How many of you have had the flu?  Probably all of you at one point or another...  Or you could be like me and have had the privilege of multiple encounters with my influenza virus friends - that is, until the last few years when I gave in and got....

 The Flu Shot. 

Three simple words that at the same time inspire feelings of joy (I don't have to feel like I've been beaten with a stick and dumped in freezing water at the same time.) and feelings of trepidation. (What effect can the vaccine have on me and my baby?)  The word "vaccine" has become a flashpoint for supporters and detractors alike.  Celebrities rant and rave at each other trying to rally folks to one side or the other.  (On a side note, why do we care whether our celebrity of choice supports one thing or another?  As a society, we really should look at ourselves in the mirror when Lindsey Lohan can influence people...yikes)  While the childhood vaccination debate will rage on and on, I'm just going to discuss the flu

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Bed rest.  Those are two words that most soon-to-be moms really don't want to hear.  How can a woman just lay in bed all day and really not get up??  Who's going to watch the kids?  I can't leave my job!  Those are just a couple of reasons why true, strict bed rest really is a very, very difficult thing to do.

I hate telling women they need to be on bed rest.  Unfortunately, bed rest is really the only proven method of making certain conditions better.  Studies have shown that home bed rest and real hospital bed rest have very different results.  Bed rest can mean the difference between delivering right away or in many weeks.  Depending on how early you are, that can mean the difference between a child with a lifetime of problems and a child with no problems at all.  There are many who promise to stay in bed at home, but it's really hard to really not get out of your bed at all all day and night.  Getting up only to use the bathroom and one personal hygiene trip a day to the bathroom. 

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Probably the single question I have been asked more than any other.  In fact, I've probably been asked that question twice as many times as any other. 

 There are tons of guides out there that have all kinds of advice.  It hurts in your back; it hurts on the top of your belly; it hurts at the bottom of your pelvis; you feel like you need a bowel movement; your belly feels tight; you see dark colored mucous come out.  You have brown discharge; you have clear discharge.  All of those things are true; all of those things aren't true.

Look.  Bottom line is this.  Everyone's experience is going to be different.  That's exactly the reason there are so many guides out there.  That's why all of those things can be true.  However, your experience may not contain any of those things exactly.  In the end, one thing remains true.  A baby that is anywhere from six and a half to nine pounds (well, sometimes more, sometimes less..!) is going to make his or her way out of your vagina.  Do you really

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When I was 27 weeks pregnant with my second baby I was put on bed rest because, my cervix had begun to efface and dilate. I was given medication to control my contractions and was told to stay in bed at all times and only get out of bed to go to the bathroom or take a short shower every other day. These orders to be on complete bed rest with medication would be for the next ten weeks. My only thought was, "Oh my gosh, could we make it for ten weeks?"

I was not sure. This seemed impossible considering I had a two year old at home. Thankfully, my mother lived about a mile from my family and was willing to help. She came over every day to pick up my house a little and then took my little girl to her house. That part was difficult for me because, I felt alone and missed my daughter very much. However, I was not in a position to ask my mom for more than she was already giving. I needed focus on the positive because, I noticed when I became stressed my contractions would pick up to

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Hello, again.  It's been awhile since my last entry.  My parents have been in town, and the weather has been great.  I haven't spent nearly as much time in front of the computer!

Anyway, I was reading some of the comments readers have left in response to my ramblings, and one stood out to me.  A lady was speaking of how difficult a miscarriage was for her.  I've seen many women through this horrible time.  Being a dad, I can hardly imagine a harder time.  I've had people say to me that a miscarriage is easier than losing a child.  I agreed with that until I spoke with so many women who have gone through miscarriages early in pregnancy or fetal demises later on in pregnancy.  That fetus is every bit a person's child.  The loss is just as great.  What can I say?  There really is nothing to say.  I hold my patients' hands; I pray with them, but in the end, they have to go home and be alone with their feelings. 

