Pregnancy

[Editor's note: When you were pregnant, did people make sexist assumptions about you? They sure did with me. For instance, people just assumed that I'd take care of the baby while my husband did very little because a) he was disinterested, b) he was adorably inept, or c) he was too busy doing "important" stuff like working. They certainly didn't expect him to take paternity leave, which he did. (And thank god, because our son had manic colic.) Avengingophelia at What if No One Is Watching? has a great post on this topic called Pregnant adventures in benign sexism. What's been your experience with sexism in pregnancy? Let us know!-Mona]  Read more

Every birth story is miraculous and special. But... there are some that are simply more interesting than others. Beth at The Natural Mommy takes the cake for Most Interesting Birth Story I've Heard in Awhile. We've all heard the "baby born in a car" and "baby born in a hospital" stories. But what happens when the baby is born steps in between either option? Read on to find out.  Read more

I found that the suggested weight gain numbers for pregnancy were ridiculous. I gained too little with my first pregnancy due to an illness, too much with my second and just right with my third. The only pregnancy I couldn't take off the weight? That last one, where I gained the right amount of weight. Figures, right? NYC Running Mama, an active, healthy mom, recently asked if these guidelines are helpful or harmful to moms during pregnancy. What was your experience? How much did you gain? Did you pay attention to the suggested weights?  Read more

Marathon Mamas are commonplace these days. British long distance runner Paula Radcliffe won the New York Marathon in 2007 nine months after daughter Isla was born. American runner Kara Goucher placed second in the Arizona Half Marathon four months after giving birth. Anna Bretton recently ran the Oakland Marathon just six weeks after her delivery. NYC Running Mama, who is due with Baby #2 in late September, wants to be part of that club. She writes:  Read more

I remember asking my husband if I could put a message on our answering machine, "No, the baby is not here yet," when I was nearing my due date. He said no. I was so sick and tired of being asked when the baby would arrive -- even though I was ready to be done with a tumultuous pregnancy! Erika at namammaste recently shared about wanting to be done but knowing the baby arrives when the baby is ready. It's a hard thing to accept sometimes, especially at the very end!  Read more

How did you react when you learned that you were pregnant? I have three very different reactions to my three very different pregnancies; they range from "holy crap" in the bad way to "holy crap" in the good way. Natalie at Diary of a Girl Abroad shares her reactions to her always-wanted-but-still-very-surprising pregnancy. I think her thoughts -- the fear, the questioning -- are a normal progression of the mom-thought-process. Don't you?  Read more

[Editor's Note: To me, "maternity" and "fashion" don't really go together. Clearly, though, for Molly they do! In her post, she takes you through what to buy during your pregnancy and what to leave on the rack -- so you've got more to spend or save later when baby arrives. -Rita]  Read more

(Editor's Note: Everyone's path to parenthood is different. Training for the New York Marathon, Lizzy, from RunBakeRace, realized her body was not experiencing natural cycles while running 40+ miles a week. It seems she was getting her monthly visitor but not ovulating. She began to wonder if too much running was impacting her fertility. Lizzy and her husband did some research and came up with a plan. Read on to discover how it all turned out. ~js)  Read more

Have you had that moment when you realized that everyone around you was pregnant? Multiple announcements on Facebook, two friends email you in the same week and every woman you see in the grocery store is sporting a nine-month-bump. Noelle at Baby in Broad is currently experiencing one of those phases and writes about how it makes her feel. How do you feel when everyone else around you is expecting?  Read more

During my third trimester of pregnancy, not only was I larger than normal, but I was experiencing pregnancy induced insomnia. So I'd flip and I'd flop and I'd flip and flop some more. My poor husband. Did I mention we had a full sized bed? Oof. Molly at Stilettos and Diapers found what could be the perfect solution for pregnancy sleeping: separate beds.  Read more