Too Cold Or Too Warm, What Should A Mother Do

At the early stages of a baby’s life it is difficult to ascertain whether it is too hot or too cold[cold symptoms] because they cannot talk.
A baby will show his or her discomfort by crying, but for new mothers this may only be something that can upset you because you are inexperienced in finding out what is wrong with the baby.
Relax, after checking whether the baby is hungry, or needs changing, or just needs soothing, see if he or she may be too hot or too cold.
Babies cannot maintain their temperature when they are newborn and it can be a little difficult for them to stay warm or cool.
As a new mom you may find that there is advice given to you from all sides. As you face challenges and try every piece of advice, you will find what works for you and what doesn’t.
Your baby will dictate what he or she wants and it is simple to follow. If they do not cry, they are most likely very comfortable and you do not need to worry about their temperature.
The problem arises when the baby cries and you cannot seem to pacify them. When they are cold, dressing them in too many, heavy, and pieces of clothing can cause rashes because it does not allow their skin to breathe and can roughly rub on their sensitive skin.
Too much clothing can also cause heat rash because the sweat will clog the pores, especially in the skin folds, and produce little red bumps.
On the other hand, too little clothing and the baby can catch a cold, even in the summertime. You will find your baby shivering when he or she is too cold as well.
I have watched my sister-in-law struggle to keep her baby at the right temperature in the early days after his birth. The house temperature never seemed to be right.
Since she had him in the summertime, the air conditioner was on constantly, which was comfortable for the adults, but the baby seemed too cold.
Then when she stepped out for a walk, the humid, hot air caused the baby to fuss because it was now too hot. In the first few months, she came close to panicking because she just couldn’t seem to appease him temperature wise.
My sister-in-law eventually learned to spot signs for when the baby was too warm or cold. The baby would get red blotchy spots on his face and he would move about as if trying to rid himself of his clothes. She knew then that this was his way of telling her that he was too hot. His skin also felt warm and sweaty.
When he was too cold, his neck and legs were cool to the touch. She would place a little hat on his head so the heat would not escape and add a second blanket[baby blanket]. At night, when it was cooler, my sister-in-law would use hot water bottles, so that she could warm his crib area before he went to bed.
Do not worry about what other people tell you about too much clothing or too little swaddling. Listen to your baby and use layers of clothing and blankets rather than just using one thick outfit or padding.
Using layers is a helpful tip because you can add or remove layers according to your baby’s responses. Do not panic. You can do this. If you stay strong and focused and listen to your baby’s responses you’ll see that he or she can communicate their needs to you.
When you learn to read your baby you will find that mothering is not only easy but very rewarding. Cherish every moment you have together, in hot times and in cold ones.

