Let me start off by making it clear that I don't know what a woman goes through when they have a miscarriage. I know what I think they're going through, but as we all know, a woman's mind is much more complex than that. That being said, I'd like to share what turned out to be the worst and best experience of my life.

It happened over the course of several years. It started when I married my best friend about 15 years ago. We didn't have any big plans, especially to start a family. We were having too much fun. After several years we decided to start our family. Well, basically she decided and I obviously went along with it. At the time I would have rather we kept it to ourselves, but I'm way over it now.

So we got pregnant. I was crushed and excited at the same time. Crushed because I knew things would never be the same, excited because it was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. After several weeks I started getting used to the idea of being a dad. I actually started looking forward to it.

Then it happened. We miscarried in the first trimester. It was really hard on my wife, as you might expect. But we're strong and we got through it and tried again. We got pregnant, and lost that one too. Then it happened again, and again. It was terrible. Worse every time. We feared we were running out of time and started looking into alternatives.

We ended up getting pregnant once more, only this time it wasn't planned and we were torn between happiness and sorry. The further into it we got, the more anxious we got. Once we got past the first trimester, we started being hopeful, and cautious.

Several months later, there we were in the delivery room, me about to pass out from looking at that damned needle they were about to stick in my wife's back. And just like that, it was over. Our son was born, and I haven't been the same since.

About a year later, my wife was pregnant again and like so many times before, we lost it. This time it was different. We knew what we lost. It was terrible. We managed through it, and got pregnant once more, this time it took, and our second son was born.

I can't tell you not to give up. It's painful when it doesn't work. But now it's all worth it. All the pain we went through seems so far away now.

Until recently, pregnant women are advised to gain between 26-35 pounds during pregnancy, and about 15 pounds for obese women.

However, in a recent study of obese pregnant women with a body mass index of 30 or greater, it seems weight gain is not necessary if a woman is already severely overweight to begin with. Obese pregnant women placed on a healthy, well balanced, monitored nutritional program experience less adverse maternal-fetal outcomes.

In the study, conducted at several hospitals, the researchers followed 232 obese pregnant women, all of whom had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Half of the women followed conventional prenatal nutritional guidelines, which is essentially "eat to appetite" (control group). The other half were placed on a well-balanced, nutritionally monitored program, which included a daily food diary (study group). The average weight gain in the control group was 31 pounds, compared to 11 pounds in the study group. Twenty-three extremely obese patients lost weight during their pregnancy.

The findings showed that there were no fetal deaths and no growth-restricted infants in the study group. Also, there were fewer babies weighing more than 10 pounds in the study group than in the control group. (A birth weight over 10 pounds poses significant hazards to both infants and mothers.) Moreover, women in the study group gained less weight, had fewer cesarean deliveries, were less likely to develop gestational diabetes, and retained less weight after they delivered than women in the control group.

Gaining unnecessary weight during pregnancy just make it all the more difficult to get back into shape after giving birth, more so for those who are already battling the scales prior to pregnancy.
Source

Can happiness be hereditary? A new paper published in the journal Bioscience Hypotheses proposes the theory that it might.

In his article in the latest issue of Bioscience Hypotheses, Dr Alberto Halabe Bucay of Research Center Halabe and Darwich, Mexico, suggested that the hormones and chemicals resulting from happiness, depression and other mental states can affect our eggs and sperm, resulting in lasting changes in our children at the time of their conception.

Brain chemicals such as endorphins, and drugs, such as marijuana and heroin are known to have significant effects on sperm and eggs, altering the patterns of genes that are active in them.

"It is well known, of course, that parental behavior affects children, and that the genes that a child gets from its parents help shape that child's character." said Dr. Halabe Bucay. "My paper suggests a way that the parent's psychology before conception can actually affect the child's genes."

The above is just a theory, with supporting scientific basis. I can imagine the question would be difficult to prove, though. How do you measure happiness? Is it just a sum total of hormones and chemicals circulating in our bloodstream? And if so, how much would these chemicals affect the egg and sperm quality, considering that, except perhaps for those that are clinically depressed or perennially suffering from other stress and other highly mental/emotional situations, the concentrations of these chemicals must fluctuate on a daily basis?

What do you think?

Just in time for Mothers' Day, check out this hot new website that is changing the way moms get insight and advice on parenting. And, it's all free.

Mamapedia is a one-stop-shop where moms can tap into the wisdom of other moms on an array of topics - everything from potty training to weight loss.

This amazing tool gives moms the power to ask any question and get real-scoop answers without judgement. Questions they can't ask their mother (for fear of not following her advice) or are too embarrassed to bring up at a playgroup.

The site tracks the top searches and makes it super easy for moms everywhere (no registration required) to search and find.

Check it out now: Mamapedia.

While there are many advantages to having children early in life (more energy for late nights, for example), having kids later in life also make a lot of sense (more prepared emotionally, financially etc). Most women know that getting pregnant is not something one can postpone indefinitely, though. While the "deadline" is different from person to person, it si generally believed that once you hit your 40's, conceiving can get difficult.

Nothing new in all these. But here's something interesting: do you know that, according to a recent survey or records, women who have babies naturally in their 40s or 50s tend to live longer than other women? Even more interesting is that brothers of such late mothers also live longer!

