Pregnancy’s Beautiful Stretch Marks

The minute you find out you are pregnant you know things are going to be changing, from your waist size to those little stretch marks that pop up. Stretch marks are exactly that, red or purple marks left in your skin because it has stretched. The most common areas for it to appear is the buttocks, thighs, stomach, breasts and even arms. 90 percent of all pregnant women will get them, whether they get a lot or a few depends on the body and how they are preventing them.

There are a ton of lotions out there that claim to help prevent stretch marks, such as scar serum, cocoa butter or Maderma. Make sure your skin is always moist, this helps in stretching the skin and not tearing it. There are new discoveries every day, ask your doctor what he/she recommends. Try them out yourself first and see if they work for you. This isn’t something you just put on one time during your pregnancy, you’ll have to make this a daily effort in order for it to work. That’s where most women fail, they just stop doing it.

During your pregnancy try to eat healthy and stay in shape. This can help to keep off any access weight. The recommended weight gain for the average, 25-35 healthy pregnancy is 25-35 pounds. Make sure you drink plenty of water, staying hydrated helps keep the skin healthy. The moment your skin dries out you can begin getting stretch marks.

If you’ve had one or more children your chances of getting more stretch marks will increase. Your skin has already been stretched out and you are about to do it again. Large babies and multiple babies can increase your chances of getting stretch marks too. Begin using preventing creams and lotions with vitamins A and E in them, as soon as you find out your are pregnant and try to lessen your chances of getting them.

After the pregnancy if you have any stretch marks you may still have a few stretch marks, even after all the care you took. These do fade over time, so don’t worry about the way you look. If they are unbearable to you and you’ve waited a while, you can choose to have a tummy tuck or laser removal. Make an appointment with a dermatologist to see what he/she has to tell you. You may discover that you can live with them after all.

Besides caring for your skin daily and eating right, there isn’t much you can do to prevent these beautiful pregnancy marks, however this doesn’t mean you don’t have to try. Take comfort in knowing that half the woman you know that have been pregnant probably have a mark or two, they may even have a little road map. Think about it as you’ve just been initiated into the gang of motherhood. No woman should ever feel ashamed of her stretch marks, they may not be the prettiest thing in the world but they do represent one thing…your child. Remember that the next time you are getting disgusted by them.

A Parents Guide To Understanding Your Infants Development

Have a new baby? Well don't stress! Here I provide some information that you can use as a guide. By understanding the physiological growth and development of your child (from birth to 1 year) you'll be able to identify any developmental or health needs and set aside any concerns.
During the first 12 months, infants will go through significant physiological change in the areas of weight, length, head growth, vision and motor development.
Weight: At birth, most babies weigh between 2.7-3.8kg. Average size will depend on race. Be aware that after birth, most babies will lose between 5-10% of their birth weight but don't be too concerned, this is natural. They'll gain this loss in about a week! They'll double there birth weight within 6 months gaining between 0.14-0.2kg per week and triple their birth weight by 12 months.
Length: Infants at birth are between 47-53cm long with females generally smaller than male babies. The two length measurements commonly taken are from crown to rump and head to heel. Crown to rump (sitting) measurement interestingly is approximately the same as the circumference of the head. By 6 months the infant should gain another 14cm and a further 7cm by 12 months. Nutrition will play a big role on how much the infant will grow.
Head: At birth, the average circumference of an infants' head is 35cm. Up until 2 years of age, the childs' head should be measured on each visit to the early childhood center to monitor the growth rate of the skull and brain.
Hearing: Newborns should react with a startle to loud noises (Moro reflex). Within a few days, they should be able to distinguish between different sounds. By 5 months they will pause to listen. At 9 months locate the source of the sound and at 12 months respond to basic commands.
Vision: Newborn can follow large objects but it's not until they're around 4 months that they can recognise familiar objects. They can begin to recognise facial features after 9 months often smiling in response and by 12 months starts to build depth perception.
Smell, Taste and Touch: Is it suprising that newborn babies can smell the mother's milk and prefer sweet tastes? Newborn will turn towards the mother when they smell the milk! Touch is very important to the infant's development. It builds the bond and provides reassurance and security.
Motor Development: In layman's terms it means the ability to move and control the body and it's obvious newborn are uncoordinated! At 1 month they'll start lifting their head temporarily, at 2 months raise their head from a prone position (lying on tummy), at 6 months sit unaided and at 12 months the can turn the page of a book (oftened followed by tearing the page out of the book).
As a parent it is difficult not to worry about the physiological growth and development of your baby. By having an idea of the stages they go through, hopefully you will be less worried.
I'm an ex-Registered Nurse and like so many others have moved out of the profession to join other industries. Writing health related articles is one way to keep in touch with the evolution in health care and at the same time help others! This is the calling that brings most people into the nursing profession in the first place.
Please visit Nurseketeers.com for more information and resources.

