Before you pick what goes on your registry, you have to choose a store to host your registry. Sometimes picking a store seems harder than choosing the right stroller. Here are some things to remember when selecting the right store to build your registry.

First of all, think about your shower’s guest list. Where do they live? Are they willing to travel? It is important to choose a store that your guests will easily be able to get to. A registry won’t do any good if the people who are shopping don’t even have access to it. You also want to take your guests’ budgets into consideration. You may love the selection at that classy little boutique, but will your guests be able to afford anything on the registry? On the other hand, if you have some big spenders on your list, they might not want to shop at their local discount store for that perfect layette set. Accommodate the largest group as much as possible without completely compromising your taste. Another solution: start two registries. Register for basics at the discount store and your favorites at the higher end store. Guests can then choose which store they want to shop at. The only downside is if everyone flocks to one store or the other and you end up missing quite a few items that you need.

Consider the store’s return policy. Chances are you will receive duplicates or will change your mind about an item once you get it home. If your registry is hosted at a store with a difficult return policy, you might be out of luck!

How big of a selection does the store have? Many stores carry baby items, but not all of these carry everything you will need. Make sure the store has more than just cute clothes, toys and nursery décor.

Can you edit your registry online? If so, this is a big perk for when certain items are discontinued or recalled, or if you just change your mind about what you want. You don’t want to have to go back to the store every time you need to change, remove or add an item.

If you can’t choose a store, or if it isn’t practical, you can also create a global registry online, like MyRegistry.com. These online registries are tied to multiple stores, so guests can look at one centralized registry, but have the option of shopping at any of the available stores.

Many women will find out they are pregnant and begin to “show” within days or weeks. Sometimes this symptom, which may also show up before a menstrual period, is one of the clues that lead a woman to take a pregnancy test in the first place. This early bump has nothing to do with the baby or the growing uterus, which is still hiding behind the pelvic bone; it is the dreaded pregnancy bloat. Bloating often arrives with its close cousins, burping and flatulence. Lovely, isn’t it?

Bloating is not exclusive to pregnancy. For example, it is a classic symptom of overeating and irritable bowel syndrome. When you’re pregnant, progesterone slows digestion to make sure more nutrients are absorbed and passed onto the baby. The digestive system doesn’t keep up with your intake, and just like with overeating, the result is bloating and gas. The bloating can even be severe enough that you may have to undo the top button on your jeans. It can be pretty uncomfortable.

There are some things you can do to minimize bloating. Eating smaller meals throughout the day, rather than larger meals three times a day, can give your system the time it needs to digest your food. You should also avoid foods that cause gas, such as cabbage, broccoli, potatoes, beans, bananas, prunes, fried foods, onions and cheese. (Which foods cause gas may vary from person to person.) Avoid drinking carbonated beverages. Drinking plenty of water makes it easier for you to digest your food and flushes out excess sodium, which causes your body to retain fluids and makes bloating even worse.

To make yourself more comfortable, put on a pair of sweatpants with a soft, wide waistband and wear them low on your hips. Before you know it, the bloat will be replaced with a firm, round baby belly and you’ll be feeling “full” for an entirely different reason. In the meantime, think of it this way: at least your bloat doesn’t kick you hard in the ribs, right?

What could be more relaxing for a pregnant woman than a day at the spa (or a spa day at home)? You may be wondering what to enjoy and what to skip when it comes to pampering your pregnant body. Here is a guide to baby-friendly treatments.

Facial
If you’re not satisfied with the pregnancy glow, or lack thereof, a facial can be a relaxing and refreshing treat. If you visit a spa, let them know you are pregnant (if it’s not obvious) and they will adjust their treatments if necessary. If you’re doing your own facial, stick with natural ingredients and avoid the use of chemicals like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Be careful with herbal ingredients as well; it only takes a moment to look up an unfamiliar ingredient online.

Mani/Pedi
In a well ventilated area, it is okay to use polish. You may run into trouble in the third trimester if you are trying to paint your toenails, however. If you get a pedicure at a spa, make sure the technician does not massage your ankles, as there are pressure points that can induce contractions. Some spas offer pedicures especially for pregnant women, it might be wise to choose one of these since it is likely their technicians have been trained for prenatal services.

Massage
Massages should be avoided unless you have permission from your doctor. The body is full of pressure points and several are known to stimulate the uterus which can lead to preterm contractions. Many spas offer prenatal massages, which do not require the pregnant woman to lie on her stomach and avoid those pressure points. Some spas may require approval from your doctor for prenatal massages.

