Baby Etiquette Week: Day 5 Baby Showers continued...

It's the final day of Baby Etiquette Week. So far, we've covered "Your Friend Is Pregnant," "How Much & When To Give Baby Gifts," "A Gift For The New Parents," and "Throwing a Baby Shower". Here's a little more to make Throwing a Baby Shower a smooth process.

Are baby showers for both parents or just for the new mom?
While most baby showers are traditionally "for women only", coed showers are definitely becoming more popular. Check with the soon-to-be parents for their preference.

Where, When and What do you do at a baby shower?
Baby showers can be given anywhere from a home to a restaurant. Most are held during the day and last for about two to three hours. Activities are always fun for the attendees, including make-your-own onesie and guess the size of my bump.

Once you have decided on all of the details, when do you send the invites?
Be considerate of your guests and give them several (typically four to six) weeks notice to make arrangements to attend and purchase the perfect gift.

Alas, you can relax, the life of a pregnant friend is not that bad!

A special thanks to Lisa Friedman for contributing to "Baby Etiquette Week" on BabyBlogAddict.com. Lisa is the Co-founder of SomeoneSpoilMe.com, Beverly Hills, CA.

Pregnancy Ticker: BabyNamey

This trendy pregnancy ticker is from BabyNamey.com. At first glance, I thought their tickers were just okay, then I came across this one. Finally a pregnancy ticker for the modern mom! It reminds me a lot of those trendy baby shower invitations. This ticker is shown here with a blue background, but it's also available in pink, green or gold.

Check out the rest of the tickers/widgets we've featured on BBA.

Baby Etiquette Week: Day 3 A Gift for the New Parents?

We covered "Your Friend Is Pregnant," and "How Much & When To Give Baby Gifts," in days one and two of "Baby Etiquette Week." Now, Lisa, our guest contibutor, is weighing in on another gift question...

Should you get a gift for the new parents?
You don’t have to, but if they are close friends and you want to, it’s always VERY much appreciated. The gift can be small such as a cute picture frame or comedic parenting book; or more expensive such as a designer diaper bag or a necklace with the baby’s initials. All of these are fabulous baby gifts that the new parents (okay- MOM) will love!

Lisa Friedman
BBA Guest Contributor
SomeoneSpoilMe.com
Beverly Hills, CA

:: BBA footnote: A couple of months ago, we asked you to submit your favorite baby shower gifts. A gift for the new parents was a popular response. Someone said a maternity massage and someone else suggested food or gift cards to take-out places for after the baby arrives. For more Favorite Baby Shower Gifts according to BBA readers, check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Baby Etiquette Week: Day 2 How Much & When to Give Baby Gifts

It's Day 2 of "Baby Etiquette Week." If you missed Day 1: "Your Friend Is Pregnant," check it out here.

How much should you spend on a new baby gift?
You will want to consider how many gifts you are buying and whether you are throwing the shower? While some baby gifts may be small, they are still costly. Pick a budget and stick with it throughout the course of the next nine months.

When do you give a new baby gift?
This entirely depends on the parents' religious beliefs and customs. If the parents believe it is bad luck to receive a gift prior to the birth, you CANNOT send a gift. However if giving gifts is fair game, you can give a gift at anytime. The only time it is absolutely required for you to give a gift is if there is a baby shower.

Lisa Friedman
BBA Guest Contributor
SomeoneSpoilMe.com
Beverly Hills, CA

Baby Etiquette Week: Day 1 Your Friend is Pregnant

This week is "Baby Etiquette Week" on BabyBlogAddict.com. Thanks to Lisa Friedman, co-founder of SomeoneSpoilMe.com in Beverly Hills, CA, for being a guest contributor this week.

Baby Etiquette Week: Day 1 – Your Friend Is Pregnant

While you may not be the one getting larger each month, deliberating on the relative merits of the Bugaboo versus the Stokke and running (wobbling) from OBGYN appointment to Prenatal Yoga, you are still under a lot of pressure. Your friend is pregnant, therefore you need to worry about what gifts to buy, when to give them, how much to spend and how to throw a baby shower. Don’t get overwhelmed, you have nine months to save and plan. You will get through this stressful (ahem wonderful) time.

