Family and Children Health

Assess the odds, up your chances, and glean advice from a midlife mom
When I was 35, unmarried but still hoping for children someday, I asked my doctor if I should be concerned about my chances of getting pregnant as I got older. Not at all, he assured me: Women are having children into their 40s nowadays. You have plenty of time, he said.

Congratulations! So you’ve decided to take the big step into becoming a parent. While it is one of the most important things a person can do in their life, it is also the most challenging and the first challenge is conceiving. Many people assume that once they stop taking contraception they will immediately conceive. Our bodies are slightly more complicated than that and this guide on how to get pregnant will give you tips on the best methods and the timing to get pregnant.

The best or most fertile time to get pregnant is the period of ovulation in your menstrual cycle. This is the time when following an LH surge, a mature ovum is released into the uterus from the follicles. This egg or ovum is ready to be fertilized and stays so for about 12 hours after which it starts degenerating. The best way to determine your most fertile time is to pay attention to your body and learn to spot the physical signs of ovulation, and thereby the best time to get pregnant.

You and your partner have decided to take the plunge into parenthood. But wait just one second — or a month or two at least! To give yourself the best chance for a healthy pregnancy and a healthier baby, there are a few important things you need to do before you head down the road to conception. Our list will help you get your life and body into baby-making shape.

Aspirin is an over the counter medicine used for pain relief and to reduce fever. Aspirin is also an anticoagulant; that is, it keeps blood from clotting excessively.

If you've been on the Pill for a while and are worried about conceiving, Dr. Gill Lockwood, medical director at Midland Fertility Services, has some good advice.

Are you finding it difficult to become pregnant? If so you can do many simple things to improve your chances of conception, the way we live can have a big effect on the reproductive system of both men and women.

What is a tubal pregnancy?
An ectopic pregnancy, commonly known as a tubal pregnancy, is a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants itself somewhere other than the uterus. It is referred to as a tubal pregnancy because 95% of ectopic pregnancies occur when the fertilized egg is unable to travel all the way through the fallopian tube to the uterus, and therefore implants itself in the tube.

When it comes to getting pregnant, simply having made a baby does not make you an expert. Yet once you and your partner announce that you’re trying to conceive, everyone from your jeweler to your sister-in-law’s cleaning lady will claim to have the secret method your doctor isn’t telling you. While these snippets of advice can be intriguing, and may even appear to have some justifiable basis, some are unfounded, unscientific, unproven and are best left with the old wives themselves.

Why is being ready for pregnancy so important?
Conception occurs about 2 weeks before your period is due. That means you may not even know you're pregnant until you're more than 3 weeks pregnant. Yet your baby is most sensitive to harm 2 to 8 weeks after conception. This is when your baby's facial features and organs, such as the heart and kidneys, begin to form. Anything you eat, drink, smoke or are exposed to can affect your baby.

Exercise, Good Food, And Prenatal Care Are the Keys

The chances of a pregnant woman having twins or a multiple birth have never been higher. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, about one in every 35 babies born is a multiple (twin, triplet, or more). The incidence of twin has risen 52 percent since 1980 and the number of triplets has risen by more than 400 percent, largely due to the fact that more women are having children later in life and/or taking fertility drugs.

Keeping up with an exercise program can be difficult when you're pregnant, and you may find yourself avoiding it altogether, especially during the first trimester when you may be feeling nauseated and tired.

Pregnancy is seen as mostly a woman's thing. Few women believe that their partner really understands what's involved. And the fact is, many of us dads-to-be don't. We talk about it. We show interest. We empathise (without going overboard). We even try to read about it, at least a little. But let's face it, our experience of having a baby is fairly removed from the real thing until we're face to face with nappy changing and sleep deprivation. No dad can possibly relate to the minute-by-minute, close-to-the-heart, kick-in-the-gut reality of carrying a baby to term.

Even as you celebrate your new curves, you may complain about the aches and pains that accompany your pregnancy. Back pain probably tops the list of a pregnant woman's gripes. "It's often caused by a shifting of the center of gravity, and by the weight of the uterus on the pelvic area," says Thomas Hanlon, author of Fit For Two: The Official YMCA Prenatal Exercise Guide (Human Kinetics).

