and left untreated can lead to more serious issues later in life. Targeted therapy - counseling or psychiatry is the most effective, but is expensive and not available to many. (or you can send your kids to Tom Cruise to get straightened out… OK, I jest)

More folic acid benefits. Most of us are already aware that taking folic acid, especially during a pregnancy, can help prevent some birth defects such as spina bifida. But now, doctors are seeing that folic can have another great benefit - it greatly reduces the risk of pre-term labor.

By taking folic acid one year before conceiving, the risk of pre-term labor between weeks 20-28 is reduced by a whopping 70%, with a 50% lower rate between weeks 28-32. It is recommended that all women take the supplement daily regardless if they are TTC or now. Especially as quite a few of us know that not all pregnancies are planned.

(and for those of us taking part in the MomSquawk Biggest Loser contest, I don’t recommend eating 8 slices of Wonder Bread per day to get your daily dose!)

Magnesium Sulfate lowers cerebral palsy risk. To us non-medical people, magnesium sulfate is known as Epsom salts. And studies show that if women are given this during pre-term labor, it can reduce the child’s chances of having cerebral palsy by 50%. One thing to keep in mind is that women can have a negative reaction to taking magnesium sulfate - including respiratory problems. In any case, if you are at risk of PTL, you may wish to discuss with your doctor if this is an option for you.

(I don’t know if it is just me, but I think the picture shown in the linked article is terrible - that mom looks downright peeved. OK, maybe she is just having a bad day… ugh!)

Interesting ADHD-bullying link. Studies show that children with ADHD are four times more likely to be bullies in school. Even more interesting is that children with ADHD symptoms were ten times more likely to have been the target of bullying prior to the symptoms appearing. Problems with bullying are ever increasing in the schools, and this Swedish study only further highlights the importance of observing children’s behavior - not only the educators, but the parents involvement is critical. Some schools are making efforts to improve the situation by providing support and education to both the bullies and the bullied.

Think twice about buying your child a pet turtle. Even though they are seem to be a good pet for kids (and parents who don’t want to deal with the mess and noise of other housepets as dogs, cats, hamsters, etc), you should think twice about buying one for your child. Turtles are known to spread salmonella, and last year 103 people were infected from pet turtles. You might not be aware, but these turtles have actually been outlawed in the US since 1975, but they are still commonly found for sale in pet shops, online, and other places.

How to get rid of those dreaded stretch marks. A lot of us moms have them one place or another. Many aren’t that noticeable - but if you look closely those silver lines are there. We wear them as badges of honor celebrating the miracle of a woman’s ability to give birth. But let’s face it - if we could do something to prevent or get rid of them we would.

There are some things you can do to avoid them or lessen their appearance:

Use Retin-A cream to keep the body moisturized any time it goes through a weight change, especially hormonal (pregnancy) driven. (Editor’s note: Be sure to talk to your doctor before using, though, as the jury is still out as to whether or not Retin-A is safe during pregnancy.)

Exercise to reduce your stress level and help keep those hormones under control.

Drink your water and eat healthy to keep your body hydrated.

If all else fails, there are laser treatments currently available that will help.

If you’re like me, you try (or tried) to eat a healthier array of foods while pregnant, for the unborn baby’s health and well-being. Did you know this, though? Pregnant women who eat a Mediterranean diet rich in fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, dairy products and olive oil may help protect their children against asthma and allergies.

So says a new study of over 400 mothers and their children. Of the seventeen percent of kids who had asthma-like symptoms, allergies, or both, most of their moms did not eat a high-quality Mediterranean diet.

Pregnant women who ate vegetables more than eight times a week, fish more than three times a week, and legumes more than once a week seemed to protect their children the most from asthma and allergies. Mothers who ate red meat more than three to four times a week seemed to increase their children’s risk.

I didn’t know that about red meat…let’s hope it doesn’t come back to haunt my kids later. The Mediterranean diet doesn’t sound like a bad idea for anyone wishing to improve his or her eating habits anyway, and with this new information, I would definitely try to follow it if I were to become pregnant again (after I fainted from shock).