What are the best new baby gifts?
This is not stressful- anything you buy will be absolutely adorable (everything is cute when it’s that tiny) and will be extremely helpful (most people do not have extra onesies lying around). Your biggest concern should be choosing pink, blue or green (aka gender neutral), the size (3-6 months is key) and what type of cotton (if it’s an eco-friendly baby, opt for organic cotton). New baby gifts for all genders and environmental dispositions are blankets & burp cloths, clothes & shoes, gear (high chairs, strollers, etc), toys or silver collectibles. Many gifts can be personalized with the baby’s name, which adds an extra special touch.

Lisa Friedman
BBA Guest Contributor
SomeoneSpoilMe.com
Beverly Hills, CA

Baby With Rare Tumor Born Twice, Now Healthy 4-Week-Old

Sounds like a story out of The Inquirer, but it's not. This is an amazing true story highlighting advances in medical technology and the miracle of life. Here's a clipping of the begninng of the story. It's definitely worth a click through to read the rest.

Four months into Keri McCartney's pregnancy, doctors reportedly noticed a tumor growing on the baby's tailbone.

Doctors discovered that the tumor was stealing blood from the fetus and weakening her heart. So, at 25 weeks, surgeons at Texas Children's Fetal Center cut into McCartney's abdomen in an effort to remove the life-threatening mass, according to a CBS News report. For the rest of the story...

Click here for photos including one incredible picture from the operation. I was going to post it here, but even FoxNews.com has a warning that it's graphic, so I figured I'd put the link instead.

Easy Tips For Cute Post-Delivery Pictures

Hospital pictures right after the baby arrives are not necessarily the most flattering, yet they are usually the first pictures that go out to family and friends; they are posted on your blog for everyone to see; and they are at the beginning of your baby's scrapbook (if they have scrapbooks these days).

Here are a couple of suggestions (no make-up necessary) to make the photos of yourself easier to look at when you are feeling like yourself again.

1) Bring a pretty pillowcase from home. The pillowcase that you are leaning against makes it into all of the pictures, right? Instead of the stark, white one that the hospital provides, bring your own from home. Maybe a pretty blue one or pink one if you know you are going to have a boy or a girl or a neutral one if you will be surprised. These pictured above are from the Martha Stewart "Trousseau" Luxury Bedding Collection sold at Macy's.

2) Now onto that ugly gown that doesn't fit well, is dull and has probably been worn before. There is an alternative! Rachel Zinny is the founder of dearjohnnies "special gowns for special people".

She says, "Like most new parents-to-be, my husband and I planned to take photos right after the birth to share with family and friends. But then I realized that a prominent feature in the photos would be the generic, unattractive pattern of a hospital gown. Did it have to be this way? Why couldn't I be wearing something less institutional and more attractive? Besides, wearing a “used” gown worn by who knows how many other patients wasn't appealing." So she founded dearjohnnies.

dearjohnnies gowns are $65 each and robes are $70. It might be a little pricey for something you can get for free, but after forty weeks of pregnancy, we think you deserve to feel pretty and comfortable. These are also great shower gifts or maybe even a surprise gift from the father-to-be to the mother-to-be...hint, hint to all of you guys out there who are expecting soon.

All this being said, you do realize that no one else is looking at you in the pictures, right? It's all about the baby now!

Blogging During Labor

The San Francisco Chronicle and The Poop, their baby blog, always have great articles about babies. Check out this one about the founder of Six Apart who blogged throughout her 32-hour labor. Not surprising since Six Apart is a new-media startup that runs the Vox, Movable Type and Typepad blogging platforms.

Did any of you blog during your labor? My husband made a post right before we left for the hospital and then again within a couple of hours of my son's birth. That was two and a half years ago. I have a feeling that he might have the computer in the room with us next time :)

Happy Mother's Day! Woman Expecting 18th

You think your house is full? Do you wish you had that one extra room to hide some stuff away? Be glad you're not this couple in Little Rock, Ark. Just in time for Mother's Day, 41-year-old Michelle Duggar, found out she was pregnant with her 18th child. The latest addition will join seven sisters and 10 brothers.

Says Duggar: "We've had three in January, three in December. Those two months are a busy time for us." The Duggars' oldest child, Josh, is 20, and the youngest, Jennifer, is nine months old.

Look for the family soon in another series on Discovery Health.

Website Spotlight: Chulamama

Chulamama is offering Baby Blog Addict readers 10% off purchases from the online store - Chulamama, Maternity and Baby. Just use coupon code: babyblogaddict.

