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Pregnancy Articles and Parenting Articles

The following pregnancy and parenting articles and tipsheets by pregnancy and parenting book author Ann Douglas (author of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books, The Mother of All Pregnancy Organizers, The Mother of All Baby Books, The Mother of All Toddler Books, The Mother of All Parenting Books, Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler, and Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler) can be found online.

Note to pregnancy and parenting editors, childbirth educators, and doulas:
For updates on articles, tipsheets, and other resources available for reprint, please consult this page for information or e-mail Ann's assistant for details.

• Preconception, conception, and fertility articles
• Pregnancy articles
• Birth articles
• Postpartum articles
• Pregnancy loss articles: miscarriage and stillbirth
• Baby and toddler articles: sleep, feeding, comfort, play, child development
• Sleep articles: newborn sleep, nap problems, sleep training, sleep experts
• Parenting articles and motherhood articles
• Family fun articles: games, activities, crafts
• Day care articles, child care articles, work and family articles
• Women's health articles
• Articles about writing
• Pregnancy and parenting tip sheets (downloadable .PDFs)

Preconception, conception, and fertility articles

From thinking of having a baby to trying to conceive to (hopefully) a positive pregnancy test.... You may also want to read Ann's books The Mother of All Pregnancy Books (Canadian edition or American edition), The Mother of All Pregnancy Organizers, or The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby (Second edition). The Mother of All Pregnancy Books has been chosen as an Indigo Trusted Health Advisor selection.

Ann is the "Misconceptions" columnist for Conceive Magazine.

• NEW ! 10 Steps to a Healthy Pregnancy: Things to Do in the Year Prior to Conception
• Planning for a Healthy Pregnancy
• Make Lifestyle Changes Before Conceiving
• 7 Ways to Increase Your Odds of Conceiving: Tips for GIving Mother Nature a Nudge When You Are Trying to Get Pregnant
• Increase Your Odds of Conceiving Quickly
• Conception Countdown: Your Preconception Health Questions Answered
• Are You Ready For Another Baby?
• Fertility Tips
• Pregnancy After Infertility

Pregnancy articles

All about the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy -- truly The Mother of All Adventures! You may also want to read Ann's books The Mother of All Pregnancy Books (Canadian edition or American edition), The Mother of All Pregnancy Organizers, or The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby (Second edition).

