Baby Shower Games: Most Innovative Way of Pregnancy Celebration
Pregnancy is the stage in the life of women when they indulge in the various baby shower games. In fact, this is the best way which provides the expected parents the opportunity to interact with their far away family members. This is the only occasion when all the people talk about the expecting parents rather than talking about some other stuff. In fact at such baby shower games all the guests get their chance to interact with the expecting parents.
There are large numbers of games that can be used as baby shower games. These games are mentioned below:
Word scramble: This is one of the easiest games. In this game, each of the participating team is given a page of jumbled words. The team that finds all the correct words from them wins the game.
Race for the shoes: This is one of the funniest games. This game is basically meant for men. In this game men are asked to wear heavy clothes and then they are required to tie and untie their shoes. Those who do this in the minimum time win the game. This game is of great amusement for the expecting mother.
Diaper smell: This is also a funny game. Under this game, few diapers are fitted with certain household items and all of them are marked then. The team that makes the right guess about a particular item then that team is given some gift item. This game appears funny only while viewing it.
Baby charades: This game is one of the oldest games. In this game the participants are provided with the sentences that a new born baby will tell their parents in the future once they start talking. The teams have to express those sentences then to their team partners. Those who get maximum points after the end of the game are provided with the prizes.
Mother Guess: There is flexibility while playing this game. This game can be played in groups and as well as individually. In this game, people are given the description of the characters that are there in the nursery rhymes and people have to guess those characters.
Mother What: This is not an easy game at all. In this game, names of all the mothers at that place are listed on cards. These cards are then pasted on the back of the participants. The participants then have to guess the correct names.
Purse scavenger hunt: In this game, two groups are made-one who are new mothers and other with old mothers. Then all the participants are asked to make the list of items that a new born mother would have in their purse. The participant that gives most right items is considered as the winner.
Heavy purse roulette: This game is best suited for those mothers who have some experience in motherhood. In this game, purses of all the participants are weighed. The mother with the heaviest purse is considered the winner.
Choosing a Name
FAMILY TRADITIONS
Names that have been passed down through a family from generation to generation were at one time the automatic choice for many parents, especially for a first-born. If the traditional name was masculine, it was sometimes feminized for a girl (Thomas, Thomasina), especially if there was no male heir. These customs have lapsed in recent times, leading to many traditional family names being dropped, although they are sometimes used as a child’s middle name.
Some families, particularly among the aristocracy in Scotland, and in the American South, used the mother’s maiden name as the first-born son’s given name. This appears to be dying out, although the maiden name is still given as a middle name. Because of this custom, surnames such as Russell, Howard, and Cameron have become normal as first names, particularly for boys. Couples who are not married or in which the woman prefers to keep her maiden name sometimes like to give the mother’s surname as the child’s middle name.
Many parents choose names for their children that work together, although few go as far as the Victorians (see column, right). Some parents like all their children’s names to start with the same initial, although this can cause confusion with letters and official documents.
NATIONALITY
Many parents choose names that reflect where they come from, even though they no longer live there. This can lead to problems of spelling and pronunciation, so the spelling may be simplified from Gaelic to English, for example (Sile-Sheila; Aodan-Aidan). In other cases, first names. that are perceived as being “national” may not be used in their country of origin. Colleen, for example, comes from the Celtic caitlin, meaning “girl” or “wench,” and is popular for girls of Irish origin in North America and Australia, even though it’s not used as a given name in Ireland.
MEANINGS The meaning or origin of a name tends to be less important than its associations for most modern Western parents. Many Western first names have had a more convoluted history than those of other cultures. This is because these names, along with other traditions and customs, have been transferred from one society to another, often by invasion followed by integration, migration, or contact between different cultures. For this reason, many names have become divorced from their original meanings, but some Western parents do still choose names primarily because of what they mean.
Partner’s Role at the Birth
By this second stage of labor, your role in providing loving support for your partner will be well established. You’ve now passed through the most painful phase and have reached the climactic stage of delivery.
SECOND STAGE JOBS
You’ll need to continue doing many of the jobs you did during the first stage-making your partner comfortable, supporting her in different positions, providing drinks and food, and giving moral support. But you’ll also now have to encourage her to push. All this will make the mother’s job easier and help her feel emotionally secure and relaxed.
