Katerina

I would like to make fried chicken cutlets tonights. I usually use olive oil but I'm out of it. Do you think Canola Oil would be ok to fry them in? Not sure if they will taste as good. Thanks.

I'm due in September with a baby girl. We will be naming her Joanna after my mother. It's not my favorite name in the world but its tradition in my culture to name after the grandparents and my husband and I strongly believe in keeping with tradition. It's slowly starting to grow on me. We have the option of choosing a middle name and have had a tough time with this one, but we finally decided on naming her Joanna Sophia. What is your opinion on this name?

I'm not looking for your opinions on the name Joanna. I just want to know whether you feel Sophia goes nicely with it.

Thanks you!

Congetinal Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation (CCAM)

If so, please tell me your story. How was your pregnancy and what was the outcome after birth? Did your baby need to have surgery to remove the mass? If so, how did it go?

Thank you!

Can someone tell me if the sonogram performed at an Ultra-Screen Test (the one done between 11-14 weeks) is a vaginal or abdominal sonogram? I can't seem to remember how it was with my first! Thanks!

I would like to make a marinara sauce tonight and I was wondering what kind of canned tomatoes I should use? Should I use all crushed?? Or maybe some crushed and some tomato sauce??? What would you suggest? Can someone recommend a quick and easy recipe? At the moment I don't have any fresh herbs so I would have to use dried... Thanks!

I recently started my 6 month old on solids. First I gave him cereal for about a week and a half, and then I started him on fruits. So far he's tried applesauce and bananas. He seems to like them well enough. I was told by the doctor to give him solids, once in the am and once in the pm and continue with his formula in between. I give him Earth's Best 1st foods and one 2.5 oz jar doesn't seem to be enough. He needs 2 jars to be full. My question is how much jarred food should I give him in one sitting? Do I give him 2 jars or should I give him 1 and then some formula? What is your experience with starting your baby's on solids? Thanks!

My son is now about 6 1/2 months old. He was born prematurely and his corrected age is 4 months. I'm about to start him on cereal next week after his next doctor's visit.

I am wondering which cereal brand to put him on? Is there a difference between Gerber Organic vs. Earth's Best? Which one would you recommend and why? Thanks!

I have a son who was born at 29 weeks and spent 5 weeks in the NICU before coming home 2 weeks ago. Thank God he's perfectly healthy and we've had no issues with him. Up until now, he's been exclusively eating breast milk through a bottle. He occasionally has a little reflux and he gets constipated due to the iron supplements I give him. He was born at 2lbs 12 oz and now weighs about 5 1/2 lbs. Unfortunately my milk supply has gone dry and therefore I have stopped pumping. I have enough breast milk stored in my freezer for another couple of weeks. I need to start introducing formula, but I have no clue which one I should start him on! Can anyone recommend a formula based on the information I've given? Thanks!

Hello everyone. I just gave birth to beautiful premature baby boy! My water broke for some unknown reason last Saturday morning. I was 28 weeks 5 days and when I went to the hospital they found I was already 3 centimeters dialated. I was admitted to the hospital immediately on strict bed rest and was given 2 shots of steroids for the babies lungs to mature quickly and I was on antibiotics the whole time. I never once had any fever. I was feeling fine until Tuesday night when I started getting painful cramps and some bleeding. They monitored me and the baby all night and came to the conclusion that I was not in labor. As Wednesday wore on, the cramps got worse but they were not registering on the monitor! By Wednesday evening I was in excruciating pain. The "cramps" were about 4-5 minutes apart and were lasting for one to one and half minutes. They still did not want to believe I was in labor! They thought it was gas and constipation! Finally my mother and mother in law yelled at all the doctors to check me. They found that I was still 3 centimeters dialated but fully effaced. They rushed me to Labor & Delivery and within an hour I had dialated to 7 centimeters! They barely had time to get me an epidural! They were going to start me on pitocin to speed up but by the time the doctor checked I was at 10 centimeters! I pushed the baby out within 20 minutes! Nicholas was born on Wednesday Nov 5. He was only 29 weeks 2 days! He weighed in at 2lbs 12oz. and was 15 1/4 inches long! I was scared that when he was born he wouldn't cry but he was wailing! His Apgar score was 9.9! He was almost perfect! Just really tiny! I am happy to say he is doing great. I was discharged from the hospital yesterday but I visit him now often in the NICU. He is so active and all the nurses keep telling me how well he's doing. We are hoping to have him home before Xmas!

I was just wondering if anyone else had any similar experiences with preemies to share, and if they can tell me what to expect in the next few months. I'd love to hear your stories! Thanks!

I am 25 1/2 weeks along with my first, and I haven't really thought about signing up for a birthing class. I was wondering what everyone's opinions on it are? Is it really worth it or can I go without taking one? My friend let me borrow a lamaze video that I am planning to watch towards the end. I just wanted to know what everyone's thoughts on this were. If you recommend taking one, please state why! Thanks!

