Nothing says fun like a well planned baby shower.  I love the food, the games (Yes, the games.) and just hanging out with my friends and family.  I'm pleased to bring you two new videos on baby showers:

• Tips for Organizing a Baby Shower
• 5 Fun Baby Shower Games

Related:

• Should guests being a baby to a baby shower?
• Readers Share: Would you go to a baby shower if your baby weren't invited?
• Baby Shower Etiquette
• Baby Shower Games
• Baby Shower Advice from a Grandma
• Baby Shower Planning Guide

What you don't always realize in pregnancy is that your biceps will be very important once the baby is born.  Lifting and carrying, even a normal sized newborn puts your arms through a serious work out.  This exercise can be done very easily and help you prepare for all of the changes that a newborn will bring to your arms.

How do you exercise your arms?

Related Fitness Friday:

• Biceps Curl in Pregnancy
• Staying Fit in Pregnancy Newsletter
• Great Pregnancy Exercises
• Exercise in Pregnancy
• 10 Reasons to Exercise in Pregnancy
• Pilates in Pregnancy
• Running Through Pregnancy
• Walking Through Pregnancy
• Weight Training for Pregnancy
• Introduction to Prenatal Yoga

_{Photo © Fotolia}

So you're due any day and you realized that Valentine's Day is around the corner. Are you going to choose a Valentine's Day inspired baby name? It might surprise you that many people actually do choose names for their baby based on what happens near the time or birth or even the conception, so why not choose a holiday inspired baby name?

If that's not the naming tradition you use, tell me a bit about how you choose a name. I find it so interesting. I know so many people who pick names out way in advance and yet our last baby took three weeks to get named...

Then again, I know that there are others out there who take a really long time to name their babies. I was just reading somewhere the other day about people who change their baby's name after birth and that number was rising. I wonder if people took more time or if they didn't name before birth if that number would drop. Most places don't require you have a name before you leave the hospital, though it's easier on them paperwork wise.

Related:

• Baby Naming Advice
• Baby Name Hints
• Baby Name Books

_{Photo © iStockPhoto}

While it has long been known that an epidural in labor increases the risk of fever (>100.4 degrees Fahrenheit), a new study in the Journal Pediatrics shows that this fever is associated with problems with the newborn. With this study 19% of mothers who had an epidural for pain relief in labor had a fever, whereas only about 2% of mothers who chose to go natural had a fever in labor. (This is after controlling for known disease, infection and problems with the baby, including preterm birth.)

The researchers looked for and measured the following problems with the newborns:

• low muscle tone (hypotonia)
• low Apgar scores (1 and 5 minutes)
• assisted breathing after birth
• early onset neonatal seizures

The researchers found that these outcomes were two to six times more likely with maternal fever in labor.  The likelihood of problems was increased with an increase in the actual fever, so the higher the fever, the more likely the problems were.  Other studies have indicated that maternal fever is more likely the longer you have an epidural.

So for mothers who are on the fence about epidurals, this might help you decide that you want to forego the epidural.  Though if you have already decided that you'd like to use an epidural perhaps what you can think about is how to delay the epidural as long as possible, which would reduce the risk of fever and therefore fever related problems with the baby.

What are your thoughts on the topic?

Related:

• Epidural Quiz
• Choosing an Epidural
• 10 Steps to Natural Childbirth
• 7 Reasons You Can't Have an Epidural
• Why Natural Childbirth?
• What to Do When Your Epidural Doesn't Work
• The Best Epidural
• Epidural: Step-by-Step

_{Source:
Greenwell, E. A., Wyshak, G., Ringer, S. A., Johnson, L. C., Rivkin, M. J., & Lieberman, E. (2012). Intrapartum Temperature Elevation, Epidural Use, and Adverse Outcome in Term Infants. Pediatrics, 129(2), e447-e454. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-2301}