When pregnancy is complicated
From the Family Foundations archives **** The Braxton-Hicks contractions began three or four months into the pregnancy, compounding Lydia Bardua’s exhaustion, dizziness and nausea. Her doctor couldn’t find anything wrong, so he told her to relax and hydrate, relax and hydrate. Lydia heard her doctor repeat that advice often, but it was hard for the 34-year-old to…
Read MoreTry these online shops for adorable nursing clothes
A recent cultural movement to embrace public breastfeeding — with or without a cover — has been gaining momentum. While we welcome a more accepting attitude toward public breastfeeding, we certainly don’t want anyone baring their chests in front of strangers. Nursing moms, keep your shirts on. We scoured the internet for nursing clothes that…
Read MoreOur take on Natural Cycles
Recently, Bloomberg released an in-depth interview of the creators of the “birth control app,” Natural Cycles, checking in after a recent PR crisis that shook their reputation. This has brought increased attention to an entire array of fertility monitoring apps — including our own CycleProGo — and period tracking apps that don’t provide fertility awareness…
Read MoreThe lowdown on caffeine
An excerpt from Marilyn M. Shannon’s book, Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition. **** Caffeine is a good slave but a bad master. When you use it only occasionally or in moderation, it provides a lift that many people enjoy. However, it affects the nervous system, and can cause anxiety and irritability. It can deprive you of a…
Read More6 books to read before you get married
Congratulations! You’re engaged! Phew, do you have a lot of work ahead of you. It will be easy to get caught up in the details of the big day, so take it from someone who’s just a month away from her own wedding: make a point to slow down and put some preparation towards the…
Read More14 traditions to make Holy Week real for your kids
We’re just shy of halfway through Lent, but let’s be real: Catholic kids everywhere are mentally on Easter break. There are lots of great Easter activities that celebrate the beauty of spring and the secular side of the season, but what about preparing the hearts and minds of our little ones for the immeasurable spiritual…
Read MoreWhat you don’t know can kill you
March is Blood Clot Awareness Month, an opportunity for valuable information about the risky condition to get into the hands of those who need it most. So how much have you heard about it in the media? More important, how many teenage girls and young women do you think are hearing about the dangers of…
Read MoreWhat St. Joseph teaches us about mercy
Joseph had it rough. Imagine being an all-around good guy, intentional about the reputations of both yourself and your family (after all, the Messiah is destined to come from your tribe!). You manage an engagement to the loveliest girl in town — one with an even more flawless record than your own — and you…
Read MoreEight habits to strengthen every marriage
From the Family Foundations archives **** There’s a lot of confusion about what separates happy couples from unhappy couples. For instance, you might be surprised to know that happy couples argue about as often as unhappy couples and are about as good at solving problems! The real difference between marriage masters and marriage disasters is that happy…
Read MoreCleveland professionals get the FACTS
On Saturday, February 23, more than 80 area doctors, medical students and passionate laypeople gathered at the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel just outside Cleveland, Ohio. The issue at hand was women’s health, but not the way society at large tends to think of it. This conference wasn’t about increasing popular access to contraceptives or abortion. Quite…
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