Tori's Blog
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MomTalk Radio Easter Program
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
I forgot to mention that I was recently a guest on Mom Talk Radio. It was an Easter show that we did well before Easter. The host, Maria Bailey wanted to be sure that I didn’t mention Easter in the future tense.You can listen to it here – it starts mid-way through the broadcast and is about 5 minutes long. She was friendly and it was good interview — we talked about her children, expectations and what concerns women most often...
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Spring Was Almost Here
Monday, April 12th, 2010
Today is the first day after Spring break. Alexander came down with the “I really don’t want to go back to school, so I must be sick” flu. He knew he wasn’t going to get very far with it so he gave it only a feeble try.Spending the week with no plans was relaxing and fun for us both. He is so pleased that I am not working and now that I can actually move my arm we are enjoying...
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Springtime – Labor Coping Methods
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
Spring has finally arrived here in Northern California. It feels as though it has been raining forever. All the spring flowers have me thinking about new birth. I thought this would be a good time to review some of my favorite labor coping methods. These are the the strategies I have found to be most helpful to women.Think about the day of your labor as a working day. It’s not like a holiday celebration that has to follow a certain pattern. There...
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Breast Feeding Saves Lives
Monday, April 5th, 2010
A few days ago a study was released by the American Academy of Pediatrics showing that hundreds of babies’ lives could be saved each year if U.S. women breastfed their babies for the first six months of life.This is not entirely new news. In 2001, The American Academy of Pediatrics came out solidly with the recommendation that all babies be exclusively breast fed for a minimum of six months and optimally for one year. The interesting thing about this study...
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April Fool’s Day Chocolate?
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Today is April Fool’s Day. If you follow the Internet, you see that Google, Star Buck’s and several other companies are engaging in some good-humored fun. What a relief it is to see this in a day and age where seriousness is all around us.I have been part of (on both sides) a number of practical jokes over the years but one stands out as the absolute best. It got at least twenty people. It took hours for us to make sense...
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Nancy Pelosi Is a Mother Too
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Alexander and I went to church yesterday, as we do most every Sunday. We are Catholic but our spiritual community is a Methodist church called Glide, located in the poorest section of San Francisco. That part’s a longer story.To say that Glide is different than other churches is certainly an understatement. This statement describes the community. “We have been called radical, even rebellious – and we just thought we were doing what a church is supposed to do…”.
Yesterday, – our...
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How The Health Care Bill Helps Women
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
On Monday, the groundbreaking Health Care Bill passed. Although there is lots of controversy surrounding it, it does potentially improve the health care options for women and children.Did you know that of the 4 million babies born each year here in the U.S.; over 2 million are born to mothers below the poverty line?
Here are some of the basics that the new bill offers for women:
Insurance companies will no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of... -
What Exactly Is An Ultrasound or Sonogram?
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
Today I received a great question on Ask Tori, RN, about sonograms (ultrasound is the technique used to make the image) and whether or not they are harmful or have any effect on the unborn baby. Read more about my answer in today’s column.Ultrasounds are considered to be a very safe method of providing valuable information during pregnancy. There is no indication that they are harmful or affect the baby in any way. Some ultrasound equipment can provide a photo or...
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New Feature- Tips on Twitter
Friday, March 12th, 2010
Happy Friday — I wanted to post a quick note to announce something new I’m starting on Monday. Five days a week I will be adding a new Pregnancy Tip on Twitter. A short, simple, but useful tip related to preparing for pregnancy, being pregnant or being a new parent.You can follow along at twitter.com/ToriKroppRN
Have a great weekend!
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Omega-3 and Mercury Matter Before Pregnancy
Saturday, March 6th, 2010
Fish oil is good for us. In recent years a lot of information has come out about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. DHA and EPA omega-3s are good for fetal brain development as well as other health benefits in adults. They can be found in fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and vegetable oils like canola, soybean and olive oil. Certain fortified foods such as milk, juice, bread and yogurt also have them.Seafood can be an important part of a balanced...
