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.

Pregnant women are often concerned about gaining excess weight. A common question many pregnant women ask their doctors is if exercise is safe during pregnancy. Be informed that the viewpoint of your obstetrician may vary from other doctors. However, it has been determined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that some exercise is safe for pregnant women. That being said, here are some tips to keep in mind if you choose to exercise:

Don’t Exercise Sporadically
Most doctors will agree that regular moderate exercise a few times each week is much better than sporadic exercise. It is inadvisable to exercise only when you feel like it. If you aren’t able to keep a regular exercise routine (2-3 days per week), then you should try to hit the gym.

Pay Attention to Your Body
When you are pregnant, you do not have the same flexibility as you may have otherwise. Thus, exercise with caution. If you are having muscle aches or other pain, you should slow down or stop the exercise. Pushing yourself too hard could result in more pain or problems.

Don’t Lie on Your Back
If you are past your first trimester, you should not lie on your back during exercise. This decreases the amount of oxygen that your baby receives. You should avoid any exercise that has to be done in this manner.

Stay Hydrated
While exercising, remember to drink plenty of water. Take advantage of indoor gyms and exercise facilities, if at all possible, to stay out of the heat.

Exercise No – Nos
You should not participate in any activities that hold a potential risk of falling. Steer clear of activities like roller skating, riding horseback, skiing, etc. Some pregnant women ignore the caution of their physician about these types of exercises. However, remember that you are warned against such activities for the health of your child, as well as your own safety and well-being.

A new baby or pregnancy can make a new or soon to be Daddy feel a little ignored so make sure you make Christmas something really special. Choosing a perfect gift can be challenging but here is a great resource for original, interesting Holiday Gift Ideas for a guy. Everything from jewelry to GPS gadgets to beers of the world.

Along with finding him the perfect gift, make sure that you’re giving him plenty of quality time all throughout the season. You’ll be glad you did!

The Reproductive Challenged Woman is a new podcast hosted by Barbara Winters.  Barbara came through a nine year journey to motherhood and has a lot of compassion and encouragement for other women who are on a similar long road.

I never gave it much though before, but I’ve just learned that you can experience damaging sun rays right through your clothing.

I was always careful to apply sunscreen to my baby when he was young and he always wore a hat when we were going to be in bright sunlight. Now you can go a step further and choose clothing that provides protection as well.

The Alex & Me Company Company sells clothing that does just that. “All our manufactures swim fabrics have been tested to prevent the sun’s harmful UVA/UVB rays from damaging the skin and are highly resistant to chlorine and salt water damage.”

They have the cutest little baby swim outfits, even long sleeve swim shirts to provide full protection.

Tip #1: Drink plenty of water. Saturate your body with lots of water. If you are feeling particularly nauseous, try something carbonated, like Sprite or ginger ale, but do try to avoid highly caffeinated drinks.

Tip #2: Steer clear of strong odors. If there is a food or smell in particular that causes you to feel sick, be sure to stay away from it if possible. Many pregnant women feel sick at the smell of certain foods cooking, or certain perfumes.

Tip #3: Don’t eat spicy foods. If you experience frequent heartburn, stay away from anything spicy. If you are craving spicy food but they give you heartburn, eat smaller portions. Finish your meal with a small piece of bread and milk.

Tip #4: Keep crackers by your bed. If you suffer from extreme nausea you may find that saltines help control it. Eat a few saltines before you go to bed at night. Try eating a few in the morning before you attempt to get out of bed.

Tip #5: Try ginger and peppermint.  Ginger helps alleviate nausea so you can try ginger ale, ginger cookies or ginger tea to help calm your nausea.  Peppermint may also help, try it in tea form or suck on a mint.

I remember seeing those first horrible images of a baby sitter who slapped a crying baby girl over and over again on a video.  I was shocked and horrified.  As a teenager I was babysitting 20 hours a week for other people and it made me a little paranoid for a week or so at their homes, wondering if they were taping me!  (Don’t worry, I’m not a baby slapper.)

Video technology and home surveilance has come a long ways since my teens.  Do you realize how simple it is to set up a camera and keep an eye on things while you’re away for an evening?  You can get a spy camera for your home and be able to know what happens to your baby while you’re out.  There are no wires, no way to tell it’s there.

I honestly don’t know if I would use a nanny cam or not. I never left my son with strangers and rarely even left him with family when he was little.  Still, I’m sure there are some little one’s who get abused even when in the care of aunts and grandmas - though the thought makes me sick to my stomach.

Many young couples turn to a teen for weekend babysitting and while teens are great - they are young and more likely to become overwhelmed with a cranky baby.  What do you think? Is it a good idea to monitor what is happening?  What would you do if you did spot something even mildly inappropriate?  Would you tell the babysitter about the camera in advance? 

There are some real interesting questions and thoughts about the whole hidden camera thing.  I’m interested in hearing what you all think.

We have an article written about two different babies and the way that one was comforted at once and given lots of nurturing and the other was left to ‘cry it out’.

What are you opinions on this?  Do you think it helps or hurts a baby?