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The transition from being a couple to having a baby and becoming parents is an exciting, empowering, and life-changing experience. Likewise, it’s also draining, frustrating, and time-consuming. And, the combination of all of these factors can really take a toll on your relationship if you’re not careful. In fact, research has shown that couples typically experience an increase in conflict and a decrease in overall satisfaction when their first child is born....

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also commonly referred to as ADHD, is a neurotype marked by specific traits such as forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, a sense of restlessness, and procrastination, among others. It’s worth noting that severity determined by a clinician doesn’t always reflect a person’s experience and can change over time depending on context, situations, etc. Despite what the numbers show, this does not mean that adults don’t struggle with ADHD as much as children do....

Are you looking for a rewarding career in which you can genuinely help people and enrich their lives? Becoming a therapist may be an excellent choice for you. While people often assume therapists have to earn a Ph.D. in psychology, there are a few different training and educational paths you can take toward this fulfilling career. What Do Therapists Do? The term “therapist” is often a used generically to describe a number of health care professionals who provide mental health services to clients....

It is a rite of passage every parent has to go through eventually: The first time your child gets sick. But just because illnesses are an inevitability, that doesn’t make seeing your child sick any easier. This can be especially true with the flu, where fevers often run high and congestion can impact your child’s ability to breathe. And when your young child can’t effectively communicate to you how they are feeling, it can feel impossible to know how to best help them....

Did you ‘wake up on the wrong side of the bed’? Is it going to be ‘one of those days’? Did mama tell you there’d be days like this? We’ve all had bad days. And oftentimes, a day that starts out bad just keeps getting worse, snowballing into a really bad day. This is a common experience—the long day’s journey into stress and frustration; we’ve all been there. But why? Why does a bad morning so often lead to an entire day gone bad?...

Your 8-month-old baby has been fussy and irritable, waking up more frequently during the night, and putting everything—and we mean everything—into their mouth. It doesn’t take a parenting expert to guess that they’re probably teething—and those teensy white ridges poking through their gums only confirm your suspicions. But don’t reach for a tube of regular Orajel to soothe the gum pain just yet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns against the use of Orajel in children under 2 years of age....

Have you ever found yourself buying something you don’t need, to make yourself happy? Do you spend more when you’re stressed? “Retail therapy” is one method of stress relief that many people use consciously or unconsciously—it’s the act of buying yourself a little something to boost your mood when you’re feeling low, and it may be more common than you think. How Common Is Retail Therapy? Retail therapy (and even its more intense cousin, compulsive shopping) may be more common than people realize....

Soda consumption among children and teens is a health concern for a number of reasons. Drinking soda contributes to childhood weight issues, can lead to tooth decay, and can contribute to sleep problems. Some studies also suggest that kids who consume soda may have an increased risk for behavioral issues and mental health problems. This article discusses the potential connection between soft drinks and behavioral problems, the limitations of this research, and other reasons to limit soft drink consumption in kids....

We’ve all wondered about using medications past their expiration dates. Is it ever safe? How important are these dates? And how should we dispose of expired medications? What the Expiration Date Means Most medications have an expiration date between 12 to 60 months after they are manufactured. If a pharmacist puts your medication into another container, that date will be even shorter and is reflected in the beyond-use date. The reason for this is that both expiration dates and beyond-use dates take into consideration the handling and storage factors of the medication....

A recent study in Child Development sought to identify potential differences in how bystanders may respond to childhood bullying depending on their background. Specifically, researchers found some differences in how children of immigrant experience responded to bullying compared to non-immigrant children. Key Takeaways New research sheds light on the possibility of varying responses to bullying in children of immigrant experience and non-immigrant children.Children of immigrant experience may be less likely to respond to bullying in ways that can be perceived as negative....

Question: My son is 13 1/2 years old. He was always very overweight and ate mostly junk food like McDonald’s or pizza most of his life. As he started going through puberty, he grew 4 inches and lost 25 pounds. The problem is he has become obsessed with his weight and continues to lose more and more weight. His highest weight was 169 and now he is down to 117 pounds....

As parents, we can’t indulge in the things we used to at our leisure. Spontaneous trips to the mall or movies, which were once relatively ho-hum activities, suddenly become luxuries. Parents of newborns especially who have been holed up in the house for weeks might find themselves going stir-crazy, desperate to get outside and do something like go to the movies, but what happens when you’ve got a newborn baby in tow?...

What do you need to know about drug interactions if you are taking a mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder and could these medications make your birth control less effective? Overview Anticonvulsants (antiepileptic) drugs are commonly used for people with bipolar disorder and are one of several classes of medications considered to be mood stabilizers (along with lithium and certain antipsychotics). While these drugs were devised for controlling seizures, they are often very effective in stabilizing mood and have been called mood stabilizers for this reason....

LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning), and others. The “plus” represents other sexual identities including pansexual and Two-Spirit. The first four letters of the acronym have been used since the 1990s, but in recent years there has been an increased awareness of the need to be inclusive of other sexual identities to offer better representation. The acronym is used to represent a diverse range of sexualities and gender-identities, referring to anyone who is transgender and/or same/similar gender attracted....

Symptoms involve challenges or differences in motor skills and both intellectual and social abilities. People with autism may learn, act, think, communicate, and interact differently than people who do not have autism spectrum disorder. Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is a developmental disorder characterized by communication, social, and behavior challenges. The condition is lifelong and symptoms can vary considerably from one person to the next. Autism is referred to as a spectrum disorder because there is so much variation in terms of the type of symptoms people experience and the severity of those symptoms....

Most of us expect to be uncomfortable at times during pregnancy. Morning sickness, swollen ankles, and backaches are to be expected. But what you might not expect is just how overheated you’ll feel while you’re pregnant. For many of us, the “pregnancy glow” goes beyond a flushed face. Pregnant people often have moments where they are overcome with waves of heat. Some people even experience hot flashes during pregnancy. All of this can be especially uncomfortable if you are pregnant during the summer months, or if you live in a warm climate....

Teens often complain of being bored and having nothing to do. This is why it can be hard to think of suggestions that will keep your teen occupied and entertained for any length of time. But there are many fun things for teens to do, particularly in the spring, as the weather warms up. Not only is it a great time to explore the area around them, but spring also symbolizes new beginnings....

Attachment anxiety refers to anxiety experienced about your relationships with loved ones including parents, friends, and partners. It generally stems from childhood experiences. While the exact causes of anxious attachment are not fully understood, they may stem from negative experiences or inconsistent parenting. Secure attachments with caregivers are essential for healthy development. Poor attachment during the early years of life can have lasting effects. These attachments can also persist into adulthood and negatively affect adult relationships....

Aurora is a mystical and romantic name that means “dawn” in Latin. An aurora also refers to a natural light display in the Earth’s sky called the aurora polaris, or polar lights, visible only in high-latitude regions like the North and South Poles. The aurora borealis (the northern lights) and the aurora australis (the southern lights) paint the sky in an dazzling array of colors. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn....

Fraternal twins, or dizygotic twins, happen when two different eggs are fertilized by two sperm. “Di” means two and zygotic refers to the zygote, the egg fertilized by the sperm that will develop into an embryo and grow into a baby. The majority of twins are fraternal twins (twins that are more like siblings born at the same time). Monozygotic twins, or identical twins, come from a single egg and sperm that splits into two after conception....