• Pregnancy Limbo: The Time Between Ovulation and a Positive Pregnancy Test
• "Honey, We're Pregnant!" How That Scene Plays Out in Real Life (Excerpt from The Mother of All Pregnancy Books)
• Expectant Fathers: What To Do When The Dad-to-be Doesn't Seem As Excited As You Are
• 10 Things to Know About Your Pregnancy: Some Things Your Best Friend Might Forget to Tell You, But That You Definitely Need to Know
• Mom's Stress Guide: Pregnancy and Birth
• 5 Pregnancy Stressbusters
• Sleep Deprivation in Pregnant Women
• The Mother of All Guilt Trips
• Ten Things You Don't Have to Worry About When You're Pregnant
• Food Cravings: Fact or Fiction?
• How to Pamper Yourself During Pregnancy - Trimester 1
• Spotting During Pregnancy
• How to Tell Your Boss You're Pregnant
• Breaking the News to Your Employer
• Your New Job and Discovering You're Pregnant
• Working During Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Sickness "Cures"
• The B-List: Pregnancy Aches and Pains You Don't Hear Much About
• Looking for Dr. Right: Choosing a Doctor or Midwife
• Your "Gain" Plan: Weight Gain During Pregnancy
• Your Pregnancy Gain Plan
• Sex During Pregnancy
• The Last Hurrah
• Hot Mamas: Sex During Pregnancy
• Pregnancy After 40
• The Top Ten Gift Ideas for Expectant Parents
• The Ten Gift Ideas for Expectant Parents: 2003
• Gift Ideas For Expectant Parents
• How to Pamper Yourself During Pregnancy - Trimester 2
• 7 Myths About Predicting Your Baby's Sex
• Old Wives' Tales Won't Predict the Sex of Your Baby
• Gender Prediction and Heart Rate
• Positive Self-Image During Pregnancy
• Skin Changes During Pregnancy
• The Mask of Pregnancy: Chloasma
• Food Cravings: Fact or Fiction?
• Healthy Ways of Managing Stress During Pregnancy
• Breaking the Silence on Prenatal Depression
• Bedrest 101: How to Stay Sane
• How to Pamper Yourself During Pregnancy by Trimester 3
• The Overdue Blues: When Your Due Date Comes and Goes
• Basic Training for Labor: A Primer for Moms-to-Be
• Will the Sandman Ever Come? Sleep Problems During Pregnancy
• Oh, My Aching Back
• Other Cultures Teach Us About Pregnancy, Birth, and Babies
• When Pregnancy Isn't Perfect
• Have Belly, Will Travel
• Traveling Late in Pregnancy
• Pregnancy after 40
• Siblings-to-be: Jealousy During Pregnancy
• Ann's pregnancy Q and As at PregnancyLibrary.com
• Conception Countdown (.pdf)
• Just Say Spahhh: Spa Do's and Don'ts for Pregnant Women
  plus prenatal class handout version (.pdf)
• NEW ! Top 10 Pregnancy Sex Questions Answered: Maintaining a Healthy Sex Life During Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Sex Tips (.pdf)
• Top Ten Pregnancy-Related Aches and Pains
• The Complaint Department: Pregnancy Aches and Pains (.pdf)
• Pregnancy the Second Time Around
  plus prenatal class handout version (.pdf)
• Seven Myths About Predicting the Sex of Your Baby
• Pink or Blue? Seven Myths About Predicting the Sex of Your Baby (.pdf)
• Learning to Love Your Pregnant Body (.pdf)
• Training for the Main Event (.pdf)
• The Pregnant Workout Guide
• Momma Mia: The Names May Change, But the Characters Remain the Same
• 10 Tips for Planning Your Babymoon
• Will the Sandman Ever Come? Pregnancy and Sleep (.pdf)
• Countdown to Motherhood: Stocking Up, Planning Ahead, and the Last Hurrah!
• The Last Hurrah: Countdown to Birth (.pdf)

Birth articles

• Doulas Are a Girl's Best Friend
• Much Ado About Doulas
• Coping with Labor-Related Fears
• Avoiding the Unkindest Cut of All
• The Top Ten Labor-Related Worries (.pdf)
• What No One Tells You About Having a Baby (.pdf)
• The Labor Room (Live Chat at WebMD)
• Medical Mutual: The Labor Room

Pregnancy loss articles: miscarriage and stillbirth

You may want to read Ann's book Trying Again: A Guide to Pregnancy After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Infant Loss (co-authored with John R. Sussman, MD).

• Miscarriage Studies in the News
• Trying Again After a Loss (specifically death of a multiple) co-written with Lynda P. Haddon
• Life After Loss
• Miscarriage: Research Update
• Pregnancy Loss: The Facts
• Surviving The Loss (Ann's personal story of her daughter's stillbirth)
• Pregnancy After Loss
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: How can I resolve my regrets about removing my baby from life support?
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Is it Normal to Feel this Way About a Miscarriage?
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Coping with Guilt Feelings
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: How Can I Accept This Loss?
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Feeling Alone
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Struggling With Feelings
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Coping With a Friend's Pregnancy
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Feelings of Rage
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Keeping the Hope Alive
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: You and Your Partner May Grieve Differently
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Coping With The Holidays
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Remembering During the Holidays
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: "How Many Children Do You Have?
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: What Does it Mean to Move On?
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Coping With Friends and Coworkers
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: Am I Still a Mother Even Though I Don't Have Living Children?
• Storknet Grief and Loss Panel: What Should I Tell My Other Children About Our Loss?