In the unlikely event of a medical emergency, staff have to move quickly and you might be in the way, so be sensitive to any situation that arises. You probably won’t be asked to leave the delivery room, but be prepared to do so if necessary.
Helping with the delivery position Now that your partner has been through the first stage of labor, she’ll probably know which position she finds most comfortable. Your support is very important to help her through the pushing stage, but always ask the midwife’s advice if you’re not certain what to do. If your partner doesn’t want to be held, suggest other positions that she might find comfortable, and place pillows or cushions under and behind her for support. It’s a good idea to practice different ways of sitting or squatting before labor so that you’re both familiar with them; if you feel unsure or uncomfortable about what you’re doing, it can make your partner nervous.
If your partner is happy sitting on the bed or on the floor, she might like to try the knee-chest position, which many women find comfortable in the second stage. For this, she should drop her chin onto her chest while holding on to her knees. Between contractions, suggest that she relax against the pillow to conserve her energy.
Helping her with breathing and pushing To help her through these last few contractions, tap out a rhythm for the different kinds of breathing, using words like: “breathe, breathe, pant, pant, blow.” As she’s pushing, gently remind her to relax her pelvic floor.
At the peak of contractions, suggest that she take two or three deep breaths and push as hard as she can. She should push in a strong and steady way, and you can remind her that each push brings the birth of your baby a little closer.
Encouraging her to relax Between contractions, help your partner to relax-she needs to save her strength for pushing her baby through the birth canal. Massage her back if she has a backache or needs comforting and reassuring. If she is hot and flustered, mop her brow with a cool washcloth or mist her face with a water spray.
Standing by Once your baby’s head has crowned, your role may become more passive for a while as you watch the doctor or midwife guiding your partner through this pushing stage. Don’t be disappointed if your partner hardly seems to notice you during the birth and relies more on the hospital staff. She’ll be fully preoccupied and involved with what’s happening.
Showing her the baby When your baby’s head is emerging, hold a mirror nearby so that your partner can see his head crowning and then his whole body slithering out. Help her to reach down and touch your baby’s head as he is born.
Loving reception Ask the doctor or midwife if you can catch your baby in your arms as his body emerges. After you’ve greeted your baby for the first time, place him on your partner’s stomach. You can then cuddle them both to help keep them warm and to let them know that you’re there.
You and your partner will have a range of reactions-relief, tears, awed silence, exhausted collapse, whoops of joy. You may even feel squeamish at the sight of his bloodied, greasy, tiny body. Whatever your feelings, they’re all perfectly understandable, and this moment marks a new phase in your family’s history.
Becoming a Dad
This article is for dads. Even though getting pregnant and having a baby is very much a joint venture for a couple, fathers usually take a back seat in books like this. I’d like to correct that bias. Your baby doesn’t have any notion about the difference between mothers and fathers. She just wants to be loved and cared for. Men can do these things just as well as women, and caring for your baby helps build your relationship with her for the future. That fact alone makes a powerful argument for parenting being equal and shared.
MAKING ROOM FOR FATHERS
Don’t worry-getting involved with parenting needn’t be a problem. With a little planning and a generous heart, both of you can enjoy sharing all the aspects of caring for your baby. After all, baby care means loving your baby, encouraging your baby, teaching your baby, watching your baby grow and develop, and establishing bonds with your baby that will probably be the strongest you ever make with anyone. Being a parent is perhaps the most important job any of us do. Who in their right mind would not want to be a part of all that?
As a father, try not to allow yourself to miss out on this unique relationship. And you’ll find that when you’re fully involved with your baby, a little miracle happens along the way: your relationship with your baby’s mother flourishes, too.
No one has trouble defining a mother’s role. Mothers care for children: they feed, comfort, dress, and bathe; they encourage, teach, carry, undress, put to bed, and maybe sing to sleep. We all know this because it’s what our mothers did for us when we were children. Defining a father’s role is more difficult, and many men are struggling to come to terms with what it means to be a modern father.
Finding a role model Much as you may love your own father, you may want your own relationship with your children to be different. Men today are encouraged to have a much more handsome approach to caring for their children, but few have a role model to show them what this actually means. What’s really needed is for fathers to be much more involved with the day-today business of child care-for them to be more like mothers.
