LilSugar

8 Facts to Share When Announcing Your New Baby!

LilSugar — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:31:05 PDT

Friends and relatives wait and wait for the phone call, email, or text that announces a newborn's birth. And, despite lots of parents knowing the baby's sex in advance and some even choosing their infant's name before the debut, there are plenty of facts that inquiring minds want to know when it's time for the official announcement!

Test Your Knowledge: The Best and Worst Places in the World to Be a Mom

Kate Stahl — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:03:05 PDT

Think America is the best place in the world to be a mom? Think again. According to the 2012 State of the World’s Mothers Report from Save the Children, America actually only ranks 25th, up six spots from last year. But shockingly, "When it comes to the number of children enrolled in preschools or the political status of women, the United States also places in the bottom 10 countries of the developed world," says Carolyn Miles, Save the Children’s president and CEO.

Of the 165 countries surveyed, the top three spots went to Norway, Iceland, and Sweden, all of which scored high for mother and child health, educational attainment, economic status, and the percentage of women in government roles. The world's worst place to raise children is Niger (eight of the bottom 10 are sub-Saharan African countries). Check out some crazy stats comparing the best and the worst below, and then take our quiz to test your knowledge about how mothers fare across the globe.

Almost 100 percent of births are attended by skilled health personnel in Norway compared to one-third in Niger.
The risk of maternal death in Norway is one in 7,600; in Niger, it's one in 16.
A girl will receive on average 18 years of formal education in Norway and a mere four years in Niger.

Source: Flickr User Explirer and Flickr User babasteve

Would You Watch a Woman Give Birth Live Online?

Tara Block — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:04:00 PDT

A Canadian mother is live-streaming her natural home birth to show people what it's really like to have a baby - like "What to Expect When You're Expecting: the live-action version." While some may be too squeamish to view it, the mother, Dr. Nancy Salgueiro, wants to use her live childbirth video to help other expecting mothers. She says:

"The reason why I'm doing this is because in our culture we've created this idea with fear and this visual image of what birth is, and we don't know what to expect when we're going to give birth. And I really believe it's important for women to see what normal, natural birth is like."

My question is, what happens if something goes wrong? Will they keep filming? It seems pretty risky to put that all out there for the world to see, and it definitely takes guts. Personally, I don't think I could watch a live birthing video (or a nonlive one for that matter), but I can appreciate how she wants to use her experience to keep childbirth from being so scary and mysterious. And maybe it would be different if I was in that stage of life. Whether you're pregnant or not, would you be able to do it?

Should Parents Be the Ones to Announce Baby's Debut to Other Children?

Heather Maddan — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 04:00:12 PDT

It's a boy or it's a girl, but who should tell the new addition's siblings? If mom and dad are in the midst of all the new baby bliss and hospital (or home birth) hoopla, is it the job of an outside party - a grandparent or family friend - to inform the big brother or sister? Some parents are particular in how they want to debut the news and others just believe in letting the information spread. What's your opinion?

Placenta Traditions From Around the World: Test Your Knowledge

Heather Maddan — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:11:08 PST

When a woman gives birth, she ends up with a baby and a placenta. Though the afterbirth is the body's only disposable organ, some new parents don't dispose of it - choosing instead to eat it, plant it, or make art from it. Take this quiz and see how well you know traditions from around the world.

Take the Quiz

Would You Use Laughing Gas During Labor?

Heather Maddan — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:01:34 PST

Most women need something to take the edge off during labor and there are lots of options with the epidural being fairly common. But now, moms-to-be will likely have another choice - laughing gas. One report said:

The use of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, during childbirth fell out of favor in the United States decades ago, and just two hospitals - one in San Francisco and one in Seattle - still offer it. But interest in returning the dentist office staple to the delivery room is growing: respected hospitals including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center plan to start offering it, the federal government is reviewing it, and after a long hiatus, the equipment needed to administer it is expected to hit the market soon.

Would you consider using it?

Do You Want Disney in Your Postpartum Hospital Room?

Heather Maddan — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:36:10 PST

Baby will go from the birth canal into a Disney onesie - that's the latest effort on behalf of the House of Mouse. According to a New York Times piece, the beloved brand has a new target: infants and new moms. The article said:

Late last month, the company quietly began pressing its newest priority, Disney Baby, in 580 maternity hospitals in the United States. A representative visits a new mother and offers a free Disney Cuddly Bodysuit, a variation of the classic Onesie.

In bedside demonstrations, the bilingual representatives extol the product’s bells and whistles - extra soft! durable! better sizing! - and ask mothers to sign up for e-mail alerts from DisneyBaby.com. More than 200,000 bodysuits will be given away by May, when Amazon.com is set to begin selling 85 styles for a starting price of $9.99 for two; Nordstrom and Target will follow with more Disney Baby items, including hats.

While Disney hopes to secure lifetime customers with their latest initiative and already has plans to make more gear and launch a park incentive program for moms-to-be; I'm curious if you want the corporation involved in your child's first days of life?

One Born Every Minute: The Intimate Details of Live Birth

Heather Maddan — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:12:54 PST

Birth happens...every minute. Lifetime's new series, One Born Every Minute (which debuted last night) shows what labor and delivery is truly like - from a mom who doesn't want her baby put to her chest to a dad who forgets his camera's memory card. Raw footage of these moments is something that many new parents cherish, and other folks prefer not to tape.

I have three children, and their arrivals were the most exhilarating and tumultuous experiences of my life. Each moment is forever in my mind. And, though I had my husband and family members attend the birth, and allowed medical students to view and learn from the process, there were no cameras rolling. Instead, we have photographs because I don't think I'd want to relive (or analyze) the footage by watching it over and over. What did you do?

Delivering High Risk Baby Dolls Could Help Save Human Lives

Heather Maddan — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:45:10 PST

They're a bunch of dummies! By using computerized birthing and baby dolls to simulate high-risk deliveries and everything from hemorrhage to seizures, medical staffers can practice and fine tune their responses to emergency situations without human lives being at risk. St. Peter's Hospital in Montana invested $16,000 in the birth doll set and a computer system that it uses to teach its staff. One report said:

Noelle is a training mannequin, much like Annie, the doll used for CPR classes. Noelle can simulate all types of birthing situations. She’s life-size, anatomically correct, has a heartbeat and pulse and can be hooked up to an IV. She comes with a baby - called Baby Blue - that also has life-like components.

A recent episode of Grey's Anatomy had doctors learning crisis response methods on dummies. What do you think of the practice?

How to Decide Whether to Circumcise

LilSugar — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:14:18 PST

Hearing "It's a boy!" is a thrilling experience for parents who hoped to raise a son, but one of the first major decisions a mom and dad has to make is whether or not to circumcise their son. A San Francisco man wants to outlaw this practice because he believes it be genital mutilation. While the procedure is a common one when performed shortly after the boy's arrival, it can be more complicated if the parents choose to hold off until later in their son's life. It's a choice that shouldn't be made lightly so we've rounded up some issues to take into consideration.