What Is a Placenta? The placenta attaches to the wall of the uterus during pregnancy. It provides vital nutrients and oxygen to your baby through the umbilical cord. There are two sides to the placenta: the fetal side (known as chorion) and the maternal side (known as decidua). The average placenta weighs around one pound, is about 20 centimeters in diameter, and is about three centimeters thick. If you have twins or multiples, there may be one large placenta that the twins share, or separate placentas, one for each baby....

If your approach to parenting is less about structure, routine, and rules and more about going with the flow and following your child’s lead, you may be a jellyfish parent. If this sounds a lot like your upbringing, you may have been raised by one. Floating along through life and wiggling through the hard stuff is what jellyfish are all about, but is this the best approach to raising your children?...

You know you want to be more involved in your child’s school, but you aren’t sure what the PTA, the PTO, or the PTSA is. Are they the same thing? Why so many different acronyms? What does this mean for you and your child’s school? Almost every school has a parent-teacher organization. Knowing which one your child’s school has tells you about that school’s organization. Many of these differences are subtle at the local parent level—you may not notice a difference until you take on an officer or other leadership position....

Do I have to stave off drinking completely? Is it OK to breastfeed right after a glass of wine? Will enjoying a margarita harm my baby? Should I pump and dump? We consulted the latest science and expert recommendations to give you the answers you need. How Much Is It Safe to Drink? The American Academy of Pediatrics does not tell nursing mothers they must give up alcohol completely. Instead, they advise that the “ingestion of alcoholic beverages should be minimized or limited to an occasional intake to no more than 0....

If your child is overwhelmed by homework, you can help them by examining their habits to find the source of homework trouble. Once you have identified the root of the problem, you can guide your child to a solution. 1) Find Out How Much Time Your Child Should Be Spending on Homework While there are no set rules on exactly how much homework a child should have, there are some guidelines to help you decide if the amount of homework is too much or just right....

Overview Women are often surprised to find themselves lactating after a miscarriage. Some women find it distressing and want it to stop immediately. Others have the opposite reaction and find that it helps them better deal with their loss by either: Acknowledging the existence of the babyAllowing them to feel the weight of her loss and work through the bereavement process rather than shutting it downTurning the loss into something positive by donating milk to others in need...

Babies Cow’s milk is not appropriate for babies because it doesn’t provide enough of certain important nutrients. Before the age of 12 months, your baby should either be breastfeeding or drinking iron-fortified infant formula. In some babies, milk can even cause iron-deficiency anemia. Kids Once a child is a year old, you can introduce whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk. How much milk to offer should be discussed with your pediatrician. The amount will take into account how much solid food your child is eating....

Last year when six-year-old Larry B. wanted to quit hockey after just two turns on the ice, his parents argued about what to do. Larry’s mother shrugged and said she’d ask the league for a refund; Larry’s father insisted his son keep trying. For a few more weeks, they put up with Larry’s whining. His skates were too tight, the coach was mean, and the drills were boring. “He has to learn that you don’t just sail out on the ice the first time and score a winning goal,” his father protested....

What Is Vision Screening? Beginning at three years of age, children should have a formal test of their vision. Prior to this, younger children’s vision can be assessed by observation of how they fixate and track objects and the history of the child’s parents. Visual milestones for infants include being able to follow an object to midline in the first 2 to 6 weeks, past midline by 1 to 3 months and follow an object 180 degrees by 3 to 5 months....

More: The 8 Best Convertible Cribs Bassinet or Crib? Your baby can start off in a crib, or you can first use a bassinet and then have her graduate to a crib once she outgrows her bassinet or is sleeping for longer stretches at a time. In the first few weeks and months it can be easiest to keep your baby nearby in a bassinet, because she frequently wakes up to eat....

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life had the scene nearly perfect when they let everyone come in the room, but tell the father, “Only people involved with the birth allowed…” In truth, most hospitals and birth centers are not this bad, but there are still some out there with strict protocols about who can attend the birth of your baby. People Who Are Typically in the Room Here is a brief introduction to potential attendees to your birth....

Start your trip with this game and award prizes that will give your children something to do while you travel. Five index cards per player Pen or pencil Children’s trivia games and schoolbooks (optional) Supply of prizes like coins, marbles, playing cards, small toys, markers, books, and/or snacks Directions

This seems like a happy story—and it is. But if I hadn’t internalized mountains of “you better get on it before it’s too late” advice, I would have saved myself a lot of anxiety during an already physically and emotionally fraught period. Just seeing the words “elderly primigravida”—AKA elderly first pregnancy-on my medical forms made my toes curl. These types of terms are not only offensive to birthing people over 35, but also not always accurate in pinpointing medical problems....

Why do we do this? One of the principles of early childhood education is teaching children to play well together, which many parents assume means teaching their kids to share. But, what is the goal of teaching our kids to share? Do we think teaching our kids to share will help them fit in? Do we want to train our kids to grow up into generous people by meeting the needs of others?...