Photo: Metrolic.com

Conceiving a baby happens “all the time.” One egg and one sperm meet up and nine months later, a baby comes out.  This simple scenario fails for many couples, however.

Infertility may occur in the man, the woman, or both.  Roughly one third of men in infertile couples have insufficient healthy sperm (male infertility).  A quick and relatively inexpensive evaluation of the male side of infertility may be your best solution.

First, can the man have an erection and ejaculate? Problems here may originate in psychological factors (stress, depression) or metabolic conditions such as diabetes. Counseling, medications or devices to assist with erections may provide solutions. { read more }

Photo: tanya_little, Flickr

Undergoing fertility treatments can open you up to a whole range of emotions. During this time of expectation, and often stress, there is no “correct” way to handle your feelings. You may feel elated at the start only to experience frustration if the treatment process is unsuccessful. For some couples undergoing fertility therapy, the physiological responses of stress, anxiety, and even anger, can be counterproductive to conceiving.

Here are a few tips on how you can curb some of those emotions so they affect your fertility quest in a positive way. { read more }

Photo: www.peoplespilates.co.uk

Bringing a new baby into the world brings many challenges. Probably one of the hardest to deal with is the lack of sleep that comes with taking care of a newborn. I don’t think I have ever experiences exhaustion like I did during those first few months of motherhood.

Constructive rest is an easy practice that can help relax and rejuvenate a tired mom (or dad!). By taking the body into a neutral position, this position can be used to help reset your body, clear your mind, and release muscle tension. It’s perfect as a pre-bedtime ritual or as a mid-day “pick me up.” Follow these easy simple steps to help rejuvenate your body.

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www.empoweringparents.com

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are currently over 21 million children being raised in single family homes. Perhaps your children are in this group. Being a single parent does not have to be stressful. It does not have to be twice the burden. And guess what? Contrary to what may be your deepest fear, you don’t have to sacrifice your sanity.

Being a single parent can be empowering, fun and a truly liberating season of your life. Of course it doesn’t always feel this way, but you can take steps in this direction a little bit at a time.  Here are a few tips and reminders to help you lighten the load.

Enlist help

Create your own support team.  This can be a big hurdle for some moms, but you’re going to have to ask for help.  Asking for help is a sign of strength and wisdom.  Have a list of family, friends, neighbors and even co-workers you can ask to help with school runs, activities, etc.  You’re not going to get a trophy for doing it all on your own, and you do not have to be at all of your child’s events.  You do have to keep your sanity, so know your limits.  To quote an old proverb, it really does “take a village to raise a child.” { read more }

Photo: www.familypolicy.net

The joy of seeing “positive” on an at-home pregnancy detection test strip generally is followed by an eager visit to your gynecologist and confirmation that, yes, you are pregnant. This miracle of conception goes exactly right in most women.  However, about 2% of women who become pregnant experience a misstep in this process with an ectopic pregnancy, in which the fertilized egg implants “out of position,” or not in the uterus.

How could this happen?

Each ovary is nestled in a fringe-like basket opening of the fallopian tube.  At ovulation, the egg bursts from the ovary and moves into the tube.  Conception of the egg and the sperm occurs within 24 hours, before the egg reaches the uterus. Within 10 days, the fertilized egg, finally having arrived in the uterus, implants and begins the 9-month miracle of transformation to a baby. { read more }

Photo: Jeff Jacobson

Full disclosure: my wife and I did not have a home birth when our daughter was born. We planned a home birth, we prepared for a home birth; but when our time finally came, my wife had to have a cesarean section (her second). So, I can’t say from first-hand experience what it’s like to fully experience a home birth.

That said, I do know what it’s like to prepare for a home birth from the perspective of a man who never expected to do so. I’m a very conservative guy who grew up believing that all women gave birth in hospitals, and that all babies were delivered by a doctor. All that changed when I met my wife, and my transformation from ignorant to well-informed just might be able to help you with yours. { read more }

Potential fathers: Did you know that you can eat to boost your fertility mojo? Research shows that there is a clear relationship between male fertility and food, and that certain foods have a positive and potent effect on a man’s ability to help his partner conceive. This means that preparing to get pregnant is a planned and combined effort by both partners nutritionally and sexually.

According to the American Pregnancy Association, what you eat can make a difference in your ability to help your wife or partner conceive. Proper weight range, exercise, and diet are all major factors in your fertility as a male partner. However, there are certain fertility-enhancing foods that can help improve sperm quality, production and health. We’ve narrowed it down to these five power foods.

Photo: DusanZidar, Flickr

1. Oily fish

Fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, is an excellent source of essential fatty acids (EFAs), omega-3 and omega-6 oils. These properties are said to enhance sperm development and improve overall sperm quality and function. What’s more, these fish are rich in L-Arginine, which according to Marrena Lindberg of The Orgasmic Diet, is nature’s own “Viagra.” Ideally, men should consume between three to four portions of fatty fish a week in order to experience better erectile performance and longer sex sessions.

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Photo: Sesame Ellis, Flickr

Soon after you announce the sex of your baby, the inevitable name question comes up. For many couples, the name of their soon-to-arrive bundle has been settled on for months or even years, but for many more, the name-choosing process can feel like sailing in uncharted water. Celebrities seem to be settling on more unusual names while everyone else seems to have an Ella in their clan. How do you find a name that is meaningful, creative and functional?

Start by looking at the top-ten baby name list.

The Social Security Administration ranks Jacob and Isabella as the top choices for 2010. While the highest ranking names have inched their way to the top for a reason, you might want to look a little further down the list if you don’t want your son to be one of four “Ethans” in his kindergarten class.  The Social Security Administration lets you see up to the 1000^th most popular baby name, so there’s certain to be a name that strikes your fancy. { read more }

Photo: woodleywonderworks, Flickr

Love and Logic is a method of parenting originally developed by Jim Fay and David Funk. It stresses that a child will experience a natural consequence for every action. If a parent can allow the natural consequence to take place, there is very little need for rigorous or exhaustive discipline.

The author’s key points are these: if you give a child freedom for 95% of decision making that doesn’t matter, you can claim complete control of the 5% that does. Additionally, when a parent relinquishes control over every negative consequence a child might experience when the consequences are small, that child will learn to make the right decisions when the consequences are big. Here’s how it works:

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Photo: themonnie, Flickr

Knowing when you are ovulating can help improve your chances of getting pregnant. The “average” time for ovulation is usually marked around the 14th day of a woman’s cycle. Unfortunately, this doesn’t take into account the fact that many women’s cycles differ in lengths and consistency. And the truth is that even if you have a really predictable 28-day cycle, your body may ovulate at different times.

Thankfully there is a lot of great information available today to help women better take control of their fertility. Tuning into your body and having a better sense of your own cycle can help your chances of conception and be a great source of information.

What is ovulation?

Ovulation occurs when a mature egg is released from the ovary. It is then pushed down the fallopian tube where it is available to become fertilized. The uterus prepares itself for a fertilized egg by thickening the lining. If conception does not occur, this lining and blood are shed (menstruation).

Here are some things you can do to better understand and track your cycle: { read more }