Top 10 Mother’s Day Gifts for Expecting Moms

A pregnant mom’s first mother’s day can be a truly transitional stage of her life. Finding the right present to mark the occasion can sometimes be difficult and confusion. To help you find the perfect mother’s day present, BabyPartner has put together their list of the top ten gifts for expecting moms.

1. Baby Gift Basket

Create a personalized present by putting together a baby gift basket for an expecting mother. Choose items for both mother and baby, such as lotions, shampoo, socks for mom, and gentle baby care products. Put everything in an attractive basket that can be used in the baby’s nursery for storing anything from clean diapers to baby’s laundry.

2. Loose Fitting Clothes

Most pregnant women have neither the time nor the money to find nice loose fitting clothes that they can wear during pregnancy. Make mom feel even more special during pregnancy by finding stylish maternity clothes that fit well and accentuate her healthy body.

3. Comfortable Shoes

Feet swell during pregnancy and can make mom’s shoes very uncomfortable. Since she will be spending quite a bit of time on her feet, get her some shoes that have soft cushioning soles and are easy to slip on and off, so that she doesn’t have to bend down and lace them up. Sandals are a good choice, although perhaps the most comfortable option would be a pair of Crocs. They’re affordable, and come in a wide range of colors that will be sure to brighten any expecting mom’s day!

4. Magazine Subscription

If you know her favorite magazine, get her a year’s subscription. She will appreciate having it delivered to her door, and will enjoy being able to sit down and read it, especially when she is in the third trimester or on bed rest.

5. Baby Gear

Baby gear can be expensive. Help mom out by getting her some items for her new baby. Gifts can range from diaper bags (it’s always useful to have more than one for the house and the car), to infant carriers, baby monitors or baby clothes. Baby’s grow quickly and much of what they need early on is disposable. Buying even basic items such as a supply of diapers can save time and money and will be much appreciated!

6. Pregnancy Journal

A truly personalized gift can be a blank journal in which she can write about her pregnancy. You can either find a specialized pregnancy journal, with hints for things she’ll want to remember, or look for a nice high quality bound book with blank pages. If you’re feeling really creative, you can try making your own for a really special present!

7. Digital Camera or Camcorder

Babies grow up quickly, and it’s impossible to have too many pictures. A digital camera or camcorder makes a great present, especially if it can be used to take pictures or video of the birth.

8. Baby Clothes

New moms can’t have too many baby clothes. With new clothes needed every few weeks, it will seem like she’s always shopping! It doesn’t really matter what size you get, since the baby will always grow into them.

9. A Day at the Spa

Pregnancy is tiring both physically and emotionally. Most moms appreciate a day of pampering and a day at the spa can help her feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle the rest of her pregnancy. Many women are concerned that the chemicals used for manicures, pedicures and peels may adversely affect the baby. Be sure to tell the spa that you’re booking a package for a pregnant mom, so that they can choose the appropriate aromatherapy oils and scents. Alternatively, a personal massager can provide tremendous relief from the back pain that can occur as labor draws near, and can make a great present for a mom in her third trimester.

10. Housecleaning Service

Pregnant moms can often feel tired and overwhelmed. Helping her keep the house clean can be a tremendous help that will take a load off her mind and feet! You can either offer to come round and do it yourself, or hire a housekeeping service for the rest of her pregnancy.

Top 7 reasons to breastfeed your baby

The number of mothers who are breastfeeding their babies has been increasing over the last decade. There are many physical and emotional health benefits to breastfeeding. Here’s BabyPartner’s list of the Top 7 Reasons to Breastfeed your baby:

1. Breast milk contains all of the nutrients your baby needs

2. Maternal antibodies are transferred to your baby through breast milk

3. Breastfeeding is cheaper than formula feeding

4. Breastfeeding forms closer emotional bonds between mother and baby

5. Breastfeeding stimulates oxytocin production making the transition through the postpartum period easier

6. Breastfeeding doesn’t always require carrying bottles and formula with you

7. Breast milk doesn’t need to be warmed to the correct temperature

Mom’s Say: Breast is best

The number of moms who breastfeed their babies has increased by 30% in the last decade. A new report by the Centers for Disease Control shows that the number of moms who breastfeed their babies has increased from 60% in 1993-1994 to 77% in 2005-2006.

There are many benefits to breastfeeding: human milk is the perfect for babies, containing all of the nutrients a growing infant requires. Because the immune system of newborns is underdeveloped, antibodies from the mother are carried in the breast milk and transferred to the baby during every feeding.

The report shows that babies of Hispanic mothers are most likely to benefit from these advantages, with a full 80% of Mexican American mothers breastfeeding. Non-Hispanic white babies are close behind, with 79% of those surveyed being breastfed. Perhaps the most dramatic increase in bresatfeeding rates is among non-Hispanic black infants. In the 1993-1994 period, only 36% of those infants were breastfed compared to 65% in the 2005-2006 period. However, breastfeeding rates among non-Hispanic black infants are still far lower than other demographic subgroups.

The report shows that income level and ethnicity play a part, with higher income families having a higher rate of breastfeeding among all subgroups except for Mexican American moms. For more information about the report view the NCHS Data Brief.

Too much information during pregnancy?

Do websites like BabyPartner.com give expecting parents too much information about pregnancy? Information definitely empowers those who seek it. But it soon becomes obvious when writing about pregnancy and childbirth that there are many things that can go wrong, even if for most people everything goes right.

Because visitors tend to search for information about pregnancy problems, do websites such BabyPartner tend to overemphasize negatives, rather than the positive outcomes of pregnancy? Frankly, if everything is going well, there’s not much to add that parents don’t already know. And people don’t browse the web to find answers to things they already know (unless they’re trying to win a personal bet!)

Some websites have tackled this problem by introducing (overusing?) the ‘top ten list’. Everything from baby names to best positions to conceive has been published, but does it add anything to the visitor’s knowlege? Perhaps instead of focusing on problems, we can help parents by writing about solutions.

We feel that there is a need to temper all of problems with a realistic attitude, but we’re also working to make our visitors better informed consumers, of medical services, products and of course, information. Later this year we will be rolling out our redesigned website, where instead of searching for information, registered users will be delivered the content they need. Instead of us telling you about potential problems, tell us about the things that we can help you solve. And watch out for the roll-out of our redesigned website in early Summer.

BabyPartner learns to deliver website traffic

Last night I attended the Mixergy event in Santa Monica, CA. The event was about how to grow traffic to websites and if, like me, you have something to say, but don’t know how to make yourself heard, it was well worth attending.

Mike Dorausch, founder of Planet Chiropractic, started the event by talking about using Google News. There is certainly plenty in the news that can be attached to pregnancy and parenting, and this is an avenue that I will be pursuing. Andy Sorcini, aka MrBabyMan (cool name Andy, especially since my site is BabyPartner), co-founder of The Drill Down, and Elmer Thomas, founder of ThemBid, explained how to use Digg, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Mixx and Sphin to build ‘the long tail.’ Finally, Blake Newman of Blue SEO, a Los Angeles search engine optimization company explained the importance of choosing good keywords, article creation and blogging in building brand and site awareness.

BabyPartner is currently preparing to relaunch its website using a new programming language that will allow us to offer pregnant moms more features and enable them to more easily find information they need about pregnancy and childbirth.