Do you believe your star sign is important? I’m undecided. Most people think it’s hocus pocus, but some people swear by it. My exotic dancer friend even screens her clients using astrology and says that it’s dramatically helped her!

Astrology.com: Probably the most popular astrology website. The site has so much stuff on it that it’s difficult to navigate around though.

My Free Horoscopes: The site is different from what the name implies. This site gives information about astrology, feng shui, and a realm of other spiritual beliefs. It will help you learn about these topics and help you make a decision for yourself if these are the sorts of things you would like to explore further.

0800 Horoscopes: A free horoscope site that has new horoscopes daily.

Why Horoscopes Are Dumb: Opinion piece about why the whole horoscope industry is ridiculous in this author’s eyes.

Daily Horoscopes: Looking for information about how your sign is doing today? Then this site is for you. Gives you a daily outlook on life.

Wikipedia: Astrology: Want a boring background on astrology, read this.

In today’s medical system, it costs an average of over $6,700 to have a normal delivery and almost $11,000 to have a baby by cesarean section. For many expectant couples, this can be very difficult – if not impossible – to pay. Not only is the cost of the delivery enormous, there may also be some lost income if the mother is unable to work during the pregnancy. A couple also needs to take into account any time that will be lost from work during maternity leave when estimating the total costs of the pregnancy.

If you aren’t already pregnant and plan to become so, you need to go ahead and get yourself some health insurance. Although the monthly premiums may seem high, they’re nothing compared to the expenses you’ll pay for your pregnancy if you aren’t insured. As long as you are covered before you become pregnant, almost all insurance plans will cover you, although there may be a short waiting period if you’re enrolled with private health insurance.
continue reading "Will Your Insurance Cover Your Pregnancy?"

For many women, the though of inducing labor is frightening.  However, it is sometimes required to be sure the baby is born healthy or to prevent complications for the mother.  When done correctly, an induced labor can relieve a lot of the stress and uncertainty caused by wondering when the baby will be born and whether he or she will be healthy upon delivery.

There are several reasons why labor is induced.  Here are the most common:

• The pregnancy has gone past 42 weeks.

• After 42 weeks, the placenta will no longer supply enough oxygen and food to the unborn child, so the baby must be delivered.

• The mother has high blood pressure.

• This can lead to eclampsia, which is a condition that limits the blood supply to the unborn child.  This can be a very serious condition, as the baby may not be developing correctly due to a lack of oxygen and nutrients.

• The mother’s water has broken, but the contractions haven’t started.

• This opens the womb and exposes the baby to the risk of infections.  In these cases, labor must be induced to complete the delivery as quickly as possible.

• The mother’s health is not good.

• If a woman has diabetes or another life threatening condition, labor is often induced to prevent harm to the baby or to her.

These are only a few of the reasons why labor is induced.  It’s important follow the advice of your doctor since, there’s probably a very viable reason if they suggest that your should be induced.  However, if you have any questions or concerns about the procedure, be sure they’re answered appropriately before labor is induced.

There are four main ways in which labor is induced:

Stripping the Membranes.

This minor procedure can be done in your doctor’s office.  The doctor uses a gloved finger to gently separate this membrane of the amniotic from the uterus, encouraging labor to begin.  Although this is a relatively simple procedure, there may some cramping and spotting after it is done.

Ripening the Cervix.

This procedure involves placing a suppository in the vagina, up against the cervix.  When the suppository melts, it will help to thin and soften the cervix.  Most women will begin to feel the start of labor once the medication is administered.

Intravenous Drugs.

There are many drugs available nowadays to help induce labor, some of which have been available since the 1940’s.  Ocytocin is one of the most common drugs used to jump start the labor process.  Typically, these drugs are administered through an IV and can sometimes make labor contractions very strong.

Breaking the Water.

This is done by puncturing the membrane that surrounds the baby.  The mother may feel a warm gush of water, but should feel no pain.  This will usually help start labor.

Of course, there are some side effects and risks associated with inducing labor.  Some of the drugs used to induce labor can lower the baby’s heart rate.  There is also a higher risk of infection for the mother and the baby when labor is induced.  Your doctor will weigh the benefits against the possible risks to determine which course of action is best for you and your baby.

Ten years ago, there was a lot of discussion about whether video games promoted violence. Whether it was the rise in gangs or the Columbine incident, some started to blame games like Mortal Kombat for promoting violence among youth. Over time though, it seems that discussion has gone away, and those that take the “video games don’t promote violence” have won.

What about dating though? When it comes down to it, many TV shows and movies have single characters out there in the dating world. Much of the what is considered dating etiquette is featured on TV. For example, it is commonly insinuated on television that women should not sleep on the first date, but it is more common on the third or fourth date.

As sexuality has become more accepted, societal norms for dating behavior has changed. In the 1950’s, the third or fourth date rule was more like marriage or thirtieth date, so clearly that has changed. But, in general, do women nowadays sleep with men on the fourth date or so because they think that is appropriate, based on TV, or is TV merely taking its cute from society?

I think it’s a combination of both. When it comes to dating, people are often very insecure and want some sort of authority to tell them what the right thing is to do. This is different from video games. People’s lives in no way shape in form mirror Mortal Kombat, so guys aren’t exactly looking to this game to figure out how to do a finishing move on their arch nemesis. People’s lives are similar though to many characters on sitcoms, so they do look to TV shows to instill in them a sense of what is ‘normal’ in the dating world.