Pregnancy Due Date Calculator - A Helpful Resource for Pregnant Women?

If you're a mother to be, are planning on having a baby or know someone who is going to have a baby, a pregnancy due date calculator is definitely something you should look into. There are all kinds of different things that one can tell you, and they're just as fun as they are informative. You can find a lot of them online for free, or you can go to your local bookstore and pick one up. The kind of information you can get from a pregnancy due date calculator varies by which one you use, but when you plug in the first day of your last period many will tell you some basic stuff.
For example, more than one pregnancy due date calculator will tell you your conception date. It's something simple, but you'll need that later as you start taking gender quizzes and partaking in other mom to be entertainment. Also, you'll learn the time when your baby is at the greatest risk for birth defects. This is usually in the range of 5-10 weeks. Other useful tidbits will include when your baby's fetal organs have begun to form, when your baby's major organs have formed and the date at which the risk for miscarriage decreases.
A good pregnancy due date calculator will also tell you at point at which a prematurely born baby is most likely to survive. Finally, it will tell you when your actual due date is...ideally at around 40 weeks. You can also start to toy with things like the ancient Chinese lunar calendar, which people in the old days used to tell if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl. There are also different old wives tales that you can have fun with. Is your belly sticking straight out, or is it big and broad? That could be the difference between whether you should paint your nursery pink or blue, according to some.
Visit the Pregnancy Forum at http://www.ThePregnancyForum.com/ today. Get great tips on pregnancy nutrition and more. Free membership!

Baby Shower Party Favors

Planning a baby shower can be fun. Especially when it comes to deciding what will make the best party favors to give to guests to remember the momentous occasion just before the new baby arrives.
The great thing about baby shower favors is there are so many to choose from. You can go to any party store or go online, and you'll find hundreds of choices. May baby shower favors can be ordered in bulk and you and your friends can personalize them for an added touch. Soaps, picture frames and candles are popular baby shower favor gifts. You can purchase soap in bulk shaped like babies, storks or rattles. For an added touch you can take three or four cakes of soap and place them in little pink and blue bowls wrapped in pink or blue plastic wrap and tiny strings of ribbon. Picture frames and candles come in all kinds of wonderful baby colors and shapes You can mix and match them, place them in a decorative bowl, and have guests select one as they enter the party room. Little baby figurines are also a popular choice. You can order baby figurines in the shape of a teddy bear, angel, bunny rabbit, etc, or you can mix and match them and allow your guests to select their favorite.
If you'd rather make homemade baby shower favors, chocolates and cookies are always a welcomed gift. You can bake cookies in baby shapes and design chocolates in the shape of a rattle, baby bottle, etc.
Online sources of baby shower party favors include www.babycenter.com, www.baby-shower.com, www.simplybabystuff.com etc. You can select the gifts you want online, decide on the number of gifts and place the order-all when your baby is asleep and you are free to sit on your computer. Without disrupting any of your activities, the party favors will be delivered at your doorstep.
Party Favors provides detailed information on Party Favors, Wedding Party Favors, Birthday Party Favors, Baby Shower Party Favors and more. Party Favors is affiliated with Wholesale Candy Distributors.

