A free, monthly newsletter with a roundup of the best the internet has to offer about mom-to-be and baby.

Pregnancy

Singing to the baby in utero

Penny Simkin presents Singing to the Baby

Food safety for moms-to-be: While you're pregnant – Listeria

Listeria: Frequently Asked Questions - "What is Listeria monocytogenes?" It's a harmful bacterium that can be found in refrigerated, ready-to- eat foods (meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy - unpasteurized milk and milk products or foods made with unpasteurized milk)

Birth

Labour Pain

For many pregnant women, concerns about labour pain are second only to concerns about their baby's health and well-being. However, women's labour pain experiences are often quite different from other experiences of physical pain. Labour pain doesn’t have to involve suffering. In fact, working through your labour can bring a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Choosing the Right Music for Labour and Birth

How to Pick the Perfect Birthing Songs for Your Pregnancy Playlist. When asked what music is best for labour, most women and men will give you answers that entail soft selections, peaceful and calming music or nature sounds. While these might be great for some women, they are not perfect for others.

Breastfeeding

Learning to breastfeed

How can I prepare for breastfeeding before I give birth? To prepare for breastfeeding, the most important thing you can do is have confidence in yourself and to plan ahead. Committing to breastfeeding starts with the belief that you can do it!

The process of lactation

The process of lactation actually starts in the foetal period of the mother as a baby.

Skin to Skin

Your baby expects what? – You must be joking!

Everything in life comes with an instruction manual or almost everything. Yes babies unfortunately don’t have a manual, nor do they have an on or off button. Moms expect to parent the way they were parented – yet there are so many different parenting styles. But what does a baby know about parenting styles and what is the babies expectations. Is it instinctive or is it learned?

Parenting

Brain Development

A child’s brain undergoes an amazing period of development from birth to three - producing 700 new neural connections every second.

Swaddling: Is it Safe?

New parents often learn how to swaddle their infant from the nurses in the hospital. A blanket wrapped snuggly around your baby’s body can resemble the mother’s womb and help soothe your newborn baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that when done correctly, swaddling can be an effective technique to help calm infants and promote sleep. But if you plan to swaddle your infant at home, you need to follow a few guidelines to make sure you are doing it safely.

Inspiration

What Is the True Meaning of Inspiration?

When we think about inspiration, what inspires us most are ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. We appreciate when someone has the ability and willingness to be selfless, creative, innovative, or just dares to be different.

Humour

20 fun, silly, development-boosting games to play with your baby.

A few notes for the novice baby-entertainer: Repetition is important. Many games won't work the first time you play them. Your baby's attention span will vary a lot, depending on his age, his temperament, and his mood. Sometimes he'll enjoy a game for as long as 20 minutes, but more often you'll need to modify the game every five minutes or so.