To Be A Mother Should Know Kids Manage Money With An Allowance

Did you know that by giving your kids an allowance on a fixed basis you are actually nudging them to cultivate good money management habits? Well, you are. For those of you who require more testimonial, information, recommendation, expert views (whatever your mind deems as the most critical deal breaker) before joining the rest of us on the ‘Allowance Bandwagon’, I’ll put forth my best effort in convincing you there are merits to it.
The only way kids learn to manage their money is through trial and error. What better way than to start them off on something small and manageable. Today, kids have more money to spend (compared to us when we were their age, that’s for sure) and as such, they are developing their own financial styles or habits knowing or unknowingly. Kids who develop good or bad financial habits will foreseeably take those skills into adulthood. If the latter is their money blueprint, then there could potentially be painful and expensive money lessons on his/her horizon. The education system is definitely not helping raise awareness and/or instill structured money management skills for our next generation. Heck, we ourselves were never taught the same during our time. And for those of your luckier ones, your parents were a great role model for you financially. If you were one of them, be thankful. It’s time to pay it forward and teach your kids the same or better.
To be fair, you should only start imparting the basics of money management when your child is able to understand the basic concept of money. Interest is key here as would be case for all other things in their life – music, swimming, ballet etc. For me, the two compelling reasons why an allowance is a must for my kids is to force them to think of how much something costs and to weigh their spending choices as they only have a fixed amount of money. Let them make mistakes with their spending choices – no one gets it right the first time especially when you are only 4 or 5 (maybe even younger). It’s better to learn from those mistakes when the ‘tuition fee’ is only $5 or $10.
As a parent, you must sit them down and tell them exactly (clarity, clarity, clarity) what the allowance is for. Not the specific things that they can or cannot buy, but the 3 main areas the allowance is meant to provide for; namely saving, spending & sharing. Make a list of things the allowance covers so that he/she knows that they cannot come back to you whining and begging for more money as they NEED to spend on something they forgot to allocate for that week.
When I was about 8 or 9 years old, my father insisted each of his children keep a log book to pen down all the details of our spending. He would then go through it on a weekly basis, asking us questions and imparting some advise before he gave us the next allowance. If we wanted a raise in our allowance, we would have to tell him / write in our log book the items in which we wanted to purchase/spend on but could not due to the limitation in the dollar amount we received. In retrospect, I realise that this interaction created an opportunity to discuss and realign my money management education as a child.
The savings from each weekly allowance payout will then be banked into a kids saving account monthly. He would take us all to the bank and we made the deposit jointly. Afterwhich, he would explain to us the details in our passbook – how much we had accumulated and the interest given by the bank. Experts today recommend that 10% of your kid’s allowance should be allocated towards savings to build this good habit. Make sure that the allowance is given on a fixed interval, ideally weekly, as you are leading by example. Also, stick to your word as kids wise up pretty quickly when they spot that you do not act according to the financial discipline you preach.
One final question to answer – can I tie in the allowance amount to household chores completed? I will recommend no as it is the responsibility of each family member to contribute towards the household chores. These responsibilities should be separate and apart from the allowance given as the latter is aimed at teaching them the value of money. Be focused and remember that the allowance money lesson is aimed at building a longer term foundation to carry them in the right directions as an adult.

What Is To Be A Mother

Mothers are destined, by God, to bring up children for heaven. This is their grand mission. What a happiness, what an honor for a mother to give angels to heaven!

Would to God she only knew the real dignity and importance of her mission, and comprehended the qualifications in the moral and religious order that best prepare her for the duties of her sublime calling! What mission can be more sublime, more sacred, what mission can be more meritorious before God than that of giving to the young child the primary lessons of religion? There is indeed nothing more honorable, nothing more meritorious, nothing which conducts to higher perfection, than to instruct children in their religious duties. This instruction of children is a royal, apostolic, angelic, and divine function. Royal, because the office of a king is to protect his people from danger. Apostolic, because our Lord commissioned apostles to instruct the nations, and, as St. Jerome says, thus made them the saviours of men. Angelic, because the angelical spirits in heaven enlighten, purify, and perfect each other according to their spheres, and their earthly mission is to labor without ceasing for the salvation of man. St. Peter Chrysologus calls those who instruct others in the way of salvation, "the substitutes of angels." Indeed this mission of mothers is divine; they are called to carry on the very work of God Himself. Everything that Almighty God has done from the creation of the world, and which He will continue to do to the end, has been, and will be, for the salvation of mankind. For this He sent His Son from heaven, who enlightened the world by His doctrine, and who still continues to instruct His people by His chosen disciples. Those mothers, then, who direct their children in the paths to heaven, who allure them from vice, who form them to virtue, may fitly be termed apostles, angels, and saviours.

