News

Pregnant Mom Arrested For Snacking While Grocery Shopping
Pregnancy

Snacking While You Shop at the Grocery Store Could Get You Arrested!

A trip to the grocery store in Honolulu ended with two parents in jail and a 2-year-old toddler under the care of Child Protective Services (CPS) for a family that had relocated to the area from California a week earlier.
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A trip to the grocery store in Honolulu ended with two parents in jail and a 2-year-old toddler under the care of Child Protective Services (CPS) for a family that had relocated to the area from California a week earlier.

After getting lost on their way to the grocery store, Nicole Leszczynski, 30 weeks pregnant, felt faint and openly munched on two chicken salad sandwiches ($5) while keeping the wrappers in the shopping cart to be scanned at the register — but she and her husband forgot to pay for the sandwiches and were stopped by a security guard on the way out. The chain of events that unraveled next are almost too bizarre to comprehend — and a parent's worst nightmare. Store managers of the Safeway grocery store refused to let the couple pay for the items and had the couple arrested for shoplifting. CPS was called in to take the couple's 2-year old daughter, Zofia, into custody, where she spent the night before being reunited once again with her parents 18 hours later.

Nicole explained that grocery shopping brings some anxiety for her now, especially after reading comments online criticizing her for eating before paying. "I didn't know it was such a taboo thing," she said. "Where I grew up in a small town it's not seen as stealing for sure."

Avoid Giving Birth on Halloween
Halloween

Would You Try to Avoid a Halloween Birth? Many Women Do!

There's something scary about giving birth on October 31 — at least according to a new study conducted by Yale University's School of Public Health.
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There's something scary about giving birth on October 31 — at least according to a new study conducted by Yale University's School of Public Health. Analyzing data collected across the US over an eleven-year period, researches found that fewer children are born on Halloween than any other average day. At the same time, Valentine's Day sees a higher than average rate of women giving birth. The study reports:

On Valentine's Day, which conveys positive symbolism, there was a 3.6 percent increase in spontaneous births and a 12.1 percent increase in Cesarean births. Whereas, on Halloween, which conveys negative symbolism, there was a 5.3 percent decrease in spontaneous births and a 16.9 percent decrease in Cesarean births.

The results of the study challenge the generally accepted notion that spontaneous birth is a natural, biological, and largely uncontrollable event, suggesting that the cultural beliefs of the expectant mama impact when she actually goes into labor.

What do you think? Would you try to mentally will yourself to avoid labor when the roads are clogged with trick-or-treaters, and the ER is filled with Halloween revelers?

New Crib Safety Guidelines
kid gear

Bumpers Are Officially Bumped

Bumpers begone! The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated their sleep guidelines, officially advocating against the use of crib bumpers for the first time.
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Bumpers begone! The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated their sleep guidelines, officially advocating against the use of crib bumpers for the first time. According to the new findings, bumper pads unequivocally should not be used in cribs because the pads don't prevent injuries, but can cause suffocation, strangulation, or entrapment. Bumpers have been falling out of favor within the medical community for the last several years, with antibumper sentiment gaining major momentum stemming from an article in the September 2007 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics, Deaths and Injuries Attributed to Infant Crib Bumper Pads, and this new AAP report SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Expansion of Recommendations For a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment will likely be the final nail in bumpers' coffin.

Keep reading to see what bedding companies are doing in light of the new recommendations.

Circumcision Laws
parenting

Circumcision Will Not Be Banned in California Anytime Soon

To cut or not to cut?
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To cut or not to cut? That's the choice parents of newborn boys face when deciding whether circumcision is the right choice for them. It's a choice that a lot of people, often referring to themselves as "intactivists," don't feel parents should have. Anticircumcision groups in San Francisco gathered over 7,000 signatures in support of a ballot measure that would essentially outlaw circumcision for most male children. The measure was shot down Sunday night when the governor signed a bill prohibiting local governments from banning the controversial practice, leaving the decision to the parents.

More Parents Using Alternative Vaccination Schedules
News

More Parents Are Choosing Alternative Vaccination Schedules For Their Kids

The times, they are a-changin' when it comes to vaccinating your tot.
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The times, they are a-changin' when it comes to vaccinating your tot. Following recent news that an overwhelming majority of parents are not comfortable with the vaccinations their children receive, a new study finds that more moms and dads are using alternative vaccine schedules for their kids than ever before. According to the latest issue of Pediatrics, 13 percent of families are not following the calendar created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, choosing to use alternative schedules that delay or skip various vaccines. Among the most missed vaccines are those for the flu and chicken pox, while the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) is the most frequently delayed, despite findings denying the link between the vaccine and autism.

