Babies Online - The Blog

New parents find out quickly just how fast time can pass with a baby. Once at home with a new arrival, it seems like the day and night blends into one, punctuated by dirty and wet diapers and (if you’re lucky) a nap or two.

While there’s no way to stop or turn back the clock, there are a few things you can do to savor the moment, no matter how sore, tired or sleep deprived you might feel.

• Take photos and/or video. It goes without saying that your cameras have been busy – probably even before baby arrived. Remember to take a picture and/or video as often as you can to document everything. You – as well as any family or friends you share it with – will be glad you did.

• Write it down. Keep a baby book to jot down your baby’s results from pediatrician appointments, keep track of vaccinations, and other details.

• Journal. When my daughter was born, I started a journal, chronicling every day with her. While it began as an everyday task, it soon became once or twice a week, and sometimes just a sentence or two noting something new she might have done that day. You can also keep an online journal right here at Babies Online. It’s fun to look back on it now and read about what she was doing in her infancy and babyhood – and to compare her notes with her little brother. Plus, someday when they are older, our kids will be given the books as their own keepsakes.

• Start a memory box. For each of our two children, I have a plastic bin where I stash any little keepsake items I want to hold onto, be it an outgrown outfit, invitations to their first parties, birthday cards, or other items. Each year I will start a new box for them, with the intention of putting together a scrapbook of their childhoods.

• Relax and try to savor the moment. Stop thinking about everything you need to do, haven’t done, or wish you had done and just enjoy the time you are having with your little one. It sounds trite, but he or she will never be this little again; enjoy it.

Finally, remember that those first few weeks will soon be past and things will get a little better. Baby (and you!) will sleep for longer stretches of time, your soreness will heal and you will begin to really appreciate your time with your new baby. And when you look back, you’ll be glad you took the time to document those crazy first few weeks – and beyond – with your little one.

Contributed by Teresa
Tags: baby book, baby memories, journal, journaling, keepsakes, Photography, photos
Posted in: Baby, Fun Stuff
1 Comment »

The bisphenol A (BPA) story is not yet over. More revelations about this chemical found in plastics are coming in as scientists are stepping up on BPA research. The recent undesirable BPA effect is female infertility and this was reported by Yale University researchers at the recent meeting of the Endocrine Society.

The Yale researchers have observed that when pregnant mice were exposed to BPA, the genetic chemistry of their female offspring is irreversibly altered. The researchers have the identified the gene in question as HOXA10, which regulates the normal development of the uterus and fertility, not only in mice, but also in humans. BPA sometimes plays havoc with the gene’s switching on and off. They can conceive but their ability to carry the pregnancy to full term is compromised, leading to permanent fertility loss.

In a way, this doesn’t surprise me, considering that BPA is an endocrine disruptor and mimics the effect of estrogen, and therefore plays havoc with hormonal balance.

However, this isn’t the only bad news about BPA.

University of Cincinnati researchers reported irregular heart rhythms in female mice (but not male!) exposed to BPA.

Now, if ever health authorities claim again that current BPA exposure is too low to cause these effects, University of Missouri-Columbia experts will definitely show their new estimate that BPA exposure among Americans is much higher that the so-called maximum safe dose.

These recent findings are alarming themselves but what concerns me are the following:

• Babies in the uterus are exposed and possibly already damaged by BPA even before they are born.
• Females seem to be strongly affected by BPA, because of its capacity to mimic estrogen.

In other words, BPA is affecting our reproductive cycle and will be affecting or has already affected the next generation of mothers.

The scientists at the Endocrine Society Meeting issued a scientific statement declaring that BPA and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals in food, water and consumer products represent a “significant concern to public health.”

I really hope that the health authorities are listening.

Contributed by Science-mom
Tags: bisphenol A, BPA, endocrine disruptor, fertility, fertility loss, genes, uterus
Posted in: Current Events, Health
4 Comments »

The Grand Prize winner was
Kaylie Barrett

Thanks to all the babies (and their parents) who participated in this weeks round.

From now until July 14 we will be accepting entries for July’s contests. July’s theme is Patriotic Babies (Red, White, & Blue)!

The contest is free so enter your babies picture today! Or just vote for your favorite. (Anyone can vote)

At the end of each preliminary week one (1) winner is chosen and will be awarded a prize package. The winners of each preliminary round (3 total), as well as two (2) runner-ups from each round are automatically entered into the Final Round. The winner of the final round is awarded the Grand Prize.

Round 1: 1st through 7th
Round 2: 8th through 14th
Round 3: 15th through 21st
Final Round: 22nd through last day of the month

Click Here for more information.