Oh! what glory awaits those mothers who perform the office of angels, and even of God Himself, in laboring for the salvation of the souls of their children. If this employment is honorable for mothers, it is also not less meritorious for them. What is the religious instruction of children, but conferring on a class of our race, the weakest and most helpless, with inconceivable labor and fatigue, the greatest of all blessings? For while the physical development of the child advances with age, it is not so with the mental; for religious instruction only can develop the noble faculties of the soul. The soul of a child, so to speak, would continue to live enshrouded in Pagan darkness, if the mother did not impart and infuse the light of truth. All the gold in the world is but dross in comparison with true religious knowledge.
Our Saviour says: "Whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones, even a cup of cold water, shall not lose his reward."--(Matt. x. 42.) May we not infer that those mothers who bestow upon children the treasures of divine knowledge will receive an exceedingly great reward? If God denounces so severely those who scandalize little children: "But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he there drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matt, xviii. 6), what recompense will mothers not receive who instruct and sanctify them?
Mothers who give their efforts and means to this object, choose the surest way to appease the anger of God, and to insure their own salvation. They choose the best means of attaining a high degree of perfection. Almighty God gives to each one the graces proper to his vocation. Mothers, therefore, who are devoted to the religious instruction of their children, must rest assured that God will give them extraordinary graces to arrive at perfection. "Whoever," says our Lord, "shall receive one such little child in My name, receiveth Me."--(Matt, xviii. 5.) Whosoever, then, believes that our Saviour will not allow Himself to be surpassed in liberality, must also believe that He will bestow His choicest blessings on those mothers who instruct their children in the knowledge of God and the love of virtue.
What obligations have not the "angels" of children "who always see the face of the Father Who is in heaven" (Matt, xviii. 10), to pray for these mothers--their dear colleagues and charitable substitutes, who perform their office and hold their place on earth. The children will pray for their mothers, and God can refuse nothing to the prayers of children, and their supplications will ascend with the prayers of the angels.
Do you desire, O Christian mother, to be saved? Do you wish to acquire great treasures in heaven, and to attain great perfection in this life?--Employ yourself diligently in the religious instruction of your children. Do you wish to gain the love of our Lord, and to deserve His protection?--Teach your children to fear and love God; you cannot do anything more pleasing to His Divine Heart.
It is related in the Gospel that mothers brought to Him little children, that He might touch them. And the disciples rebuked them that brought them. And when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said to them: "Suffer little children to come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God: and embracing them, and laying His hands on them, He blessed them." If Jesus was displeased with those who prevented little children from coming to Him, what love and tenderness will He not have for those mothers by whose means they come to Him?
Oh! how consoled will they not be in their last hour, when they shall see the souls of those whom they prepared for heaven, accompanied by their good angels, surrounding their bed of death, forming, as it were, a guard to protect them from the snares and assaults of the enemy!
This is a happiness which those mothers may confidently expect who labor assiduously to give their children a good religious education. Ah! would to God, I say once more, that mothers would understand their sublime mission on earth.

Remember Mother‘s Day

mother’s day can be traced back for centuries with various connotations.the Greeks, for instance would celebrate a mother’s day, but not quite in the same way we would associate motherhood today. mother of the Gods is wroshipped by them yearly.
　　AS to the modern of celebrating love and thanks to our matriarchs is similar as many traditions in our country, a biblical and religious celebration in which Mary, the mother of Jesus was worshipped. Eventually, as times changed, this ‘Mother’s Day’ became a day in which all mothers were worshipped, no matter who they were. However, for the most part, the church was still a huge focus for this tradition.

　　It wasn’t until the last century that presents started being given to commemorate the day. The reasons for this are unclear. Perhaps as church fell out of favour with some families, they needed another way to mark the occasion or perhaps, like with so many things, it was a case of marketing and commercialisation on the part of major companies that was the cause.
　　Whatever, the reason, the idea of giving presents should not be frowned upon. However, when you do give presents ensure thought has gone into it, so as not to cheapen the occasion. Flowers are one of the most popular gifts, and Mother’s Day flowers can be some of the most special flowers a woman ever receives. The rise in sales of bouquets at this time of year is testament to just how popular a gift they are and just how much the right bunch can say.
　　Therefore, for those who want show how much their mother counts , a bunch of Mother’s Day Flowers could be just what you need. But this is not confined to time.

