Spend Valentine's Day on a Babymoon!

Babymoon's are a great way to get that last romantic getaway in before the baby is born. You don't have to worry about finding a babysitter, worry about them the whole time your gone, and you won't spend more time in your hotel room doing diaper changes, feedings, and naps, rather than being beachside. There are some great travel deals right now. Maybe Cancun, Las Vegas, San Diego, Honolulu, or even Chicago. I've found some great deals using FareChase on Yahoo! Whatever your pick, take a little time for you and your honey and enjoy it. Babies are truly the best gifts and while you will enjoy many vacations to come with them, take advantage of the time you have now to babymoon!

Great V-Day Gifts!

Posh Maternity is your Valentine headquarters if you're looking for a great gift for a mom-to-be. Here are some posh presents we know she will love!

1. Mambino Organics Mommy Comfort Pack

2. Maternal America "Peace, Love, Babies" Tee

3. Bravado Exquisite Nursing Bra

4. Maternal America Front Tie Dress in Raspberry

5. Kalencom Burgandy Laminated Buckle Diaper Bag

6. Olian "Baby Love" Tee

7. Posh Maternity Gift Certificate

Who's Harvey Karp?

I recently came across an article in FitPregnancy magazine about a doctor named Harvey Karp. He was a Los Angeles-area pediatrician, but now writes and teaches at hospitals, universities, and military bases. Harvey Karp, M.D. is best known for his DVD and book titled The Happiest Baby on the Block. The book and DVD explain Karp's techniques for calming fussy babies. His program includes the "5 S's" which includes swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing sounds, swinging, and sucking. Karp's reason for The Happiest Baby on the Block series stemmed from his time as a pediatric consultant to the child abuse prevention team at the University of California, Los Angeles. According to the article, Karp was disturbed by the number of infants brought to the emergency room after being abused by a parent. He then began his mission to find the best ways to calm and soothe crying infants. A content baby means more sleep for mom and dad and in turn reduces the risk of postpartum depression and the chances of shaken baby syndrome. To view the "5 S's" and learn more about Karp's techniques, visit http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/.

Celebrity New Year's Baby!

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck welcomed the arrival of their new healthy baby girl yesterday, Jan. 6th, in Los Angeles. No other immediate details were available. The baby girl joins 3 year old sister, Violet. There are too many New Year's babies to count, but I did find a few that were born just seconds after midnight. Amaranta Aguilar, 7 lbs. 1 oz, was born at Loyola Hospital and Jesse Luis Sanchez, 7 lbs. 2 oz., was born at the same time in the Chicago Heights area. Happy birthday New Year Babies!

"LET THE LOVE GROW ROUND"

Join us for a Fashion Show, Brunch, and Silent Auction to benefit the Pregnancy Care Center and Isabel's House Crisis Nursery. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Posh Maternity or at St. John's Mother & Baby Support Center. These tickets would be a perfect Valentine's Gift for the mom-to-be. Door Prizes and Silent Auction items include a Medela Pump In Style Double Breast Pump from St. John's Mother & Baby Support Center, Maternal America Dresses, A sterling silver locket bracelet from Endless Time & Jewelry, Bella Bands, many baby items from your favorite designers, a $500.00 gift certificate from Ideal Image Laser Hair Removal, and numerous gift certificates from many other local businesses. Don't miss out on this fun and fashionable event to help out some great charities!

Your OB Options

If you don't think you and your obstetrician are a good fit, you might consider changing doctors. It is important to have a doctor that you can easily express your concerns to and be able to effectively communicate with. Don't worry about hurting your OB's feelings, patients change doctors all the time for many different reasons. It's better if you have a doctor that you feel comfortable with, rather than suffering through 9 months with someone that you just don't click with and I'm sure your OB would agree. One reason for considering an OB switch may be considerably long waits every time you have an appointment. Waiting a few hours on very rare occasions is normal, sometimes you just happen to be scheduled when an emergency C-section needs to be performed. Waiting a few hours every time you see your doc means she or he has a patient over load and can't give you the attention you deserve. Other signs that you need to start a new doctor search is having your concerns disregarded or being brushed off, feeling pressured into unwanted procedures or interventions, a horrible bedside manner, or an abnormally high Cesarean section rate. You choose your obstetrician, so do some research and ask important questions before you decide on one. If the OB you choose turns out he/she is not the doctor you thought they were, you have every right to switch, but remember, it can be difficult to switch doctors the later you are in your pregnancy, so don't drop your OB with the drop of a hat. Obstetricians are looking out for your best interest, so if she tells you to lay off the weight gain, don't think she's out to crush your self image.

Pregnancy Nutrition

Want a way to connect with a nutritionist about your pregnancy eating habits? Want to know which foods you should be snacking on and which foods to avoid during pregnancy? Hop over to http://www.healthcastle.com/. They have a Pregnancy Nutrition section stock full of articles written by nutritionists from around the U.S. and also have a link to http://www.MyPyramid.com/, the USDA's website where you can make a meal plans that fits your exact nutritional needs. I tested out the MyPyramid Plan for Moms and the Meal Planner and they are nifty little tools to help you stay on track and make sure you're getting all the calories you need from the right foods.