If you have spent a great deal of time trying to get pregnant than you know that oftentimes the beginnings of the menstrual cycle can seem deceivingly like a new pregnancy. Pregnancy books tell hopeful mothers to be on the lookout for tender breasts, fatigue, and moodiness, but as women know all these signs can also simply point to just another appearance from The Monthly Visitor.

Some women who are trying to conceive follow a similar disappointing pattern every month where they will swear that they “feel” pregnant, only to start another period and another missed opportunity to successfully conceive. This same pattern, month after month, can wear down even the most tenacious woman.

Luckily, not all women go through this emotional rollercoaster. Some women get pregnant the very first month they try, while others wind up pregnant without every really having tried. There is no way to tell for absolute certain if you are pregnant without a blood test from your doctor, but there are some tell-tale signs which can tip you off that there may be a bun in the oven.

PHYSICAL SIGNS

Be aware that every single so-called sign of pregnancy can be caused by something else entirely, and it is always best to consult a doctor to confirm a pregnancy. A combination of these signs along with an active attempt at getting pregnant, though, makes for pretty good odds.

There’s no period. If you have been tracking your period every month and you are usually pretty regular the absence of your period is a pretty good indicator that something is going on. Women who are not attempting to get pregnant and who are currently on birth control are certainly not immune to pregnancy as no birth control except for abstinence is fail-safe. Any missed period merits the purchase of a home pregnancy test, just to be sure.

You have to pee like a racehorse. During pregnancy there are so many wacky hormones shooting through a woman’s body that a lot of things change. A pregnant woman’s bladder needs to empty more often, particularly in the first and third trimester. Make sure you always know where a clean restroom is when you’re out in public.

You really need a nap. Creating a whole new being isn’t easy work for a body so there is no surprise to the fact that pregnancy can bring with it sheer exhaustion, even early on. Try to indulge the urge to sleep whenever you can because once the baby comes you won’t be getting nearly as much sleep as you can now.

Everything smells icky. If you walk into the grocery store and everything suddenly repulses you, it may be time to pick up a home pregnancy test along with your groceries. Although this feeling will eventually pass, many women say that the icky-smell problem is the one that tipped them off to being pregnant.

You’re starving. Some women never feel nauseous in early pregnancy, but instead want to eat everything in sight. It takes extra calories to build a baby, so this makes sense. Don’t be shocked if you feel nauseous early on and then ravenous later in the pregnancy.

You’re freezing / you’re on fire.
Body temperature is regulated differently in a pregnant woman’s body. Grabbing a jacket or fanning yourself while everyone else is comfortable can be an indicator that something is different in your body. Dressing in layers can help you if this becomes a constant issue through your pregnancy because you can add or subtract clothing as needs be.

Your breasts are bigger. They are probably a little sore too. This is only one change in a series of many which your breasts will go through during the pregnancy and throughout breastfeeding, should you choose to do it.

EMOTIONAL SIGNS

As with physical changes, every emotional change associated with pregnancy can easily be attributed to something else, such as stress or depression. There are some women who start to realize they are pregnant after their significant other asks them if they have gone completely insane.

You’re crying like there’s no tomorrow. Chalk this up to hormones accompanied by the fatigue you may be experiencing. If what you thought was PMS doesn’t go away and that period never starts, you’re probably pregnant.

You’re cranky. Even though you may not yet realize it, your body is working furiously to create a new baby. As with the aforementioned crying, crankiness and moodiness may be a result of the fatigue and the hormonal changes your body is going through.

Something just feels different. There are some women who claim to simply “feel” pregnant. It’s true that there are some women who are so in tune with their bodies that they can just sense that there is a pregnancy going on even before a home pregnancy test can identify a positive result.

There are dozens of other signs that can point to a pregnancy. Some unfortunate women seem to inherit every single pregnancy malady possible and of course realize they are pregnant when everything aches and they are puking up every single meal. Other women have such subtle signs that they really need to pay attention to their bodies to get the message. Most women, however, have a combination of pregnancy signals and eventually realize that all signs are pointing to a pregnancy.