Postpartum articles

• Post-Pregnancy Pampering: 20 Thoughtful Ways to Spoil a New Mom
• Preparing a Postpartum Wardrobe
• A Tour of Your Postpartum Body
• Your Postpartum Body: A Head-to-Toe Tour!
• Cesarean Recovery: What Nobody Tells You
• C-section Pain
• Making Peace With Your Postpartum Body
• Fitness After Pregnancy
• Sex after Pregnancy
• Postpartum Pounds
• Postpartum Survival Guide (.pdf)
• Postpartum Diva: Fashion After Baby (.pdf)

Baby and toddler articles: sleep, feeding, comfort, play, child development

You may also want to read Ann's books NEW! Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler (read an excerpt and check out the table of contents at the Sleep Solutions Blog), NEW! Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler (read an excerpt and check out the table of contents at the Mealtime Solutions BlogMealtime Solutions Blog), The Mother of All Baby Books (Canadian edition or American edition) and The Mother of All Toddler Books (Canadian edition or American edition) Note: The Canadian edition of The Mother of All Baby Books was recently chosen by Canadian Living magazine as one of the ten reference books every Canadian household should own. The Mother of All Baby Books has also been chosen as an Indigo Trusted Health Advisor selection.

• NEW! The First of Many Firsts
• NEW! The Grandparent Connection
• NEW! The Truth About Sleeping Through the Night
• NEW! When Will My Baby Learn to Entertain Herself
• NEW! Personality Clash
• NEW! Baby Shower: Give Your Friend the Gift of Mother Wisdom
• NEW! Baby Central: Setting Up a Change Area for Baby
• NEW! A Tour of Your Newborn
• NEW! Babies: Pumping Iron
• NEW! Baby Body Language
• NEW! Childproofing Your Baby's World
• NEW! How to Keep Baby Safe
• Baby Showers: Tips for a Fun and Meaningful Event
• Mom's Stress Guide: Babies
• Mom's Stress Guide: Toddlers and Preschoolers
• The Name Game: Tips on Choosing a Name for Your Baby
• Feeding Your Baby's Brain
• The Dirt on Diapers
• Baby Bargain - Ten sure-fire ways to save big bucks on baby gear
• Your Baby's Room: Tips on Decorating Your Baby's Room
• Decorating Your Baby's Room on a Budget
• Mother Love: Will There Be Enough Love for Two?
• Sleep Solutions: "My Newborn Won't Nap!"
• Sleep and Temperament: What Every Sleep-Deprived Parent Needs to Know
• The Sleep Guilt Trip
• The Sleep Files: There's Never Been a Shortage of Bad Sleep Advice for Parents
• Babies and Sleep: Your Infant's Sleeping Habits, Part 1
• Babies and Sleep: Your Infant's Sleeping Habits, Part 2
• Sleep Uninterrupted
• GERD: Could It Be The Hidden Cause of Your Baby's Sleeping and Feeding Woes
• Cry babies: Coping with a fussy baby
• Making Strange
• Constipation
• Baby Biting: How to Avoid Your Child's Chomp
• Preventing Flat Spots
• Taming Frequent Temper Tantrums
• Potty Training a Toddler
• Have Toddler Will Travel
• Your Top Ten Toddler Mysteries Solved
• Toddler Craft Ideas
• The Toddler Scribbler: What To Do When Your Toddler Scribbles on the Walls
• Keeping Toddlers Active
• Successful Playdates
• Day Trips With Toddlers
• Toddler Eating Habits
• Mealtime Madness
• Napping Problems
• Spanking Advice from Relatives
• Bad Language: Your Toddler's Potty Mouth
• Your Top 10 Discipline Problems Solved
• Are You Ready for Another Baby?
• Ann's baby and toddler Q and As at ParentingLibrary.com
• Baby Fever: Why it's so Easy to Overshop for Baby (.pdf)
• NEW! Sleep Solutions Tip Sheet (.pdf)
• NEW! Mealtime Solutions Tip Sheet (.pdf)

Sleep articles

You may also want to read Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler. Check out this new Sleep Solutions Tip Sheet (.pdf) based on the book. And for still more on sleep, check out Ann's Sleep Solutions Blog (for sleep book excerpts) and her Baby Sleep Solutions lens at Squidoo (for sleep book Q&As and more).

