Today’s incarnation of the baby shower started shortly after WW2 and has become quite the celebration of life. We’ve transitioned from small family oriented celebrations to larger parties that, in some cases include entire towns and last several days. In America, traditions have stopped with pre-birth celebrations that usually see party sizes ranging from close personal family to large circles of friends. If you are the mommy to be, a baby shower can be one of the most exciting times of your life. After all, that day is strictly to celebrate new life and a bond between mother and child. It should be a blessed day filled with joy. For a party participant it can be a day filled with emotions that stir up memories of a first child or for future plans for children. It can also stir up emotions of competitiveness. After all we are all human and pulling out the “best gift of the day” award is quite the accomplishment! If your goal is to share in the glowing light of mommy-hood as

San Rafael, CA- For some expectant moms, nausea hits as soon as they wake up in the morning. For others, “morning sickness” attacks in the afternoon or evening. No matter what time of day, nausea and vomiting make you feel utterly miserable. The age-old advice to eat saltine crackers, drink ginger ale and ‘eat a snack before you step foot out of bed’ seems woefully ineffective against the powerful waves of queasiness. The good news: morning sickness usually doesn’t last the entire pregnancy. The even better news: you may not have to suffer at all! According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, morning sickness affects 70-85% of women. The symptoms typically start during the first nine weeks of pregnancy, ranging from mild to severe. Severe cases can lead to hospitalization. That’s why it’s best to control morning sickness from the outset. Unfortunately, many women think their options are limited to the crackers and ginger ale routine or prescripti

Shopping for unique baby shower gifts can be a real challenge. Sure, the regular stores like Target, K-Mart and Walmart all have many different items that qualify as a good baby gift, but they're all so routine and expected. How many baby clothing gift sets does a mother need? And honestly, so many women make clay molds of their baby's hands and feet and put together scrapbooks that buying them the supplies and items needed to do it is like purchasing baby wipes and diaper rash preventative cream. So, if you have a baby shower to go to and a baby to buy something for, consider looking for unique baby shower gifts. For big ticket items that are sure to be a real winner, think about cribs, bassinets, play pens or play areas, high chairs, infant seats, car seats and activity centers. For the mother, think of a luxurious pillow and throw blanket set, or even a rocking chair or a recliner for her to enjoy while she is feeding and nurturing and bonding with her baby. If you need to stick

Party favors are a tradition among birthday parties and baby showers alike. The purpose of a party favor is to thank the guest for attending your celebration by gifting them with a small token of appreciation. Party favors typically relate to the party in some fashion. For example, many birthday parties will include party favors that match the theme of the party. Likewise, baby shower favors often follow the theme of a baby shower. When you are planning a baby shower, you should definitely make room on your to-do list and in your budget for baby shower favors. Whether you're the mom-to-be planning your own baby shower, or you're a part of the traditional crowd and you're the friend or sister of the mom-to-be, you shouldn't neglect those special trinkets to give to all of the guests who celebrate the baby-to-be! Some great ideas for baby shower favors include lip balm and lip gloss sets, personalized chocolate bars (Hershey's offers personalized wrappers for theirs!), scented candles,

A diaper cake is a unique, wonderful and perfect baby gift for any baby shower! Perhaps you have been given a diaper cake, you saw one given at a baby shower, or you just know what they are! Regardless, diaper cakes are a wonderful choice for a baby shower, because they give a gift that can definitely be used: diapers! Now, you can purchase an already assembled diaper cake, but if you'd rather not pay as much as a hundred dollars or more for twenty dollars worth of diapers and ten dollars worth of gauze and ribbon, you can buy those materials on your own and assemble your own diaper cake. To get started, do the top of the diaper cake first. To do this, start by rolling up a diaper, starting with the open end, Once the first diaper is rolled up, wrap a rubber band around it. Next, add seven more diapers to the rubber band. Now it's time to work on the middle layer. Repeat the first step, and use a bigger rubber band to add fifteen to twenty more diapers. For the base, you'll need a ve

Having a baby should be the most natural thing in the world, but for some couples it becomes almost a nightmare when the longed for pregnancy just doesn�t happen. For these people the inability to achieve this ultimate desire in life is a devastating experience. It is then that many couple�s thoughts turn to IVF. But this means huge expense; long stressful waiting; disappointment and all the time the body clock is ticking away. But before you commit to treatment that has only a 20% - 25% chance of success, what if there were steps you could try yourself�. Steps that don�t cost thousands and thousands of pounds; Steps that have brought success and the ultimate joy to many, many couples. How about listening to an expert�s opinion of IVF, I am sure you�ve all heard of Dr Robert Winston. He said. �One of the major problems facing us in healthcare is that IVF has become a massive commercial industry, It�s very easy to exploit people by the fact that they�re desperate and you have got the