I have a professional fetal heart monitor that I borrowed from a friend. Its from a doctor's office that she used to work for. Does anybody know if its safe to use all the time? I've been avoiding using too much because I'm scared that it will be harmful if overused. Can anybody answer this question? Thanks!

What does a Braxton-Hicks contraction exactly feel like? I am 24 weeks pregnant and for a couple of weeks now, I've been feeling this pressure in my lower belly. It feels like the baby is sitting on my bladder or something. It comes and goes a few times a day and it lasts for about 5 seconds or so. I always assumed it was the baby moving around causing me to feel that. But a little while ago my friend told me it was probably a Braxton Hick contraction. Can anybody explain to me what their BH's felt like? Thanks!

Hello all, my husband and I are expecting our first son in January. It has long been decided that his first name will be Nicholas, after my father in law. We are sticking to Greek tradition, however we decided to give a middle name as well. (Greeks don't usually do this!) I am leaning toward Nicholas Alexander because I love those 2 names, but I am open for more suggestions! Keep in mind that our last name begins with and S and ends with an s and has 9 letters in between! (Loooong Greek last name!) LOL.

What do you think of Nicholas Alexander S*********s. Any other suggestions? Please no trendy names. We want something very traditional. Thanks!

I have a thin sliced beef flank steak that I would like to cook tonight. Its about a half inch thick, and weighs about a pound altogether. Any recipe ideas? Do I bake or broil, and for how long? Thanks!

I am due Jan. 19th with my first baby (boy!). Can somebody please tell me what I need as far as a winter take home outfit? What would I need to dress him in, in the cold weather? His car seat will have a "bundle me," so how warm do I need to dress him? Please be specific...I am new at this and really have no clue about baby clothes! LOL. I know its early still, but I'd like to start looking so that I can find something really adorable and special! Also, any ideas on where to look? Thanks!

In Greek tradition, we name the our children after grandparents. In my case if its a boy, he will be named Nicholas after my father n law. If its a girl, she will be named Joanna after my mother. I'm leaning towards Nicholas Alexander which I love for a boy, but I'm having a hard time finding a middle name for Joanna...I don't really like the name that much, but I have no choice, I want to honor my mother. The only thing I can think of is Joanna Marie. I can't think of anything that flows nicely. Unfortunately, we have a really loooong Greek last name that starts with an S and ends with an S and is 4 syllables. LOL. Anybody have any ideas on something that flows nicely? Please, no trendy names like Madison or Kaylee. It has to be a biblical name that can be translated to Greek for her baptism. Thanks!

I know that when you are in your second trimester, you're not suppose to lay on your back because it cuts off circulation. I am now 15 weeks 2 days and although I am really starting to grow now, I still feel moderately comfortable laying on my back. I posted a similar question weeks ago, and most ppl answered that I should start avoiding laying on my back around this time. Ppl also told me that I would know when its time to stop because I'd feel very uncomfortable. Well, I still feel fine on my back. My question is, how bad is it for me at this point? When I get into bed every night, I always lay on my back first. Its just more comfortable, but now I am scared that it will hurt my baby. Last night I tried to stay off my back as much as possible...it was torture! Can anybody with experience please give me some advice? Thanks!

I am 15 weeks pregnant tomorrow. Up until now, I've been ok with my regular clothes, but lately all my pants are starting to feel really tight and uncomfortable around the waist. I'm showing a little. Most people can't notice it through my clothes but my husband and I do. My question is will I fit into maternity pants this early or will they be just to big? I wanted to see if I could do some shopping today. My shirts are still fine on me, but its the pants that are making me really uncomfortable! I have no clue about maternity clothes at this point! Please help me!

My husband and I ttc for 3 years, and after a lot of bad news and fertility treatments, the miracle finally happened and I got pregnant. We couldn't have been more thrilled. I had a pretty easy first trimester (my second officially starting today), no nausea or vomiting, just a little fatigue. I am now 13 weeks 1 day, and for the past week or 2 my moods have completely changed. I have been extremely irritable and bitchy! One minute I am happy, the next minute I'm practically murderous, and 2 minutes later I'm reduced to tears! I feel down a lot, and everything bothers me! I can't even drive anymore without getting terrible road rage, I'm on the verge of killing my husband and mother, and don't even get me started on the morons I have to deal with at work. Its all becoming too much for me to handle all of a sudden. Its like the hormones just kicked in! Has anybody experienced this? Can anybody explain the sudden mood change?

I went in for an ultrascreen test today, and was really nervous about it. The nurse did the ultrasound, and she told me so far everything looked perfect. I still have to wait a week or so for the full test results. My question is, how much can they tell from the sonogram? She said everything looked perfect, does that mean that most likely everything will be ok, or does the ultrasound mean nothing at this point and I have to wait for the blood results combined with the sono? I felt relieved after the ultrasound, but now I'm starting to think that it really wasn't able to tell me much! Can anybody explain this to me! Thanks!