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If you are an expectant parent, it’s perfectly natural to feel concerned about the health of your unborn child. In the midst of a global pandemic, those worries may ramp up a notch (or several). You’re definitely not alone—it’s totally normal to worry about COVID-19 during pregnancy. Key Takeaways The Omicron variant was first detected in Botswana and South Africa in November 2021.Omicron has several strains, most notably BA.2, BA.4, and BA....

It is 8 a.m. and you put on your shoes to leave for work. Or you grab your coat to go out to dinner, zip your suitcase to catch a flight for a work conference, or simply get up from the couch to go the bathroom. Your child becomes hysterical, crying, screaming, clinging to your leg. Begging you not to leave. Most parents have experienced this scenario in some form. You need to leave your child with a caregiver (or another parent), but you can’t help feeling sad and guilty about leaving your child in hysterics....

While burping is most commonly associated with bottle-fed babies, breastfed babies also need to be burped. Babies tend to swallow more air when bottle-fed, which often results in more air in their tummies. However, many babies also take in excess air while nursing. “I usually recommend burping in between switching breasts or after feeds,” says Jennifer Abdul-Rahman, BSN, RN, IBCLC, a certified lactation consultant at Latched Eternal Lactation Consulting. Abdul-Rahman suggests burping your baby whether they appear to need it or not, in order to release any trapped air that may be in their tummy....

Pregnancy is an exciting time, but it’s not always comfortable. While you’re expecting, hormone changes and a growing uterus can lead to a variety of symptoms. For some, pregnancy is a breeze with only a few, mild complaints. But, for others with more severe symptoms, it can be a long, difficult nine months. This article describes some of the common pregnancy discomforts, tips to help you through them, and when to call the doctor....

Obedience is a form of social influence that involves performing an action under the orders of an authority figure. It differs from compliance (which involves changing your behavior at the request of another person) and conformity (which involves altering your behavior in order to go along with the rest of the group). Instead, obedience involves altering your behavior because a figure of authority has told you to. How Obedience Differs From Conformity Obedience differs from conformity in three key ways:...

As many as 80% of people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) will have at least one other psychiatric condition in their lifetime. Just as untreated ADHD can lead to unnecessary problems in everyday life, comorbid conditions can cause a tremendous amount of harm in those with ADHD if left undiagnosed and untreated. Though any anxiety disorder can coexist with ADHD, social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common. Learning the differences between the two conditions is important in the management and treatment of both....

Quite often, people who have experimented with other drugs are curious about what the heroin high feels like. The high comes with feelings of euphoria, which is one of the main reasons people who use heroin give for taking this dangerous drug. However, it comes with many adverse effects as well, which many who use it for the first time find very unpleasant. The Heroin High For many people who take this substance, heroin is more about avoiding or numbing pain than feeling good....

The law of attraction is a philosophy suggesting that positive thoughts bring positive results into a person’s life, while negative thoughts bring negative outcomes. It is based on the belief that thoughts are a form of energy and that positive energy attracts success in all areas of life, including health, finances, and relationships. Based on these lofty promises, it begs the question: Is the law of attraction real? While the law of attraction has generated attention in recent years due to books like “The Secret,” it lacks scientific evidence for its claims and is generally viewed as a pseudoscience....

Rape and sexual assault are traumatic, life-altering experiences that can leave people feeling confused, vulnerable, ashamed, and alone. Yet, shockingly, it happens more often than people might expect. Trigger Warning: This article contains information about sexual violence and rape that may be triggering for some survivors. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five women will experience sexual violence in her lifetime, often perpetrated by someone they know and trust....

Babies seem so helpless at birth, but as the weeks pass, it’s hard to believe how much they learn and develop in such a short period. In about a year’s time, the newborn that needed to be held with their head and neck supported will become a walking, talking toddler. It’s pretty amazing! During the early months of life, your baby will learn to hold their head up and spend a lot of time in a sphinx-like position....

