The word efface means to withdraw, eliminate, or remove something. Effacement may also be called the ripening of the cervix. During labor, your cervix effaces by shortening, thinning out, and almost disappearing up toward the uterus to prepare for childbirth. How Long Does Effacement Take? Early contractions begin to pull on the cervix. With all the pressure and pulling, the cervix starts to shorten and thin out. However, there’s no set time for how long it should take....

What Is Gentle Parenting? Gentle parenting is an evidence-based approach to raising happy, confident children. This parenting style is composed of four main elements—empathy, respect, understanding, and boundaries—and focuses on fostering the qualities you want in your child by being compassionate and enforcing consistent boundaries. Unlike some more lenient parenting methods, gentle parenting encourages age-appropriate discipline that teaches valuable life lessons. Those who practice gentle parenting encourage working together as a family to teach their children to express their feelings, but in a socially acceptable, age-appropriate manner....

Paternity tests may be performed by evaluating blood or saliva from the non-gestational parent and the child. The tests are nearly 100% accurate. How Paternity Tests Are Used There are a number of reasons a paternity test might be useful. In some instances, they may be ordered by a court to establish parentage in cases of custody and child support. They can also assist in obtaining proper documentation for a birth record....

In fact, many babies, particularly in the first months of life, tend to sleep in short spurts, often noisily. Baby sleep is sometimes punctuated by fussiness or even a significant amount of outright crying. First off, know that it’s normal for infants to fuss, cry, and refuse to sleep, especially when they are set down into their cribs. Many babies will easily nod off in their parent’s arms, but when they are put down to sleep, they begin to protest....

IVF Pregnancy Test When can you take a pregnancy test during an IVF treatment cycle? Your doctor will likely schedule a blood test 10 to 14 days after the egg retrieval. The blood test will detect and measure the hormone hCG, the “pregnancy hormone.” You should not take an early at-home pregnancy test during IVF treatment. Taking multiple early pregnancy tests is a bad habit many fertility-challenged women struggle with, and it’s one you should try your best to resist if you’re getting fertility treatments....

If you are an expectant parent with concerns about BA.2—a sublineage of the Omicron variant that is currently spreading around the world—you are not alone. COVID infections in pregnant individuals can be serious, and it’s important to be informed about how news like this might affect you and your baby. There is still a lot we don’t know about BA.2, and studies are ongoing as we attempt to understand this sublineage....

How the Fetal Heart Develops The baby’s heart develops from two tubes that join together in the middle to create a chamber with four tubes extending from it. It starts to beat between 5 and 6 weeks gestation and may be detected via ultrasound around this time as well. The heart of the embryo continues to develop over the next several weeks. It is fully formed around 10 weeks gestation....

But cramping during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy is surprisingly common and does not necessarily mean you’re having a miscarriage. A 2016 study published in the journal Human Reproduction found that although 85% of women experienced abdominal cramping at some point during their first 20 weeks of pregnancy, only 28% miscarried. Read on to learn about the many reasons you might experience cramping during early pregnancy that are quite normal and ways to relieve the discomfort, as well as how to recognize when lower abdominal pain might indicate a problem that requires a call or visit to your doctor....

There are signs that you can watch for to determine whether your child is ready to stop daytime napping (or maybe that they need more sleep). There are also nap traps—things that make you say “we can skip that” even though your child’s not really ready to stop catching a midday snooze. Test out a Nap-Free Day If Your Child Seems Ready It’s hard to tell if your toddler is really ready to go without a daytime sleep break until you let her go without a nap for a day or three....

A recent survey found that 42% of households would find it difficult to pay their living expenses (such as rent/mortgage, utilities, groceries, schooling) within six months of the death of their family’s primary earner. This is at least partly because many families do not have life insurance. The survey found that only 52% of people in the United States were covered by some type of life insurance. If you’re a parent, it’s a good idea to buy life insurance in order to protect and care for your family, even in the event of your unexpected death....

How to Teach Your Kids About Different Kinds of Secrets Teach your child about the different types of secrets that she’s likely to encounter: Fun Secrets: Fun secrets might involve a surprise party or a gift for someone. A child might be told, “Don’t tell Mom what we bought her for Christmas,” or “No telling Grandpa we’re planning a surprise birthday party for him.”Potentially Damaging Secrets: Sometimes, kids are asked to keep secrets with the best of intentions, but those secrets can still be damaging....

There are reports from the Journal of the American Medical Association that warn specifically against parents using newer “smart” baby monitors that sync to their smartphone, to warn if their baby stops breathing. What’s the danger in these options? How Do Wearable Baby Monitors Work? Wearable baby monitors are designed to monitor a baby’s heart rate and breathing and alert parents or caregivers if their baby stops breathing. For example, the Owlet sock monitor and other options are pulse saturation technology, similar to what you would find in a hospital....

Common Pregnancy Guilt Trips Woman are commonly held to incredibly high standards, and arguably even more so when there is a little baby’s life involved. But that doesn’t mean that you have to be the perfect woman, wife, and mother all the time. Don’t beat yourself up about it these guilt trips. What You Did Before You Knew You Were Pregnant Since fewer than 50% of pregnancies are planned, it is common for many women to engage in activities that they otherwise wouldn’t have had they known they were pregnant....

Pandemic Support Facebook Groups Whether you are a new parent or a seasoned one, a homeschooling dad or a frontline working mom, a parent to a special needs child or to a depressed teen, there is an online group for you. We’ve taken to Facebook to find groups where you can connect with other like-minded parents who understand and relate to what your COVID-19 days look and feel like. Remember, not every group will be a good fit for you....

Soda and Drink Guidelines in School and at Home The USDA Smart Snacks in School beverage guidelines limit soda and other high-calorie drinks sold in schools. Some experts think that the guidelines may not go far enough. For example, although the guidelines allow juice with no added sweeteners, these drinks still have a lot of calories. Diet sodas allowed in high schools have few calories, but they also lack nutrition. If they were banned, teens might be encouraged to drink low-fat milk....

Staying with grandchildren and their parents offers the opportunity to share in their daily lives in a unique way. You’ll gain insights not available to drop-in grandparents. You may, however, enhance your chances of family conflict. Much depends upon the kind of house guest you choose to be. Follow these 10 tips, and your adult children will still love you when you head for home. Be sure to get input about the length of your visit, too....

Ultrasounds performed for non-medical reasons, however, are typically not recommended. Health experts generally advise against “keepsake” three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) ultrasounds, which produce still and moving images of your baby in the uterus, because there is no medical benefit and the long-term effects of these lengthy ultrasound exposure are unknown. 2D Ultrasound All ultrasounds use sound waves to create a picture. The traditional ultrasound used in pregnancy creates a 2D image of a developing fetus....

However, people—including kids—are constantly changing and developing new preferences, fears, thoughts, and emotions. Therefore, to continue to know your children well, you need to keep asking questions to start conversations. These conversation starters can also help your child develop characteristics such as gratitude, imagination, empathy, and confidence. You can bring up these questions when you’re in the car, at the dinner table, or at any other time when the whole family can focus on the conversation....

The major benefits of co-parenting apps and online tools include the ability to share each child’s schedule, keep each parent notified about upcoming appointments, and track any shared expenses. If you think this sort of tool might be useful, give these top-rated co-parenting communication tools a try. Tips: Add the app to your phone for anywhere access to important medical information, including prescription history and contact information for each of your kids’ doctors....