The Centers for Disease Control has reported that nearly 40% of the babies born in the US in 2007 were from single moms.  This is a 26% increase since 2002, with a number that has more than doubled since 1980. 

Of these unmarried mothers, the majority were in their 20’s and 30’s.  Some believe this may be due to the fact that there is less of a stigma attached to unmarried mothers.  Furthermore, many couples are waiting to be wed while some single women are choosing to become mothers.  Do you think that unmarried Hollywood moms are influencing young women across America?

It was around 2 a.m. when Ariana’s mother Catherine woke up realizing that although she wasn’t due for two more weeks, “the time had arrived.”  She woke her husband, telling him it was time to go to the hospital.  But her baby wasn’t waiting, so her husband left the room to call 911.  Four minutes later he came back to his wife and new little baby girl. 

For the short while he was away, Catherine had delivered a beautiful baby girl!  Little Ariana weighted 6 lb, 12 oz, and just couldn’t wait to tell her Mommy, “Happy Mother’s Day!”

2008 Top Ten Baby Names

The mother was 33 weeks pregnant when her SUV pulled up to the hospital.  The staff raced equipment down to the street while mom cried out in the truck’s seat.  But it was too late to make it inside.  With her legs facing Fifth Avenue and Central Park, Elizabeth delivered a four pound, thirteen ounce baby girl! 

Onlookers cheered, while others asked if Mom was OK.  Both are doing well, despite the sweet baby’s early New York arrival!

The winner of the cute hair beader from our April Giveaway is Bunny!  Congrats!   Our next giveaway will be announced in about a week, so stay tuned!

It would have been helpful during my first child’s birth to know what I knew by the third. Here are the top fifteen things I learned during the three births that might have helped me on my first. 

1. Do not show up to the hospital and immediately lie down in the bed.  Walking and staying upright helps your baby to arrive sooner.  Gravity is your very best friend!  Walk, walk, walk and walk!
2. The birthing ball can be your best friend too. It relieves a great deal of pressure during your labor.
3. It’s OK if you have an “accident” during labor. It is natural, and the staff sees it every day. 
4. Self hypnosis DOES work.  Prepare months before you are due. Make a scene in your head that makes you happy.  Then play it back during childbirth.  I was waltzing with my amazing husband.
5. Sometimes all the things you plan to use in the birthing room just stay in the bag.  Don’t over-pack.
6. Have lots of munchies for the time after your baby is born.  You may be absolutely starving and be hours away from a hospital-served meal.
7. If you do not urinate following the birth, make sure every nurse caring for you knows!
8. You bounce back much faster if you do not get an epidural.  BUT.. I had an epidural with my second, and it was a very relaxing birth. It is a personal decision, and only you know what is best.
9. Ask for lots of help during your first two weeks of breastfeeding. Once you get through those, it is smooth sailing and amazingly rewarding and healthy.
10. You pay for everything in the baby’s bassinet, so be sure to take it all home.
11. If your baby screams all night, talk to your pediatrician about food allergies and reflux. Do not accept a “colic” diagnosis.
12. Ask your friends and family to call before visiting.  You might be in the mood for company, and you might not!
13. Chapstick rocks!
14. It’s wonderful to have your baby in your room, but if you need sleep, it’s OK to ask for a break.  If you are breastfeeding, just be sure the nursery knows to bring your baby in at mealtime.
15. If you have your panties on and your baby arrives quickly, the baby can actually “trampoline” right back in to you! Take off those panties! (But that is an entirely different story!)

Have you had your first baby yet?  What tips do you have for expectant mothers?