For any of you who know people going through this, just be there for them if

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We had it all planned out - my Mom came down from Seattle about two days before my scheduled induction.  We spent the last few days "pre-baby" relishing in the anticipation and her assuring me that I would have an easy labor just like she did.  My induction date was delayed three days - it seemed like three weeks.

After a wonderful experience at the hospital, we brought baby home on the Fouth of July.  My Mom had planned a party  for our homecoming with friends and family for that evening.  What a great way to welcome baby home, I thought.  What I didn't realize was how utterly exhausted we would be. I was delighted to show off our baby, but it was difficult to do anything but nurse him, get something in my stomach and keep my eyes open.  

If I had to do it all over again, I would have given ourselves a least a couple of days of recuperation time before throwing a party in honor of our newest arrival. My friend Rebecca enforced a two week "no visitors" rule after their daughter was

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I know, I know.  A lot of you are thinking, "Uh, I'm not very active when I'm NOT pregnant much less during pregnancy..."  HA!HA!  Well, that may be true for a lot of folks, but believe it or not there is a significant population of women that doesn't want to stop exercising during pregancy.  To y'all, I say.."Go for it."

 Exercise during pregnancy is not only OK, but good for you.  Ever wonder why they call it "labor"  at the end?  Cuz it's work.  It's nice to be in good cardiovascular shape when you ahve to strain with all of your strength for 3 hours straight.  Also, exercise during pregnancy is perfectly safe.  There are certain complications of pregnancy that will preclude you from exercising.  Your doctor should obviously know what those are.

 A couple of other things to remember are the following.  Number one - use common sense.  Falling is a bad thing in pregnancy.  Therefore, any activity that results in possibly losing your balance is bad.  Skiing, skating, biking, just to

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Have you decided who you want (or don't want) in the birthing suite during the birth of your baby? 

Before I had my kids, I was lucky enough to experience my sister giving birth to her daughter. It was not something that was planned, but her labor went quicker than expected and before we knew it, it was time to for her to push.  She asked that my Mom and I stay with her for the delivery.  How exciting it was to see new life come into the world.  It sounds sappy, but the look on my sister's face after giving birth to Katie was pure joy. 

For me, giving birth signified the start of my own family and I wanted it to be an intimate experience for just my husband and me.  So, we choose to have our birthing experience be a more private one. 

Whatever your decision, it will be the right one for you.  Whether you want a cast of thousands or just your partner, it is your experience and together with your doctor, you decide how you want to welcome your baby into the world.

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Ahhh..the birth plan.  A blueprint for how you want your delivery to be.  A declaration of how your birth experience is going to be.   This may surprise you, but....

The declared birth plan probably comes to fruition in one of ten deliveries.  Pregnancy, birth, and the 18 years that come after will not fall into any "plan."  I've often been asked about the birth plan and what I think about the various aspects of it.  "It's so confusing.  There are so many things!  How can I decide??!"  YOU DON'T HAVE TO.  Really.  In all honesty, not only do you not need to, you really shouldn't marry yourself to one idea or another.  This is not to say you shouldn't think about the issues and possibilities.  You definitely want to have thought about pain control, episiotomy, etc.  All I'm saying is that when the time comes for labor and delivery, your experience depends mostly on how your labor is going and how your baby is doing.  Is has very little to do with how you originally planned for the

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Wow.  That title could mean anything, huh?!  HA!

What I'm actually going to talk about a bit is intimacy - specifically, between you and your husband.  In the process of chatting with my pateints, the subject of the husband's desire for intimacy with them often comes up.  It actually goes both ways.  What I mean is - some husbands seem to have found some long lost aphrodisiac during your pregnancy, some husbands seem to withdraw.

First, the ones that can't get enough.  (OK, OK; I know.  For some you, that's pretty much the way it is pregnancy or no....!)  Many men actually find a pregnant woman very attractive.  That's not weird!  A lot of my patients think that their husbands are somehow crazy for finding them MORE attractive during pregnancy - a time when most women are thinking, "Man, I'm totally awkward and decidedly UNattractive."  Your husband really doesn't think so.  Sexual intercourse is actually safe and healthy during pregnancy (with some exceptions, but your doctor will be

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