We all have moments when we think, 'Never again!' during pregnancy: perhaps morning sickness is making you miserable or you're 10 days overdue with not even a hint of a contraction. To remind you that being pregnant can be fun, we've rounded up some of the nice things about being an expectant mum.

And why not share the things that have made pregnancy wonderful for you -- just scroll down to the parents' tips box, below.

One of the most important things you can do if you are thinking about becoming pregnant is start taking a prenatal vitamin with at least 400mg of folic acid. Folic acid is an essential nutrient that can help prevent birth defects in newborns. If you start taking a prenatal supplement before you even try to become pregnant, you will have the best chance of ensuring a happy and healthy journey once you become pregnant.

It's fine to do work trips or holiday abroad with your bump but take a few simple precautions, say the Maternity Alliance
If you can choose when to travel during pregnancy, then the second trimester (weeks 14 to 27) is the best time. Morning sickness will be behind you and the chance of miscarriage is lower at this stage. If possible, avoid travelling abroad in early pregnancy until routine blood tests, scans and other screening tests are completed.

Smoking during pregnancy does carry many risks with it. While there is a lot of conflicting data about the degree and type of effects, there are a few points that most studies will agree upon.

Along with the physical and emotional upheavals of pregnancy come changes in sexual desire. You might have been romping along at a rate of three times a week and now find your libido's gone limp, or maybe you were content with infrequent intimacy but now can't get enough. Any response is normal, say experts, whether it's your first pregnancy or your fourth.

A recent Finnish randomized population-based study shows that TV-viewing, and particularly exposure to adult- targeted programs, such as current affairs programs, TV series and police series and movies, markedly increases the risk of sleeping difficulties in 5-6 year old children. Also passive exposure to TV increases sleeping difficulties.

How do children learn? There are three levels of action that will factor in a child learning.

Is your child biting you, his siblings, his friends, let's stop this.

Children and drug overdoses
More than 50 per cent of feverish children are given incorrect doses of medicine by parents and overdoses have almost trebled in the last two decades, according to a research review in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Siblings and Intelligence
A recent study provides some of the best evidence to date that birth order really doesn't have an effect on intelligence.

The findings contradict many studies over the years that had reported that older children are generally smarter than their younger siblings.

Everybody gets sad sometimes. You feel like your parents or your friends hate you and you want to stay up in your room and get away from them all. That can happen to anyone. However, the feelings usually pass in a few hours or a few days. Pretty soon, you are back to your usual self.

The most common heat illnesses--and what to do
Kids, especially those under 4, are susceptible to heat-related illness because their small bodies generate more heat than their few sweat glands can handle. And they don't always drink enough to replace the fluid they lose in sweat, leading to dehydration. Here are the most common heat illnesses--what to look for and how to help.

Do your kids eat breakfast?
By many reports, 40% of kids don't.
But everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right?
Here is some proof:

Swimming pools can serve as a source of unlimited fun for children, but they're also the source of potential danger. Regardless of whether you have a backyard pool, are vacationing at a hotel with a pool, or belong to the neighborhood swim club, there are some important safety tips to follow.

The old maxim "Do as I say, not as I do" just doesn't work when it comes to teaching your children healthy eating habits.
A growing body of research shows that the bad food habits of parents may play a role in obesity in their children.

Getting kids involved in cooking is one way to encourage healthful eating. If they help prepare it, they just may eat it. Following are suggestions, tips, the best and worst foods for kids, plus some healthy recipes you're children are sure to enjoy!

"Seventy-four percent of children who are kidnapped and later found murdered are killed within the first three hours after being taken." - Deborah J. Daniels, Assistant Attorney General and National AMBER Alert Coordinator

The secret to treating everything from boo-boos to butterflies.

A no-panic guide to saving your child's life.

Being actively involved in your child's life has many rewards -- memories, great conversations, a deeper relationship with your child, and the chance to...

The importance of reading to children cannot be stressed enough. Read and find out more.