• Sleep Solutions
• Sleepless in Suburbia (Excerpt from Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler by Ann Douglas)
• The Secrets of Sleep-Savvy Moms (Excerpt from Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler by Ann Douglas)
• Top 12 Sleep Solutions for Parents of Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers (Excerpt from Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler by Ann Douglas)
• Decoding Baby Body Language: What Those Coos and Cries Really Mean
• Sleeping Soundly
• Baby Sleep Solutions: Questions and Answers, Baby Sleep Book Reviews, Sleep Book Links, etc.
• Sleep Solutions: "My Newborn Won't Nap!"
• The Sleep Guilt Trip
• Temperament and Sleep: What Every Sleep-Deprived Parent Needs to Know
• The Sleep Files: There's Never Been a Shortage of Bad Sleep Advice for Parents
• Babies and Sleep: Your Infant's Sleeping Habits, Part 1
• Babies and Sleep: Your Infant's Sleeping Habits, Part 2
• Sleep and Babies: Coping With Sleep Problems
• Sleep Uninterrupted
• GERD: Could It Be The Hidden Cause of Your Baby's Sleeping and Feeding Woes
• Cry babies: Coping with a fussy baby
• Should I put my baby on a schedule?
• My baby won't nap. Help!
• My baby's sleep patterns are way off track right now. What should I do?
• What can I do to get my baby to sleep better?
• My 16-month-old is a poor napper. Any advice?
• Does snoring run in the family?
• When should I worry about my child's snoring?
• I don't know whether to look forward to our family vacation or to dread it. Our kids are such terrible sleepers!

Parenting articles and motherhood articles

You may also want to read Ann's books NEW! Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler, NEW! Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler,The Mother of All Parenting Books (Canadian Edition or American Edition) for parents with kids ages 3 through 12.

• NEW! Your Cheating Ways
• NEW! Words to Go
• NEW! Everything I Needed to Know About Raising Babies I Learned From My Mom-Friends
• Mom's Stress Guide: School-Aged Children
• Mom's Stress Guide: Tweens and Teens
• Techno Tools for Moms
• 5 Fabulous Birthday Parties for Kids
• 3 Multigenerational Holiday Parties
• If Mom Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy...
• Libido Gone AWOL
• Lunch Box Do's and Don'ts (school lunches)
• Back-to-School Guide
• NEW! Back-to-School Bedtime Routines
• NEW! Back-to-School Street Smarts
• Raising a Writer (.pdf) (tips on encouraging your child to write)
• NEW! Extra-curricular Time Crunch
• NEW! Scheduling in Downtime
• NEW! The First Sleepover
• NEW! Job Squad
• The Flare Necessities (fire safety tips at home)
• The Mini: Who Says a Vacation Isn't a Vacation Unless it's at Least a Week?
• Must-Read Books About Motherhood
• The Mother of All Quizzes
• Motherhood Milestones: Sex, Love, and Babies
• A Mother Lode of Advice
• Must-Read Books About Motherhood
• Ten Ways to Make Your Child Feel Special
• Walk the Talk: Resolve to Get Your Kids Moving
• NEW! The Moving Day Blues
• NEW! TV is Worse for Kids Than Video Games
• NEW! Unplugging the Kids
• Classic Toys
• Mom-Friendly Fitness Workouts
• How to "Babyproof" Your Relationship
• Arguing With a Spouse
• Holiday Sanity Savers
• Holiday Stessbusters for Parents and Parents-to-be
• Ways to Say 'I Love You' to Your Child on Valentine's Day
• Ann's parenting Q & A at ParentingLibrary.com