Causes of Baby Diaper Rash and When to Seek Medical Advice

Diaper rash usually looks like a patchwork of bright red skin on your baby’s bottom. Most babies develop a diaper rash sometime or another. Times diaper rash may appear most often are:
• After solid foods are added to your baby’s diet• When your baby is taking antibiotics• When diapers are changed infrequently
Diaper rashes are more common in babies during their first 15 months or anytime your baby wears diapers. Other factors that contribute to diaper rash may include:
• Diarrhea• Use of plastic pants to cover a diaper
The good news about most diaper rashes is most cases disappear after a few days with home treatment.
Signs and symptoms of diaper rash include:
• Red, puffy and sometimes slightly warmer skin in the diaper region, buttocks, thighs and genitals• Baby may seem more uncomfortable than usual especially during diaper changes• Pain from a diaper rash often makes a baby fuss or cry when the diaper area is washed or touched
Causes for diaper rash
If a baby is forced to wear diapers soiled with urine or feces for long periods of time, he or she can experience irritation. A baby’s skin is usually quite sensitive, but even an adult who would wear an undergarment soiled with urine or feces for long periods of time would eventually experience irritation.
Sometimes when babies start to eat solid foods, the content of their stool changes and can increase the likelihood of diaper rash. Changes in baby’s diet can lead to increased frequency of stools, which can cause diaper rash. Breast-fed babies may develop diaper rash in response to something you have eaten.
New products such as a new brand of disposable wipes, diaper or detergent can irritate baby’s bottom. Even the type of detergent or fabric softener you use could be the cause.
Other substances that can add to the problem of diaper rash include ingredients found in:
• Baby lotions• Baby powders• Baby oils
The diaper rash can begin as a simple skin infection then spread to the surrounding regions within the creases of the skin turning into a bacterial or yeast infection.
Be careful about the fit of diapers and clothing. Tight fitting diapers and clothing which rubs against the skin can lead to diaper rash.
If your baby’s diaper rash does not improve within several days of home treatment and more frequent diaper changes, ask your health care provider for advice. If the diaper rash leads to a secondary infection it may require prescription medications. If diaper rash occurs with any of the following, have your child examined by a health care provider:
• Fever• Blisters or boils• A rash that extends beyond the diaper area• Pus or weeping discharge• Rashes that don’t respond to home treatment
Source: Mayo Clinic
Written by: Connie Limon Visit us at http://smalldogs2.com/BabyHealth for an extensive list of FREE reprint articles about Babies and Baby Health.
This article is FREE to republish with the resource box.
Written by: Connie Limon Visit us at http://smalldogs2.com/BabyHealth for an extensive list of FREE reprint articles about Babies and Baby Health.

Potty Training Your Baby From Age 3 Weeks

A new mom will quickly learn when baby is telling her that he is tired or hungry. Baby will also tell you when he is about to soil his diaper - or 'eliminate' in the jargon. The signs are usually a grunting and moving into a certain position.

My son used to get this far away look on his face and he would be very noisy so that everyone around him knew what was on the way!Many moms in America are now practicing 'elimination communication' whereby they watch baby for signs that he is ready to 'eliminate' and then dangle him over the toilet or a potty.

The technique does require virtually constant observation of the baby but apparently baby soon learns the procedure and knows that if he grunts hard enough it saves him having to sit around with a diaper full of you-know-what!The savings achieved through having to buy far fewer diapers are considerable, and of course you would be doing your bit to help the environment.

Potty training at the 'traditional' age of around 2-3 can be a real battle and a scary time for a kid. Starting much earlier would spare you both but the technique does require constant attention and, for this reason, some experts 'pooh-pooh' the idea (sorry!) of starting potty training so early.

Heather Welford of the National Childbirth Trust believes most parents will be too busy to watch baby all day and says 'I think it will always be something practiced by a minority of parents doing it for ideological reasons such as being closer to the baby or to help save the environment'. Two good reasons I would have thought.

Katy Luck runs a website with advice and articles about having babies. Visit her site at http://www.baby-talk.co.uk/