11 Year-old Mother

　　Imagine that you are an 11-year-old girl who is six months pregnant. You have no idea how babies are made, let alone what contraception is and how to use it. You are not ready to be a mother, nor are you ready to leave your childhood behind so early. You will have to raise your child when you are still a child yourself…
　　Wait, what?
　　This is exactly what happened to 11-year-old Kordeza Zhelyazkova.
　　When Kordeza’s grandmother noticed that her granddaughter was putting on some weight, she also found out that her granddaughter was seeing a boy. She immediately went out and purchased a pregnancy test. The result left the two stunned. “I just thought I’d been eating too many burgers,” said Kordeza, when she found out that she was about six months pregnant.
　　Kordeza met Jeliazko while being bullied by boys from her school – he fought off her tormentors. Jeliazko, 19-years-old at the time, fell in love with Kordeza. She asked him out on a date and they arranged to meet. At the time, he thought that Kordeza was 15-years-old. She never revealed her age; she didn’t want him to think she was too young for him. Two weeks after Kordeza’s 11th birthday, she became pregnant, but wasn’t aware of her pregnancy until she was three short months away from giving birth.
　　On October 22nd, 2009, Kordeza married Jeliazko and coincidentally gave birth while still dressed in her wedding gown. 20 minutes upon arriving at the local hospital, Kordeza gave birth to a healthy 5 ½ pound baby girl. The couple named her Violeta, after Jeliazko’s mother.
　　Kordeza currently lives in a one bedroom apartment with her baby and will receive £70 each month (about 123 Canadian dollars). She has decided to quit school to take care of her daughter. During an interview, she noted “I used to play with my toys but now [Violeta] is my new toy. I am a mother now, and Violeta is the child. I must grow up.” Jeliazko was faced with charges of having sex with a minor. If convicted, he will face up to 6 years in prison.
　　It might be hard for some to comprehend how on earth an 11-year-old became pregnant. In countries such as Canada or the United States, sexual education is taught in most schools. However, it’s important to remember that sexual education isn’t part of the curriculum everywhere in the world. In many third world countries, children do not attend school, therefore are unable to learn about the consequences of having unprotected sex. Contrastingly, developed countries are seeing a rise in teenage pregnancy, too. Kordeza lives in Sliven, Bulgaria, a nation where teenage pregnancy is a common occurrence. Kordeza’s grandmother noted, “It’s normal for our girls to have babies young. It’s our tradition.” In other cultures, sex education may not be discussed as openly. If teenage pregnancies are normal in Bulgaria, shouldn’t these teenagers at least be educated, so they know what their choices are?
　　Teenage pregnancy can cause many problems for not only the teen, but also the people around them. For the mother, they could face several different issues. During the first few months of the pregnancy, most teenage mothers do not consult a doctor or go to a clinic. Without regular checkups, the mother would be unaware of any problems with fetal development. For the father, they could fall into a similar scenario like Jeliazko, where they could be sent to prison, if convicted. A problem for both the mother and father is financial instability. Medical bills, on top of the cost for baby supplies, can add up to an overwhelming number. In addition, since teenage pregnancy is usually unintentional it can alter plans for the teenager’s future. Instead of attending school, the teenager could become a stay-at-home mom or dad.
　　How can young parents understand the responsibilities of raising another human being? Are they even able to leave their childhood behind and become parents at such an early age? Don’t these teenagers deserve to know about the risks they face if they’re sexually active? There are teens that are educated, but most aren’t. Reasons could include that sexual education isn’t a part of a school’s curriculum or that schools aren’t even available to begin with. Perhaps some young parents are capable to adapt to their new life, developing and maturing, but some will continue to depend on others. Teenagers deserve to know about the choices they have.

How To Perpare To Be A Mother

　　In order to help the expecting mother prepare for birth, a Mother Blessing should be held about one month before her due date. Keep in mind that due dates are just estimates and the baby can come any time in the two weeks before the due date, up to two weeks after the due date. Holding a Mother Blessing about a month before the due date will help ensure that the baby doesn’t make an unexpected appearance. It will also give the momma-to-be time to focus on all the positive wishes everyone has made for her and to incorporate her birthing necklace and other ritual items into her birthing preparation.