Family fun articles: games, activities, crafts

• NEW! Keeping Young Artists Safe
• NEW! Math Mania
• NEW! Wild Thing
• NEW! Valentine's Survival Guide
• Valentine's Fun
• The Joy of Winter
• Festive Fun
• The Joy of Sand
• Harvest Halloween
• Back to School Blastoff
• Beat the Heat
• Campfire Fun
• Going Buggy
• Sidewalk Bingo
• Cookie Kit
• Canada Day Party Planner
• Be a Family Tree Detective!
• Backseat Survival Guide
• Life's a Beach
• Decorating Clay Flower Pots
• Turntable Magic
• Heart-Shaped Cake
• Homemade Valentines
• Friendship Chain
• Instant Puppet Theatre
• Paper Bag Hand Puppets
• Finger Puppets
• Dressup Play
• Simply Spooktakular: Homemade Costumes
• Paper Maché Magic
• Slippery Slime
• Candy Spiders
• Bubble Science
• Funnel Fun
• Homemade Volcano
• Art in a Bag
• Chalk Around the Block
• Neighbourhood Fun Day
• Eye Spy
• Sounds of Summer
• Sand Art
• Sandcastles to Go
• Making Waves
• Footprint Fun
• The Joy of Art
• Brainy Business
• The Magic of Outdoor Play
• Get Dirty U.
• Snowflake Fossils
• Backyard Snow Gauge
• Winter Bubble Fun
• Homemade Art Kit
• Sponge Blocks
• Homemade Books and Toys
• Homemade Modelling Clay Kit

Day care articles, child care articles, and work and family articles

You can find some additional work and family resources on Ann's childcare Web site: Childcare-guide.com as well as on her parenting resources Web site ParentingLibrary.com. And you can learn more about choosing childcare by reading Ann's book Choosing Childcare for Dummies.

• NEW! Choosing Childcare for Your Baby (an excerpt from Choosing Childcare for Dummies by Ann Douglas (Wiley, 2004)
• Juggling Work and Family
• The Working Mother's Survival Guide
• In Search of Mary Poppins
• The Five Biggest Mistakes When Choosing Childcare
• Childcare Transitions
• Switching Daycare Providers
• Helping Your Child Adjust to Daycare
• Sick Kids: When to Send Them to School or Daycare
• The Nanny Chase
• How to Tell Your Boss You're Pregnant

Women's health articles

• Women and Sleep: Comments on the Newsweek Article
• A Tale of Two Phases

Articles about writing

The following articles may be helpful to you if you're interested in writing about your mothering experiences or pursuing a career as a professional writer.

• "So When Do You Find The Time to Write?"
• NEW! Be a Happy and Successful Author

Pregnancy and parenting tip sheets

The following pregnancy and parenting tip sheets can be distributed by childbirth educators, doulas, parent educators, family life educators, parenting coaches, and others who work with parents and parents-to-be. See the copyright notice which appears on each tip sheet for further information. Note: You'll need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to download a copy of each tip sheet.

If there is a resource that would be very helpful to you in your work with families, please let us know. We are in the process of developing additional tip sheets, tools, and resources and would love to hear your thoughts on what types of resources would be useful to you in your work with families.

• Conception Countdown (.pdf)
• Pregnancy Spa Tips (.pdf)
• Pregnancy Sex Tips (.pdf)
• The Complaint Department: Pregnancy Aches and Pains (.pdf)
• Pregnancy the Second Time Around (.pdf)
• Pink or Blue? Seven Myths About Predicting the Sex of Your Baby (.pdf)
• Learning to Love Your Pregnant Body (.pdf)
• Will the Sandman Ever Come? Pregnancy and Sleep (.pdf)
• The Top Ten Labor-Related Worries (.pdf)
• The Last Hurrah: Countdown to Birth (.pdf)
• Training for the Main Event (.pdf)
• Baby Fever: Why it's so Easy to Overshop for Baby (.pdf)
• What No One Tells You About Having a Baby (.pdf)
• Postpartum Survival Guide (.pdf)
• Postpartum Diva: Fashion After Baby (.pdf)
• NEW! Sleep Solutions Tip Sheet (.pdf)
• NEW! Mealtime Solutions Tip Sheet (.pdf)
• Fridge Notes: Toddler Food Guide (.pdf)
• Making Learning Fun (.pdf)
• Raising a Writer (.pdf)
• Back to School Survival Guide (.pdf)
• Winter Family Fitness (.pdf)

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Updated May 25, 2007; © Copyright 2007 Ann Douglas. All rights reserved.