(Crossposted, I hope.) Oh boy. This gets really complicated. The MS AFP is 5MoM and the AF AFP is 16MoM, but on ultrasounds the baby appears to be healthy. The simple answer is that MS AFP and AF AFP are *screening* tests. Some authorities even suggest dropping them, if ultrasound exams are...

THE F CRIME DEBATE - THE F'ers WON'T DEBATE! According to the Protect Our Water Alliance/POWA petition: 1. In 2001 the Association for Science in the Public Interest (ASIPI), which has no position on fluoridation, invited proponents and critics of fluoridation to discuss current issues. ASIPI...

Okay ladies, I need your input and expertise. I need to buy new sippy cups, and I want to know what kind you and your toddlers like, and why. We've been using Avent bottles with handles and the sippy cup nipples, which I like in theory. It sure made the transition from bottle to sippy...

CORD CLAMPING HORROR (PART 2): WHAT IS AMY'S AGENDA? PREGNANT WOMEN By immediately clamping umbilical cords, OBs are temporarily (surgically) asphyxiating babies and robbing them of up to 50% of their blood volume. This OB horror is being visited upon EVERY CESAREAN BABY, according to George...

Hi All We've been for our first scan this morning. Everything is progressing = normally even though they feel my dates are wrong and I am not AS=20 pregnant as they first thought. They ignored that fact I KNOW they exact = date this child was conceived, but hey I'm just a mum what do I know...

Good news first: I got my period this weekend, in spite of taking 2x 100mg prometrium (progesterone) as a vaginal suppository. So I guess my body knows what it's at, in spite of the additional hormones. Bad news: I'm not preggers this round, but I knew that. Weird enough, I felt pregnant for 5...

Katie Jaques wrote: Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and wishes. I knew you would all want to know about Barbara's condition. Most certainly!! Thanks Katie! I am thrilled to know she is doing so well so soon, it can only be a good sign. You must all still be feeling shaky from the...

I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and find out on Wednesday if I need to go on insulin. According to the obstetrician (sp?), if I go on insulin (which she thinks is highly likely), they will want to induce me at 37 weeks. (I'm now coming up to 34 weeks) I wanted to have as natural a...

Warning: if you are anxious about spotting or weird feelings during pregnancy, you may want to skip this post. It will definitely not make you feel any better. Sorry. The u/s did not show what it was supposed to at almost 11w: there was no foetus, just an empty uterus with a gestational sac,...

I could check out RHF, but I'm wondering if anyone here has any good jokes to share. I just got robbed and I'm feeling rather bitchy, bitter, and plain ****ed off. I could use a little cheering up. Don't worry, the damage is minimal, but *emotionally*... I'm very very very ****ed off. This has...

Well....it all started at 11pm on Thursday night with little regular twinges in my back and tummy. By 12 they were quick regular and getting painful. I talked to my midwife and gave her the heads up. At 1am I phoned her back and asked her to come and hang out at my house as the contractions were...

Hiya, I was wondering when is it safe to take a few hour trips with a new born? My wife is due in Nov and were thinking about dribing down to Central CA. We are in Central WA. Its about a 18 hr non stop drive down. Do you think that it is wise or we should wait a while longer? Thanks for...

It appears as though I'm pregnant. About a year or so earlier then planned but I'm thrilled none the less. :-) Very newly pregnant. I've never known this early so I'm sure time will drag! We aren't telling anyone for a long time yet IRL but I can't keep it totally secret, lol. It was a very...

Hi; Does anyone have a good diaper disposal system? The diaper genie seems like a money eater, cause one has to buy the refills. Diaper champ seems like a better idea, cause it seems like one can just use regular garbage bags for it. Safety 1st, if the same as the diaper champ, but cheaper. I...

I know alot of people feel you want to wait until you are far enough along before you announce your pregnancy. My husband and I felt this way- we knew at 5 weeks but thought that was too early to tell. We felt VERY strongly about it- we wanted things to progress healthfully before we had...

Well, I just tested positive for group B strep. I'm 30 weeks along right now. I've done some poking around the internet and am trying not to get too worried about it, but this is what I've found so far that I should do/pay attention to: * Avoid getting my membranes stripped (which my midwives do...

This is going to be the first one where I am going to name it. I had, I guess, very little say with the other ones... I named DS1 Jonathan, his parents decided on Zachary Jonathan. I didn't mind since I had originally wanted to name him together, since we're very, very close... DS2 I had a few...

Can those of you who know about these things take a look at this site http://www.milkface.com/slingsandcarriers.asp and tell me which sling(s) you think are good? I kinda want to order from them 'cause they're local. I am not too dextrous so want something easy to use. We don't have a stroller so...

SCIENCE vs SQUATTING? (Zhang et al. 2004) See the postscript. SQUAT TO DELIVER? PREGNANT WOMEN: You do NOT have to squat to allow your birth canal to OPEN the "extra" up to 30%.

Open for opinions: The best baby-care book for new parents. Assuming, of course, that you feel that new parents even need a baby-care book, but I'm a book person and my husband is a librarian, so we're probably going to end up with something, in any case. Anyone have any suggestions? Books you've...