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By the second week of your baby’s life, you might be starting to get into a groove with understanding what they need and establishing some routines around feeding and baby care. But it’s also possible that things still feel a little chaotic and uncertain. All of that is common—after all, your baby is still really young, and you are still getting to know each other. In terms of development, there aren’t many huge changes that happen with your baby between their first and second week of life....

Holiday perfectionism is one of the main causes of holiday stress. When perfectionism flares up around the holidays, not only are perfectionists unable to fully enjoy the festivities, but neither is anyone else around them. Whether it’s spending all day cooking the perfect recipes for the holiday feast, making sure the house is perfectly decorated, or procuring the perfect gifts and then spending all day wrapping them perfectly, holiday perfectionism can cause worry and distress if things don’t go perfectly according to plan....

It may be hard to believe that an entire month has gone by already! Your baby is still very much a newborn and continues to spend most of the day eating and sleeping. But this week, your baby is gaining even more awareness of their surroundings, becoming stronger, and (hopefully) beginning to learn the difference between day and night. You are probably finding your groove by now, but if you are finding this stage challenging, you are not alone....

Do you know how to tell a story so that you engage your listener? If you have social anxiety, you might not have much experience telling stories. Your fear of being the center of attention has probably held you back from offering more than a sentence or two at a time. Although you might never become a grand storyteller or have people hanging on your every word, you can certainly learn how to tell interesting anecdotes in the best way to engage your listeners....

Truly bad teachers are unusual, but they do exist. Today, most states require a college degree and a mentored student-teaching internship before someone can teach in the classroom. The path to becoming a professional certified teacher is challenging enough to stop most people who do not belong in the profession from even pursuing the job. Occasionally, however, someone who might not be fit to be a teacher gets the credentials and a teaching position—or stays in the position long after their enthusiasm for the job is gone....

Do you end up buying the same foods when you go grocery shopping? Is your grocery cart full of healthy foods your kids won’t eat or junk food you are ashamed they do eat? Reading Food Labels As you learn about healthy food and avoiding junk food, you can really put those lessons to work at the grocery store when you buy groceries. For example, after comparing nutrition facts labels for Sunny D and orange juice, you may choose to go with calcium-fortified orange juice since it doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup....

For many, going to the salon for hair color is an important part of your beauty regimen, and probably something you have been doing for years. But once you find out you’re pregnant, every activity that once seemed routine may be called into question. Good news: getting your hair dyed while pregnant is considered safe, especially in the second and third trimesters. Since most hair dyes have little contact with your scalp, the chance of any chemicals reaching your bloodstream, and therefore your baby, is low....

In your efforts to keep your growing baby safe, you’ve dropped your second cup of morning coffee and stopped using retinol cream in the evenings. When you get a text about your upcoming hair color appointment you booked prior to finding out you were pregnant, it leaves you wondering if it’s safe to have your hair bleached when pregnant. You can feel free to keep your appointment on the books because it is most likely safe for you to bleach your hair during pregnancy....

Hemorrhaging is not something most people want to think about when it comes to childbirth. While the majority of births will not have a problem with heavy bleeding of any kind, approximately 3% to 5% of obstetric patients will experience postpartum hemorrhage, according to research published in American Family Physician. Postpartum hemorrhage is defined as a loss of blood in the postpartum period of more than 500 mL. The average, spontaneous vaginal birth will typically have a 500 mL blood loss....

Many of us take our jobs home with us without realizing it. Work may be stressful, but when we’re supposed to be relaxing—from the minute we walk out of the office until the next morning when we come back—we often let job stress seep in instead of making the most of our non-work lives. There are many reasons we do this, but there are more important reasons why we can and should learn to stop....

If you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition such as depression, your healthcare provider may prescribe antidepressant medication to help treat it. These medications work by rebalancing some of the chemicals in your brain, known as neurotransmitters. There are several different types of antidepressant medications and it’s important to find the one that works best for you. According to a 2016 study, up to two-thirds of people who have depression don’t respond to the first antidepressant drug they are prescribed and need to change their medication before they see results....

If you have anticipatory anxiety, you are fearful for an extended period of time about an imagined future situation you perceive as an unpredictable threat. This mental health condition is usually not seen as a specific disorder, but rather a symptom of certain anxiety-related disorders, including panic disorder, generalized anxiety, and social phobia. Your anxious feelings can reach a peak in the hours before a scheduled event or last for months prior to a situation that may or may not happen....

The long-time effects of methamphetamine use can be more severe than those of some other illicit drugs and some of the effects can be irreversible. One of the negative consequences of meth use is developing an addiction to the drug. People who become addicted to methamphetamine will continue compulsive drug seeking and drug use in spite of negative consequences due to changes in the brain that alter the person’s reward system....

Many different kinds of close relationships are affected by borderline personality disorder (BPD), but perhaps none more than being married to a person with BPD. More specifically, marriages in which either one or both partners have BPD can be very tumultuous, conflict-laden, and dysfunctional. Learn more about how your marriage may be affected by BPD, and how you and your partner (surprisingly) may not be destined for divorce as you likely might have thought....

The size of the gestational sac is measured in early pregnancy ultrasounds. With transvaginal ultrasound (an exam during which high-frequency sound waves produce an image), the gestational sac can be seen very early in pregnancy when its diameter is only about 2 to 3 millimeters. This usually occurs around five weeks after your last menstrual period, Here is what you need to know about gestational sac size in early pregnancy....

Social skills that are important for second grade are those that show your child is gaining a sense of independence and self-awareness. As the academic expectations for your child ask them to think more for themself and do some out-of-the-box problem-solving, their ability to feel confident and capable will play a big role in a successful second-grade year. Skill: Begins to become more self-aware; recognizes strengths and weaknesses in their abilities....

Being pregnant when the temperature rises can make even the most cheerful person a little grumpy and uncomfortable. These quick and easy solutions can help you get through those hot summer days and nights with a little more comfort and make a summer pregnancy something to celebrate. Cotton Clothes Wearing clothing that is made of natural fibers (cotton/linen) versus synthetic fabrics can go a long way to keeping your body cool, allowing you to perspire and release the heat instead of trapping it in as your body does its best to cool itself down....

When you really think about it, the fact that children learn a language, learn how to speak, and learn to write in such a short amount of time is extraordinary. As parents and caregivers and educators, we all want to encourage our children to learn the skills they will need for a lifetime, but many of us don’t necessarily think a lot about how those skills develop—or at what age we can encourage our children to start learning skills like how to write....

Known for their quality, comfort, support, and cushioning, Nike shoes have long been a popular favorite among athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Many of their options boast responsive midsoles, supportive heel counters, and breathable fabrics, making them good choices for comfortable walking shoes. “While walking does cause less impact on the body than running, it’s important to wear shoes with good support, shock absorption, and cushioning,” William Spielfogel, DPM, a board-certified podiatrist and medical advisor to The Good Feet Store, says....

A downpour can really dampen your day, regardless of whether you’re out for a leisurely hike or a hard workout. Thankfully, waterproof rain boots can keep you safe, dry and comfortable on a walk in the rain. “Always dress for the weather, and that starts with your footwear,” Kaitlin Humphreys, CPT, Portland, Oregon trainer, says. “The purpose of exercise is to be able to enjoy it and stay active…so if your feet get wet at the start, you won’t be able to get the most out of your workout!...