Pregnancy and Parenting

When it comes to making a baby, odds are stacked against any one sperm making it to the finish line: the egg. Assuming both people are healthy, how long do sperm need to complete the race? Could you be pregnant before you get up for a drink of water?

By Tom Scheve & Patrick J. Kiger

Let's be honest: While most of us enjoy the act that leads to conception, few of us understand what happens between the fun part of the process and the part where you start saving up for another human's college education. So how does conception work?

By Tom Scheve

There was a time when women wishing to get pregnant might try drinking a potion made with powdered wolf's penis. Alternately, she could wear a charm made from a quail's heart. Here, we examine 10 of the most common myths about getting pregnant.

By Michael Franco

When you're trying to conceive, getting the news that your hormone levels aren't normal can leave you feeling discouraged. But don't give up hope. Here, learn what high FSH levels really mean and how this affects your ability to become pregnant.

By Maria Trimarchi

Whether pregnancy is planned or a surprise, most women quickly realize they're carrying a developing child. But what if a pregnancy is both unplanned and unknown to the woman who's pregnant?

By Marianne Spoon

From the time they begin to talk, kids can ask some pretty difficult questions -- and as they get older, it doesn't get any easier. Here, a cheat sheet your teen's toughest questions.

By Molly Edmonds

Parents may feel helpless and hopeless when it comes to dealing with a troubled teenager in their family, and it's unlikely that there's a quick fix or a cure. But there are options.

By Molly Edmonds

Pretty much everything you do embarrasses your teenage son or daughter, so how can you talk about sex and get him or her to listen? How can you provide comprehensive sex education while instilling your family's values?

By Tom Scheve

Parenting, under any condition, takes a lot of work, patience and effort. But raising a child prodigy has unique challenges and requires individually tailored time, attention and thought. Find out how parents have to walk the fine line between encouragement and exploitation.

By Tom Scheve

Whether they're in the office or on the playground, bullies intimidate the people around them. School-age bullies are a perfect example: They're usually bigger or older or more popular than many of their peers. What can schools do to stop classmate-on-classmate abuse?

By Tom Scheve

A violinist who masters the instrument by the age of 5. An elementary-school kid whose paintings go for thousands of dollars. How do you spot the geniuses among the other crayon-wielding and drum-banging kids?

By Tom Scheve

Raising any kid is a challenge, but raising a kid with a little-understood medical condition, such as Tourette syndrome, is even harder. You're not alone -- many families have dealt with exactly the same difficulties.

By Tom Scheve

Local law enforcement agencies along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommend that all kids have and carry identification cards.

By Maria Trimarchi

Choosing to adopt a child is a beautiful way to create or add to a family, but it isn't for everyone. If you're thinking about adopting a child, there are some questions you need to answer for yourself before beginning the process.

By Shanna Freeman

Forty percent of all injury-related ER visits and 42 percent of all injury deaths happen between May and August. We can avoid almost 90 percent of these accidents by educating ourselves and our kids on how to stay safe while enjoying summer vacation.

By Maria Trimarchi

Back pain, bloating, swollen ankles, a glowing complexion and various food cravings. These common symptoms make it seem like pregnancy is pretty much the same for everyone. Not so -- there certainly are some unique pregnancies out there.

By Maria Trimarchi

Having a baby is usually a happy, life-changing event. But for some parents, it can be the beginning of an overwhelming journey that starts in the NICU.

By Maria Trimarchi

Every year, about 10 to 15 percent of American babies are treated in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. Find out about the NICU from a registered nurse and the regional director of a NICU Family Support center.

By Maria Trimarchi

Many women assume that after giving birth, their swollen fingers and ankles will shrink back to a normal size. But during the first week after delivery -- when moms are acclimating to life with a newborn -- serious swelling can strike.

By Bambi Turner

As some children enter their toddler years, a small percentage may have problems with socializing or communicating. If signs of autism, Asperger's syndrome or other disorders start to show, they can be categorized under one broad term -- pervasive developmental disorder.

By Jill Jaracz

A woman's body changes a lot during pregnancy, but belly bands can help to ease the transition. Is using these products just a way to make your clothes fit better, or can they make your pregnant body feel better, too?

By Elizabeth Whitmore

Postpartum depression can make mothers feel anxious, fatigued and filled with despair. Infants don't know it, of course, but that same depression could also cause them long-term problems. (As if depressed new moms need more guilt.)

By Julia Layton

Stretch marks are one of pregnancy's least-loved side effects -- way down there with bloating and morning sickness. Is there any way to rid yourself of these itchy scars, or at least make them fade away faster?

By Julia Layton

Facebook has something for just about everyone. It's a great place to make friends. Parents and grandparents use the site. Plus there are all kinds of games. Is there a place for the younger set on Facebook, too?

By Jonathan Strickland

YouTube has experienced explosive growth over the past few years, and so has the amount of time kids spend online. Can you let your child enjoy the site without worrying about what he or she sees?

By Stephanie Crawford