Check out this adorable camera shirt by Egg & Avocado (available in 3 months and 6 months sizes). This would be perfect for the baby of paparazzi parents who always have a camera handy (I'm guilty as I'm sure many of you baby blog addicts are too!)

For a versatile maternity outfit, don't miss the Jessica Scott organic cape, skirt and dress all-in-one in watermelon, lime, licorice or chocolate.

"What To Expect" Gets a Makeover

It's 2008 and you are pregnant. Who do you relate to more - the girl on the left who hasn't lost her sense of style or confidence or the one on the right in the rocking chair? Obviously, the version on the left is a much better representation of pregnant women today. I actually can't believe the third edition with the woman in the rocking chair was published in 2002. I even remember thinking that it looked like it was from the 70's when I read it during my own pregnancy in 2005.

America's best-known pregnancy advice book, "What to Expect When You're Expecting", has undergone a makeover on the front cover and on the inside. Check out this article to see what has changed in the 4th Edition. Here's a hint: you might be relieved to know that the newer version is "more reassuring, more positive, more empathetic than ever". They've also moved "a lot of the scary stuff" to a back section.

Paid Maternity Leave: What’s It Worth to You?

Last week, the New Jersey State Senate approved legislation that would grant employees paid maternity or dependent-care leave, making New Jersey one of only three states in the U.S. to pay workers who need time off to care for a new child or a sick relative. The other two are California and Washington.

Check out the rest of Lyla Alphonse's article, but read at your own risk. You may be ready to pack your bags and move out of the country when you are done...how about Canada or France or just about any country as long as it's not the U.S.

Website Spotlight: Baby Names Country

Baby Names Country is a site dedicated to baby names and their meanings and origins.

I thought it was fun to play with the Baby Names Advisor in the right column. I put in my name and my husband's and it recommended Triston for a boy and Brynn for a girl. I also put in my parents' names and it recommended Regina. I'm glad my parents went with Jennifer instead. I feel a lot more like a Jennifer than a Regina.

As you are looking through the list, you can even add names to your personal favorite names list and then print it out to help you to make a decision before the baby arrives. The printed list would be great to add to your baby's memory book, so they can look back one day (and probably laugh) at some of the other names you considered for them.

Woman Gives Birth to Baby Nearly Her Size

Imagine giving birth to an 18-inch baby. That would be hard enough for the average-sized female, but for Stacey Herald, who is 2-feet, 4-inches tall, it was an amazing task.

When Gender Testing Goes Wrong

From the Chicago Tribune...

Amid the tumult of the delivery room, Rohit and Geeta Jain were calm about one thing: Their new baby was sure to be a boy. Six months earlier, the Jains had spent more than $300 for a test that screened a minute quantity of Geeta's blood for traces of male DNA. The testing company said it was 95 percent accurate in determining the sex of a baby, even as early as the eighth week of pregnancy. After six hours in the delivery room, Rohit gaped as his wife gave birth to a daughter.

"There's only two choices -- either it's a boy or a girl," said Rohit, 35, a computer scientist in the Vancouver, British Columbia, suburb of Surrey. "I couldn't fathom how it could be wrong."

Counter Boxes from families.com

We recently highlighted the tickers from families.com. Then we came across their free counter boxes. The counter boxes are similar to the tickers, but easier to install in the right or left column of your blog, because they are not as wide as the tickers.

Here are the three they offer: the pregnancy counter box, the angel counter box and the trying-to-conceive counter box. They are free and just require a quick log in to families.com.

To see more of the tickers and widgets that we've featured on BBA, click here.

They Told You What?!?! - Part 2

Yesterday, we posted some of the strangest or worst things people told you while you were pregnant. Those were really bad, and there's more.

Considering pregnancy is a very hormonal and emotional time of someone's life, it's NOT the time to tell anyone that they look BIG or ask if they are expecting twins (what if they aren't?). But there are some brutal people out there!

Size seemed to be a recurrent theme in lots of the stories we received. Here are a few...