Hair Color
Whether or not hair color is safe during pregnancy is very much debated. To be safe, avoid permanent hair color during the first trimester, and if possible, stick with natural hair color or highlights (since chemicals do not sit on the scalp.) You may also want to book your appointment during slow hours to cut down on fumes. Be aware that pregnancy hormones may affect how your hair responds to various treatments and you may not get the results you want.

I am thinking about belly buttons tonight: specifically, belly buttons and their unique relationship with pregnancy. Our navels go through so much during pregnancy. They are stretched, flattened, and turned inside out to the point that some of them never fully recover. Ever since I had my son, my belly button looks sad. The section of skin above the belly button (the part that is often pierced) droops slightly over my “innie” like a frown. I laugh at it, actually. It is just one of my “mommy badges” that I carry proudly.

You probably never gave your belly button much thought before it started poking through your maternity shirt. Your belly button is actually a scar, caused by cutting the umbilical cord. Everyone’s navel shape depends on how it healed. Even twins have different belly buttons. (That may be the only way you can tell them apart sometimes!)

But what goes on behind the belly button? Have you ever wondered what happened to the other end of the umbilical cord? The umbilical vessels, which once carried essential nutrients and removed waste, shrivel up and turn into several ligaments that are attached to various organs on the inside, such as the liver (that is where the round ligament of the liver originates). You may have already suspected this considering their presence is quite evident when you tug at your belly button. One of these ligaments, called the median umbilical ligament, is attached to the bladder, which is why many people will experience the sensation that they need to urinate if they pull on their navel. (Are you trying it? Put your finger in your belly button and tug it to the right and left. Feel that? Now go up to your husband and tug on his for a laugh.)

Believe it or not, there are some signs of pregnancy that may show up before a HPT will give a positive test result. For example, some women might experience a very small amount of spotting when the embryo implants in the lining of the uterus. The problem with these very early pregnancy signs is the fact that they can be attributed to any number of other things. In retrospect, one could look back and say, “oh yeah, I was so tired because I was pregnant.” However, symptoms like fatigue are so common and caused by so many different things, there’s just no way to confirm it. There is no symptom that is exclusive to pregnancy other than, perhaps, a growing bump. And even that can be attributed to bloating, tumors growing in the reproductive area, etc. If you really want to get technical, the only way to 100% confirm a pregnancy is to view the baby’s beating heart on an ultrasound. If you really want to be practical, though, a combination of all the classic symptoms is a fairly reliable indication of pregnancy. But that’s beside the point, the question that nearly every woman who is trying to conceive wants to know is, “how soon can I find out?”

I’ve told you about the two week wait, sometimes abbreviated on forums as 2WW. Women are always looking for ways to turn that two week wait into a one week wait or a ten day wait. There are so many old wives’ tales and theories surrounding the topic of early pregnancy detection. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about women finding out they were pregnant through intuition. Is it really possible? Some swear it is. It’s not just women either, it’s the companies catering to those pursuing parenthood as well. You’ve probably read about First Response’s new early detection test by now. Everyone is always trying to find out one day sooner.

I’m staging my own little protest. I am protesting my own impatience, the tendency to test every morning beginning at 8 or 9 days past ovulation, and the mind games that come along with it. I don’t want to over analyze every little thing. I want to prove to myself that I am able to be patient and not allow the TTC process to drive me crazy. The next time around I am purposefully not going to officially “try.” I’m hoping that chasing around a little toddler will distract me from the manic behavior of trying to get pregnant. I am not going to chart my symptoms. I don’t want to find out via means of a home pregnancy test. I am going to allow myself to be totally and completely surprised by the news.

In my ideal scenario, I will wake up one morning sick to my stomach and think I have the flu. Then the flu will not go away. Then my pants will suddenly get really tight and I won’t make it through a whole day without a nap, and that is when the light bulb will go off. Then, without peeing on a stick, I will confidently announce to my husband that we are pregnant, and after a few weeks I will visit my doctor only to find out I am already eight weeks along, past the scary part of pregnancy and just seven months away from meeting my joy instead of eight and a half. Then I will not tell anyone. I will wait for someone to notice I am forming a bulge. It will be the fun little secret between me and my husband. I will secretly laugh at the way they keep staring and wait for someone to finally get up the nerve to ask. It will be fun to say “why yes… I am.” Hey, celebrities do it all the time… why can’t I?

