Today marks the first year of MomSquawk at our new site! We’ve come a long way from our roots on the old site. Thanks to all of you for making it possible - and here’s to another great year!

At MomSquawk, we get lots of email from PR people trying to get us to pitch their products to our readership. We almost always delete those without even fully reading them because they’re not even remotely interesting. Today, however, I was blessed with this gem. I applaud the effort, but honestly, it’s the name that won me over. It’s still not entirely clear if she’s selling books, tupperware, or sex toys. Enjoy.

I would like to invite you to cover Kimberly Ford’s HUMP: True Tales of Sex After Kids (St Martin’s Press | July 2008) and attend one of her special HUMP tupperware parties!

HUMP is an exploration of how couples can have a healthy and robust sex life after having children. The author shares intimate and honest advice from the front lines of her own post-childbirth sexual adventures, all the time underscoring the importance of monogamy and the richness of family life.

In a way that has never been done before, Kimberly discusses the fraught first instance of intercourse after the arrival of that initial life-changing infant, broaches the reality of having to one day discuss sex with the little ones, and extols the virtues of vibrators and masturbation.

This is the book for any new mother dedicated to getting “Private Time” as they are to getting the kids to soccer on time, HUMP promises to be a well-loved treasure at the top of many nightstand libraries. HUMP will inspire women to reclaim their bodies for themselves and their husbands, and to make sex a priority in their own lives no matter how many scuffed sneakers they have to kick out of the way to make it to bed.

In the great tradition of tupperware / sex toy parties, Kimberly will be heading out on a HUMP Tupperware Party. These special events will be at private homes, but we welcome the media to join the author at these events:

HUMP TUPPERWARE EVENTS
Weds. July 9 - Menlo Park
Tues. July 15 - Menlo Park
Thurs. July 24 - Menlo Park
Thurs. Aug. 14 - Ashland, OR
Sunday, August 17 - San Francisco
Thurs. Aug 21 - Menlo Park
Fri. Aug. 29 - Piedmont
Thurs. Sept. 4 - Menlo Park
Fri. Sept. 12 - San Diego
Fri. Sept. 19 - Menlo Park
Thurs. Sept. 25 - San Francisco
Sat, Sept. 27 - Los Angeles
Thurs. Oct 2- New York City
Fri. Oct 3 - Rye, NY

You can direct your readers to buy the book via amazon here.

Posted by MomSquawk

OK, this does scare me a bit! I am the mom of a tween. His hormones are kicking into high gear. Girls have gone from yucky to cute. He dabs Clerasil on his nose at night and frets that his willie isn’t growing as quickly as it should (OK, he might just about kill me for writing this!)

I watch High School Musical and Hannah Montana with my kids, and it never clicked for me to be worried about Miley’s “problems” (most of them being snapshots that end up on the net), I kinda laughed them off as being issues of a teen superstar and my kids obviously aren’t that. But then I read this article from the Today show. And now a lot of pieces are starting to click into place.

A week or two ago, my son downloaded his phone pics onto our family PC (bless him, I hope he keeps doing this so I don’t have to snoop on his phone!) and some of the pictures were so funny I really did not know whether to laugh or be worried. They were all relatively harmless for sure - but there were quite a few of girls posing (the must have been posing for someone else and not my little boy!) And now I realize that yes, I am smack dab in the middle of puberty and this generation’s puberty is waaaaaaayyyyy different than mine was.

So, I am going to try to do the big balancing act of being understanding yet parental and setting limits. Wish me luck! And if any of you are facing what I am, I hope the article is helpful as well!

Breast feeding makes smarter babies. It is now official. Studies show that this may be the case. They sampled about 14,000 babies, and it was shown that those who were exclusively breastfed for longer periods of time scored up to 5% higher on IQ tests and generally did better in school. I do wonder if there were not other outside factors to this study - I wonder if it was strictly the breast milk or if parental factors were considered as well.

