The Parent Station ~ Pregnancy, Birth & Parenting - Parents and Friends Connect at the Station

Life Postpartum
New Mom? Here's the Survival Guide You Need!
"...we (and baby) are the center of attention when we are pregnant. We are in regular contact with a physician or someone of the like, always interested in how we are feeling. However, after birth, all the attention is then shifted to our new little blessings and we are left to fend for ourselves. All the while, our bodies are changing, our lives have turned upside down, and even our own focus is pointed outward."

Parenting Teenagers
Understanding Teens Made Easy
"As a thirty-something mom to a kindergartener and twin infants, I face daily challenges that test not only my parenting skills, but my negotiation skills, time-management skills, communication skills and a laundry list full of other skills needed to make my family and home a happy and safe place to be. As a step-mother to a sixteen year old, I have to work from a completely different playbook. Although I feel like it wasn't that long ago I was actually a teenager myself, I am reminded of just how far removed I am from those teenage years. It is almost as if I am an outsider looking at something completely foreign to me… something so different from what I remember my teenage years as being… something completely alien."

Back to School
Parents and Failure
"One major obstacle in a teacher’s quest for instilling academic superiority in her students is parents; after all, every educator knows that the school is a partnership among students, teachers, and parents. This is an unspoken--and sometimes formal--contract. But when parents fail to do their part, the institution breaks down. Students learn less, teachers percolate with frustration, and precious monetary resources jut into ineffectual directions."

Behavioral Issues
Anger in Children
"If children feel unloved, they also feel unworthy and inadequate, with no reason to develop a confidence in their capabilities, or in their worth as a person. Feelings of insecurity turn their world into a fearful place to live. They might become hypersensitive to perceived rejection, and other perceived indicators of their unworthiness. These exaggerated perceived threats to the child's well being (e.g., parental refusals/restrictions) are highly prone to giving way to anger as a response. Tantrums in these circumstances are an excellent example of this fear reaction being expressed in the form of anger."

Toy Safety
Assassins in Toyland
"Although most people are already well aware of many of the details of this crisis, it is worth at least briefly recapping the extent to which America's toys have been turned into instruments of death by unscrupulous Chinese manufacturers. Here's just a brief scorecard of the kinds of toys that have been recalled from the shelves by the likes of Toys "R" Us, Target, and Wal-Mart..."

Youth Sports
Diversity in Youth Sports
"Researchers estimate that over 14 million children play one type of organized sport and several of those youngsters play multiple sports depending on the season. Sports are important for teaching good sportsmanship, goal-setting, teamwork, and for encouraging children to have an active lifestyle. Aside from these obvious advantages, organized sports can also play a much larger and culturally significant role as well."

Oral Health During Pregnancy
The Unsweetened Truth - Pregnancy, Sugar and Oral Health
" According to the Surgeon General's report in 2000, "toxins or other products generated by periodontal (around the teeth) bacteria in the mother may reach the general circulation, cross the placenta, and harm the fetus." Pregnant women with severe gum infections are seven times more prone to having a baby that is premature. Prevention and early diagnosis of dental decay and gingivitis (swollen, tender gums) are important for your health as well as your baby's."

In the Classroom
Multitasking virus in our Classrooms
"Too many primary, elementary, and high schoolers are being boxed into the mold of conformity required by big classes, competition for grades, tests with multiple choice questions. The first grader who leaps to his feet when he figures out the math problem is diagnosed as ADHD and medicated to sit quietly with the class. Young learners have immense pressure to perform, to get good grades, but no one is listening to the nuance of their minds. They feel suppressed, they are suppressed, and by the time students get to college, they have become disconnected from the love of learning. Then they are asked to read 1000 pages in a week and skimming is the only solution..."

Maternity Clothing
Great Maternity Clothes and Nursing Clothes for Summer
"The weather is warming up, Spring is in full swing and Summer is just around the corner. Your body is changing daily and you are not sure what to buy next when compounded by seasons changing and long summer months ahead. Here are a few suggestions on some must-haves to get you started out in style this season without breaking the bank."

Homeschooling
How To Schedule Your Homeschooling Day, And Have Time To Spare
"When creating a homeschooling schedule, areas of instruction, student age, and family schedule should all be taken into consideration. These three things should be integrated to come up with a schedule that will benefit children and adults alike. There is no need, however, to redesign the wheel. Use tools available to you to come up with a schedule that meets your needs."

Baby Showers
Couples Baby Shower - A Quick Planning Guide
"Believe it or not, but many husbands would really enjoy going to a Couples Baby Shower with their wife. A baby shower is a fun get-together with friends and family to celebrate a new little baby. Often, the father-to-be would love to be part of that celebration. It helps him get excited about his new son or daughter. And whether he admits it or not, his heart will melt when he opens up a baby shower gift and sees a little pink dress or a little pair of denim overalls."

Parenting Twins & Multiples
Raising Twins: Say Goodbye to Social Stigmas!
"It all goes back to the stigma attached to twins. The stigma of always being a twin, being compared to someone else, having to always share the spotlight with a sibling that just happened to be born on the same day. I suppose if you aren't a twin yourself, you may not think about these things until you become a mom to twins. To go even further, parenting and raising twins to not feel that stigma could be the challenge of a lifetime."

