I borrowed the following links from Pregnancy & Baby Blog, and hope you’ll find them helpful!

• Save money and budget for baby
• Save money with attachment parenting
• Save money on baby clothing
• Save money by using cloth diapers

• Top 7 ways to save money while raising baby
• Bringing up baby: on a reasonable budget
• How to buy a used crib
• Great baby budget books
• Fun ways to save on a dresser or bookcase
• Five quick tips for saving on baby toys
• Spend more money on this baby item
• Swap baby goods

From Hawaiian beaches to garden tea parties, from dragons and unicorns to cowgirls and circuses, your choices are practically unlimited!  Unique Baby Gear has lots of creative ideas under “Girl Room Themes,” like this darling Beatrix Potter decor:

I also like this carousel horse theme:

For a modern, sophisticated look that is still pretty, you can decorate your nursery in pink and brown. Here are a few examples of how it can be done:

While themes like those above are colorful and exciting, some new parents want to keep the nursery decor simple. “For a baby and for new parents, serenity is key,” says designer David Netto on HGTV.com. See his 11 Ways to Create a Modern Nursery for tips on creating a peaceful sanctuary for your little one.  He suggests using subdued colors for the walls, floor and major furniture pieces, and adding bright accents with bedding, wall art, rugs, window coverings and accessories. He also advocates gender-neutral design and adaptable furniture (cribs that turn into toddler beds, basinettes that transform into toy baskets), streamlined peices with built-in storage and double-duty items (like a dresser wtih a chanaging table on top). He also advises keeping your child in mind: “Most of the furniture in the nursery should be scaled down for your child and low to the floor,” David Netto adds. “And hang pictures at her eye level–not yours.

ButterflyCraze.com has some pretty accents that will add interest to your nursery.  Hanging angels, giant daisies, and fluttering butterflies will turn her room into a fairy-tale land.

Browsing wall art for your new arrival is also fun! DistinctiveNurseries.com has lots of posters, prints, and wall hangings in every style and color. The cool thing about them is, if the price tag is too hefty you can get handy and re-create the same look yourself! Here are some that I like:

Well, this post could go on and on, but I’ll leave the rest of the Googling to you! Window dressings, cribs and bassinets, murals, rockers… Let the decorating begin!

Benefits for Mother:

• Water is soothing, comforting, relaxing. Water birth is a form of hydrotherapy which, in studies, has been shown to be an effective form of pain management for a variety of conditions especially lower back pain (a common complaint of women in labor).
• In the later stages of labor, the water seems to increase the woman’s energy.
• The buoyancy lessens her body weight, allows free movement and new positioning.
• Buoyancy promotes more efficient uterine contractions and better blood circulation, resulting in better oxygenation of the uterine muscles, less pain for the mother, and more oxygen for the baby.
• Immersion in water often helps lower high blood pressure caused by anxiety.
• Water seems to alleviate stress-related hormones, allowing the mother’s body to produce endorphins, which are pain-inhibitors.
• Water causes the perineum to become more elastic and relaxed, which reduces the incidence and severity of tearing and the need for an episiotomy and stitches.
• As the laboring women relaxes physically she is able to relax mentally, concentrating her efforts inward on the birth process.
• The water provides a sense of privacy, which releases inhibitions, anxiety, and fears.

Benefits for Baby:

• Provides a similar (warm, watery) environment as the amniotic sac.
• Eases the stress of the birth, providing reassurance and security.