News About Baby

Two women have been arrested for allegedly buying and selling a seven-week-old infant on an installment payment plan.
　　Abilene police say the mother, 29-year-old Joana Delacruz Huerta, and the woman accused of buying her baby, 27-year-old Marilu Munoz, both from Texas, were charged on Thursday with the sale or purchase of an infant, which is a third-degree felony.
　　The women remained in the Taylor County Jail on Friday. Bail has not yet been set.
　　Police Sgt Lynn Beard says Huerta reportedly sold the baby for $2,000 on an 'installment plan' with scheduled payments.
　　At a press conference today he said that a department unit was tipped off by an anonymous source that a mother had sold her baby.

　　He said: 'This is the first time in my 13 years that I remember [a mother selling her child] happening.'

　　The infant, whose gender wasn't released, was taken into custody by Child Protective Services.

　　If convicted, both women face a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

　　In July, 36-year-old Heidi Lynn Knowles, from Washington, was arrested for trying to sell her three-day old son at a Taco Bell for $500.

　　Deputies were called to the restaurant by a woman who said Knowles approached her in the restaurant, handed her the baby and offered to sell him.

Mother’s Day Took a Moment to Honor the Mother’s

　　Yesterday was Mother’s Day and hopefully everyone took a moment to honor the mother’s, and mother figures, in their lives. While being a mother in any country brings with it endless struggles and joys, some bring greater struggle than others. Therefore in which country is it best to raise your children? According to the State of the World’s Mothers 2010 report: Women on the Front Lines of Health Care by Save the Children, its Norway.
　　The country rankings are compiled in the reports Mothers’ Index, which assigns rankings based on such factors which impact the health and well-being of women and children. Such factors include access to health care, education and economic opportunities with in the country.
　　Those countries joining Norway, replacing last years top position holder Sweden. Sweden however remains among the top ten with Australia, Iceland, Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
　　The United States came in a disappointing 28th, falling below Estonia, Latvia, and Croatia. The U.S. ranks lower than many developing nations due to the high maternal mortality rates(1 in 4,800) and infant mortality (8 per 1,000). As well the U.S. is holds a lower pre-school enrollment at 61 percent and in comparison to it’s developed counterparts has considerably weak standing maternity-leave policies.Afghanistan, which has fallen one ranking this year over last year report, now sits at the bottom, behind Niger, who was at the bottom last year. Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Sudan, Eritrea, and Equatorial Guinea all find themselves at the bottom of the list.
　　According to the report the comparison between the top of the list and the bottom are nothing less than dramatic;

