There’s a photo that shows off my entire extended family (and me) of my cousin’s wedding in an album at my mom’s house. I’d like to burn it.  Everyone else looks nice enough, but I’m as big as a football field, eight months pregnant, wearing a maternity dress that looks a whole lot like a mumu.  I had nothing fancy to wear and didn’t see the point in splurging on an expensive outfit for one night, so I borrowed this from a so-called friend.  Looking back, I am mortified.  It’s horrible. 

You have no idea how I wish that Fashion Forward Maternity existed then.  The company lets you rent the latest designer fashions at a fraction of the cost of buying the same item. 

The heartbreak of a stillbirth is immense.  Finding out the cause can be critical for women who want to try again.  Researchers with the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network are now working on finding out what causes a stillbirth, with the ultimate goal of preventing them.

In the United States, one out of every 160 pregnancies ends in stillbirth. Obstetric complications and placental abnormalities are two common causes for stillbirths, according to two studies published in the December 14 issue of JAMA.  The reports also show factors that could be known at the start of pregnancy, such as previous stillbirth or pregnancy loss, are associated with an increased risk for stillbirth.

Have you taken the Buckle Up Pledge?

If not, this is the ideal time to do it.  That’s because it’s Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept 18-24).  Statistics show vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children 3-14 years of age.  If you’re in an accident, the odds of injury go way up if a child is not restrained.

The Buckle Up Pledge is a promise to keep everyone in your vehicle buckled up safely at all times.  You can take the pledge by clicking this link.

You’ll find other safety tips on the site, including recommendations such as the following:

"Top Child Passenger Safety Tips

·         For the best possible protection keep infants in a back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible—up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. Never turn a child forward-facing before age 1 and at least 20 pounds, although keeping kids rear-facing until at least age 2 is safer and preferred if the seat allows.

·         When children outgrow their rear-facing seats, they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in a back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular harnessed seat. Many newer seats exceed the old 40 pound weight limit.

·         Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats, they should ride in booster seats, in a back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly.

·         Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt rests on the shoulder or collar bone (usually when the child is between 8 and 12 years old, approximately 4’9” tall and 80 to 100 pounds)."

Safe Kids USA just released their latest statistical report entitled: “A Look Inside American Family Vehicles: National Study of 79,000 Car Seats, 2009?2010.”  You can find out more about that by clicking on this link.