Places to Get a Free Pregnancy Test Some obstetrics or family medicine practices offer free pregnancy tests to prospective new patients. Or consider these options. Local Health Department Many city or county health departments offer family planning services. This typically includes a free pregnancy test for those who cannot afford to pay. Some may offer it on a sliding scale if you do have some monetary resources. Faith-Based Crisis Pregnancy Center These faith-based services, usually run by churches, offer free pregnancy tests....

While all students’ experiences are unique, some may find comfort knowing that they are not alone in the stressors they have faced. Research done on college student mental health is shedding light on how young adults have been mentally impacted by COVID-19-laden school years. Studies Shows Students Are Stressed According to a Journal of Medical Internet Research study, just over 71% of the 195 interviewed college students from a Texas university indicated that they experienced increased stress and anxiety due to COVID-19....

Stages of Reading Fluency In the initial stages of learning to read, a reader is so focused on decoding the words on the page that they don’t have much mental energy left to spend on meaning. To decode the words, a beginning reader sounds out the words—they are connecting sounds to the letters they see and are trying to blend those sounds together to form words. Then they must know what the word means....

Research into preterm birth is crucial to improve understanding of why some people go into labor early and to develop solutions to help pregnant individuals carry their babies for as long as possible. A recent study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found that the process of labor in full-term births is different from preterm births. It comes down to a difference in gene expression in the myometrium of people who gave birth preterm....

The important thing to understand is the grasping benchmarks that babies must first achieve in order to have appropriate expectations. How Grasping Skills Develop The watchful parent will note that as the months pass by, their baby shows increasing dexterity in the ability to grasp and play with toys. The standards below detail what can be expected of babies throughout the first year. 3 Months: No longer newborns, they can grasp objects placed in their hands, though they generally aren’t able to reach out and grab objects....

“I liken a prenatal vitamin to a ‘safety net,’” says Dara Godfrey, RD a registered dietitian with Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York who specializes in prenatal nutrition. “Along with a well-rounded diet, it helps to ensure you are obtaining all of the important vitamins and minerals to help support your healthy body. It can also help support your baby, optimizing fetal growth and development.” But with a multitude of options stocked on your local pharmacy’s shelves, choosing a prenatal vitamin can feel like a guessing game at times....

Meditative Music As you probably know, every woman goes through various stages of labor. Every mom is different, so it’s hard to say what type of music will help you get through each stage of labor. However, many moms like soothing, meditative music for the early stages of labor and switch to power through it music to get it done during the transition and pushing stages. Meditative music allows you to zone out and let your body do the work rather than fighting against it....

Teach and Hover Your first goal is to protect the baby. Your second, to teach your older child how to interact with his new sibling in proper ways. You can teach your toddler how to play with the baby in the same way you teach him anything else. Talk to him, demonstrate, guide and encourage. Until you feel confident that you’ve achieved your second goal, however, do not leave the children alone together....

When reading about miscarriage statistics, it is important to remember that these figures are just numbers. Even if you have a higher than average risk of miscarriage, it does not mean that you will miscarry. In most cases, your odds of having a normal pregnancy are higher than your odds of having a miscarriage. Determining Your Risk If you are not yet pregnant and are concerned about miscarrying, you may be able to lower your risk by addressing some preventable ​risk factors....

Court-Appropriate Appearance To “dress for success” means choosing outfits, haircuts, makeup, and accessories wisely. When dressing for a child custody case, success is winning custody; to do that, you will need to look as mature, serious-minded, and financially secure as possible. If you don’t own appropriate clothing, it’s worth it to borrow some or even find an appropriate outfit at a thrift shop. When putting your outfit together: Consider not only your clothes but also your hair, makeup, and behavior....

The Lowdown So what does the PTA actually do? Basically, it helps supplement the education at your child’s school. It fights for full funding, great teachers and quality education for your child’s school. It also helps fundraise for projects and improvements at the school, such as books in the library, playgrounds, scholarships, field trips and more. Fundraising efforts may include bake sales, car washes or gift auctions. Volunteers of the PTA also run programs and functions, like the school newsletter, yearbook, school plays, dances and book fairs....

Jillian Lampert, PhD, chief strategy officer of Veritas Collaborative and The Emily Program, explains that irregular schedules, changes to routine, social events, and an emphasis on food can all lead to an excess of stress within individuals experiencing an eating disorder. If you or a loved one are recovering from an eating disorder, it is important to acknowledge the unique struggles of the holiday season while also having a plan in place....

If your children are convinced that once the lights go out, there’s a hairy monster who is going to crawl out from under the bed and “get them,” you’re not alone. But, it can be tough to know how to calm kids’ anxieties, convincing them that they can sleep in their bed alone without being attacked by a monster that lives under the bed. The Fear of Monsters The fear of darkness, especially of being left alone in the dark, is one of the biggest fears kids experience....

Learn more about the best ways to support your child’s academic endeavors, including when to offer help and how much to give, when to communicate with teachers, and how to foster your child’s self-advocacy, time management, and organizational skills. Set Positive Expectations It helps for parents and their children to set some good expectations, routines, and school year goals, suggests Maleka Allen, a Portland, Oregon school counselor with over 18 years of experience working with children of all ages in grades K-12....

Of course, there’s nothing embarrassing about being pregnant, but you may be feeling awkward during this early stage, or hoping nobody notices the inevitable physical and emotional changes. So what do you do? We’ve got you covered on everything from tips for hiding your baby bump, dealing with uncomfortable questions and sharing the news when you’re ready. When Do Most Pregnant People Start Showing? There is a lot of variability in terms of when pregnant people begin to show....

Of course, most parents agree that limiting screen time is a good idea. It’s making it happen that is hard. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) previously recommended that kids under 2 not be exposed to screens at all and kids between 2 and 5 should be limited to one hour a day or less. But the organization has updated its advice to reflect the widespread use of media by kids and families allowing for screen time under certain situations....

Why you worry All the energy a new mother might once have put into protecting herself she now puts into protecting her baby - because it is herself, literally a physical part of her. Author (and mother) Elizabeth Stone has said that the decision to have a child is momentous because ‘‘it is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.’’ Parents enter into a contract with nature to keep that heart beating, to keep their children alive....

Reasons Why Children Hit There are several reasons why kids hit their parents. Sometimes they lash out because they don’t have the skills to manage their feelings and express them in a more socially acceptable way. They may lack the language or impulse control to cope with their feelings. They hit as a way to get their needs met, often without thinking about the consequences. Hitting can also be used as a manipulation tool....