Antidepressant drugs found to cause birth complications

A new warning is being issued about pregnant women taking antidepressant drugs. It turns out that taking such drugs during late pregnancy puts the health of their babies at risk and leads to birth complications that may require prolonged hospitalization, breathing support, and tube feeding. This warning applies to all SSRI drugs, or what's called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, which include drugs like Prozac and other popular antidepressants. The warning comes from Health Canada, and is a latest in a series of warnings being publicized about the dangers of taking prescription drugs.
Of course, informed readers already know that prescription drugs pose significant health hazards to human beings, but when they are taken by pregnant women, they pose an even greater hazard because they effect the health of two human beings. The health of an unborn baby is significantly impaired by the consumption of both prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs, not to mention alcohol, smoking, and the consumption of processed foods containing high-fructose corn syrup, white flour, or refined sugar.
The untold part of all of this is the rather shocking realization that doctors are actually prescribing antidepressant drugs to pregnant women. That's because there is no FDA warning about antidepressants and pregnant women in the United States. It's not surprising, since the FDA is typically very slow to issue warnings about prescription drugs, even as Canada, the UK, and other countries are quick to publicize such warnings in order to protect the health of the public.
Interestingly, one of the common defenses about this link between antidepressant drugs and birth complications is that there is also a risk to the fetus if a pregnant woman remains depressed. Some people are saying that it's worth giving depressed expectant mothers antidepressant drugs because it's a greater health danger for the pregnant mother to remain depressed. This is absurd, since antidepressant drugs don't actually improve the mental health of anyone in the first place. Even the clinical trials involving antidepressants have been distorted and selectively chosen to shed good light on SSRIs, but as we are now learning, these drugs actually promote violent behavior and can cause people to commit suicide.
(One of the little-known facts about antidepressant drugs is that those students who committed the Columbine school massacre several years ago were taking SSRI antidepressant drugs, and it may have been one of the factors that caused them to pick up automatic weapons and murder their classmates.)
Are these the kinds of drugs we want to be giving pregnant women? Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to help educate women about why they might be feeling down in the first place, due to their dietary imbalances and their nutritional deficiencies, and then help them alleviate those at the core? Wouldn't it make more sense to use natural methods that actually support and enhance the health of unborn children as well as the health of their mothers?
Frankly, what pregnant women need in terms of battling depression is the same thing that every adult needs, and that is natural sunshine touching their skin on a regular basis. That's because most adults suffer from chronic vitamin D deficiency, and they either need sunlight or regular cod liver oil supplements in order to get adequate amounts of vitamin D. Pregnant women also need to avoid all environmental toxins in their food, drinks, and lifestyle habits. That means, of course, no alcohol whatsoever, no cigarette smoking, and absolutely no consumption of over-the-counter drugs, which are extremely toxic and by last count, responsible for at least 40,000 deaths each year just from painkillers alone.
Remember, these over-the-counter drugs are not necessarily safe or even mild, even though they can be purchased without a prescription. They are powerful, biochemically active chemical substances that kill human beings, that compromise the function and health of the human liver, and that pass through the bloodstream into the body of an unborn child. So, when a mother is taking over-the-counter painkillers, she's effectively dosing her child with those same toxic drugs.
At the same time, mothers need to avoid all toxic food additives and metabolic disruptors such as MSG, sodium nitrite, and food additives like artificial colors. She also needs to avoid hydrogenated oils and refined carbohydrates such as high-fructose corn syrup, white flour, white sugar, sucrose, and other similar substances.
In other words, a pregnant woman should have the highest level of responsibility to control her intake of dietary and lifestyle substances, and yet, in the United States today, I regularly see pregnant women smoking, drinking, and doing things that should potentially be considered criminal, such as drinking alcohol and taking ibuprofen at the same time -- which of course creates a highly toxic chemical cocktail that damages the liver of both the mother and the unborn child. It's one thing for a woman to compromise her own individual health in any way she chooses, and I'm all for freedom of choice and allowing people to eat what they want, but it's entirely different when a mother is destroying the health of her child. In the case of pregnancy, I think women need to be held to a higher standard, and in this country we need a program of education and support to help pregnant women get better nutrition and a better understanding of what is required to raise a healthy child.
Specifically, I think society should pay for nutritional supplements for pregnant women, meaning that those supplements would be available free of charge to any woman of childbearing age. Yes, it would be expensive, but it would be far cheaper than giving birth to another generation of health-compromised babies who are prone to learning disabilities, diabetes, and birth defects (among other disorders). Prevention is dirt cheap compared to the cost of treating disease, and prevention starts with the mother.

Does your hair grow thicker while you are pregnant

Some people do notice that their hair can be thicker and fuller when pregnant, and this is a hormonal fluctuation.What happens? Your hair has three cycles of growth: it has a growing phase, a resting phase, and a falling out phase. Sometimes with the hormones and the changes in pregnancy, your hair stays in that growing phase longer.
 Because you have more hair in that growing phase, your hair looks thicker and fuller and grows longer. Often it's more shiny as well.Three to four months after pregnancy, when those cycles shift back, your hair starts to shed as you revert back to your normal hair cycles.If all your hair grew in the growing phase at the same time and then shifted to the resting phase, every two to 10 years or so you would go bald completely. But fortunately that pattern is not synchronized. So about 90% of your hair is growing and 10% is resting or falling out. When that patterns shifts, you might notice that your hair looks fuller for a while, but there is a price to pay on the other side. It will balance back out.