Poor first borns! Studies show that they DO have it harder than their siblings. Parents do tend to be stricter with their first born child, and generally let the younger ones have an easier time of it. Parents tend to set the bar with the first, and expect the others to follow based on the discipline of the first. (Hoping that they will scare the youngers to be good!) But what ends up happening is that the parents tend to let the others get away with a bit more. I wonder if maybe by that time they get sick of parenting? Some days I do!
And in my state of exhaustion I admit to being a bit easier on my younger ones. Bad, I know - but by the time the third kids has done it, it just does not seem as much of a drama then when the first did it - KWIM?

Also interesting is that as a child grows up, the firstborn is less likely to be supported financially by their parents than the younger ones. There seems to be a bigger expectation that the oldest will be successful and able to take care of himself.

I would not break out the violins just yet. I am a firstborn, and while yes I might have been disciplined a bit more and yes, my parents still tend to slip my little bro a bit more money than me, there are also a lot of advantages to being a firstborn. And personally, I would not trade it for the world!

Why so many meds? American children take anti-psychotic medicines at a rate six times higher than children in the UK. Six times! The most common medicines are prescribed for autism and hyperactivity. Are we over medicating our children???

One reason cited is the fact that in America there is more direct advertising to the consumer (think all of those drug commercials on TV these days) and this is increasing parents awareness and a direct demand for the drugs. But the big question I have is - are drugs being prescribed because parents demand them? Or are doctors really doing all tests necessary to ensure that the child really does need them. Parents, please educate yourselves - do not only be influenced by commercials, but educate yourselves on all aspects of your child’s condition and work with your doctors to choose the best treatments for your children.

OK - what’s going on with plastic bottles. We have written about bisphenol A a few times in the blog. Now, Canada has announced that it will probably proceed with banning the import of bottles containing this chemicals. What about the US? What about your child? There is somewhat conflicting information out there. Some are saying the bottles need to be heated and the liquid in them for a long time. Some say that all bottles are dangerous. Am I going to harm my baby? Am I going to give my child cancer?

At this time there are no definite answers. The findings are relatively new, and researchers are seriously looking into this. But regardless of what the news reports say, you can make your own decision to use plastic bottles or not. This is the case of making the best decision with what information is available to you. I think what worries me more is what is out there that we don’t yet know about. All this technology and chemicals is concerning. Don’t let your kids drink out of water bottles, don’t let your kids talk on a cell phone (brain cancer), don’t buy organic baby food… what is safe anymore? Move to a deserted island and live off of fish and rice? I guess we can all obsess about it, but don’t. Throw away those sippy cups if you do not feel comfortable, and move on to the next thing to worry about! (because there is always something to worry about, isn’t there?)

Watch out for the sun! What is the deadliest cancer? Skin cancer. Scalp, neck and skin melanoma is the deadliest, moreso than tumors in other places of the body. As the weather is getting warmer by the day, please do not forget the sunscreen and hats - especially for your children. Be sure to get your children into good habits now. They are too young to understand, but you can play an important part in ensuring they are protected.

A caution before your child takes ADHD medications. Please be sure your child has a heart check prior to being prescribed any medications. The stimulants in these medications can increase blood pressure and heart rate, and for a child with heart problems this could lead to cardiac arrest. Over 2.5 million children are taking medications to treat ADHD.

High speed delivery. A mom in North Carolina gave birth by herself in the car while dad was driving 80mph to get to the hospital. I have to admit, this was something I always worried about when I was pregnant…what if we don’t get there in time? The family is fine. (and the baby is a cutie!)

Cavity fighting candy? Believe it or not, it is being tested in Brazil. Researchers developed a compound that is similar to natural saliva which neutralizes the acids that erode teeth, and have put it in a candy called BasicMints (not very catchy - they need to get their marketing guys on that). The candy was given to 200 children, and after one year these kids had 61% fewer cavities. The only problem I can see is that it is only mint flavored. Personally, I would like to see it in gummy bears - I can’t ever get enough of those!

