Pregnancy&Newborn

Jerry O'Connell welcomes two new women into his life

What's in a name?

You (and your baby) are what you eat

The latest study suggests exposure to fats known as triglycerides from the mother's diet can cause the fetus to have more brain cells specialized to produce appetite-stimulating hormones, and that the effect then lasts throughout the offspring's life.

A good excuse to go cyber-shopping this weekend

Fertility Waters?

Something's fishy...

Is fish too high in mercury? Is it safe to eat when you're pregnant? Conflicting reports can be confusing and make you eliminate ocean-dwellers altogether from your diet. But a recent study suggests that mothers who don't eat fish at all for safety concerns could be missing important nutrients for themselves and their baby. Here is the list of fish that have the highest levels of mercury and should be avoided: swordfish, shark, bluefin mackerel, tilefish and tuna. All others, check with your doctor, and then eat up!

Meet the twins!

We don't have $14 million (and if we did, I don't know that we'd buy a photo with it) but People does! Check out Angie and Brad's new twins here. And is it just us or is Shiloh a darn cute toddler (upper right corner of the cover)???

How do they do it?

Is it just us or do celeb moms get in back in shape after birth much quicker than us regular folks? We dug deep and finally found one of their tricks! It's the Belly Bandit, and it's a favorite of super-fit new moms like Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, and Tori Spelling. A comfy compression belly wrap, the Bandit is designed to reduce the swelling of the uterus, decrease bloating caused by water retention, support the legs and back and provide additional support for breast feeding moms. To check it out go to www.bellybandit.com

Move it to lose it

Yeah, we know finding time to exercise is tough, but if you want to lose that baby weight and keep it off, you should be exercising at least 55 minutes a day, five days a week, according to a new study from the University of Pittsburgh. Get out that jogging stroller and make a daily walking date with other new moms in your neighborhood. At-home dvds are great too!

Hold The Nuts!

Craving peanut butter? Once in a while is fine, but don't make it a daily habit during pregnancy. New research in the Netherlands found that expectant mothers who eat nuts and nut products on a daily basis increase their children's risk of developing asthma by nearly 50 percent. No need to panic if you have an affinity for all things nutty, though. Nuts are part of a healthy balanced diet and lead study author Dr. Saskia M. Willers adds, "It's too early to make recommendations of avoidance. It's important for pregnant women to eat healthily, and what is true for many foods is that too much is never good."

Keep Them Moving

A new study from the University of California San Diego found that as children age, they become less active, with less than a third meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines by the time they are 15 years old. With childhood obesity on the rise, it's an even better excuse to take that family hiking trip or sign the kids up for swim lessons.

Breastfeeding rates skyrocket

According to the latest survey from the CDC, the percentage of mothers in the U.S. who breastfeed their children is higher than ever. Today, about 77 percent of moms report breastfeeding their children for some length of time. This number is up from 60 percent in 1993-1994. Experts attribute this increase to campaigns emphasizing the benefits-such as increased protection against disease and childhood obesity-of breast milk over formula. While figures have risen in every racial category, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher is especially pleased at the dramatic increase in the African-American community (from 36 percent in 1993-1994 up to 65 percent today), historically the group with the lowest breast-feeding rates.

Bugs? Sometimes a good thing!

Not all critters are bad, according to NYU researchers. A new study found that helicobacter pylori, a long-time microbial inhabitant of the human stomach that leads to peptic ulcers and stomach cancer in adults may actually protect children between 3 and 13 from developing asthma, if they carry the bug.