Pregnancy Brain: Myth or Reality

　

　　At an airport while pregnant, she frantically paced a parking lot, searching for her Jeep. After an hour, she called her husband to tell him that their car had been stolen. But then she realized that she had just gone to the wrong parking lot.
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　　That wasn't her only memory glitch. "I also went to the wrong airport twice on the same trip, and another time, I was sitting at the wrong gate and completely missed my flight," Blakeslee says.
　　Many pregnant women and mothers can relate. Those bouts of forgetfulness go by many names, including:
　　pregnancy brain
　　mommy brain
　　pregnancy amnesia
　　momnesia
　　But a recent study questions whether pregnancy brain exists. Who is right -- the moms or the researchers? And how can you handle fuzzy memory during pregnancy? Here are answers.
　　Pregnancy Brain Is Real
　　"If you read pregnancy manuals and listen to pregnant mothers – yes, there is such a thing as pregnancy brain or momnesia, and there is also evidence from research showing deficits in memory," says Helen Christensen, PhD, of The Australian National University.
　　But "the evidence from our study shows that the capacity of the brain is unaltered in pregnancy," Christensen tells WebMD in an email.
　　That is, a pregnant woman's brain is unchanged, though she may not be as razor sharp as she once was.
　　Reasons for Pregnancy Brain
　　Blakeslee's forgetfulness is understandable. Like many moms, her life swirls like a tornado. She constantly handles the needs and wants of her two young kids, a torrent of other household tasks and chores -- and she rarely, if ever, gets a good night's sleep.
　　Under these circumstances, it is 100% normal to have memory lapses or be forgetful, Christenson says.
　　Jane Martin, assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the Neuropsychological Testing and Evaluation Center at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center, agrees.
　　"When you are not getting enough sleep and are multitasking, nobody's memory is good," Martin says. "You are not cognitively sharp when you haven't slept well."

Is obesity during pregnancy child abuse

　　

　　The research is pouring in: obesity during pregnancy poses a tremendous risk to the health of the unborn child. Children of obese mothers are born as pre-diabetics or with serious birth defects that can lead to kidney disease or heart disease, among other problems.
　　The fact that obesity in expectant mothers leads to health problems in their unborn children is not in dispute. What is in question, though, is how this should be handled. Given that obesity is a condition caused by lifestyle choices made by the mother, doesn't the mother have a responsibility to protect the health of her unborn child by altering her lifestyle?
　　To answer this question, take a closer look at the impact of alcohol and cigarette smoking on unborn children. Both habits cause horrifying birth defects and impair the unborn child's long-term health. It has long been argued that expectant mothers who engage in drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes are, in effect, abusing their unborn children by exposing them to these toxic chemicals at precisely the time when such chemicals can have devastating effects.
　　I agree with this assessment: pregnant women who drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes are, in my view, not just acting irresponsibly, they are guilty of crimes by consciously and willingly endangering the health of their children. In doing so, they forfeit their right to have children in the first place. Because, after all, if a woman can't stop smoking and drinking during pregnancy, she has no right to bring another human being into this world -- a human being that will be crippled from the start.
　　Does the same argument apply to obesity? Is an obese expectant mother also committing a crime against her unborn child? I don't think society is ready for that sort of designation, but it's time to get serious about the nutritional responsibility women have to their unborn children. There's also a responsiblity in society, I believe, to help assist pregnant women in achieving optimum nutritional goals. Nutritional supplements, for example, should be made available to all pregnant women at no cost (funded by taxpayers).
　　I believe that pregnant women who are obese should, at the very least, be required to undergo counseling that helps them understand why their current lifestyle habits and choices are so dangerous to the health of their unborn child. But whether society can be called upon to actually enforce health requirements on would-be mothers is another matter altogether. In a police state society, perhaps, women would not be allowed to reproduce until they demonstrated an acceptable degree of self health. But that's not the society we live in, nor one that I desire.
　　What do you think should be done here? Should expectant mothers be responsible for the health of their unborn children? Should they be somehow penalized for remaining obese during pregnancy? Is obesity during pregnancy the same as child abuse?