Risks involved in Water Births:

Although there are no proven disadvantages to birthing in water, it is still a controversial means of delivery.  Critics cite possible risks, including:

• Water aspiration. If the baby is experiencing stress in the birth canal or the umbilical cord becomes kinked or twisted, the baby may gasp for air, possibly inhaling water into the lungs. This would be rare because babies do not inhale air until they are exposed to air. They receive oxygen through the umbilical cord until they start to breathe on their own or until the cord is cut.
• The umbilical cord could snap as the baby is brought to the surface of the water. This is preventable by using caution when lifting the baby up to the mother’s chest.
• Another concern is that the water could increase the risk of infection. However, studies to date do not show increased risk of transferring bacteria from infant to mother or mother to infant.
• Slowed labor, due to the documented relaxing effects of water, may be seen as a benefit rather than a rsik.  Laboring in water is sometimes associated with a decrease in the intensity of contractions, and is thus thought to slow labor.
• Maternal blood loss. For care providers who are inexperienced in delivery in water, it may be difficult to assess the amount of maternal blood loss. Although there are well-developed methods of determining maternal blood loss in water, many providers prefer to deliver the placenta out of water for this reason.

Water births may be discouraged in the following situations, and should be discussed with your health care provider:

• If you have Herpes: Herpes transfers easily in water, so you will want to discuss this thoroughly with your health care provider.
• If your baby is breech: Though water birth has been done with bottom or feet first presentations you will want to discuss this thoroughly with your health care provider.
• If you have been diagnosed with excessive bleeding or maternal infection.
• If you are having multiples: Though water births have been successful with twins around the world, you will want to discuss this thoroughly with your health care provider.
• If preterm labor is expected: If a baby is two weeks or more prior to due date, water birth is not recommended.
• If there is severe meconium: Mild to moderate meconium is fairly normal. Since meconium floats to the surface in a tub, your health care provider will watch for it and remove it immediately, or help you out of the tub.
• If you have toxemia or preeclampsia: You will want to thoroughly discuss this with your health care provider.

For more information, check out:

Wikipedia (includes history and studies associated with water births)

Waterbirth.org

WaterBirthInfo.com

AmericanPregnancy.org,

YourWaterBirth.com (Offers supplies for an at-home water birth, such as pools, hoses, thermometers, protective floor covers, birth kits, and more)

Hypothyroidism doesn’t have to mean you can’t have a fabulous, healthy pregnancy! Although it may slightly complicate your pregnancy, in the end, your pregnancy could be as uneventful as that of a woman with a normal functioning thyroid.
Thyroid problems affect an estimated 59 million Americans, the vast majority of them women. Few women, however, are aware of the critical relationship between the thyroid gland - our master gland of metabolism - and nearly every aspect of child-bearing. As a woman, your thyroid can affect your fertility, your ability to become pregnant and maintain a healthy pregnancy, postpartum health, successful breastfeeding, and even the health of your baby.
Answers to many of your questions related to hypothyroidism and pregnancy are available online at Pregnancy and Hypothyroidism/Frequently Asked Questions, including the following:

• How do I know if I’m hypothyroid?
• What can I do to ensure my health - or my baby’s health - doesn’t suffer due to my hypothyroidism?
• Why is early medical attention during pregnancy so important?
• Am I taking a big a risk in becoming pregnant with a dysfunctional thyroid?
• How do I deal with my special needs for medical advice about medications and managing my thyroid during pregnancy?
• I really want to have a drug-free pregnancy. Should I stop taking my thyroid medication?
  
• Will my thyroid medications interfere with breastfeeding?
• What is the risk that my baby will inherit my Hashimoto’s disesase?

“It’s heartening to note,”says Mary Shomon, the author of this article, “That most women with thyroid disease are able to have an uneventful pregnancy and healthy baby. I did myself, back in 1997!”

Mary Shomon’s Thyroid Guide to Fertility, Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Success, the popular 40-page mini-guide, is now incorporated into her new 406-page book: The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough: Overcoming Sexual and Hormonal Problems at Every Age.

Among other topics relating to hypothyroidism, it contains information on:

Here’s a Baby Name Finder with over 10,000 names!

Select at least 1 search criteria and click “Find It!” Gender: GIRL BOY Beginning with: –letter–A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Special Meaning: (Optional) Enter a word you want included in the meaning of the name we find: e.g., “peace,” “strong,” “bright.”