Pregnancy

Every time I have a baby, I am asked questions that make me scratch my head. But with the birth of my latest baby, I have been asked questions that just down right confuse me. I get that people don’t understand how it sounds, but really people, listen to yourself and see how crazy the question is! Here is a list of my favorite ridiculous questions. “Is she a good baby?” Well, that depends… What is a GOOD baby? What is a BAD baby? Are you asking if she sits peacefully and never cries? Does she nurse well? What? What IS a good baby? Being asked this question after my first two, I never thought anything of it. They were “good”...

Disclaimer: This is a guest post from Dr. Leanne Redman, associate professor of women’s health studies at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. You can get to know her more here and read her first post here. Her facts and opinions are based on her personal research. Red Stick Moms Blog was not paid to promote any specific medical viewpoints or studies. Always consult your physician with any medical questions. November was National Diabetes Month and with 30 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes and 86 million diagnosed with prediabetes, there is an obvious need for national attention and action. Of the 3 types of diabetes (type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes), let’s focus today on one that can affect many...

While I am no birth expert, I have had 2 (almost 3) medicine-free, natural deliveries. (I say almost because after 8.5 hours of pitocin-induced labor, I got an epidural 17 minutes before I delivered my oldest daughter.) It was through lots of reading and researching that I determined that a natural labor and delivery was my “perfect birth”. There are essentially 3 options for labor/ delivery: medicine-free, epidural, or scheduled cesarean section. In no way do I feel a medicine free delivery is the “right” way to have a baby. In fact, I feel it is more important for every woman to do their research and design a birth plan that describes their “perfect birth.” That being said, I have become...

So, I guess this is my official blog announcement that we're pregnant!  I'm 13 weeks as I write this post and already, I'm finding that SO much has changed since my last pregnancy nearly five years ago.  At my first OB appointment at 7.5 weeks, the doctor started going over prenatal testing options, which I typically opt out of due to the invasiveness of some of the procedures.  But when she started talking about this one new test that is set to become the gold standard in prenatal testing and how I could learn the gender of my baby after 10 weeks gestation, my ears perked up a bit.  It's called the Harmony Test.  She went on to explain that...

I'm a researcher and planner by nature. I genuinely enjoy it! I like being prepared and informed and knowing as much as I can before something comes my way. So of course when I found I was pregnant, it was ON. I consumed every article and blog post I could get my hands on like a crazy person. "How to Survive Your First Trimester" turned into "Breastfeeding Basics" and then to "What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag" and "What You Need to Know About Labor & Delivery". I was ready and waiting for labor. I knew that there were things I couldn't prepare for, but I honestly felt like there wasn't much that was going to be able...