Blog Posts by TheBump.com

By Stephanie Benavidez for TheBump.com

Veer / The BumpI believe I am an independent and strong woman but I feel that during pregnancy women should get a"free pass." While I don't think this gives preggo's carte blanche to act entitled and irritable toward everyone around them, I do think giving them a helping hand is not too much to ask. Let me explain why. In the last few weeks, I've been completely dumbfounded by the lack of humanity and respect towards pregnant women today in our society.

My first experience with this attitude happened on a flight from Chicago to Houston for work. I was only traveling for a few days and had a carry-on bag. I figured a carry-on would be easy enough to tote around. Wrong. I had quite a hard time lifting my carry-on in the overhead bin. So much in fact, that I caught the eye of several businessmen who just stared at me as if I were some circus spectacle. Embarrassed and frustrated, I struggled to lift the carry-on and almost hit one of the men in the head. Even

By Kylie McConville for TheBump.com

Courtesy of InstagramAnother day, another amazing Kim Kardashian pregnancy tale. Today, the mama-to-be is contemplating eating her placenta - and you're never going to guess why.

On the next episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim is giving some serious thought to her life - and her age - after she gives birth to her baby girl in July. In the episode, which airs Sunday night at 9 EST (run! Program your DVRs right. this. instant!), Kim reveals that she's interested in eating her own placenta after her little lady's arrival to maintain her good looks.

She even asks her doc, "Don't you think it makes you look younger?" To which her doctor adds: "Some people believe in that. There are cookbooks on placentas." Even Kim's momager, Kris Jenner, is a little taken back by Kim's reveal. She said, "Yuck! I don't think we're going to be eating the fountain of youth, if you know what I mean." (Spoiler alert! Kris Jenner did not eat her placentas, apparently.)

More from The

By Kylie McConville for TheBump.com

Courtesy of Lollyphile / The BumpOn a super hot day, have you ever thought to yourself, "I really wish I could give baby a breast milk flavored lollipop to cool him down?" If you have, you're in luck! (And if you haven't, well, congrats! Now you'll never have to think of it again.) A company in Austin, Texas, called Lollyphile has whipped together and is now selling Breast Milk Lollipops.

More from The Bump: The craziest breastfeed fiascos

The pops are intended to mimic the flavor of a mother's milk and according to the company, they've done their research when it comes to making the flavors sync up. Numerous moms, the Lollyphile's said, came forward to share their breast milk with the company's flavor experts to make sure that the pops came as close to the real deal as possible, until they were able to turn the breast milk flavor into a candy. Modern marvels, I'll tell ya!

Here's the description on the Lollyphile website about the flavor:

"So, what's happening is

By Abigail Green for TheBump.com

Veer / The BumpI have a small Ziploc bag in my desk drawer containing a lock of hair from my son's first haircut. I'm not sure exactly why I saved it (or what I'm going to do with it) but it seemed like something a mom is supposed to save. Same with other stuff I've kept for sentimental reasons - the extra birth announcements, the burp cloths, the binkies and every stuffed animal he ever snuggled.

More from The Bump: Crazy new-mom confessions

I know some people who've made lovely shadow boxes and scrapbooks with their baby keepsakes, but I'm not that crafty. And besides, what do you do with the bigger stuff, like the teddy bears?

Here's what I've decided to save and toss:

SAVE

The birth announcement. Well, duh, right? But with my first baby, I handmade my birth announcements (I was 10 days overdue and had a LOT of time on my hands), but forgot to make myself one. I thought I'd remember every detail - time of birth, weight, etc. I didn't realize then what years of

By Jessica Collins Grimes for TheBump.com

Thinkstock / The BumpAs a mom of a 6-year-old and a soon-to-be 2-year-old, it's easy to forget what my life was like before having kids - you know, back when I could sleep until noon or spend an entire Saturday afternoon leisurely window shopping. Of course, I love my children and cannot image my life without them (that goes without saying) but I think it's only natural to sometimes miss the freedoms of your kid-free days. And it's okay. Simply recognizing how some things were just easier back then doesn't mean you don't fully relish and embrace your current role as mom.

More from The Bump: Top 5 wrong reasons to have a baby

I admit, I sometimes reminisce about my pre-kid days and think, I wish I had appreciated that more back when I was able to enjoy it! Or I'll read an article about a woman who went on a solo adventure around the world and think, I wish I had done that when I had the chance! That's not to say that I'll never be able to do some of these things,

By Kylie McConville For TheBump.com

Thinkstock / The BumpNew research appearing in the American Journal of Human Biology suggests that a woman's reproductive functions may be tied to her immune status. While previous studies have found this same immune and reproductive association in men, this is the first time the association has been found in females.

Beginning by speaking of animals in general, Kathryn Clancy, anthropology professor at the University of Illinois who led the research, said that first and foremost, "an animals energetic resources must be carefully allocated. The body's first priority is maintenance, which includes tasks inherently related to survival, including immune function." From there, Clancy said, that any remaining energy is dedicated to reproduction. And due to a "resource allocation" to maintenance and reproductive efforts, often times environmental stressors can lessen the available resources.

More from The Bump: 6 ways to tell you're fertile

In the case of human reproductive and

By Kylie McConville for TheBump.com

Shutterstock / The BumpThe latest study to come from the journal Breastfeeding Medicine found that children with children who breastfeed for shorter durations may be more likely to have ADHD.

Researchers at Schneider's Children Medical Center studied over 50 children (age 6-12) who had been diagnosed with ADHD between 2008 and 2009. These children were compared to two control groups: the first consisted of healthy (non-ADHD) siblings of ADHD children and the second control group was composed of children of similar ages without ADHD. Researchers also presented a questionnaire to both parents of children in all three groups that addressed: demographic, medical and perinatal findings, as well as feeding history during their child's first year of life. Parents were also given a validated adult ADHD screening questionnaire.

More from The Bump: Top 10 reasons to breastfeed

From the study and the questionnaire results, researchers found that the rates of breastfeeding were

Real dads dish on what had them scared out of their minds before baby arrived.

By Erin van Vuuren for TheBump.com

Jupiter Images / The BumpEven if your guy is super-pumped to be a Dad, chances are he's a little freaked out too. Here are a few of the biggest new-daddy fears (and some things you both can do to ease the pressure).

FEAR #1: "Will I do everything right?" --Andrew
MOM TIP: Let him know that it's okay to be clueless. "Any father can care for his child," says psychotherapist Tammy Gold, founder of Gold Parent Coaching. If he doesn't know how something works, help him learn and then back off to give him a shot. Practice makes perfect.

FEAR #2: "I fear not being able to properly provide for my family once baby is here." --Brian
COUPLE TIP: Do your homework to get a feel for what you'll really need to spend. "You can get a rough enough estimate," says Gold. "Then make a baby budget -- no different than how you'd make a house budget." Having a written game plan can relieve some serious stress.

FEAR #3: