Come read us on Babble

We are currently blogging every day on babble.com on a blog called "Being Pregnant" so come read us over there...

posted by kanarick at 1:21 PM | Comments (0)

through the eyes of a pregnant woman, or the worst part about breastfeeding is all that pumping

We went to a beautiful country fair in Maine this weekend, and while Alfred was thrilled with the rides and cotton candy....

... I found myself drawn to other "attractions."

posted by ceridwen at 7:28 PM | Comments (5)

beautiful people have more daughters and other facts of life

Here's a little fodder for your summertime dinner party conversations. Psychology Today has published a list of ten highly "politically incorrect truths about human nature." Since many of them relate to sex, babies, marriage and divorce I thought they were worth mentioning here. The ten truths are quoted from the article; the crude breakdown below is from me. I'm not sure what to make of all this, but I will be checking my husband's credit card statements when those hot flashes kick in. And next time I get whistled at on the street, I'm going to feel empowered. Oh yeah, and blonde highlights have been factored into the long-term family budget.

1. Men like blond bombshells (and women want to look like them)
Blonde hair is more common in chidlhood; men want younger, fertile women. Therefore men are attracted to blondes. Small waists and big hips mean a woman is more fecund.

2. Humans are naturally polygamous
Men want to spread seed. More wives, more pregnancies. More spawn.

3. Most women benefit from polygyny, while most men benefit from monogamy
Rich, powerful men get all the ladies; poor losers get none! Women, on the other hand, can benefit more from sharing one fancy, rich guy than having their own slob.

4. Most suicide bombers are Muslim
Since half the Muslim men are not getting laid (b/c other half have all the wives), they are so sexually frustrated they'll do anything to get to those 72 virgins.

5. Having sons reduces the likelihood of divorce
Men are more invested in son carrying on family name/wealth. Wealthier couples with no sons are more likely to divorce!

6. Beautiful people have more daughters
Beauty is more important for girls' success. Money is for boys. (The ruling class tends to have more boys-- you'll have to read the article to learn how, I'm not sure I get it!)

7. What Bill Gates and Paul McCartney have in common with criminals
Violence and genius (in men) peek at an early age!

8. The midlife crisis is a myth—sort of
A man's midlife crisis is a response to a partner's aging (menopause) not his own age. (Ashton Kutcher may hit a midlife crisis at 30).

9. It's natural for politicians to risk everything for an affair (but only if they're male)
Power is attained in order to bang lots of women. If Bill Clinton didn't use his power for a BJ, he'd be denying evolution.

10. Men sexually harass women because they are not sexist
They have so much respect for them, they treat 'em like dogs.

posted by ceridwen at 10:17 AM | Comments (1)

jungle juvies

Abandonment is never good for the psyche, but it's perhaps especially bad when the abandoned child weighs 10,000 pounds. A generation of elephants seem to be experiencing long-term damage from the poaching of their moms in the 1970s and 1980s. They've got "the equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder, perhaps caused by being orphaned or witnessing the death of family members. Many herds lost their matriarch and had to make do with inexperienced "teenage mothers". Combined with a lack of older bulls, this appears to have created a generation of "teenage delinquent" elephants."

Now the angry teen elephants are stewing like Vincent Spano and Matt Dillon in a scene from "Over The Edge". Though instead of trolling suburban cul-de-sacs on skate boards, these vengeful JDs are thinking more along the lines of stampede. Seems like the cycle of violence crosses over to the animal kingdom, too. Is it that surprising that an animal who never forgets holds a bit of a grudge?

posted by ceridwen at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

chunky monkeys

Here's some ape science to support what many have seen in their own homes: Dads-to-be pack on pounds alongside pregnant partners. One evolutionary explanation is that everyone--mom and dad--needs to stack on the weight during pregnancy for the long winter of babycare. Who's got time for hunting and foraging with a newborn in the monkey house? Thank goodness for Fresh Direct.

posted by thenewmoms at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)