News Moms Need

It’s hard to believe, but Halloween is right around the corner. My husband and I are both off from work today, so we’re headed out to buy decorations and mums for the front stoop. Our little pumpkin is too young for trick-or-treating, but it’s not too soon for us to learn how to enjoy this holiday safely with her. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has some helpful Halloween safety tips on their website. Click here to check them out.

It’s Halloween and the kids will be bringing home LOADS of goodies. It’s okay for mommies to treat themselves every once in a while during pregnancy. But don’t overload on the fun-size candy bars and the candy corn.

A recent study in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology shows that moms who gained more than 40 pounds during their pregnancy were twice as likely to have babies who were too large, compared to other moms. In fact, out of 40,000 moms in the study, 1 in 5 of them had gained too much weight during their pregnancy.

So what’s the harm in having a large baby, you ask? Well, let’s start with what that means for moms. Moms who gain too much weight during pregnancy are at increased risk of facing serious health complications such as gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension and preeclamspia.  Also, a pregnant mom who gains too much weight is more likely to encounter difficulties during labor and childbirth, such as a baby stuck in the birth canal, vaginal tearing, c-section, a longer hospital stay and other recovery complications.

Babies born to overweight or obese moms face their own special health risks, too. These newborns are at increased risk of being born prematurely, having certain birth defects and needing special care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Some studies even suggest that babies born too big are more likely to face obesity in their childhood, which is a growing problem in the U.S.

While you don’t want to go on any “fad diet” during pregnancy, it’s important that you make healthy food choices.  Watch our video on healthy food choices during pregnancy.  Talk to your health provider for more nutrition tips.

Image: Juushika Redgrave, Flickr

I’m totally convinced that the best costumes out there are homemade.  Not only are the kids looking great and having a blast, but you can see Mom or Dad hanging back in the bushes beaming with pride over their creativity.  (Then there are the folks who are experts at tracking down truly outrageous costumes for a pittance on e-bay.  They get kudos, too.)

When I was a kid, we all were pirates and ballerinas, ghosts and princesses and ugly witches.  These days, however, it seems that kids and parents are getting incredibly creative with costumes and makeup and I just love opening the front door on Halloween.  Here are a few of the more memorable costumes in our family:

My step-daughter once was an alarm clock with two big bells on her head.

My nephew over the years has been a large cup of water (with a PVC straw); a box of popcorn (think of stringing a tree at Christmas and moving the garlands of popcorn to the top of his head); and a bulldozer.

Two years ago, my grandson was the Empire State Building (it took forever to draw in all those windows!).  Last year he was a Tivo box.  He has decided to be a cup of Starbuck’s coffee this year.

I think my favorite of recent years was my co-worker who, draped in black cloth from head to toe, announced that she was “Death by Chocolate!”

Send us links to your pictures and have fun!