Posted by Sunshine.

More news on the Children’s Health bill. Last week there was another vote to try to overrule George Bush’s veto of the proposed Children’s Health bill. The 260 to 152 result was not quite enough for it to pass.

At the moment in the USA there is a kind of no-man’s-land. There are families who cannot afford private health insurance, but do not qualify for Medicaid because they are not poor enough. The program is aimed at these very people.

Bush is vetoing the bill because he believes that it is too close to a “state-run” system similar to Canada and Western Europe. Currently in the US, our government spends 16% of our economy on healthcare, compared to Western Europe who spends about 8%. There are currently 50 million Americans without health insurance, comparatively all persons in Western Europe are covered.

As an American living in Europe, I have a view to both systems and there are pros and cons to each. I can see why the “European” system as it is probably would not work in America. I think what is bugging me here is that if this bill helps improve things in America, so what if it bears a similarity to the European system? It’s not the European system - so what is there to be afraid of if in the end this piece will work for America and it will help millions of children? I would be interested in understanding in a bit more detail why Bush decided to veto it, there surely is a better reason than that. And I am even more interested in hearing what the presidential candidates have to say on the issue.

What would you do? In a sad story (a warning to any weepy preggos out there) at four months pregnant, a woman in the UK found out that she had bowel cancer and she made the difficult decision to delay her cancer treatment until after her child was born. The baby was born at 25 weeks, and she began treatment immediately after the birth yet died two months later.

I would like to say that I would make the same decision, but to be honest I don’t know if I would be strong enough of a person. Her cancer was at an advanced stage, it would have been a difficult battle in any case. A tragic story all around. My condolences go out to her family. (And little baby Liam does look adorable in the last picture at the bottom of the article.)

Is she or isn’t she? After wearing a very flowy gown to yesterday’s SAG awards, the tabloids are yet again abuzz with rumors that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are expecting their second biological child. Some are even saying that she is pregnant with twins! Keep in mind, it was only a few short months ago that the same rumor was going around about Jennifer Lopez…

Birth control pills prevent ovarian cancer. Tests show that taking birth control pills can prevent ovarian cancer not only for the time period in which they are taken, but for even up to 30 years after taking them. The longer a woman takes the pills the better her protection. Ovarian cancer most commonly occurs when a woman is in her 50’s.

You might be scratching your head remembering that oral contraceptives also increase breast cancer risk. That still holds true. However keep in mind that ovarian cancer is much harder to detect and much more deadly, and the breast cancer risk is applicable only during the time that a woman takes the pills and once she stops that risk diminishes. So, the benefits still outweigh the risks.

The hidden risks of CMV. This topic is one that is recently “near and dear” to me. Last September, my toddler caught the cytomegalovirus (CMV) and passed it to me. While she recovered rather quickly, I ended up sick for the past 4 months due to the related complications that are often associated with this virus (including pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis and pretty much any other “-itis” out there). Three rounds of antibiotics later (which is quite unheard of over here in Europe) I am hopefully in the final stages of recovery.

The one thing that all the doctors have treated me have said is “thank goodness you are not pregnant!” This virus is very harmful in-utero, impacting 1 in 150 pregnant women, and it is the leading infectious cause of birth defects in America.

“A lot of people are really shocked when they hear that there are as many disabled kids from congenital CMV as there are kids with fetal alcohol syndrome or Down syndrome or spina bifida — and people haven’t heard of it,” CDC epidemiologist Michael Cannon said in a telephone interview.

To be honest, I had never been made aware of this and the risks associated with any of my three pregnancies, and having now so easily caught it from my toddler I thought it was important to get the news out - because I know there are a lot of mommies out there pregnant with toddlers.

If you are pregnant with a toddler at home there are things that you can do to minimize your risk of contacting this. The virus is most often passed via body fluids, so make efforts to wash your hands after changing diapers or touching their mucous or saliva, do not kiss your child near the mouth, and be careful not to share cups and eating utensils with your child.