According to recent research to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto this April, drinking four glasses of milk a day during pregnancy can lower the child’s risk of MS later in life by over fifty percent. Vitamin D, which is also found in salmon and fortified foods like cereal, is responsible. Milk is the easiest way to get the recommended amount of Vitamin D, making it an essential part of a pregnant woman’s diet. In fact, low birth weight has been linked to under consumption of milk during pregnancy. Do you drink enough?

Milk was one of my main cravings during pregnancy. I would sometimes drink between 32 and 48 ounces in a single day. Especially at night, a few hours after dinner, the craving would strike. I would run to the fridge, fill up a 16oz glass with milk, chug it, fill the glass again, and sip it slowly while watching TV. (Don’t worry; I have since put a stop to my dairy extremism.) I know that not every woman enjoys milk as much as I did during pregnancy, however, so here are some alternative ways to include it in your diet:

• *Eat cereal with milk. Choose a cereal that is fortified with vitamin D for added benefit.
• *When making hot chocolate, mix the powder with hot milk rather than boiling water.
• *Add a few tablespoons of chocolate or strawberry syrup to your glass for a sweet treat.
• *Add a few spoonfuls of honey to a mug of hot milk and stir. It reminds me of a Chai Tea Latte – it’s very good!
• *Prepare your oatmeal with milk instead of water.
• *Condensed tomato soup is creamier when it’s mixed with milk.
• *Enjoy a smoothie: mix frozen fruit of your choice with a cup of milk. It makes a great breakfast drink.

Half the battle of eating healthy while you are expecting is figuring out what to buy and what to cook. Many of us are all too familiar with the interior of the grocery store: skillet meals, frozen dinners, boxed meals, canned lunch, cereal, pasta mixes and other prepackaged foods make up a large part of our American diet. We may take a detour through the produce section for onions or a head of iceberg lettuce, but most of us wouldn’t know where to begin if we were restricted to the perimeter of the store; and yet that is where healthy eating begins.

Your skillet is your best friend. The easiest way to add wholesome veggies to your diet without inducing a gag reflex is to master the art of stir-fry. There are so many combinations and ways to eat stir-fry. The first step is always the same: heat up a small amount of EVOO in a large pan. From there, it all depends on your taste. If you’re not one to chop all your veggies from scratch, frozen veggies are the next best thing. Best of all, they come in a variety of blends that cater perfectly to different dishes. One of my favorites is the Asian medley. Once the veggies are cooked, I like to add a few cups of cooked rice and I crack a few eggs to make vegetable fried rice. I also like combining a fajita blend with chopped chicken to be served in a whole wheat tortilla with fresh lettuce and mashed avocado.

To bring out their sweetness, try tossing chopped vegetables in a small amount of oil and seasonings and roasting them in the oven. They go really well with baked chicken.

Fruits are even easier than vegetables, since you don’t need to cook them. If you are not sure how to open or cut a certain fruit, you are certain to find video instructions on You Tube!

For snacks, reach for a cup of low fat yogurt instead of potato chips. Reduced fat string cheese is another great option. Curb your sweet tooth with chocolate covered frozen bananas or frozen fruit bars that are made with 100% fruit and fruit juice.

Remember, you are not just feeding yourself, you are providing nutrition for your baby as well, so healthy eating is important. Try to stick to the outside perimeter of the grocery store when you do your shopping. Use fresh ingredients as much as possible and limit your use of sugar or salt when flavoring foods. Always ask yourself the question, would I feed this to my baby?

In the midst of a debate over the best way to lower teen pregnancy rates, whether it is through teaching abstinence or informing teens about the risks of sexually transmitted diseases and methods of birth control, the story of an eleven-year-old girl giving birth to a baby, to me screams, “neither is working!” The fact is, teachers can preach and teach until they are blue in the face, but until parents take initiative in teaching their own children about sex, teen pregnancy is not going anywhere.

Teens are constantly being bombarded with images of teen sexuality in television, movies, books and magazines. When a teen girl walks into a department store, the racks are full of sexy clothes. Every woman knows that putting on a sexy outfit is going to make her feel sexy, and feeling sexy generally leads to other activities that typically lead to… sex. Surprise! Isn’t that the entire idea behind looking sexy? Teens that do not understand this may be able to slide a condom onto a banana, but they do not know the first thing about sex.

Teens are also being bombarded with heated warnings about the terrible consequences of sex: pregnancy, disease, etc. But unless they respect the messenger, they will automatically file this information in their “won’t happen to me” folder. In the teen years, this folder is virtually overflowing with 98% of all possible negative consequences of every choice they make. The only way to avoid getting thrown in the bin with everything else teens ignore, the message of sexuality and its proper time and use needs to come from someone who has been there from the beginning and understands the listener. Parents, even when they feel like they are not getting through, are still the most influential people in a teen’s life.

