Actress Dianna Agron is doing a little personal research for her upcoming birth scene on the show, “Glee.” She has been getting advice from her mom and friends about what she should do since she has never given birth in real life. What advice would you give Dianna?

Obviously she could go with the classic Hollywood birth scene. You probably know it by heart. Woman is doing something ordinary and abruptly either 1) howls in pain over her first contraction or 2) displays a look of horror on her face because her water has broken at a completely inopportune moment. Woman then exclaims, “I’m in labor!” Woman rushes to the hospital. Hours of labor are skipped. Woman is suddenly in the pushing stage of labor. She is screaming. She is sweaty. She yells at the man for impregnating her. Suddenly, a plump six-week-old baby emerges with a full head of hair and not a trace of blood. The Hollywood birth scene is dramatic and it skips everything that might be deemed “gross.”

I would like to see Dianna go with a more realistic approach. For one, she should have at least one false alarm. First time moms always think they are in labor before they are in labor. That’s because they have no idea how much real contractions hurt. (If you even have to ask, you’re not.) She should master her pushing face, because if you look pretty, you’re not doing it right. Millions of women would feel much better about themselves if she pooped on the delivery table. (Most women do, so don’t be embarrassed!) Once the baby comes out, she should start crying and whatever she says should be completely unintelligible.

Okay, I’m kidding around, but seriously, what would you have her do in the birth scene? Should she scream or stay focused? Cry or laugh afterward? What are your ideas? What was your experience like?

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease which causes inflammation in the joints and surrounding tissues. It can lead to deformities in the hands and feet, anemia, decreased range of motion, numbness and tingling, pleurisy, and other mild to severe symptoms. It is a long term disease that can be managed (but not cured) by drugs that are incompatible with a healthy pregnancy. Does that mean women who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis can’t carry a pregnancy? Fortunately, that is not the case!

Conception

The pain and discomfort associated with RA may affect a couple’s sex life and account for the fact that women suffering from RA take longer to conceive. Another explanation could be irregular ovulation. It’s debatable whether the disease itself is responsible for this phenomenon. Either way, women who have rheumatoid arthritis should still be able to conceive.

It’s extremely important, however, that women who have RA consult with their doctor before trying to get pregnant. The drugs used to treat RA can cause severe birth defects. Some of these powerful medicines need several months to get completely washed out of the body. One drug in particular, leflunomide, has an extremely long half-life and takes two years to completely leave the system. Conception requires careful planning to protect the baby from harmful side effects and complications.

Pregnancy

Some women suffering from RA worry that the disease will be harmful to their growing baby. Despite the fact that the disease is essentially attacking their own body, it does not harm the baby and it is not passed on. Pregnancy may actually improve RA symptoms in the majority of patients, which is good news considering RA patients must find alternative treatments prior to conceiving. Many women are able to quit their medications cold turkey during pregnancy. Sadly, symptoms usually return shortly after delivery.

Have you gone through a pregnancy with RA? What was your experience like?

Researchers are constantly studying pregnancy and how different lifestyles and choices impact the health of the mother and the child. A major focus is often on the food that a pregnant woman eats, whether it’s the quantity or the quality. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase,”You are what you eat,” and it’s never been more true. Recent research has led experts to believe that what you eat during your pregnancy, specifically junk food and how much of it you consume, can effect not only your daughter’s chances of getting breast cancer in the future, but her daughter’s chances as well. In effect, the brownie sundae is actually a wave that crashes through a total of three generations: you, your daughter, and your granddaughter.

Epigenetics

Epigenetics, the study of inherited changes in gene expression and their causes, offers an explanation for this phenomenon. Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center studied rats and the effects of a high fat diet during pregnancy. A high fat diet led to epigenetic changes, which then caused extra terminal end buds to grow in the breast tissue. These extra buds are linked to an increased risk for breast cancer, which is likely to develop in this type of tissue. Unfortunately it was found that these epigenetic changes were passed down two generations.