Other factors should be considered… when considering saving the life of a preemie. It is not only the gestational age that matters. Being a girl, having steroids to mature the lungs, being a single birth or having a few extra ounces of weigh all matter a lot. At this point, every week in the womb counts and any of these factors can increase the gestational age by a week. A child born at 22 weeks has a 5% chance of survival; at 23 weeks it climbs to 25%, 24 weeks 50% and 25 weeks 75%.

When a child is born between 22-25 weeks gestation, it is often a heart-wrenching decision. Statistically speaking, of the 4,200 extremely premature births, 50% died in the first two years, and an additional 25% had significant to extreme physical handicaps.

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time… I don’t know whether to laugh or feel bad for a group of middle-aged moms in Spain. In an effort to make some money for their children’s school, they decided to pose nude for a calendar. Someone along the line gave them some bad advice, and the calendar did not sell well. They are $16,000 in debt - and stuck with a LOT of copies of the calendar. And I want to take a second to tell my elementary school kids not to worry - mommy is never going to embarrass you by posing nude to raised money for your school - I promise!

The price of divorce. You might think that the current trend of having and raising children out or wedlock or from divorced families does not effect you, but it does. It effects every taxpaying American. Studies estimate that the cost to US taxpayers is about $112 billion a year. They are calling it “family fragmentation”, and these days, nearly 40% of children are born out of wedlock. What makes up the $112 billion?

“…calculations were based on the assumption that households headed by a single female have relatively high poverty rates, leading to higher spending on welfare, health care, criminal justice and education for those raised in the disadvantaged homes. The $112 billion estimate includes the cost of federal, state and local government programs, and lost tax revenue at all levels of government.”

The study was commissioned by 4 groups who are trying to encourage more traditional families, and would like to see government money going into programs that benefit married couples. Those with opposing views say that these marriage programs are a good idea but by themselves are not going to put a dent in the $112 billion amount, and think that creating more decent, stable jobs is the way forward.

What would you do… to save your child’s life? A couple in Canada are in the middle of a controversy because they are trying to conceive a child that is a genetic match to their existing child who is battling leukemia. They are wanting to do pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, where the embryo is tested to ensure a match before it is implanted. Canadian hospitals are unwilling to do this, so the couple will be traveling to America for the procedure. The father can see how it could raise ethical questions, but all they are trying to do is save the life of their child.

Where is it???? Nicole Kidman is in her seventh month of pregnancy… where is she hiding the baby? (ok…I admit to being a wee bit jealous!)

Death penalty for child rape? The Supreme Court of America is weighing the constitutionality of awarding the death penalty for a child rape case. In this case, a step father in Louisiana has been found guilty of raping his 8 year old step daughter. Some states are considering enacting laws for this and are waiting to see if the Supreme Court gives the nod for the death penalty in this case.

There is generally public outrage when people hear of horrific cases as this one. But some social workers are cautioning that it could discourage young children to report these crimes, because often, and as in this case, the rapist is a family member. Also in this case, the girl originally reported that some neighborhood boys had attacked her, until police found blood and evidence in her room that pointed to the stepfather.

What do you think? Should these crimes get the death penalty?

For babies - less sleep can lead to obesity. There is a link between the amount of sleep infants get and the possibility of obesity as a toddler and older. Studies show that infants who get less than 12 hours of sleep per day have a bigger risk of being overweight in preschool. And there also seems to be a link to TV - the more TV a small child watches, the less sleep they get.

These two things in combination have shown to increase weight. When a person is sleep deprived, they produce less hormones to signal fullness and more hormones to promote hunger. And as for the TV - there are too many tempting food commercials to be seen, and sitting at the TV does not permit the physical activity necessary.

Of course, some children are better sleepers than others. Don’t fret too much if you have a child that does not like to sleep. As long as you are limiting the amount of TV they watch (and discouraging them “resting” in front of the TV), and being sure they eat healthy and get sufficient physical activity during the day, all should be fine.

