Delivery

Even the coolest of cats can get rattled every now and then. Women who experience the easiest of pregnancies may feel cool, calm, and collected until they feel those first pangs of labor. Those initial contractions hit and make her think she's got a stomach ache. When they start coming in waves, reality sets in for the mum-to-be and fear is often realized. Scores of questions run through her head: will it hurt worse than this? Is my body capable of pushing out a baby? What if something goes wrong? Though she may ponder all of the "what ifs" that could happen, the pain and fear are typically swept under the rug as the woman's adrenaline and willpower take over and make a mother out of her. Still some women do not get anxious about the process at all.

Were you nervous to deliver your baby?

This year KFC had its moment in the spotlight, but 2010 could be all about Domino's Pizza. The fast food delivery chain announced yesterday that it will be changing its core pizza recipe. Beginning on Dec. 27, all US Domino's locations will offer pizza with a new crust, with added butter, garlic, and parsley; a sweeter sauce, with a red pepper kick; and a mozzarella cheese that's been shredded instead of diced and blended with a hint of provolone. "We're basically relaunching Domino's Pizza," remarked Russell Weiner, Domino's marketing chief. The development process involved 18 months of testing dozens of cheeses, 15 sauces, 50 crust seasoning blends, and heavy consumer research. Look out for a strong TV and Internet marketing campaign beginning Dec. 28, when the chain offers two medium, two-topping pizzas for $5.99 each. Considering pizza is the core of Domino's, this recipe rollout will either pay off in spades or have steep repercussions. Are you curious to try it? Is Domino's keeping up with the times — or are they messing with a good thing?

This post comes from our group The Pregnancy Posse from member lauren.

I don't have any kids but a good friend of mine recently had her second cutie. I have a hard time resisting buying a cute outfit for the newborn but I know usually the new mom will already have enough clothes and babies grow out of everything so quickly. So rather than buying clothes, I made a delicious re-heatable dinner of chili verde with tortillas, avocados, sour cream, limes and cilantro. Of course, I couldn't resist the onesie that said "full of cuteness."

My thoughts, families need more time with their new addition, so at least one night, dinner is already ready! Did your friends bring you dinner when you had a new baby?

Want to talk pregnancy with other expectant mamas? Join The Pregnancy Posse over in our LilSugar Community and share your stories, recipes and photos! If you have a post you want to see featured on LilSugar private message me here to pitch your ideas. I can't wait to hear them.

Most women are no holds barred when giving birth — some scream, others go silent and 75 percent poop during delivery. Regardless of the antics, no one focuses on anything other than the baby making its debut. Hospitals normally offer spacious birthing rooms for expectant ladies to labor in that fit the father and anyone else the couple wants to invite to witness the arrival. But once the newborn has been welcomed into the world, the family is usually moved to smaller postpartum accommodations. In my experience, the basic quarters included a bed, a futon type piece of furniture for the dad, space to roll up the babe's bassinet, a couple of chairs and an in-suite bathroom. Though it was a tight squeeze with nurses shuffling in and out, the peace of a private room gave my husband and me time to bond with our infant and visit with relatives and friends.

Our hospital only offers single rooms so I was surprised to learn that many mommies spend their children's first days of life with roommates! I'm a big believer in the more, the merrier — except in this situation. I recall asking my husband to toss my catheter bag behind the table before guests arrived, sprinkling blood across the floor as I made my way towards the shower and having my diaper ice packs changed after enduring a pretty intense tear. While these things are part of motherhood, they made me a bit woozy and I can't imagine having to worry about my bunk mate and her baby's feelings. Would sharing a postpartum room bother you?

Got a few other secrets that you learned the hard way? Come dish with us on all the things your mama forgot to tell you in our Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me group over in our LilSugar community!

Source: Flickr User Emery Co Photo

Oh mad mama! It was not easy to watch Betty Draper give birth on this week's episode of Mad Men and consider the bizarre and bygone birthing methods of the '60s. Betty and Don arrived at the hospital together, but he was quickly whisked to a daddy-to-be waiting room and she was wheeled away and told to prepare to be shaven and given an enema. While glowing and beautiful as ever, Betty was still grieving the loss of her father and an utter wreck, so the moment she was given procedural (but mysterious) drugs to calm her nerves she wigged out. BuzzSugar has a look at the maddest moments from the episode, but I am glued to the terrifying, lonely, emotional and hazy delivery room experience.

Modern moms are given choices. You can have a water birth or do it in a hospital bed. You can go drug-free or take carefully administered drugs to ease the pain. You can schedule your down-there maintenance at a beauty bar or go natural. You can hold your husband's hand or cast him to the waiting room. It's frightening to be reminded that such pregnancy and delivery choices weren't always available to women (and still aren't in many places in the world). Do you know if your mother or women in your family got the Betty Draper treatment in the hospital, or were they able to control their birthing experience?

Photo courtesy of AMC

Mommy Dearest,

I am due with my first child on Sept. 13 and am completely accepting of the fact that I likely overshoot this due date. My boyfriend has been supportive the entire pregnancy and very vocal about how he wishes to be in the delivery room, which I am happy to hear! Unfortunately his side of the family suffered the loss of grandmother recently. We will attend the memorial service this weekend, but the burial will take place the weekend after my due date.

The place is about six hours away, so I obviously cannot go if I have not given birth yet, but my boyfriend has made it clear that he will go whether the baby is here or not! I am terrified of being alone for the labor and delivery if he cannot make it back in time. My mother will be there for the delivery, but I have always looked at her being there as more of a secondary support person and am counting on my him to be there so we can experience it together. Since it is my first delivery, it may take a long time and he might make it back in time, but that is not a chance I want to take! Am I being selfish for wanting him to stay home from what would be the second memorial service for his grandmother? How do I approach this topic with him?

— Want Boyfriend There For Birth

To see the response from Mommy Dearest, read more

When someone asks me who delivered my baby, I don't hesitate to tell them Dr. Joe. They know that I pushed the child out, but they want to know which professional helped me labor through the process. In Cindy Crawford's fourth and final episode of her My Best Birth webisodes, the model mommy explained how having a midwife at home truly gave her the ability to claim that she, and she alone, delivered her baby. While I get what she's saying, I wonder if some might find her proclamation a bit insulting. Are those who received medical help or had their babies in hospitals any less owning of the action of "delivering"? And what about mothers who required emergency C-sections? Watch the quick clip and tell me what you think of Cindy's perspective.