While the majority of pregnancies occur in hospital settings, it is becoming increasingly popular for families to request home births.

With certified nurse-midwives attending more than 306,000 births in 2005, the most recent data available, the American College of Nurse-Midwives strongly supports home births as an alternative for low risk pregnancies.

As the college says, “Every family has a right to experience childbirth within a context that respects cultural variation, human dignity, and self-determination.”

This story out of India makes me wonder how old it too old for children? One of the twins was apparently conceived through in vitro fertilization.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ActiveAging...

How old do you think is too old to be a parent? Would you have children at 72?

I have a 6 year old nephew that is INCREDIBLY hyperactive, to the point where he can not pay attention, or listen to instructions given by his parents or other family members.

How do you know when a child has ADD or ADHD, vs. just being "hyperactive" and a normal kid. He has more energy then other children his same age (and MUCH more energy then his family members!)

NEW YORK (AP) — Ricki Lake is firing back at physicians groups that have singled her out for bringing attention to at-home childbirth.

The 39-year-old former talk-show host is named in a recent statement by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that says the home is not the safest setting for having a baby.

In her film "The Business of Being Born," a documentary about the maternity care system that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Lake is shown giving birth in the bathtub of her Manhattan apartment to her second son Owen, who turns 7 on Wednesday.

FRIDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Many parents leave their tweens home alone for an extended period of time, even though they are not confident these 11- to 13-year-olds have the knowledge or skills to stay safe, a new poll finds.

Do you allow your toddler to watch TV or videos?

According to the American Academy of Pediatricians (www.aap.org), it not recommended for toddlers 2 years or younger to watch ANY television or video, as they are unclear if it harms any of their development.

However, I've noticed a surge of "baby einstein" and related "educational" videos for parents to purchase for their tots to help their development (or, so says the advertising).

What do you think? How much TV and/or videos is okay for toddlers, whether it is "educational" or not?

NEW YORK - The percentage of underweight babies born in the U.S. has increased to its highest rate in 40 years, according to a new report that also documents a recent rise in the number of children living in poverty.

The data on low birth weights is worrisome because such babies — those born at less than 5.5 pounds — are at greater risk of dying in infancy or experiencing long-term disabilities.

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I am the mother of three young children. Motherhood hasn't exactly come easily to me. Some of this may have to do with my personality, but most of it has to do with being extremely under supported by the community and culture in which I live.

I just found a link about a test run on the BPA levels in canned food. Turns out the concern comes from the lining in the cans. The most concerning levels were found in canned chicken soup, infant formula, and ravioli.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/...

Did you see this story about Tori Spelling eating yogurt while pregnant?

Is it really that bad? What do you know?

Why is Baskin-Robbins trotting out Tori Spelling to push its new line of soft-serve ice cream on other pregnant women when soft-serve is a known taboo for preggo women?