Do your kids enjoy listening to audiobooks? Here is an audiobook podcast of Runt the Brave, which last year won the Ben Franklin Award for Best New Voice in Children’s Literature. 

The first six episodes are available now.  Nine more episodes will air weekly over the holiday season. You can subscribe anonymously (and for free) via itunes or at  
http://www.clearwaterpress.com/CWP/Podcast/Podcast.html

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I’m two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby’s sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she’s borderline irrational.
A: So what’s your question?

Q: My childbirth instructor says it’s not pain I’ll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you’re pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word “alimony” means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby’s diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.

When my son was born I nursed him without any troubles but when he was five weeks old he started to spit up a lot of what he ate and soon that turned into what we mom’s affectionately call ‘projectile vomitting’.  Then he stopped wetting his diaper and that sent us running to the doctors.

It turned out that his bottom stomach muscle was growing into itself instead of larger and it had literally closed off his tummy from the rest of his digestive system.  He had to have surgery immediately.

The hospital brought a breast pump to me in the waiting room so that I could get some breast milk ready for recovery.  It was slow going.  My baby’s low consumption over several days had already started to signal my body to slow down - and even though I used the breast pump faithfully, I had a hard time getting any milk.

We had to rent a pump to take home with us.  That was a pain in the hiney and quite expensive. 

Now I understand it’s quite common to buy a breast pump for a new mommy.  You can find a variety of Electric Breast Pumps at Breast Pumps Direct. I guess that they are indespensible for a mom who works outside of the home or wants to go away for a half day or overnight.

Do you have your own breast pump?  They have a guide to choosing a breast pump if you’re interested in taking a look.

If you are getting closer to the end of your pregnancy, you may be growing a bit anxious about the labor. This is quite normal and most pregnant women experience this same anxiety at some point.

You should be prepared, in the event that your labor extends the length of an average labor. Use these tips for coping with a long labor.

Relax - The number one rule is to relax. You must be able to remain calm and collected during your labor. Although it is difficult becoming anxious or irritated will only make things worst. 

You are doing a lot of hard work throughout this process, so you need to be able to stay calm and relaxed. Bring along a small CD player and a CD with soothing music to play during your labor. Or have a back massager on hand for your spouse or birth partner to rub your back when you start to get achy. Whatever you need to help you relax, bring it with you to the hospital.

Surround Yourself with Love - The excitement of a baby tends to cause mothers to invite several people to be present for the birth. This may not a good idea. Naturally, you want to share this momentous occasion with many family and friends. But the labor room may not be a good time for a family reunion. Pick and choose your birth partners carefully. Be sure to surround yourself with people who can help keep you calm and focused during your labor.

Remember your Goal – Keep your goal in mind even through the pain. You are experiencing something wonderful, but it doesn’t come without lots of hard work. Your labor can become difficult and lengthy, so be ready for it. When you get tired, or feel like you just can’t take another minute, remind yourself that soon you’ll have a lovely little baby in your arms and it will all be forgotten.

My brother moved his family out into the country and even though crime is not as common in the boonies, my sister was very uncomfortable about being at home alone with her babies so far away from town.

My brother’s answer was to install a home security system, complete with monitoring and loud sirens.  I don’t know if it made her any more comfortable about being so far from others but it did give her a sense of peace knowing that she would know if anybody tried to enter the house.

Wouldn’t a Security System be the coolest family Christmas gift? Well.. maybe for New Years?  You can get the Laser Shield security systems at Kmart, Home Depot, Sears and other home stores. 

As your due date nears, you may be growing a bit anxious over the labor and delivery. Here are some ways you can mentally prepare for your labor.

Tip #1: Find Your “Happy Place”
Where is the one place that you feel most at peace? Maybe it’s a specific setting, like at your favorite café or sitting on a blanket in the middle of the park. Whatever or wherever you feel most at place is going to be your “happy place” in your mind. Practice focusing on that place where you feel calm and at peace with yourself. Hold those feelings for several minutes before you open your eyes. When you begin to feel anxious, close your eyes, take a deep breath and go to your happy place.

Tip #2: Envision a Calm Labor
Don’t let your mind run wild with all the stories you’ve heard other women talk about. Each labor is unique and much of it depends on how well you personally cope with it. What is the best possible way you would like your labor to go? Capture that in your mind. Think on it. Envision a happy, calm labor.