Live Well

There are so many other reasons to eat healthy during pregnancy, but this research offers yet another reason to swap that cookie for an apple. There is nothing wrong with occasional indulgences, of course. The key is balance, especially considering a certain amount of fat is essential to a healthy diet. It seems that lately more and more research has been pointing to the powerful impact that living a healthy lifestyle has on major killers like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Our lifestyles choices not only impact our own health, but that of our children as well. We should strive to eat well, sleep well, and move much throughout our lives, not just during pregnancy.

If you live in the Chicago area, you might want to head over to 77 East Randolph Street tonight for a maternity style event that will knock your panel pants off. Career fashionista Amy Tara Koch, who has two children of her own and is the trend reporter for NBC, will be hosting Fashion Focus Chicago’s “Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy into the Ultimate Style Statement,” inspired by the book of the same name. It starts at 6pm and it is FREE. Learn how to inexpensively create beautiful maternity outfits without spending a fortune. There will also be makeup artists and jewelry designers there to help you rock your glow and accessorize. Best of all, there will be free snacks. What pregnant woman doesn’t love free food?

If you can’t make it to the show, check out Amy’s book or the Bump It Up website (www.bumpitupstyle.com) which has tons of style and makeup tricks to help you look and feel great during your pregnancy. The book is backed up by the likes of Donna Karan, Kate Spade, and a dozen other celebrity stylists and designers. Where was this book when I was pregnant?

Speaking of events – this Friday marks the opening of The Back-Up Plan, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O’Loughlin. From the looks of the previews, it looks like it will be funny movie that pregnant women everywhere will appreciate.

You should also check out Heidi Klum’s maternity line at Motherhood Maternity. There are several pieces on sale right now, some as low as $9.99. Her leggings would make a cute addition to your spring wardrobe and they are only $19.98. Pair them with a $9.99 drop waist tunic and you have a trendy outfit that even your non-pregnant friends will envy.

Do you think you might be pregnant? There’s only one way to find out: take a pregnancy test! There are so many different tests to choose from, however, and at around $6-$10 each, it can get expensive. I’ve been down that road and I know that pregnancy tests are not unlike Pringles; you can’t just take one. Here is price comparison featuring popular tests you might find at your local drug store. (All prices are from Walgreens.com.)

Accu-Clear / Type: line / Price: about $4.99 per test / hcG Sensitivity: 50mIU

Clearblue Easy Digital / Type: digital / Price: about $6.66 per test / hcG Sensitivity: 50mIU

First Response Rapid Results / Type: line / Price: about $4.99 per test / hcG Sensitivity: 15-25mIU

Fact Plus One Step (with blue lines) / Type: +/- / Price: about $5.99 per test / hcG Sensitivity: 25mIU

Notice I included the hcG levels each test detects as noted by the manufacture. Actual test sensitivity may vary, even between tests of the same brand. The difference is so insignificant, however, and the importance that many women place on the test sensitivity is unwarranted. Ultimately, all tests will come up with a positive result within a day of each other if you are truly pregnant, considering your levels can double or even triple in a 24 hour period in the beginning of your pregnancy. If your test comes up negative and you still believe you are pregnant, test again the next day or a few days later.

I also want to point out that digital tests are NOT any more accurate than a line test – their only advantage is they do not give you the option of scrutinizing the strip for a faded line that isn’t there, unless, of course, you rip open the test and look at it.

In my humble opinion, I think your best option is to skip the drug store altogether and visit the Dollar Tree. There they have pregnancy tests that feature a little white cartridge and a dropper. You must pee in a cup first and then use the dropper to place four drops of urine in the well of the cartridge. Within a few minutes you’ll have your result in the form of a line (or 2, if you are pregnant). And yes, even though it’s not that important, the test is generally just as sensitive, if not more, than all of your more expensive pregnancy tests. I can speak from experience that they work, because it was a Dollar Tree test that told me I was pregnant just ten days past ovulation. That’s “four days sooner!” as the HPT companies like to say. Another more expensive test confirmed it the next day – proving the DT test was accurate. Interestingly enough, the DT test had a darker pink line than the more expensive test, indicating it might have been a little more sensitive.

