A whole new world
Your postpartum life (Things we'll tell you that no one else will) - Some advice about pregnancy, birth, parenting and more.
Your new body: Head-to-toe - Here's what to expect from your body during the early weeks after the birth.
Loving every (other) minute of it - A mother relates her perspective on the abrupt and disorienting transition to motherhood.
A mother's first year - Meditation on the anxieties and elations of her first year as a mother.
Cesarean recovery
Cesarean section pain - Advice on everything from keeping romance alive amidst the structure and stress of baby-making to weathering the storms of morning sickness to preparing for the birth of your dreams.
Recovery: What nobody tells you - It can be impossible to predict ahead of time whether or not you will be delivering your baby via cesarean section. Therefore it's important to arm yourself with the facts before you go into labor.
Abdominal exercises after c-section - After a cesarean section, how can you get your abdomen back in shape? Lisa Stone, an ACE-certified Pre-and Post-Natal Fitness Instructor, has some suggestions to consider along with your caregiver's advice.
Back into shape
Jelly belly? Improving abs - Improving abs and posture after birth in eight easy moves.
Post-baby shape-up - Exercise is the only way to get your muscles back in shape.
The truth about your body - Some warning about the physical changes motherhood brings.
Fitness after pregnancy - Advice on everything from keeping romance alive amidst the structure and stress of baby-making to weathering the storms of morning sickness to preparing for the birth of your dreams.
Keeping fitness goals - Fitness Expert Sara Jones offers some tips to help you maintain your exercise program and keep your fitness efforts on track.
Making peace with your new body - First of all, cut yourself a little slack. Realize that it took your body nine months to grow a baby and that you need to give yourself at least that much time to get your body back in shape.
Abs separated during pregnancy? - After birth, you may notice that your abdominal muscles have separated. Find out how can you regain muscle tone in this area.
Losing the weight
Motivation to lose pounds - Getting back to normal takes time. What happens to a woman's body is an amazing preparation process for giving birth and for the possibility of nursing.
About getting your body back - Your body changes during pregnancy, everyone knows that. But for many women, some of those changes are permanent.
Finding more time for exercise - Don't have enough time to exercise every day? A fitness expert explains what you can do in as little as 15 minutes a day!
Postpartum pounds - While exercise plays an important role in shedding those extra pregnancy pounds, it's also important to monitor the types and quantities of food you're consuming.
Postpartum weight loss classes - New moms who want to lose weight succeed when they participate in a structured program of weekly meetings that focus on diet and nutrition, according to Saint Louis University research.
Making peace with your body - Be patient! Jumpstart your exercise program and start paying a bit more attention to what you eat.
Successful postpartum weight loss - To make permanent, successful progress, you'll need to make changes in your lifestyle. Here's how you can get started!
Love and sex
Sex too soon? - Even after the doctor has given the okay that things have healed physically, it's important to take emotional concerns into account.
New babies & your love life - The months right after the birth of a baby are a particularly vulnerable time for your sex life.
When sex drive slows after birth - A slow-down or even complete cessation of libido is a normal part of the postpartum experience, and is really to be expected.
Resuming sex after cesarean - Having a baby is hard on the body, especially when you have a cesarean section. So when is it safe to have sex again? Obstetrician/Gynecologist David Barrere explains.
8 weeks - and not ready? - The amount of time that passes before sexual relations resume after childbirth varies from person to person because of several factors.
Sex after pregnancy - Contrary to popular belief, it's not unusual to have your libido nosedive for many weeks -- even months -- after the birth of a baby.
Postpartum depression
Common questions about PPD - What is postpartum depression, and how can you identify the symptoms? Find out some information here about this disorder than affects approximately 15 percent of women.
Tired? Maybe it's something more - A simple questionnaire on fatigue, administered two weeks after birth, may serve to identify women who at increased risk of developing moderate to severe postpartum depression, according to researchers.
Baby blues or depression? - Postpartum depression, on the other hand, is such more intense and prolonged. (By definition, postpartum depression must last for at least two weeks in order to be distinguished from the "baby blues.")
Blues/depression: Guide for dads - Researcher Edward Hagen, however, believes that postpartum blues has little, if anything, to do with hormones. Instead, he says, it's connected to low levels of social support -- especially from the father.
The baby blues - As many as 80% of new mothers experience a case of the baby blues that lasts for weeks after the birth of their baby. This isn't something new mothers can control -- there's no place for blame.
Postpartum depression - You've just had your baby and you are full of all sorts of emotions -- and none of them feel like you expected. What could be wrong?
Baby blues... or psychosis? - While "baby blues" -- the most common form of illness associated with new motherhood -- is relatively mild and fleeting, postpartum psychosis produces symptoms that are much more extreme: mental confusion, loss of memory, incoherence, and bizarre hallucinations.
Postpartum contract - When it comes to postpartum depression, most moms think, "Well, that won't be me." What many women don't realize is that it really might happen to them.
Post-baby birth control
A look at birth control options - After nine months or more of thinking of little but pregnancy, your new baby is born. You may be surprised to find that pregnancy is suddenly the furthest thing from your mind.
Birth control methods chart - Learn more about your birth control options.
Permanent birth control? - If you think your current baby may be your last, you're not alone. Over 150 million people worldwide have undergone tubal sterilization or vasectomy.
Breastfeeding and birth control - For the nursing mother who wants to space her pregnancies, there are many birth control options to choose from. Each method offers advantages and disadvantages.
Planning ahead
Your post-delivery planner - You have spent nine months preparing for your baby's birth. You have probably read every book, article, and website to make sure you were eating right, exercising at the appropriate level, and taking the necessary vitamins and supplements.
Tips for your hospital departure - You are getting ready to bring your baby home! But you have so much to do and so many thing to bring home with Baby!
A tour of your postpartum body - Wondering what your body will look like after you give birth? Here's what you need to know.
Preparing a postpartum wardrobe - Here are some tips on de-emphasizing your less-than-washboard-like abdominals until you've had a chance to morph back into your pre-pregnancy self.
Your newborn baby - Articles for mothers with questions about their brand new bundle.
On the boards right now
More good stuff
Pregnancy message boards -
Baby message boards -
Pregnancy & Baby blogs - Find out what other new mothers are talking about.
>> Click for more about baby!
