Blog Posts by The_Stir

At about 16 weeks, some choose to find out the gender of their baby. I remember the day -- I was getting a 3-D ultrasound and my husband was next to me. The sonographer asked us if we wanted to know the sex of our twins.

Yes!

We were holding hands and she went to Baby A first who was not cooperating. So onto Baby B. It's a boy!

I looked at my husband and knew how overjoyed he was. Could I be so lucky as to have boy/girl twins? Would Baby A cooperate? Yes, she did. Yes, a girl!

I know my husband and his dad were really hoping one of the babies would be a boy to carry on the family name. I'm excited just to be pregnant, but when I found out it was twins I hoped for a girl so I could dress her up in cute outfits.

There are a lot of people who experience gender disappointment. And often they just don't talk about it.

After reading the comments on this discussion about gender disappointment, moms have varied thoughts.

Some wished for one sex, but got the other, yet were just happy

There are lots of things we worry about when pregnant -- dyeing our hair, polishing our nails, going to a rock concert, having anal sex -- but I never thought about if shooting a gun was safe during pregnancy.

One CafeMom wanted to know and many gave their thoughts....

• You are more clumsy when pregnant, so not a good idea to be handling a gun.
• The noise may be too loud for baby, especially later in pregnancy, and it can startle him.
• It's illegal in some states to be on a shooting range when pregnant.
• There is no problem with it if you are careful.
• No because of the lead in the gun powder.

It seems there aren't any in-depth studies done on this, but in this article written by Elizabeth Kennedy and Fabrice Czarnecki, M.D, Shooting While Pregnant: Dangerous or Not?, several doctors are questioned.

The doctors were contacted with the question of if it was safe for a law enforcement student to attend a firearms training course. They all agreed that there

Both my kids recieved either an 8 or a 9 APGAR score immediately after birth. I'd have to look it up to be sure. All I cared about what that they were crying and moving and alive.

But your doctor will do a little test to make sure your baby is perfectly okay. This is called the Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration score, or APGAR.

The test, given immediately and five minutes after birth, was designed to quickly evaluate a newborn's physical condition after delivery and to determine if any extra medical or emergency care, such as CPR, is needed.

Click to see the APGAR in chart form or here's the rundown:

• Infants get zero points per sign when any of the above mentioned ones (activity, pulse etc.) are absent.

• They get 1 point per sign as long as the baby can demonstrate some of those cues.

• They get 2 points per sign for normal activity. So lots of crying is very, very good.

Anything between 7-10 is considered normal, but anything lower doesn't

It's hard being a new mom (or even an experienced mom to a new baby) and sometimes we do things we know we shouldn't, despite what all the experts say. But this is a safe place to share your secrets-we won't tell.

This Week's Secret:

I sometimes use breastmilk for food if I'm out of store-bought milk. - anonymous

Want to weigh in on this hot topic? Take our poll.

We all have secrets and opinions-so thanks to this brave mom for sharing her honest thoughts, and thank you for keeping this conversation nonjudgmental!

Written by Brittny Drye for CafeMom's Baby Buzz

Past confessions:

My Baby Annoys Me

I Took My Baby to a Bar

I Drove My Baby Without a Car Seat

I Forgot My Baby's Name!

I Leave My Twin Babies Home Alone

I Let My Baby Wear a Dirty Diaper

I Wish I Never Had a Baby

Last summer, one CafeMom personally endured a swine flu horror story at 34 weeks pregnant. Although, she and her now four-month old daughter Molly are fine today, they both survived a flu-driven nightmare no family ever wants to face.

So this mom is here today to share her story and talk about her decision to get her two toddler daughters the swine flu vaccination.

You, yourself, recently had a horrific near-death experience with the swine flu while you were 34 weeks pregnant with your daughter Molly. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?

I started getting sick with the flu in the middle of May 2009. I went to the doctor over and over and was given fluids and sent home. They did not listen when I said my chest hurt and I was having trouble breathing. They kept saying it was a virus and sending me home with no antibiotics or meds.

After two weeks of this, on Monday June 1st, I was sooo sick and went back to the doctor. This time it was a new doctor, and he

Since we're all sick of hearing about the Swine Flu vaccine, let's switch it up. How do you feel about the recent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine news?

Last week, the FDA approved the controversial Gardasil vaccine for boys ages 9 to 26. Guardasil protects against four (6, 11, 16, and 18) of the 40 strains of the HPV virus found in the genital area that causes cervical cancer in girls and warts in boys. The virus can also lead to cancer of the penis and anus in boys.

Also this week, a new HPV vaccine for girls was approved. It's called Cervavix and it's for women ages 10-25 to protect against HPV 16 and 18, two of the same covered in the Gardasil shot. I'm waiting for someone to tell me why this isn't redundant.

It's too soon to tell whether these shots will be placed on the pediatrician's recommended list of vaccines or not, but seeing how keen doctors are on recommending it for girls, it's certainly likely.

While 20 million Americans are infected with HPV, most

It's time for a Mom Confession -- because, let's face it, we're real mothers and sometimes it doesn't work the way the parenting books say it should.

This Week's Confession:

In comfortable weather, during the day, I let my kids nap in the car in the driveway if they fall asleep on the way home from somewhere. We live in a two-stoplight town with very low crime rates. I park the car in the driveway where I can see it from the house and lock the doors. I go out every five minutes or so to peek in at them and check the temperature inside the van to make sure it's not too warm or too cool for them. But some people (my mom) still think it's terrible that I do this. I check on them so much and they're all locked up that they're probably safer in there than in their bedrooms! -- anonymous

We all have secrets -- so thanks to this brave mom for sharing her honest thoughts, and thank you for keeping this conversation non-judgmental!

Do you have a Mom Confession you

My name is Sheri, and I'm an alcoholic. That's right. Me. I'm an alcoholic. Fortunately, I have been sober for more than eight years now, and thankfully, I quit drinking before I became a mom. That sure made things a lot easier - especially cause getting sober ain't easy.

So, for obvious reasons, I was drawn to the new book Mommy Doesn't Drink Here Anymore: Getting Through the First Year of Sobriety by writer Rachael Brownell, whom I enjoyed reading over on Babble for some time.

"Even if I successfully lay off for a few days, I can't shake the image of the glasses I'm not drinking. I can taste, smell, and conjure them from clouds or soda cans, or from my children's faces. Wine is everywhere and seemingly all-powerful. It is all I can do to stop myself from rushing to the store to buy gallons and gallons of wine to swim in, to live in," Rachael writes about the pull to alcohol. And the love...yes, love. That's what it felt like for me too.

Along with getting the power of