ExpectingWords.com - Helping expecting couples find the right words at the right times

I promised to be a little more patient and my husband promised to be a little faster. That’s the compromise we reached once it became clear that I had gotten used to barking orders: “Get the washcloth! Bring me the bottle! Go find him the tiny little stuffed dog he loves that is usually in his crib but not here right now!” Yes, I mean those exclamation points.

I’m hoping I’m not the only one who suffers from I-Had-a-Baby-and-Turned-Into-a-Barking-Dog syndrome.

According to new research that I wrote about in another post, 90 percent of couples say their relationship is worse since they had a baby. I suspect it’s because life tends to feel like an emergency all the time when there’s a baby or toddler around. The sense of urgency means many of us push niceties, tactfulness, and respect to the side for the greater good (the child).

I read a story a few months ago about a mom who was bathing her three young kids in the tub, (more…)

When I discovered the blog www.AtYourCervix.blogspot.com I was shocked, to say the least. A courageous Labor and Delivery Registered Nurse (who remains anonymous) blogs about what goes on behind closed doors at the maternity ward in the hospital where she works. AtYourCervix is a smart and savvy lady with more than eight years of experience in Obstetrical Nursing. She currently works in a teaching hospital in Pennsylvania where over 4000 babies are born annually. With a commitment to service and a voice of compassion for mothers, she shares her insights with us in today’s guest post. Thank you AtYourCervix, for your words of wisdom. (more…)

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but aren’t parents supposed to set the rules in their house?  In the Sunday Styles section of The New York Times, Jan Hoffman wrote the article “Masculinity in a Spray Can” about the use of body wash, face wash, exfoliator, hair gel, body hydrator, body spray, deodorant and shaving cream by 10 to 14-year old boys who say they feel more confident and attractive when they wear the products.  The article pointed to one desperate mother who keeps the windows open in her car when she drives her sons to school because of the overwhelming smell of the products they use.  I was not impressed.  She’s driving them to school!  That’s a gift of her time and money.  Can’t she set the rules about the use of unnecessary body products so she’s not held victim in her own car?

Companies like AXE say they market body products to 18-24 year olds, but those ads appeal to children who want to be more attractive, and more adult-like.  In our over-sexualized culture, I think it’s the parents’ job to demand that kids act like kids. (more…)

When we pick a child’s name, parents-to-be consider many factors from potential namesakes to a name’s popularity.  We think about how the first name will sound with the last name and what nicknames might ensue: Emerson = Emmy, Abigail = Abby, Jacob =Jake.

But should we also think about the first impression the name will create?  One study showed that children with desirable names (Karen, Lisa, David, and Michael) received higher grades than children with undesirable names (Bertha, Adelle, Hubert, and Elmer) when near- identical papers were submitted to the same teachers for grading.

In Freakonomics, authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner discuss the impact of a child’s first name, particularly a distinctively black name.  Read an excerpt here on slate.com.  They found that children with distinctively black names fare worse in life, but it’s not because of their names.  It’s because of the poorer economic circumstances in which children with distinctively black names tend to grow up in.

So which is it?     (more…)