Parents should speak from personal experience. Avoid the cliché reasons to wait to have sex. They have heard it all. Speak directly from the heart about why it is important to you that your teen abstain. Don’t wait until it is too late. They need a rock solid foundation from which to make their decisions before the decisions need to be made. Draw the line far, far way from sex. Talk to your teen about the importance of dressing appropriately. Explain that sex does not truly begin at intercourse; it starts with an attitude. Actions that seem innocent in themselves are actually a slippery slope that leads to ground where it is too difficult for most to step back and say “no.” Don’t reduce sex to how it is portrayed in media, a single act of lust without consequences. It is an important part of a committed martial relationship and the beginning of families. It is a special union to be treasured, not a prize to be flaunted or won. When teens begin to focus on the value and importance of sex, rather than the negative consequences, and they understand how much their parents care about the choices they make; that is when teen pregnancy rates will decline for good. Teens naturally reject the notion of negative consequences, but they do strongly value their relationships. Parents need to bank on this and stop relying on other authorities to keep their teens out of the labor and delivery ward.

You’ve heard the saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Ben Franklin said those wise words and they still hold true today, especially when it comes to pregnancy. For example, we all know the importance of taking our prenatal vitamins, doing Kegels in the checkout line (or anywhere you remember), getting good prenatal care and taking childbirth classes. It’s always better to catch something before it becomes a problem. Preparation is key in pregnancy.

Prevention is the driving force behind screening. We screen for gestational diabetes. We screen for anemia. We screen for blood type. If you are pregnant or have been pregnant before, you know all about the numerous blood tests and other exams we ladies have to go through when we’re expecting. Some tests are done via ultrasound, and that is exactly the method that researchers are suggesting for determining a woman’s risk for preterm labor. A new study from the Yale School of Medicine shows that it is less expensive for all pregnant women to be screened for a short cervix, one of the leading causes of preterm labor, than it is to provide the routine care necessary for preterm babies and their moms that result from not catching this condition early on. Screening lowers the number of neonatal deaths and improves the quality of life. Cervical length screening has the potential to decrease the number of premature births. Only ten percent of preterm births involve mothers with a history of preterm labor, which is why screening could have such a big impact on the numbers.

Routine screening for a short cervix is already done for high risk pregnancies. Women who have experienced preterm labor before are considered high risk. This screening is usually done between 20 to 24 weeks gestation. If a woman is found to have a short or incompetent cervix, her doctor may put in a cerclage, essentially stitching the cervix shut until the baby can be delivered safely. Bed rest and complete pelvic rest may also be suggested.

There’s going to be a third wheel on Valentine’s Day this year and it’s not your husband’s last single friend. Your little bundle is along for the ride, even if he or she can’t see or understand what Valentine’s Day is yet, or any day for that matter. This might be your first holiday expecting or your last, either way; you’ve got two hearts beating inside of you right now. It’s just the excuse you need for double the love, double the chocolate, and double the fun! Whether you are celebrating at home or out on the town this year, make time to pamper yourself, dress up, indulge in your favorite dinner and dessert (just skip the drinks!), and enjoy a romantic evening with the love of your life. Next Valentine’s Day, dinner dates and perfect hair will be a little harder to come by…

Looking for the perfect dress for your date? This pink floral dress is just under $30 at Motherhood Maternity. Pair it with a pink cardigan and black pumps for a sophisticated and pretty look. Wear it again by layering it over a long sleeved black shell or under a denim jacket for a more casual look.

Some parts of the country are still being buried in snow, so a dress may not be practical. Pair a dressy pair of jeans in a dark wash with this dramatic ruffled blouse in plum wine from A Pea In The Pod. It’s on sale for $64.99 (originally $135).

A body scrub and a creamy moisturizer will whip your skin into shape (it’s good for that belly, too) and will make you feel almost as soft at that baby in the oven. If you’d like to make your own scrub, it’s pretty easy and inexpensive. Simply mix jojoba oil, lemon juice and an essential oil (depends on your scent preference) with a mixture of white and brown sugar until you get the desired consistency. You can also substitute apricot oil. Slather on the cocoa butter, which is excellent for itchy skin on your belly.

Looking for the perfect box of chocolates? My favorite right now is Hershey’s Pot of Gold Pecan Caramel clusters. They melt in your mouth!

So, what are you doing for Valentine’s Day this year?