Blog Posts by Being Pregnant

I may look dumb. But that's just because I'm often confused. And confusion, my friends, should never be mistaken for stupidity. Unless, of course, the confusion is over something easily understandable. Like simple math. But if the confusion stems from something genuinely befuddling? Like, say, the contemplation of the obvious crush my wife's OBGYN has on her? Now, that's a different story.

I know what you're thinking. I'm overreacting, right? Surely my wife's OBGYN views her just like any other patient. Nope. I'm quite certain that he's got a little somethin'-somethin' for my wife. And here 5 reasons why I'm so sure.

Everyone wants to bring the cutest, newest and most sensational gift of the shower - and there's nothing like finding the perfect present that the family will be glad to have for years. These products are sure to have the wow factor you're looking for.

For more amazing baby shower gift ideas, visit Babble.

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1. See the movie Blue Valentine. All the things that make the movie so brilliant- the heart-breaking, psychologically astute performances, the agonizing depiction of an an unraveling marriage, a scarily realistic abortion scene- make this an iffy choice for a couple about to start a family.

2. Blow air directly into your wife's vagina. For some reason this particular "sex act" carries the risk of a fatal air embolism during pregnancy. Save all the air blowing for postpartum.

3. Do whip-its while soaking in a steaming hot jacuzzi. Whip-its just can't be good for the fetus and hot tubs are not recommended during pregnancy. Sorry. Maybe some heartburn-reducing papaya enzyme and a shower would be a better idea.

4. Have an unprotected four-way with neighbors who have active herpes sores and/or gonorrhea. Active Herpes can risk you out of a vaginal birth. Gonorrhea can cause problems in pregnancy.

5. Eat day old ham salad off your partner's nipples. Ham salad needs to be freshly made in

In this week's New York Magazine, Tina Cassidy, author of Birth: The Surprising History Of How We Were Born chimes in the no-video-cameras-during-birth debate.

"For today's families," she writes, "instant documentation and communication about labor and birth has become culturally embedded, to the point where it feels like both a rite and a right."

She makes the point that women who feel safe in labor and who feel "protected by those they know" tend to have more efficient births. This is a point I'm constantly harping on. Oxytocin- the hormone that makes us have contractions- flows faster when mom is filled with a sense of security and trust.

Cassidy makes a fascinating connection between oxytocin and social networking: Maybe our desire to tweet and snap our births is a way to reach out to our loved ones during a birth process that has become increasingly depersonalized?

I never thought I would see the day when my husband began to nest. But Saturday was that day. After working a half day, I asked him to simply open the crib box so I could count the number of crib slats on the crib. I needed to place my order for my wonder bumpers, and I wanted to do it sooner rather than later.

After hearing him fumble the box around for a bit, I came in to count the number of slats, and I discovered he was actually building the crib. At that moment I began thinking…um…who is this man? And what did he do with my husband?

A new study has just been published and publicized, saying that sex during pregnancy is absolutely safe (excepting a very few high risk situations). To which I say: Duh, we knew that.

Not that it's not nice to have a reminder every once in a while, because despite the fact that every single book, website and pamphlet about pregnancy very clearly expresses the safety of sex during pregnancy, people still seem a little iffy on the whole sex in pregnancy situation.

Really, really, are you sure it's safe?

More on Being Pregnant: How to Talk to Your Wife About Sex...When She's Pregnant

Maybe the questions linger because there's just something conceptually weird about the idea of poking around in there when there's a fetus in residence. Something about using the body for personal pleasure when its primary function is baby-baker.

Or maybe it's just because people are actually looking for an excuse NOT to do it…?

I've been kind of obsessed with the way the female brain works for some time now.

This week babble published my piece, Your Brain On Pregnancy. I have read The Mommy Brain, The Female Brain, Origins and endless articles on how hormonal shifts throughout our lives shape our experiences. I have google alerts for "estrogen" and "oxytocin."

Along the way, I've learned some really cool things.

Did you know:

• Strippers make the most money when they are ovulating, and the least when they are menstruating.
• A combination of things, including brain chemistry, cause women in labor to be extremely aware of what is going on around them. If a woman is not on pain medication she may look out of it- rolling her eyes, moaning, etc- but she can hear a pin drop in the room.

• At around the age 50, oxytocin- the bonding, nurturing hormone- goes way down in women. This can pave the way for a woman's renewed interest in her career or passions outside of mothering. I thought this fact had

Before I had kids my idea of "essentials" was wine, coffee and tampons. You could maybe add to that list a decent pair of boots and some mascara. The day I peed on a stick and found I was pregnant, the contents of my fridge included milk, maybe some leftover Pad Thai and a lump of moldy Manchego from a long forgotten dinner party. Next to the toilet, Drano and Ajax in plain sight.

But things have really changed around here.

More on Being Pregnant: How Dad Feels About Pregnancy

1. Food. I'm almost 100% sure we still have some moldy Manchego in the fridge. But there's also lots of fruit, broccoli, organic hot dogs and an almost obscene amount of dairy products.

2. Band-Aids. Hell, we even have a First Aid kit. Back in the day the only thing remotely close to medicine in the medicine cabinet was some sunscreen and Visine. The Advil was in my bag for immediate access.

3. Batteries. In all kinds of sizes including those big rectangular ones that I'm pretty sure are