Gestational Diabetes
The Infant Risk Factor of Gestational Diabetes
"Gestational diabetes brings a variety serious risk factors for any infant whose mother suffers its effects. Most of the problems caused to the growing fetus are a result of high blood glucose levels which makes controlling sugar intake so important. This is true of the woman with either preexisting diabetes or gestational diabetes because the increased risk associated with this disease left uncontrolled include both congenital birth defects and fetal death."

Exercise During Pregnancy
Pregnancy Fitness - 5 Simple & Beneficial Pregnancy Exercises
"Do you feel as though you do not know what types of exercise are right for you now that you are pregnant? When I was pregnant with my child, I was uncertain about what exercises I should do and there was so much conflicting information on the Internet that I was not certain where to begin. I would like to share five simple exercises that are beneficial for you as well as your baby."

Children Eating Healthy
How to Pack a Healthy Lunch
"Children would rather eat pizza and macaroni and cheese than a carrot stick or apple slice. The good news is that it is easy to sneak in healthy choices and most of the time your kids won't even know! Here are some easy ways to get started."

Ask the Doula
Unlocking Perinatal Mood Disorders
"A complete spectrum of perinatal mood disorders can occur during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. These mood disorders like any other illness can occur no matter how old you are, what race you are or how much money you have. We have all seen Brooke Shields bear her soul, Maria Osmond follow suit, and the sad tribulations of Brittney Spears. The stigma associated with perinatal mood disorders needs to be erased to allow us, as a community, to support mothers through this immense transition in life. The following courageous and generous women shared their stories to help me to introduce you to some of the mood disorders."

Parenting During a Crisis
Handling a Crisis With Kids
"Naturally, every parent is the best judge of their own child and knows intrinsically how to speak to them. But rocking a child’s world with bad news or fearful information was new to me. I have learned a great deal on my journey during the past two years about dealing with difficulty and I wanted to share some of my wisdom."

Resourceful Reading
Featured Book and Excerpt: The Second Nine Months: One Woman Tells the REAL Truth About Becoming a Mom. Finally. by Vicki Glembocki
"Glembocki lays out the truth about those first months with baby: the certainty that you're doing everything wrong; the desire to kill your husband, your mother, your dog; the struggle to balance who you were with whom you've become--a mother. Unlike any other book on motherhood, Glembocki breaks the New Mother Code of Silence, proving that "maternal bliss" is not innate, but learned. Funny and wise, she connects with new moms on a shockingly intimate level, letting them know that they are not alone."

Cloth Diapering
How to Wash Cloth Diapers
"This is much easier to do than it is to read, so don't be intimidated. There are so many other Mamas out there doing the same thing! I can honestly say that I would rather be washing diapers every couple of days than putting something against my baby's skin that is known to be toxic. It's the least I can do for my little beans!"

Ask the Family Therapist
How to Manage Our Hard-Wired Youth
"A friend of mine who is a high school English teacher in our local schools has been perplexed by the behavior of some of her current students. She said, "Help me understand why a third of my students can't sit still in their desks? They wiggle, they squirm, they tap their pencils and their feet and are constantly in motion." She is experiencing a dose of today's "hard-wired" youngsters."

Self Esteem in Children
Self-Esteem - Chores for Pre-School Kids
"Do your children care for themselves according to their age and abilities? Would you like to boost their self-esteem and character? Inside you'll find age-appropriate chores that instill the "I can do it myself" attitude."

Nutrition During Pregnancy
5 Great Health Benefits Unborn Babies Get From DHA and Fish Oil
"There's nothing else that a parent would want for their kids than for them to grow healthy and strong. What they may not know, however, is that they can already give themselves such assurance even before their babies are born. Researchers agree that pregnant women should take fish oil supplements while they're still pregnant-and it's for a variety of reasons..."

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)
10 Steps to VBAC Success
"If you've had a cesarean section (c-section) and you're now wanting to attempt a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), chances are pretty good you're encountering resistance from your Obstetrician, the hospital where you plan to give birth, and even family and friends. If you are willing to fight the system, you can attempt a VBAC. Don't let anyone tell you that you are NOT allowed a say in your own medical care! Here are 10 things you can do now to get on the road to attempting a VBAC."

Fitness for the Whole Family
Fitness Fun for the Entire Family
"Pre-schoolers love nothing more than jumping, running, skipping, hopping, rolling, sprinting, somersaulting, whirling, dashing and being active. Put some of that energy to good use by incorporating a little education with movement. Find a set of ABC cards or an ABC book. Let your child select a letter and then try the corresponding physical fitness activity."

Morning Sickness
Pregnant! What's This About Morning Sickness?
"Mother Nature loves irony. How else to explain taking the happiest time in a woman's life and causing her to become physically ill and miserable? And, what's with using the term, "morning sickness"? Actually, the correct term is "nausea and vomiting of pregnancy". Which is closer to the truth since the condition can and will occur anytime of the day."