Your baby doesn’t mind Babies and young children are happy to be cared for by their father or mother. What your baby needs is comfort, warmth, and security from her parents. Although she’ll soon learn to tell her mother and father apart, she’s not going to make value judgments based on what mothers and fathers ought to do. Apart from breastfeeding, there’s nothing a woman can do for a baby that can’t be done by a man.
The need for parenting Babies don’t need mothering and fathering, they need parenting. They need the most important adults in their lives to be models of what parents do for their children. When this happens, the next generation of fathers will not be at a loss to know what a father’s role should be. A child will only start to look to one parent rather than the other for her needs if this is what she learns she should do from her experiences. If you, as a father, never change her diaper, hold her when she cries, or play and laugh with her, of course she’ll relate more to the parent who does do all those things.
YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT HAVING A FAMILY
However much you long for a family, the decision to go ahead and have a child needs the same reasoned, clear-eyed evaluation you’d give to any other major change in your life, such as buying a house or a new car. It helps to be open with one another about your feelings and to put into words some of the thoughts and questions that may be lurking in the back of your mind. Even if you think you both really want a baby because you love each other and it seems like the natural thing to do, it’s still a good idea to talk about all the issues involved. Have you thought about how a baby will affect your way of life? Does having a child seem like the right thing for you as a couple, or are you just reacting to pressure from others, such as the potential grandparents? Do you both have the same desire for a baby?
A NEW KIND OF PARENTING
Family life has changed in recent years, and people have different expectations. A father used to be a protector, out at work all day and with little direct involvement in the care of children. Now, fathers and mothers are equal partners at home. Both may be working, full- or part-time, and sharing the financial responsibilities and the juggling of caring for home and family. Some couples may decide they don’t want to use any form of child care and so one of them takes a career break to stay at home. In an increasing number of couples, it’s the father who opts to be the caregiver while his wife earns the money, overturning traditional patterns of family life. One reason why such families are often strong and successful units is because they make their plans carefully and take account of both partners’ talents. But whatever practical arrangements you make, providing a stable, loving, and open environment in which to bring up children is what matters the most.
Walking – It’s All in Your Technique
Sure, you’ve been walking since you were a toddler. But you’re never too old to fine-tune your technique. The following tips will help keep your constitutionals pleasurable, healthful, and injury-free.
Do it, but don’t overdo it. Walk at a pace that feels comfortable. Don’t dawdle, but don’t become winded. Fenton recommends checking your intensity with what he calls the talk test. “You should be able to talk comfortably while walking,” he says. “If you find yourself gasping for air when you talk, you’re pushing yourself too hard.”
Warm up beforehand. Why warm up? First, it makes walking easier by increasing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. The extra oxygen enables your muscles to produce energy when you need it. Second, it stretches the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, preparing them for the upcoming workout and reducing your risk of injury. Third, it allows you to shift emotional gears so that you’re in the right frame of mind to enjoy walking.
Pay attention to posture. The American Physical Therapy Association offers the
following pointers for good walking posture: Stand up straight and look forward, not down. Keep your head erect, your chin pulled in toward your neck, your back straight, and your stomach and buttocks tucked in. Don’t lean forward, except when walking uphill. Leaning increases the risk of back strain.
Set the right stride. Walk heel to toe, letting your feet gently roll forward through each step. This allows you to develop a comfortable, flowing, rhythmic stride.
Bend your elbows. As you walk, swing your arms, keeping your elbows bent at 90degree angles and close to your trunk. Avoid straight-arm striding, which slows you down and makes your fingers swell uncomfortably. And don’t thrust your elbows out to your sides, like chicken wings. This disrupts your rhythm and causes upper-body discomfort.
Keep your hands free. With your arms swinging unencumbered, you can stride more comfortably for a longer period of time without feeling winded. “If you need to carry anything, use a backpack,” Fenton advises. “Carrying things in your hands is tiring and interferes with the natural rhythm of walking.”
Expect to feel good. A good walking workout will leave you with a combination of fatigue, invigoration, and mood elevation. The fatigue should pass within an hour, but the invigoration and mood elevation will last much longer. And as your physical condition improves, you’ll feel less fatigue and a greater sense of well-being after each workout.