Sperm Donation and Potential Siblings
fertility

Super Sperm! One Man, 150 (Biological) Children

Not some tawdry tabloid story about rampant polygamy, the recent New York Times story, "One Sperm Donor, 150 Offspring" tells the story of 20-year-old Ryan — born using donor sperm — and his 150 biological half-siblings.
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Not some tawdry tabloid story about rampant polygamy, the recent New York Times story, "One Sperm Donor, 150 Offspring" tells the story of 20-year-old Ryan — born using donor sperm — and his 150 biological half-siblings. It's no secret that donating sperm is — ahem — less complicated than harvesting a woman's egg, and with no definitive regulations in place to limit the number of offspring produced from one donor, the number of children conceived with sperm from one donor is essentially limitless.

Groups like the Donor Sibling Registry are exposing the truth about this traditionally secretive industry, and it's pretty scary. Fertility is clearly big business these days, but critics have raised concerns that if left unchecked . . . the record numbers of half siblings could potentially result in an increase of — yikes! — accidental incest.

If you used donor sperm, how much would you want to know — or share with your child — about his conception and biological siblings?

Therapeutic Hypnosis's Health Benefits
Weight Loss

Hypnosis Proving to Offer Health Benefits, Studies Say

When I hear the word hypnosis, a man swinging a pendulum in front of a person squawking like a chicken is what comes to mind.
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When I hear the word hypnosis, a man swinging a pendulum in front of a person squawking like a chicken is what comes to mind. Stage hypnosis, performed by entertainers, is vastly different than therapeutic hypnosis, which is used to improve a person's well-being. Over the last 10 years hypnosis has gained more recognition because more and more research shows hypnotherapy can effectively treat medical conditions. A number of studies have discovered that this type of treatment can help alleviate chronic pain, reduce stress and anxiety before surgery, and also lower health care costs since patients using hypnosis have shorter hospital stays.

The hypnotic state has been likened to meditation or daydreaming; when hypnotized, one has a heightened sense of inner focus and concentration. When under hypnosis, people tend to feel calm and relaxed and be capable of paying attention to one specific thought, memory, emotion, or sensation while blocking out any other distractions, making them extremely open to the power of suggestion, although they remain completely aware and in control of their actions. This is why hypnosis is used for weight loss, smoking cessation, pain control, childbirth, dental procedures, anxiety, and gastrointestinal problems such as IBS. It should be noted that one session won't instantly "cure" your ails, so don't expect to instantly despise cigarettes after your first appointment.

15-Minute Workouts That Add Three Years to Your Life
Fitness

Sweat 15 Minutes a Day and Add Three Years to Your Life, Study Says

If your busy schedule doesn't allow for the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise, a large study from Taiwan should make you feel better.
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If your busy schedule doesn't allow for the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise, a large study from Taiwan should make you feel better. The 13-year study tracked 416,000 participants and found that just 15 minutes of moderate exercise increased their life expectancy by three years, compared to those who didn't exercise. Daily workouts lower the incidence of cancer, and therefore lower the risk of cancer-related deaths.

Now who wouldn't dedicate 15 minutes a day if they could live longer? If you need some ideas for 15-minute mini workouts, check out the list below:

  • Walk your dog briskly around the neighborhood.
  • Head to the track and walk a mile, going around four times at a pace of four miles per hour (15 minutes per mile).
  • Run one and a half miles at a pace of 10 minutes per mile.
  • Do a mini interval workout on the elliptical or treadmill. Start off walking for two minutes, jog for two minutes, sprint for one minute, jog two, sprint one, jog two, sprint one, jog two, and end with two minutes of walking.

Keep reading for more 15-minute workout ideas.

Jean Chatzky Discusses Right Time to Have a Baby
Pregnancy

Save For Baby or Retirement? Jean Chatzky's Answer May Surprise You

The recession may be taking a toll on the nation's birthrate, though one of today's most popular financial experts says it shouldn't be.
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The recession may be taking a toll on the nation's birthrate, though one of today's most popular financial experts says it shouldn't be. A new BabyCenter.com study recently found that 2 out of 5 moms waited to start or expand their family until they felt financially stable, but the Today Show's Jean Chatzky says baby-dreaming couples don't need to wait until they think they can afford a baby to have one. By setting up the right savings accounts as soon as a couple learns they are pregnant, choosing proper investment vehicles, and keeping an eye on their retirement plans, couples can feel more comfortable their — and their families' — futures. We spoke with Jean Chatzky about where families' should prioritize and if there is an opportune time to expand their families. See what she had to say!