Speaking of TV’s. Having one in your teen’s bedroom can cause problems too. Many teens with TVs are “heavy” TV watchers, more than 5 hours a day. And many report lower grades, less physical activity, eating fewer vegetables, not eating with the family at the dinner table, and drinking more sugary beverages. I don’t know about you all, but I do not want my teens to grow up like that. Think twice about putting a TV in their rooms!

Too many abused children. Statistics are out and it is estimated that 1 in 50 children in America are physically abused or neglected. And what is even more disturbing, is that one in three of those children were younger than one week old when it was reported. Most of the cases reported for the youngest children were for neglect, not abuse. And in many, the mother had tested positive for drugs during the delivery. In any case, it is a shocking statistic. Every child deserves to grow up in a loving and nurturing environment.

What would you do? … if your child’s elementary school had a day when the child could cross dress? Well, one school in Wisconsin has “wacky week” where each day the children could dress in a different theme, and one of the days themes was to dress as a senior citizen or as the other sex - basically someone who is different than themselves. “Crosstalk”, a nationally syndicated Christian radio show, got wind of it and craziness followed. A lot of conservatives from around the country felt the need to tell this school they were not happy with their fun day. The school remains firm in it’s message that the week was meant to be fun and not to specifically encourage transgenderism.

I can only wonder what is worse - playing dress up as someone else, another human being who happens to be different from you, or having a bunch of adults telling you that you are doing something horrible/wrong for doing it? I reflect back to my own childhood when I played “family” with my girlfriends and we took turns being the mommy and daddy. Was I wrong to dress in my dad’s sweater and put an (unlit) pipe in my mouth when I was being the daddy? What has happened to childhood?

I can speak from experience. About a month ago, my 6th grade son dressed up as a girl for Mardi Gras week. It is a long standing tradition in the school that the 6th grade kids do this (they are the oldest class in the school). When he told me that, his 9 year old sister and I had a ball pulling out dresses and shoes and putting makeup on his face and clips in his hair. And, I would specifically like to mention that we live in a Catholic country and my children go to a Catholic school - and today I am feeling very happy and blessed that my children are growing up in an environment where they do not have to feel bad or wrong for occasionally being silly or different.

MomSquawk Biggest Loser round 2 started yesterday! I would like to give a shout out to all the gals who participated in the last round - I am so proud of you all and know we will do great for round 2! Let me give a hint to help keep off those pounds - be sure you get the right amount of sleep. 7 to 8 hours a night is optimal, if you get more or less you could gain weight. Lacking sleep can cause you to be too tired to exercise, and can also lead to binge eating from fatigue. Docs are not sure why oversleeping causes gain, but they think it might be because those people who gained may be short sleepers who have sleep issues. As a mom of 3, I know that it is often hard for mommy to get a solid restful nights sleep, so I am going to sprinkle some ~~good sleep dust~~ over all the participants and wish everyone best of luck!

Eat fish when pregnant. Apparently it will make your kids brighter. Preschool children whose mother ate two servings per week scored higher on tests of verbal, visual and motor development. Be careful not to eat fish with too much mercury! A good guideline is:

Good fish: canned light tuna and small oily fish like salmon and sardines are best. White-meat fish, like cod and haddock tend to be low in mercury, but have less omega-3 than fattier fish.

Bad fish: shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. (tilefish? never heard of it)

Personally, I don’t like fish and nothing could convince me to choke it down on make my future children smarter. I did happily eat a fast food chicken sandwich, fries and coke nearly every day for lunch with my first pregnancy… wonder if that counts for anything?

Premature birth can be a contributing factor to Autism. Preliminary survey results are out, and 25% of children born prematurely show signs of Autism in early tests (around 2 years old). Experts recommend that all children, especially those born prematurely, are screened for Autism by the age of 2. Previously, this was not diagnosed until 3 or 4. However, early behavior therapy can lessen the severity.