New Choice (Dollar Tree) / Type: line / Price: $1 per test / hcG Sensitivity: 20mIU

Think of all the money you could save by switching to these cheap $1 tests. No, they are not as pretty or flashy as the digital tests, but do you really care? (If you do, that’s okay.)

When I was pregnant I kept having the most terrifying dream. I was on the delivery table in the hospital. Bright lights were shining down on me and the doctors and nurses were scurrying around as I prepared to give birth. I sat up enough to see the top of the baby’s head emerge, covered in dark hair. Suddenly, the child’s hands crept up around his head. The fingers had claws and he used them to pull himself out, exposing his monstrous face and gnashing teeth. He started biting me and growling, scaring the nurses and the doctors. One of the doctors yelled, “we have to kill it now! Now!” In the dream, I screamed and cried in fear. Then I always woke up, my heart racing and my chest tight with panic. I felt utterly disturbed, but I wondered: was this dream symbolic of my labor fears? I set out to learn the meaning behind my awful dream.

During pregnancy, increased amounts of progesterone can make dreams much more vivid. It’s possible that my hormones combined with my fear of complications during delivery led to my terrible nightmare. The baby’s sharp claws and teeth could have represented the pain of a tear or episiotomy, something I was dreading. Dreaming about giving birth to a monster could also have reflected deep seated fears about having a baby with severe health problems or birth defects. If I gave birth to a baby with visible birth defects, would I react in fear like I did in the dream? Perhaps, the meaning was a little more practical. At the time, I was very concerned about unnecessary interventions. The doctor’s orders to “kill it now!” could have been a symbol of my fear that hospital staff would take action “against” my baby without my permission. I questioned how much control I would have over my delivery, and my fear of being helpless was definitely reflected in the dream.

Have you ever had a strange dream or a nightmare about your pregnancy? What was it about? What do you think it meant?

It’s an experience no mother wants to go through: your child eats one of the most common foods found in sandwiches and cookies all over the country and suddenly their little body reacts violently with hives, runny nose, or in the worst case, a swollen tongue and airway, which can lead to choking and ultimately, death. A combination of these symptoms in the severest form along with a sudden drop in blood pressure is called anaphylactic shock. How something as common and seemingly mild as peanuts can cause a life threatening allergic reaction in a child is shocking and a little unsettling, especially when you’re suddenly confronted with the reality that you may have played a part in causing it. Is it really true that eating too much of a common allergen like peanuts during pregnancy can actually lead to a peanut allergy in the child? That was the topic for discussion at my son’s latest checkup, just a week after his first contact with peanut butter, and his first major allergic reaction which landed him with hives covering his whole body, a runny nose, sneezing and about 24 hours of itching and irritation.

Craving Peanut Butter

When I was pregnant, one of my biggest cravings was a triple-decker, overstuffed peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When the pediatrician mentioned the possibility of triggering an allergy during my pregnancy, I instantly thought of all those times at work when I would sit at my desk with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon.

Can You Reduce Your Chances?

What causes the allergy is unknown, though we do know these allergies tend to be passed down in families. According to the March of Dimes, recent studies have not found a link between a pregnant woman’s consumption of peanut products and peanut allergies in her children. It is not understood why the number of peanut allergy cases has increased so much in recent decades. I think it’s safe to say that eating peanut butter during pregnancy will not give your child a peanut allergy, but if you already have children with a peanut allergy, it might be a good idea to avoid peanut products.

You may have also heard the recommendation that you should delay introduction of peanut products to children until age 3 or 4, but again, recent studies have not found a reduction in allergies in correlation with this delay. In fact, a higher incidence of allergies is found among children who did not consume any peanut products during infancy or early childhood. More research is needed to confirm and explain these findings.

In Conclusion

Whether or not eating peanut butter or other peanut products during pregnancy is safe for the child is still up for debate. Most experts agree that you should avoid peanut products if there is a peanut allergy in the family, because the child may already be predisposed to an allergy. On the same token, there is no proof that eating too much peanut butter will lead to an allergy where none already exists. Strike a balance by enjoying peanut products in moderation.

