Pregnancy Archives

Three Marian Images of Pregnancy

Written by S.J. Duca. Originally published in Family Foundations. There is a temptation to grow weary of the familiar. We see so many images of the Virgin Mary that they can begin to blur and lose significance. There’s also a temptation to tire of the familiarity of domestic life, especially in a culture that devalues…

11 Hilarious Toddlers React to Pregnancy

Kids already say the most ridiculous stuff, but compound that with the sensitive subjects like sex, pregnancy and nursing and the results are gold. We asked for some of your best toddler reactions to pregnant women, and you delivered.

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…

Unofficial Patron Saint of C-sections

Anyone who’s had one could tell you that c-sections are far from easy. Beyond the standard post-partum challenges of balancing regular duties with keeping a fragile human alive, there’s also the added inconvenience of an abdominal incision. Healing from a major surgery like that isn’t a joke. Things can be made even harder if there…

A Novena for Pregnancy

Young St. Philomena has been such a powerful intercessor, she’s actually the only saint who was canonized on the grounds of intercession alone. While miracles have been reported regarding a whole span of requests, she’s known as the patroness of babies, infants, and youth. It’s unsurprising, then, that she’s taken a special place in hearts…

Cold Eggs / Warm Heart

Have you ever been to an egg-freezing party? They are all the rage in Silicon Valley, according to the blog, sfgate.com: http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/11/10/for-women-in-tech-egg-freezing-parties-are-new-post-work-event At an egg-freezing party, a young woman can munch on hors d’oeuvres, sip wine and learn about a remarkable power never before available to the human race. She can learn about what is…

An Infertility Book for Catholics

From the Family Foundations archives. **** When Angelique and Richard López first began experiencing infertility, Angelique went looking for a Catholic book on the topic but came up short. A few years later, her best friend, Carmen Santamaría, started down the same road. These Miami CCL volunteers decided to pool their research and write the…

Infertility 101: The Basics All Couples Should Know

From the Family Foundations archives. An excerpt from The Infertility Companion for Catholics: Spiritual and Practical Support for Couples, by Carmen Santamaria and Angelique Ruhi-Lopez, reprinted with permission from Ave Maria Press. **** What causes infertility? About a third of the time, infertility can be traced to a cause within the woman. In another third…

Infertility in Advent

Infertility is one of the worst pains that can befall a couple. And for those couples struggling to conceive, Advent — an entire season dedicated to the hopeful anticipation of a long-awaited birth — only highlights the aching they live every day. To all those couples reading this: we see you. Advice is probably not…

St. Andrew Novena Begins Tomorrow

St. Andrew’s novena is traditionally prayed by couples hoping to conceive. St. Andrew was the first apostle to follow Jesus (along with his better-known brother, Simon Peter) and the first Sunday of Advent always falls on the Sunday closest to St. Andrew’s feast day of November, 30. The novena to St. Andrew is traditionally known…