It really is imperative for owners of car seats to have their car seats registered with the manufacturers. By law, manufacturers are required to send out notices by mail if a seat has been recalled. Therefore, it is important that not only are car seats registered but that you update your information if in the event that you move. Registering Car Seats Without the Registration Card As a person who is well-known for misplacing everything from car keys to grocery lists (and for the record, those items are just misplaced not lost!...

If you’re wondering how to increase dopamine, start with the general practices of a healthy lifestyle: Get sufficient sleep regularly.Listen to music.Eat healthfully.Exercise.Practice mindfulness through meditation, deep breathing, etc.Limit your intake of processed foods.Try to minimize stress. Dopamine, a chemical messenger in your brain that governs motivation, movement, memory, mood, sleep, and behavior regulation, is central to the brain’s reward system. It rewards you whenever you engage in a beneficial behavior and motivates you to repeat the behavior....

Aneuploidy is a condition in which a cell has an incorrect number of chromosomes. Aneuploidies are a common cause of miscarriage, especially in early pregnancy. Understanding Chromosomes To understand what an aneuploidy is, you’ll need to first learn about chromosomes. Chromosomes are the structures that contain our DNA. They are located in the nuclei of all of our cells. Normal human cells have 46 chromosomes comprised of 23 chromosome pairs. Half of our chromosomes come from our mothers and the other half from our fathers....

Breastfeeding can help prevent pregnancy, but not always. It depends on things like how often you breastfeed and the age of your baby. So, it’s definitely possible to become pregnant again while you’re still breastfeeding another child. If you do find yourself expecting again—whether it’s planned or a surprise—you may have a lot of questions about how breastfeeding will affect your new pregnancy, the baby you’re nursing, your milk supply, and your body....

The postpartum period is intense, physically and emotionally. Your body is in a slow recovery from the major toll that birth takes, and along with moments of bliss and wonder at your new little human, you might also feel anxious or blue. Essential oils may help you feel relaxed during this time. But, you may be wondering whether it is safe to use essential oils while you are breastfeeding your baby....

During pregnancy, your body is hard at work. First of all, you’re sharing your body’s nutrients and fluids with another being, whose weight you are carrying around. On top of that, you have also grown an entirely new organ, the placenta, over a relatively short period of time. It’s no surprise if you feel exhausted. In fact, there hasn’t been enough research on chamomile tea to say for sure whether it is safe to drink while pregnant....

Pregnancy can be exhausting, particularly as your due date nears. You need sleep now more than ever. However, finding a comfortable sleeping position can be a real challenge, especially when you have concerns over which positions are safe and which should be avoided. If you are a back sleeper, you may have heard that sleeping on your back is a pregnancy no-no. Naturally, you may be worried, especially if you wake to find that you have spent most of the night on your back....

The concept of choice blindness suggests that people are not always aware of their choices and preferences. Choice blindness is a part of a cognitive phenomenon known as the introspection illusion. Essentially, people incorrectly believe that they fully understand the roots of their emotions and thoughts, yet believe that other people’s introspections are largely unreliable. According to research on this topic, even when you don’t get what you want, there’s a strong chance that you won’t even notice....

What Is Couples Therapy? Couples therapy is a form of psychotherapy that can help you and your partner improve your relationship. If you are having relationship difficulties, you can seek couples therapy to help rebuild your relationship. “Couples therapy can address a wide range of relationship issues, including recurring conflicts, feelings of disconnection, an affair, issues related to sex, or difficulties due to external stressors,” says Brian Mueller, PhD, a psychologist at Columbia University Medical Center who specializes in couples therapy....

Dry drowning, also called secondary drowning, is a non-medical term that refers to acute lung injury caused by water aspiration. This type of injury develops minutes to hours after exposure and can progress to respiratory failure. The term “dry drowning” is no longer used in the medical community, as it’s considered misleading. There is no difference between dry drowning and drowning, so the preferred term is simply “drowning.” We use “dry drowning” here, however, to describe drowning incidents in which symptoms don’t appear until later....