Contributed by Dan
Tags: Baby Contest, Grand Prize Winner, messy babies, Photo Contest
Posted in: Contests, Photography
No Comments »

Last week two showbiz icons from my youth passed away. For me, Farrah Fawcett was always the sexiest of the Charlie’s Angels from my childhood TV years and Michael Jackson was always the youngest and cutest of the Jackson Five’s and I will always remember him – not for “Thriller” or “Billy Jean” – but for childhood favorites like “Happy” and “Ben”. (Huh, am I giving away my age?)

But these two people are not only celebrities – they are also parents. So what happens to the children when celebrities pass away? The ones who have the normal family set up such as the children of Natasha Richardson seem to fare rather well despite tragically losing their mom. However, I can imagine that things can become complicated in the case of the so-called “patchwork” families. Do they get tangled in custody battles and fights over wills? Do they end up rich like Dannielynn, Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter or end up with nothing like Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda Rose?

Farrah Fawcett has a 24-year old son with her long time partner Ryan O’Neal. At least he is already an adult and can probably manage on his own despite his drug problems.

Michael Jackson’s family set up is a bit more complicated. He leaves behind three children from two relationships for whom he had full custody. From his second marriage, he had a son Prince Michael Joseph Jr. (12), and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine (11). He had another son Prince Michael Jackson II (7) in 2002 but the identity of the mother was never revealed, although there are speculations that he was born through a surrogate mother implanted with an embryo fertilized with Jackson Sr.’s sperm. With Michael Jackson’s untimely death, I wonder whether he has provided properly for his children, considering the financial problems he had been having lately.

I can imagine that celebrities, especially superstars, can sometimes feel invincible. Even at middle age and beyond, death seems very remote. Does it occur to them that they can’t live forever and that their kids might become orphans? I feel sad for them, but I feel even more for their children especially if they are as young as Michael Jackson’s children. I hope that they won’t be caught in nasty court battles about custody, paternity/maternity and money. I hope that they will be protected from the relentless media coverage.

The deaths of Fawcett and Jackson made me ask myself questions about  life and death, about my children and my family.

How about us who are “mere mortals”? Are we prepared for all eventualities? Do we know what would happen to our children in case something happens to us?

Contributed by Science-mom
Tags: celebrity, children, Farrah Fawcett, losing a parent, Michael Jackson, orphans, Ryan O'Neal
Posted in: Celebrities, Current Events
3 Comments »

The minute your baby is born, you begin to wonder what they will be like when they grow up? What kind of personality will they have? Will you be able to influence how they turn out?

Psychiatrists have defined 4 main categories of personality types using a clinically recognized system of character evaluation.

These 4 types are:

• A novelty seeking personality is characterized by impulsive actions.
• A harm avoidance personality is characterized by pessimism and shyness.
• A reward dependence personality is prone to addiction.
• A persistence type personality tends to be hard-working and a perfectionist.

There’s a question on personality that’s been keeping scientists busy for years now. Is personality due to nature or nurture? Well, these researchers from the US, UK and Italy seem to think they have found proof that it’s the former rather than the latter. They report that different personality types have different brain structures. For example, novelty-seeking types had a structurally bigger area of the brain known as the inferior part of the frontal lobe, whereas harm-avoidance types had significantly smaller volumes of tissue in the orbitofrontal area and the posterior occipital region.

It seems that personality depends on the anatomical structure of the brain, structure that you were born with. In other words, your personality was already determined at birth. This report can either give us comfort or despair about our own personality.

• Comfort – because it’s not something that we do but something that we are.
• Despair – because it’s something that we are and therefore cannot be changed.

But what about the personality of our children? Can we still do something about it? What about our baby having a brain scan to determine his or her future personality? The researchers think this isn’t actually such a bad idea because once you know what to expect, you can alter the environment to minimize the risk.

I personally find it a bit scary. What if I find out that  my baby is predisposed to become a pessimistic introvert, a compulsive workaholic or worse a drug addict? How would affect the mother-child relationship?

On the other hand, I still believe strongly in the power of nurture, e.g. the family environment. I also believe that these so-called personality types are rather artificial categorizations. Most people I know, including myself, exhibit some characteristics from each of the 4 types. No, I’d rather see my children’s personalities unfold as they grow. I’d rather that they grow without expectations, preconceptions and predispositions. Surprise me, my darlings.

So what do you think? Want to look into your baby’s brain?

Contributed by Science-mom
Tags: brain, brain structure, Personality, personality types
Posted in: Baby
2 Comments »