Tip #3: Practice Positive Thinking
It’s very easy to get wrapped up in negative thoughts about your labor. You’re already anxious about the coming day. Don’t allow negative thoughts to creep up and make you more nervous. Practice positive thinking. One way to do this is to speak positive affirmations every time you start thinking negative.

Do you keep up to date on financial news and trends?  Raising a family, especially adding a new baby can create a lot of stress for your household income.  It’s important to stay informed so that you can make the best decisions about your spending.

The Thrify Scot can help you with everything from credit cards, secured loans, mortgages, savings accounts and home insurance.

I don’t know about you but I don’t use credit cards and the only loans I have are for my car and house - but I’m starting to put money away for retirement and I can always save money on insurance if the option comes up.

I’m trying to be more informed but it’s hard.  The topic isn’t too exciting - at least not until I get a few thousand earning for me!

Tip #1:  Breathe
A common reaction to pain is to take a deep breath in and hold it. You should not do this while you’re in labor.  Try to remember to breathe. Take a deep breath in, the slowly release it. (Don’t forget to take Lamaze classes, as this will help you learn breathing techniques to use during labor!)

Tip #2: Relax
As difficult as it sounds, you have to relax. Think about your favorite vacation spot. Concentrate on a time when you feel most relaxed. Take yourself to that place or time in your mind to help you relax.  The more you tense your body the stronger your pain may feel.

Tip #3: Don’t Watch the Clock
Your husband needs something to do, so assign him clock duty. Let him time your contractions. Let him keep up with how many minutes apart they are. You stay focused on remaining calm and breathing and let him worry about the clock!

Tip#4: Rest
The last thing you should do while you’re having contractions is do last minute preparations in the baby’s room or clean your house. Try to resist the nesting instinct at this point and start mentally and physically preparing yourself for the labor ahead.  You will need every ounce of energy you can muster when the time comes to push.

Tip#5: Distract Yourself
Keep something small at hand to distract yourself. You will feel anxious and nervous, so have something to keep your mind distracted. If you like to craft, work on a small needlepoint project. If you enjoy reading, catch up on that novel you’ve been waiting to read. Having friends or family around during early labor may help take your mind off the mild contractions.

Tip #6: Be Patient
When you begin to feel contractions, you will most likely start to feel excited. However, many labors, especially first-timers, tend to last for several hours. If your labor is slow, just be patient. Before you know it, you will have your beautiful baby girl or boy in your arms.

American Greeting has created a new resource for us busy Moms.  It’s a free online calendar that you can use to record and be reminded of all of your important family events. It’s easy to use and you can even share your events with others.

Birthdays, Anniversaries, First Dates, the day you found out your were pregnant.  Get creative and be reminded of some of those events that you can forget about as the years go by.  You can even use it as a family schedule keeper and have reminders sent to you via email or through your cell phone.

Baby’s first tooth, first word, first steps.  New mommies can keep track of everything they want to remember about their new baby.  I think this could be a lot of fun!  Get your own free online calendar here.

A common misconception among pregnant women is that when you’re pregnant you are eating for two, so you can eat more. This simply is not true. Many women find they relax and tend to overeat during pregnancy. However, they find after giving birth that losing those extra pounds isn’t as easy as they thought it would be.

You can avoid gaining too much weight during your pregnancy if you eat smart. Here are some tips for how much you should eat during your pregnancy:

300 Calories
If you are at a normal weight for your age and height when you become pregnant, you should only add about 300 calories per day to your intake. Be wise in the choices you make about where these 300 additional calories will come from.  Try to avoid empty calories like cookies and cakes, they have no real nutritional value and are high in calories.

Fruits and Veggies
Remember to stock up on lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Grapes, apples and bananas are wonderful substitutes for chocolate.  Fresh raw veggies, like baby carrots, celery and cucumbers can replace junk food. Keep your refrigerator stocked with these healthy snacks and eat at least five servings per day.

Fiber
You can never get too much fiber in your diet when you are pregnant. Fiber helps prevent constipation, which many pregnant women deal with during pregnancy. Foods like bran, raisins and whole grains can help.

Protein
Most doctors suggest that about ten percent of your caloric intake should consist of protein-rich foods. Protein is important during pregnancy and has a double effect as some foods that are high in protein are good sources of iron as well.