Sex to Induce Labor | Sex in Pregnancy | Sex After Baby

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt chose to visually announce to the world in February that they were expecting. Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Jolie is expecting not only one baby but two. Today in an interview with co-star Jack Black, Jolie supposedly confirmed that rumor that she is indeed having twins but said that she would like to keep the sex of the babies to themselves. She declined to say where she was having the babies. I'm also dying to know if she's planning a VBAC for her twins since it's medically possible, particularly in some of the countries she frequents. The twins are supposedly due August 19.

So now the speculation is whether or not Angelina Jolie used fertility drugs. While it could have been a case of secondary infertility, there are also some who are claiming that perhaps she's simply trying to increase her family faster. The truth is that many women would love to have twins for a variety of reasons from "getting it over with quickly" to a "long held fascination with twins." So there are plenty of things that people try to do to increase the odds of having multiples, particularly twins, without fertility drugs.

Related:

Celebrity Baby Watch | Is it twins? | Celebrity Baby Names

_{Photo (c) Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images}

While you're checking out the pregnancy tests, you might want to see some pregnancy pictures in our newly updated Belly Gallery.

Are you confident in your home pregnancy test results?

• Yes
• No

See the poll results.

Related:

Am I Pregnant? Quiz |25 Signs of Pregnancy | Trimester Guide | Due Date Calculator | Ovulation Calculator

_{Photo (c) EyeWire}

Related:

Due Date Calculator | Pregnancy Calendar | Belly Gallery

Once you've made up your mind to try and get pregnant, you're ready NOW! Unfortunately it really doesn't work that way. The menstrual cycle is complex and sensitive. Everything has to be lined up just right for the egg to meet the sperm and for that fertilized egg to land in the right spot and produce the right amount of hormones to sustain itself... you get the picture. So the first month you throw away your birth control isn't likely to be the month you get pregnant, even when everything appears to be well timed. Not to say it won't, but if it does, be pleasantly surprised.

The good news is that there are some things that you can do to help the process along. You can know about ovulation and how your body gets pregnant. You can actively try to determine when you ovulate and have sex appropriately. You can prepare your body for pregnancy by being healthy as well as your partner's body. These things can help you get pregnant more quickly.

Related:

• 5 Signs You're Ovulating
• 25 Signs of Pregnancy
• How long does it take to get pregnant?
• Pregnancy Announcements
• Ovulation Primer
• Can I get pregnant if...
• 1st Trimester Ultrasounds
• When do you ovulate?
• Test your preconceptional knowledge.
• Ovulation Calculator

_{Photo (c) A.D.A.M.}

I can be your personal guide and childbirth educator through the pregnancy process. These newsletters and classes are designed to help keep you informed of the changes in your and your baby, the latest happenings, fashions and baby related news. Subscribe for free now.

• First Trimester Guide: Weeks 1-12
• Second Trimester Guide: Weeks 13-26
• Third Trimester Guide: Weeks 27-42
• Online Childbirth Class: 6 Week e-Course
• Pregnancy Affirmations: Daily Affirmations
• Baby Care Basics: Everything you need to know about babies.
• Baby Shower Guide: How to plan the perfect baby shower!
• Breastfeeding Class Online: Weekly advice for nursing moms.
• Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: What you need to know about VBAC.
• Cesarean Section: Info on c-sections for everyone.
• Pregnancy Tips: Daily pregnancy advice.
• And many more courses all for free!

_{Photo (c) L. Bruni}

When did you pick your baby's name?

• Before I was married.
• During pregnancy.
• After birth.

See the poll results.

Awhile ago, I heard a lady discussing her baby's name with the lady at the grocery check out, not the celebrity baby names. She was saying that she and her husband picked out their baby names on their first date. That totally floored me. How could you do that so early? Annika? Eric? Poppy? Piper? Jerome? Which baby name sounds good to you? And has it changed? I know when I was little I hated my name. I wanted to be Mary. So how can you, sight unseen; heck even swollen abdomen or positive pregnancy test unseen, choose a baby name?

So my question to you is when did you choose a name for your baby? Did you do as the lady above and pick them before the wedding? Did you decide in pregnancy as soon as you had an ultrasound? Or did you narrow the field and decide once you laid eyes on the baby? (Okay this is where I confess that our last baby went three weeks without a name. She spent several of those being called various names just to try them out. She was almost Nora. In fact, the morning of her naming ceremony, the clergy called us up to ask if we really had a name or would we be canceling!)

Related:

• How to Choose the Right Baby Name
• What's your baby naming style?
• Gender Swapping of Baby Names
• Local Baby Names
• Baby Name Hints
• Baby Name Books
• Discuss Baby Names

Maternity Underwear Picks | Before You Buy Maternity Underwear

Mother's Day probably means something a little bit different for everyone. I know in my house growing up it meant lots of little craft projects from school and something sticky and messy in bed for mom to pretend to enjoy for breakfast. Since I've become a mother, my husband and I have actually gone round and round with the whole concept of mother's day. His family apparently never really celebrated it. So his overwhelming attitude has been of "You're not my mother." (Now if only I could get him to believe that all the time...)

So I've finally convinced him that it's not my job to be his mother or his job to do Mother's Day, but for him to help the kids celebrate in an appropriate way. Let the school handle the crafts, all he has to do is to ensure that the proper breakfast is quietly stored for Mother's Day morning and that the little hands don't make such a huge mess in the kitchen. Since we've come to that agreement, life has been much better.

When you're pregnant and Mother's Day rolls around you may not know whether to celebrate or not. While it is a personal decision, I'm always up for a celebration and have the attitude of gestation is a lot of work - why not? This is your chance to spend some time celebrating your baby, your impending birth and setting the tone for the Mother's Days to come.

Related:

Gifts for Mothers-to-Be | Mother's Day Pregnancy Announcements | Becoming a Mother

_{Photo (c) iStockPhoto}

Related:

How Labor is Induced | What to do when you're overdue | Figuring Out Due Dates | Natural Induction

_Sources:

Kramer MS et al. "Amniotic-fluid embolism and medical induction of labor: a retrospective, population-based cohort study." The Lancet 2006; 368: 1444-48

Moore J. "Amniotic fluid embolism: on the trail of an elusive diagnosis." The Lancet 2006; 368: 1399-1401.