Medication and the First Trimester

At the beginning of the week I cautioned against going off medication when you get pregnant.  Now I want to write a follow-up, because it actually is important to know any potential dangers with medicine and the first trimester. As a rule I’ve avoided reading lists of dangers, side effects, and rare pregnancy and birth problems.  They’ll just cause me unnecessary stress, and since pregnant women usually see their doctors at least once a month, I trust mine to keep me informed about anything that will actually/is actually affecting me.  But it is important to know that the first trimester … Continue reading

Study Finds Pregnant Women Can Pass PTSD to Their Babies

Generally speaking, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something that a person develops after experiencing something shocking, traumatic, and life-threatening. A study finds that pregnant women who were 9 / 11 survivors can pass PSTD to their children. The trimester that the pregnancy was in at the time the event occurred plays a part. I think we can all agree that September 11, 2001, was a traumatic day. People who were far from New York, and watching the news reports on television, were affected. Tens of thousands of people were directly exposed to the World Trade Center attack. According to an … Continue reading

Men Exercise More Than Women

I recently read in an article that the recommended guidelines of getting in at least 30 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity at least four to five times a week is more likely to happen with men. Yes women, men are apparently doing better at meeting fitness guidelines. The importance of exercise cannot be understated. It can prevent more than just putting on extra weight. It can ward off serious health problems. One of the biggest concerns in this country is a condition called metabolic syndrome. It usually strikes individuals who are obese. It is a set … Continue reading

Purge Toxic Friendships and Get Healthier

Having a toxic friendship can really affect your health. It can raise your stress levels and affect your self esteem, plus hit you other areas, such as financially, and drain your resources. No one wants to consider ending a friendship, but sometimes when the cost of having that relationship is too much on your health, it becomes necessary. What is a toxic friendship? If you are part of a toxic friendship, you may be spending time with a friend who takes more than she gives, focuses more on her own needs than anyone else’s, demands too much from you, or … Continue reading

Menopause and Mental Fog

My best friend and I both turn 49 this year. After discussing our various aches and pains, our phone conversations often turn to “Do you ever feel like you are losing your mind?” We usually discuss how we can see a word in our mind, but can’t say it or we just can’t remember someone’s name that we know we know. We discuss whether we need some type of testing, and then write it off to menopause. As it turns out, we may be right. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago finished up a study recently that shows … Continue reading

Single Parenthood for the Rich and Famous

Isn’t it nice to know that Madonna struggles as a single parent too? Excuse me while I go in the other room and scream! I may be a little bitter about it but if I hear one more extremely wealthy woman complain about how hard it is to juggle single motherhood and her career I think my head is going to explode. I wonder how many nights Madonna has walked the floor with a teething infant or been woken up multiple times by a toddler with night terrors and then had to take that same tired, cranky child to daycare … Continue reading

Re-Thinking Stress

We all know that stress is bad for us, but as single parents, it often comes with the territory. Trying to juggle working and being a mother takes a lot out of you and at the end of the day you find yourself overworked and exhausted. The times you are feeling the most stress are often the times when you are unable to find happiness, but that’s not all, when you are under an intense amount of stress your body kicks into action and produces cortisol. Cortisol isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it is what gives our body the fight-or-flight … Continue reading

Sue Your Husband’s Mistress

The Huffington Post published an article interviewing a lawyer who says that it’s possible to sue your husband’s mistress. The charge is alienation of affection and the punishment can be a hefty sum of money. Focus on Who Hurt You This brings me to think about whether this should be in place. I can see why a scorned wife wants to sue the mistress. Many mistresses are conniving and will do whatever it takes to get the man they want. Sometimes, it’s easier to blame someone else for your husband’s affair than him especially when trying to find out why … Continue reading

The Way We Handle Our Emotions

If you haven’t learned this already, you will…the way men and women handle their emotions is very different. But knowing this and learning how to accept it are two different things. Of course, it doesn’t always have to do with the fact that men and women are different. Personalities and characteristics come into play as well. For instance, my husband is very laidback. It takes a lot to rattle his cage. In fact, this week we dealt with a behavior issue with one of our children that almost set me off into a fit. But as my husband witnessed the … Continue reading

Parents Need to Make Time to Release Stress

Often, the things that are the most difficult to do end up being the most rewarding. Parenting fits this description. Children are a blessing, but they can also the biggest source of a parent’s stress. Parents of kids who have special needs experience high amounts of stress. It is very important for parents to make time to release that stress in a healthy, appropriate, way. Parents want to make sure that their children have everything they need. Parents of kids who have special needs frequently end up focusing so much of their attention on their child that they forget to … Continue reading