Here are some funny baby videos - check them out.

Parents have the ability to empower their children against abduction by educating them about the dangers of strangers and helping their children to help themselves. There were more than 950,000 missing persons reported in 1998, according to the Agency for Missing and Exploited Children. Of those, the FBI estimates that 85 to 90 percent were children.

Most parents will admit that their greatest fear is their children being abducted. To help prevent this nightmare from becoming a reality, parents can educate their children. Parents already take many precautions to protect their families and their children: installing and maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; composing and practicing fire escape plans; immunizing their children; requiring that children wear safety belts when in a car and that they wear helmets and pads while riding bicycles, skateboards or in-line skates; and checking Halloween candy before allowing their children to eat it.
“Don’t be afraid to speak to your children,” Jones says. “Education is truly the greatest weapon they can have. Children do not have to be scared to be prepared. Listen to your children and practice with them what they would do in certain situations.

Compliment them on their good thinking and good sense. Make them feel comfortable and empowered with the knowledge that they get so that they will feel capable of using it in the event of a problem.” Make a point of not calling them ’strangers’ because people who abduct can appear very nice and can even be someone sort of familiar. You can also run drills on what to say and how to act, to run and scream and get attention from a trusted adult — a parent, grandparent or teacher.

In the event that a child is believed to be missing, parents must act quickly. “If a parent even has the slightest suspicion that anything has happened to their child they should notify the police immediately,” Jones says. “There is absolutely no time to waste — quick response is imperative. Retracing their child’s steps is also extremely important to establish when and where something has occurred, but this should be happening simultaneously to contacting the police.”

Some parents are surprised to discover that they don’t immediately feel incredibly bonded to their new baby. Sometimes the baby feels a little like a stranger, even if intense feelings of love are already there. For this reason, it is important for new parents to make a concerted effort to bond with their baby. In particular, new dads may feel as if they aren’t bonding with their babies, but there are plenty of things new dads can do to feel closer to their babies.

Make sure to be in attendance for milestones if you can help it. The first time a baby attempts to eat solid foods can be messy, hilarious, and actually pretty emotional since it signifies a maturing baby. Don’t leave this sort of thing for your wife to handle alone; get the video camera ready and be ready to help clean up the mess afterwards. These sorts of memories will remain in your mind as precious recollections, and will surely enhance your relationship with the baby for years to come.

Try spending some time alone with your baby. This can be a surprisingly intimidating effort if you’re not the primary caregiver, but spending time alone with your baby will have big paybacks. It’s much easier to bond with your baby if you feel confident in spending time alone with him and aren’t relying on the mom to entertain and care for the baby.

You needn’t give up all your hobbies in order to effectively bond with your baby. You can instead incorporate the baby into your hobbies. If reading the Sunday paper has always been an enjoyable ritual for you then including the baby in the ritual not only serves as bonding time, but will also help introduce the baby to the importance of reading. Remember that having a new baby doesn’t end entertainment in your life it merely makes it different.

Technological and medical advances are providing us with opportunities we couldn’t have imagined only a short period ago. Genetic counseling is a perfect example.

Genetic counseling involves having a specially trained expert professional evaluate both prospective parents’ genetic traits and family history. The objective isn’t to “screen out” combinations that won’t produce ideal children, but instead to provide parents with a clear understanding of potential significant health risks that might afflict future children.

It can seem somewhat scary and akin to a science fiction film, but genetic counseling is very real and is readily available. It’s not something most couples need or want, but it does make perfect sense for partners who have certain diseases “in their family” and who are concerned that their children may suffer similarly.

Genetic counseling is costly in dollars and cents terms. Making the decision to undergo genetic counseling can also be emotionally costly. If a physician advises you, for instance, that your future children have a ten percent risk of suffering from a major birth defect, how might that impact your decision making? Genetic counseling can provide some amazing answers to important questions but can also spur some very challenging new questions.