"If women in your family give birth at older ages, you may well have a chance of living longer than you would otherwise," says the study's lead author, demographer Ken R. Smith, a professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah. "If you have a female relative who had children after age 45, then there may be some genetic benefit in your family that will enhance your longevity."

For descendants of the Utah and Quebec pioneers studied, "you may be able to look at the ages when your female ancestors gave birth - rather than just their longevity - in estimating how long you may live," says Smith, whose study will be published online May 4 and in the June 10 print issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences.

Are there late mothers in your family?

Hello Ladies. I bet you are all interested in TheCarrot.com's new pregnancy tracker that goes beyond basic journaling and provides moms-to-be with a more proactive approach to managing their health during pregnancy. The pregnancy tracker is part of a new suite of Women's Health trackers that include ovulation, menstrual cycle and menopause to address the changing life needs of women.

The free pregnancy tracker, available on the iPhone or Web (and soon on the Blackberry), is easy to use, allows women to track important data to share with their OB/GYNs and is also a fun and unique way to capture milestones and special moments.

Improved health monitoring for proactive care

Giving an OB/GYN accurate health information during pregnancy can lead to improved outcomes:

• Women can use TheCarrot.com to track food, exercise, blood pressure, energy level, etc. to provide physicians and nurses better insight into their health.


• The Carrot.com also helps women and their doctors track new and existing health concerns that can impact their pregnancy such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep, medication and more.

Women can run personalized, easy-to-read reports based on the data tracked to reveal trends and cause-and-effect relationships. The reports can then be shared with a physician.

Share the excitement of pregnancy

Women can also use TheCarrot.com to track, share and make a keepsake of those treasured moments during pregnancy that all too often pass women by. As she watches the baby grow, she can upload photos of her belly, keep track of measurements and log the baby's activity. With TheCarrot.com, she can even record how her baby responds to different foods and voices.

Named "Best New Application" at the Oct. 2008 Health 2.0 Conference, TheCarrot.com offers the widest range of constantly expanding, user-requested trackers relating to health, fitness, nutrition, medications, mood, sleep, job satisfaction and disease management, among others.

So...check it all out, now.

Ellen Pompeo - the actress who plays Meredith Grey in the ABC hit medical drama Grey's Anatomy - recently announced that she is pregnant with first child with record-producer husband, Chris Ivery.

Pompeo, 39, quietly tied the knot with Ivery last November 2007.

I wonder if Pompeo's pregnancy will be incorporated in the Grey's Anatomy story wherein her character - Meredith Grey - is now engaged with Dr. Derek Shepherd? I guess it would be nice and will bring a new twist to Grey's Anatomy.

Well...congratulations to the couple! We wish Ellen Pompeo a safe and happy pregnancy.

[News and Photo Source]

Many parents talk to their developing child in the womb or play music because they recognize the importance of stimulation for the developing child. There is more and more research to support that prenatal learning and stimulation can be very beneficial in the womb, but what exactly is the right type of prenatal learning and when does it begin? What can a baby actually comprehend in the womb that will aid cognitive development?

New research from the Institute for Psychology and the University of Amsterdam infers that a developing baby's brain is responsive to beats - a simple rhythm that is, developmentally, something a baby can comprehend. Lisa Jarrett, mother of seven and founder of BabyPlus Prenatal Education System, addresses this issue in a bylined article that describes prenatal learning, its importance, and the right type of stimulation for your baby.

The said article is called Prenatal Learning - What Is It and When Does It Begin?:

Baby has arrived and it's time to bid the baby fat away! Um... but how? Can it be done without sacrificing nutrition, losing precious time preparing meals, or denting the budget?

In the book, The Baby Fat Diet, authors Monica Bearden and Shara Aaron, both new moms and dietitians, offer new tips for tried and true tricks that help moms lose the unwanted pounds without breaking the bank. Here are some samples of tips you will find inside the book:

Plan the menu: Make easy meals at home and pack snacks. Get going with breakfast - rev up the metabolism for the day. Add foods to lose - fruits, nuts, whole grains, and veggies fill up not out

Plan the shopping experience: Look up and down the food aisle, the most expensive items are at eye level. Fresh vs. Frozen - Frozen fruits and veggies are picked at the peak of freshness and frozen to lock in the nutrition and taste - plus, frozen products can be more economical. Know what's on sale. Use circulars, manufacturer's coupons, internet and coupon sites. Plan what you make based on what's on sale in the store. Limit impulse buys - stick to the list.

Plan for eating out: Don't drink your calories or jack up the bill - order calorie-free, cost-free water. Be a kid again - order a children's meal with the fruit cup side instead of fries. Skip the mega-calorie dessert at the restaurant and have a small sweet treat at home.

Check it out and good luck! I myself am still strugglling with the jelly belly and my baby will be nearly 1! Arrrgh!

What you eat dictates the outcome of your pregnancy and not just your health but your baby's health too. Suffice to say that proper nutrition is most important during pregnancy.

I got the following from SFGate's The Mommy Files: 7 superfoods pregnant moms should eat.

1. Sardines
2. Frozen wild blueberries
3. Swiss Chard
4. Spelt
5. Kidney beans
6. Sesame seeds
7. Plain yoghurt

Well...make sure they're in your pregnancy diet.