Let’s review some of the many problems that smoking can cause for growing families:

• 1. Studies have found a link between smoking and infertility.
• 2. If you do conceive, and you continue to smoke, the consequences become more and more devastating. During pregnancy, smoking can lead to complications such as miscarriage, low birth weight and even still birth.
• 3. After pregnancy, smoking continues to put infants at risk. Smoking in the home has been linked to an increased risk of SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
• 4. It also leads to behavioral problems in children, such as ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Now there is a new risk directly linked to smoking during pregnancy. It is thought that exposure to nicotine in the womb can negatively affect brain development and cause conditions like strabismus, which is the official term for “cross-eyes.” It turns out that smoking during pregnancy increases the child’s risk for having this problem significantly. In fact, for every additional cigarette a woman smokes per day, the risk increases by five percent, according to Dr. Tobias Torp-Pedersen of the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ten or more cigarettes per day increased the risk to ninety percent. The more moms smoke, the higher their risk.

Having crossed eyes is not just a cosmetic problem that leads to ridicule and embarrassment. If it is left uncorrected, it can lead to permanent vision loss. Children do not outgrow strabismus; it must be corrected through specialized therapy and/or surgery.

When you smoke, you endanger your own life. When you smoke during pregnancy, not only are you harming your own body, but you are creating serious and potentially lifelong problems for your child as well. Make every effort to quit smoking as soon as possible. With so many risks to your child, is it worth it?

Signs that summer is coming: wasps buzzing around your windows, realizing you need to mow the lawn again… and swim suits cropping up on store racks everywhere! It’s swimsuit shopping season, which brings us to the ultimate question: one or two?

Will you show off your blossoming figure in a one piece or two piece swim suit this summer?

Reasons to Wear a One Piece:
1. A one piece swimsuit does a pretty good job of hiding those pesky stretch marks.
2. A one piece protects your belly from the sun’s rays, which can darken the linea negra.
3. Certain one piece suits may give you a little extra support, which can make you a little more comfortable.
4. You’ll save money on sunscreen by not having to goop up all that skin on your baby bump.

Reasons to Wear a Two Piece:
1. A two piece gives your belly more room to grow.
2. You don’t have to buy a special suit – unless you are looking to buy a tankini style suit. In turn, this gives you a lot more options when shopping. If you buy a bikini, you can wear it again after your pregnancy.
3. There’s nothing cuter than a bare pregnant belly on the beach.

The third option, of course, is to skip the swimsuit altogether, but considering how good it feels to get into the water when you are lugging around a heavy baby belly, that would be a shame. If you are not comfortable with showing off your pregnant body, you could get a pretty sarong to pair with your suit, which will give you both coverage and style.

So, what are you planning on wearing this summer? Will you rock the bikini, chill in a tankini or look adorable in a one piece? Will you avoid the pool or the beach altogether?

Whether or not a pregnant woman should consume caffeine, particularly in her first trimester, is up for debate. Most doctors will tell you that one cup of coffee a day is just fine. But if you are one of those women who say “better safe than sorry,” you might be struggling with giving up your daily buzz. It’s hard to give up caffeine when your body is used to it. Personally I think it’s easier to do before you are pregnant, while you are trying to conceive, that way you can slowly wean yourself off.

Once your body gets used to that caffeine buzz every morning, you experience a slump when you don’t get it. Giving up caffeine cold turkey may mean experiencing a literal period of withdrawal. Expect fatigue and headaches, among other symptoms.

Here are some ideas for perking up in the morning without the help of ol’ Joe.

Go to bed earlier. This may seem obvious, but getting extra sleep the night before will help you feel more alert in the morning, which will make it easier to skip your morning cup of coffee.

Get some exercise. Exercise naturally increases your energy – and the boost lasts longer than a java jolt. Just a half hour in the morning can make a world of a difference.

Eat an apple. Apples provide a great, quick and natural energy boost. Wash it down with a glass of water. Drinking enough water helps your body function at its peak.

If you experience the afternoon slump, have a healthy snack to refuel and boost your energy. Avoid processed sugars, which will only cause a crash later on.

Switch to whole grains. These complex carbohydrates take longer to digest, which even out your energy levels throughout the day. Whole grains are good for you for many other reasons as well, so it can’t hurt!