• Towards the end of my pregnancy (it had to be around 34-35 weeks), I was at work on the postpartum floor. I saw one of the OB docs who had not seen me in quite a while. He said, "Wow! You got twins in there??" He was completely serious, and I was devestated. When I told him no, he was embarrassed of course. I went home depressed that I apparently looked so huge! I delivered at 37 weeks a 5lb 9oz baby! - Adrienne
  
  
• I was about 18 weeks pregnant (and measuring right on track). As I waited for an elevator SHE walked up and said, "Gosh Amanda, when are you due?" I told her March. I think her mouth hit the floor and she said, "MAN! You are really big! Are you supposed to be THAT BIG at this stage?" As I'm clenching my fist wanting to punch her and I'm trying to keep my cool, she has the nerve to continue, "I mean, you are REALLY, REALLY, BIG!!!" I was stunned!!!! I didn't know what to do. I had always sworn that I would have some amazing "come back" the day that someone made comments like these to me but I was speechless! - Amanda
  


• I am 19 1/2 weeks pregnant with my second child. I've heard that you seem to show quicker with the second child, which must be true since I had a lady at work ask me, "Are you sure you aren't having twins?" What do you say to that? - Sara
  


• When I was pregnant, I took a dance aerobics class. Most of the ladies in the class were older (40ish). When I was around 27 or 28 weeks, they asked me if I was due the next month. When I said no, they giggled and asked if we were having twins. - Bridget
  


• Let me start out by saying I only gained 19 lbs in my pregnancy and weighed 125 when I got pregnant, so I was not very big. I had a lady at work ask me if I was having twins and I also had a lady at a gas station ask me how far along I was. When I told her she said oh you look bigger than that. I wanted to say, you don't know me and you should not say that to a pregnant lady. - April
  

Thanks to all of you who shared your stories. We'll pose another pregnancy/parenting-related question soon.

They Told You What?!?! - Part 1

A few days ago, we asked for the strangest or worst things people told you while you were pregnant...and you responded. There are some brutal people out there!

I would venture to say that our readers are smarter and more sensitive than the people on the other side of these stories. Everyone reading this should make a mental note NEVER to say any of these things to a pregnant woman.

Here are some of the most shocking:

• I heard A LOT of them when we told people that we were pregnant with quadruplets but THE WORST was when I told a lady at my work and she replied, "Guess that shows you what to pray for!" and then she walked away. Believe it or not, I can laugh about it now. - Jen (Mom of the Murray Crew Quads)
  


• My due date was August 6th, so I was pregnant in a hot, Louisiana summer. When I went to drop off some dry cleaning, the lady at the counter asked how I was doing. When I responded with, "Feeling good, just really hot" she told me that I should have thought about that before I got pregnant. - Michele
  


• Pregnant with twins, I was appalled when a Target employee asked me if I had done fertility treatments. I hadn’t, but couldn’t even answer, I thought it was so intrusive! -Aimee
  


• How about “let’s see if this one sticks.” After 2 miscarriages, we announced our 3rd pregnancy to my in-laws in the future nursery of the house we had just closed on. My mother-in-law casually says “let’s see if this one sticks.” I started to cry and walked out the room. Anything else that was said to me paled in comparison to that! - Kerri
  


• With 5 weeks left to go, all my girlfriends at a mutual friends baby shower told me I looked like I was going to blow. I said, "thanks & shut-up. I have 5 weeks to go and I am pregnant!!" My water broke 4 hours later...maybe not so funny in writing! - Melanie
  

Stay tuned for more tomorrow...

"The Business of Being Born"

The creators of "The Business of Being Born" think that after viewing their film, "You will never look at giving birth the same way." After watching the trailer and reading about the film on their site, I can believe it.

Here's the synopsis: Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies...

Here's how you can check it out:

• Community Screenings are being held throughout the country through mid-February. Check to see if there is a viewing in your area.


• The film is also being released in six select theaters.


• On February 12, 2008, Netflix will release the DVD for rental and online viewing.


• The DVD will be available for purchase at the end of March 2008.

Check out the trailer:

A friend of mine introduced me to this film when she blogged about it saying, "Today I had the opportunity to attend a screening of 'The Business of Being Born.' What an incredible film!" Thanks, Cherie.

Still Accepting Stories

We are receiving some great submissions for "What you shouldn't say to a pregnant woman." There seems to be a common theme so far of strangers not holding back when commenting about how big you look pregnant.

Send in your stories through this Sunday, 1/27, to babyblogaddict@yahoo.com and we'll post our favorites next week.