TresSugar

Très Cool! Babies Cry in Their Native Language

TresSugar — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:00:00 -0800

I've always found it fascinating that dogs "bark" in different languages. Though we say "ruff ruff" in English, that same noise is expressed as "ouah, ouah" in French. Now here's something even cooler: German researchers have started to think that babies' wails sound different depending on what language their parents speak.

The scientists observed 60 babies born to families speaking French and German and found that the infants could be absorbing their parents' accents from inside the womb. In the last three months of pregnancy, babies have already begun to memorize sounds, and based on the analysis of the babies' cry "melodies," the sounds mapped closely to the parents' accents:

The French newborns cried with a rising "accent" while the German babies' cries had a falling inflection.

Writing in the journal Current Biology, they say the babies are probably trying to form a bond with their mothers by imitating them.

The findings suggest that unborn babies are influenced by the sound of the first language that penetrates the womb.

Fascinating, right? Now I want to hang out with a big international gang of babies and see if their cries all sound different. Wait, that means being trapped in a room with a bunch of crying babies - nevermind!

Awkward! A Stranger's Child Won't Stop Screaming

TresSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:00:00 -0700

We've all been there - on a plane, at the store, trying to watch a movie, and the screeching, wailing or whining begins. I always feel for the parents of children who, in public, are causing a big ruckus. It's annoying enough, I imagine, but then having strangers either glare or silently seethe must be tough. You'd probably either never want to leave the house again or you'd become militant about your rights as a parent to be out and about, annoyed strangers be damned! (Check out the hilarious video above and watch until the end - she admits the kid, though annoying, is cute!)

One crazy old dude took matters into his own hands on Monday by slapping a stranger's crying toddler at Walmart. Uh, wow. Hopefully, most of us are not cruel (or crazy) enough to do something like this, but how do you handle a situation when a baby, toddler or child is making a fuss? The child's age and the parent's reaction probably make a huge difference.

Say What? Katie Roiphe on Feminism and Maternity Leave

TresSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:00:00 -0700

"Historically, feminists have emphasized the difficulty, the drudgery of new motherhood. They have tried to analogize childcare to the work of men; and so for a long time, women have called motherhood a 'vocation.' The act of caring for a baby is demanding, and arduous, of course, but it is wilder and more narcotic than any kind of work I have ever done."

- Writer Katie Roiphe on the conflicted pleasures of having a baby and maternity leave. At the same time she talks about the pleasures of taking care of a new baby, she says that "part of the allure of maternity leave is you give up everything you are and care about."

Cute Alert: This Baby Has a Lot on Her Mind

TresSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0700

I see a bright future for her as an auctioneer.

Dear Poll: Do You Keep a List of Future Baby Names?

DearSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:40:00 -0800

Even if you're single, it's not uncommon to keep a list of names for the kids you might have someday. I know plenty of women and even many men who do this, so be honest: Do you have a baby-name list stashed away somewhere?

Source

Dear Poll: Does This Time of Year Make You Want to Have a Baby?

DearSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

The holiday season is approaching and that means spending time with your family, sharing traditions, and remembering the important things in life. It may also mean you're getting asked some tough questions from bold relatives like, "So, when are you going to start a family?" Even if you haven't been overtly asked, I'm curious to know if simply being around the little ones inspires you to start a family of your own. So tell us ladies, does this time of year make you want to have a baby?

Source

Grandmother Gives Birth to Her Own Grandchildren

DearSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:00:00 -0800

I was really touched by this miraculous story I saw this morning on the The Today Show. Kim Coseno couldn't have her own children, so her 56-year-old mother, Jaci Dalenberg, decided to act as a surrogate mother for her - which meant she'd be giving birth to her own grandchild! She was artificially inseminated with embryos created by her daughter and son-in-law. Jaci was hoping to carry one healthy child, but surprisingly, they discovered she was having triplets! At the age of 56, there can be many health complications when it comes to pregnancy and giving birth, but it didn't matter. Jaci just wanted to selflessly give the greatest gift she could: life. Talk about a mother's love!

To see the rest of the video, go to MSNBC.com.

Infertile Men May Pass an Infertility Gene Onto Their Sons

DearSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0700

About 15 years ago, fertility specialists figured out how to extract sperm from individuals who had an unbelievably low sperm count in an effort to help them to become parents. This process is called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) - where they inject a single sperm into an egg to make an embryo outside a woman's body. The embryo is then placed in the mother's womb (known as in vitro fertilization, or IVF), and nine months later, a baby is born. This new technology is no doubt considered a miracle, but now there are concerns about whether infertility will be passed on to those children who are born with the help of ICSI and IVF.

As for the daughters, there appears to be fewer problems since female infertility usually stems from a physical issue, such as a blocked fallopian tube. The cause of male infertility, on the other hand, is not so clear cut; it could be genetic, making it possible that this new generation that scientists helped to create might actually be infertile too.

Right now, one out of every eight couples is affected by fertility issues, and 40 percent of the time, the problem lies with the man. Of the 52,000 babies that are born using IVF, between 8,000 to 9,000 of the babies' fathers had help through ICSI. Both ICSI and IVF are thought to be safe, but scientists say there just isn't enough information to be sure, and with concerns about creating an infertile generation, this issue definitely needs further exploration.

Source

Baby Keith Moon

GiggleSugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:31:27 -0800

For babies about to rock, we salute you!

More Political Baby Clothes!

LibertySugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:03:47 -0800

Tons of you weighed in this week to say, "yay"! to using kids to make political statements. If you want your little one to rock the vote, baby style, here are some options we found from Tot Snob-who featured the many fashionable and political pieces offered in Barneys Election 2008 collection.

I love the "Veto Veggies" bib, or the "Rowdy Republican" t-shirt-but I'm still convinced that we should all start our own line. The comments yesterday were hysterical!