Blog Posts by FitPregnancy

OB-GYN group issues less restrictive VBAC standards in aim to cut number of repeated C-sections.

The old saying, "Once a Cesarean, always a Cesarean," will hopefully start to fade soon, thanks to new medical guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), The Associated Pressreports.

ACOG's new standards on vaginal births after Cesareans (VBAC) put an increased emphasis on a mom-to-be's decision and make it easier for women who have had previous C-sections to attempt to deliver vaginally with subsequent babies, The Associated Press reports.

Under the revamped guidelines, women with past C-sections, women expecting twins and women with C-section scarring are now considered candidates for vaginal deliveries. Currently, 9 out of 10 moms-to-be who've had a previous C-section end up delivering their future babies via repeat C-section.

Lamaze International says the new guidelines are a step in the right direction. However, the group also says

Heidi Klum is one busy mama! This "momtrepreneur" has had successful careers as a supermodel, actress, spokeswoman, television host and producer (Project Runway) and fashion designer-all while enjoying family life with her husband, Seal, and children Leni, Henry, Johan and Lou. Klum spoke to Fit Pregnancy about her most recent fashion design projects, maternity collections for A Pea in the Pod and Motherhood Maternity.

Q: Is it true that you had planned to go to fashion school before deciding to start your modeling career?

A: Yes! That was my passion from the time I was a little girl, when I would make clothes for my Barbie with my mom. A lot of my dreams have come true. For example, Mattel made a Heidi Barbie after me later on and I got to design clothes for her, so it's all come full circle for me.

Q: Do you get any inspiration for your maternity lines from watching contestants on Project Runway?

A: I should say yes, but I don't. Because when you are designing for a

Tips for throwing a memorable bash to celebrate the soon-to-be-born baby and his (or her) mommy.

With summer here, it's baby shower time. Showers can be a fun opportunity to honor the impending arrival of a new little one, but they can also be stressful.

When you think of a baby shower, you expect to see a group of excited women dishing out presents while huddled around the proud mom-to-be. But it doesn't have to be! Whatever the mom-to-be wants, that's what the mom-to-be gets-whether it's a simple tea party for six or a blowout bash that includes everyone she knows.

We've compiled some tips and ideas for planning a fun, memorable and, most-importantly, stress-free event for any mom-to-be.

REGISTRY ITEMS

• First things first: The guest of honor should register for baby items. This will help guests know what you need or don't need when it's time for gift-giving. Our baby gear lists for minimalists and shopaholics alike will help cut through the clutter.

• If you're

From Adventures in Babyland blogger Kate Flaim:

To say that my family is big on books is a laughable understatement. My dad is a university librarian, we didn't have a TV for much of my childhood, and the circulation desk staff used to cower when they saw us approaching with our giant Land's End tote of books every Friday afternoon. I am still extremely attached to many of my childhood favorites, and years ago I started collecting my own copies of many of them, along with great new books I stumbled across.

When we assembled the bookcase for the nursery I turned to the wall of books in the dining room with great anticipation, excited to pull out all the picture books and move them to their new home. And then I realized I had only collected books for older children-picture books and chapter books that probably won't come into regular rotation for another two to six years! Oops.

This really sank in at the lake last week , when I watched the younger children flipping

From Fit Pregnancy's Ask the Labor Nurse blog:

When you hear the word, "parent," who do you think of first, Mom or Dad? I'll bet you thought of Mom. That's natural. It's how we're culturally programmed to think about parenting - as a girl thing. Take a look at any magazine rack's parenting and pregnancy section and it's almost all about Moms. Fathers get a page or two but Mom is the cover girl.

On a recent episode of Glee, Quinn, the pregnant teenager, belts out a stunning rendition of a James Brown classic. A bevy of pregnant backup singers accompany her with Lamaze-inspired harmonies (hee, hee, hee, hoo, hoo, hoo) as Quinn sings "This is a man's world, this is a man's world. But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl." As riveting as this performance was (seriously, great), I couldn't help thinking that the parenting/pregnancy world is a woman's world. Mom gets the spotlight. Dad is a stagehand. In a perfect world and in the strongest families

Facts and fun, no matter how pregnant you are.

Trends we like

Labor massage Licensed massage therapists (LMTs) certified in perinatal massage are increasingly being called upon to ease labor pains. "We facilitate normal birth by reducing the fear-tension-pain cycle that leads to medical interventions," says Stefanie Masters, a massage doula and licensed massage therapist in Port Washington, Wis. Most hospitals that allow doulas also welcome labor massage therapists; find one at massagedoula.com.

Hospital water birth More hospitals are offering this option, which promotes relaxation and mobility and reduces pain. "Low-risk water birth patients often have shorter, easier deliveries with the added safety of being in a hospital," says Kathie Hill, C.N.M., a certified nurse-midwife at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Ore. While most water births are attended by midwives, some obstetricians attend water births, too.

Obstetric hospitalists Following Europe's lead, some

Exploring summer with a toddler on FitPregnancy.com:

You know all that jazz about how joyous and golden childhood is and how nothing will ever be as pure and wonderful again? It's probably true. I'll spare you the stories (Leo jumps for joy! He hums with pleasure as he eats! He rolls on the floor laughing for sheer delight! He purrs and yowls when I get out the can opener…oh no, wait, that wasn't him). What I want to focus on here is ice cream.

Creamy. Sweet. Cold. Comforting. Refreshing. You know, ice cream. We live in a neighborhood under siege by ice cream trucks, which our son gleefully refers to as…ice cream trucks! Except, without the merciless whining and demanding that will come along with that soon. They may as well be lullaby trucks for all he knows, except, somehow, other kids walk away from them eating ice cream pops, and Leo simply looks on. I like two year olds.

I really do. Being so innocent encourages them to be real learners. "Here," I tell Leo,

Fit Pregnancy's Labor Nurse weighs in...

Whenever a baby is born in some sort of trouble, say, premature or with delivery complications or respiratory difficulties, we think about sex. We think about stereotypes, clichés and profiles. If it's a girl, we figure she'll do pretty well in spite of the challenges she faces. If the baby is a boy though, we knew he might not handle stress quite as well and may not fare as well in the NICU.

Most nurses in the labor and delivery department are women so of course, we figure girls handle the stress and struggle of a tough start in life better than boys because, well, they're girls and frankly, girls are tough. Boys, on the other hand, aren't. They just think they are. You know how men are when they're sick. They're babies. Even when they're babies, they're bigger babies than girls.

Don't get me wrong; I love those fragile little guys and I've always had a soft spot for sensitive boys? When we're looking at a baby who has some