The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women gain somewhere between 25 and 35 pounds during pregnancy. Of course, this poundage depends on the woman's starting weight. If she is overweight, then she should gain less and if she is underweight, then she should gain more.

Babies cry. That's a fact of life. How much we let them cry, that's a fact of parenting, and it's easily one of the most confusing, emotional, and even divisive issues new parents face. One parent may insist it's a no-brainer: If baby is crying, you do what you can to comfort and console. Another may argue that if you are always at baby's beck and call, life will never get back to "normal."

There is never a dull moment when you vacation with a two-year-old. And there are always such wonderfully fun lessons to be learned, as well.  For instance, we allocated the first day of our family vacation to the zoo. God allocated that same day to watering his plants. OK, so it was not quite rain. I mean, it was hardly worth the embarrassment of losing another fruitless struggle with that rusty old umbrella.

So, you're a new father or father-to-be.  Let's take as a premise that you are ready and willing to be a father, or at least you think you are. You've resigned yourself to spending way less time out with the boys, putting in less time at the office (and gym and anywhere else you spend time regularly), and following sports with considerably less interest. You think you've prepared yourself, right? Before you cash that check, you're going to need to address the three biggest lifestyle changes that a new father must deal with: forgetting traditional gender roles, losing your self-consciousness, and relating to your baby.

One of the top birth questions dads-to-be have for obstetricians is, "“When can we start having sex again?”" Most doctors will tell you that after a normal birth, most women’s bodies can safely have sex after 6 weeks. However, more goes into having sex after a baby than just getting the thumbs up from an OB-GYN.

Car seats - essential, but pretty darn ugly. They get even worse when you transition from the infant car seat to the monstrous toddler seat. As if it wasn't bad enough that we had to lug a stroller, diaper bag, toys and baby around! You would think that car seat manufacturers would have put some more thought into aesthetics. Oh well. I guess I should just be grateful that the seat is safe and will protect my baby.