Doulas and midwives serve quite different purposes during delivery — and have different levels of training. The difference between a doula and a midwife can actually, at times, be quite stark, although they both work to help you have a better, healthier birth experience. One manages a mother’s energy, and ensures she’s focused only on her birth. The other is all about actually delivery. The doula and the midwife each have their own specific usefulness, as well as their own set of considerations about cost....

It’s the latest in COVID-related disagreements Kaspar has seen parents engage in over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There’s been a lot of disagreement between parents about mask-wearing, whether they should alter their behavior by not attending events at large venues, and other COVID safety issues,” he says. “That flows through to segue into vaccines. It seems to follow the political spats that people are having.” A unique characteristic of the disagreement over COVID vaccination is that there’s little room for negotiation....

Like an alien, a kid really hasn’t been on earth that long. So they’re just as fascinated with what’s between their legs as an E.T. might be (which is admittedly a troubling image). Still, it’s time for parents to consider why that fascination is not such a terrible thing. “In fact, it’s a good thing,” says Debbi Roffman, sex educator and author of Talk to Me First: Everything You Need to Know to Become Your Kids’ “Go-To” Person About Sex....

But how is Game of Thrones using sex in its story? Does the constant flow of boobs and dicks fit in with the larger context of the show or are we really just pausing on the actual stories to watch 2-3 minutes of glorified, high production pornography? After all, this is the show that is sometimes condescendingly referred to as “Boobs & Dragons” so is that a fair assessment? It’s often thought of as a sexy show but, in reality, does Game of Thrones‘ sex all flash and no substance?...

Let Your Kids Stay Up Late Your kids might need to skip their bedtimes to make this happen. NASA recommends that watchers go outside at 10:30 p.m. (Astromony magazine thinks this will be local time in most time zones) The meteor shower is going to peak at 2 a.m., but your family will still get to see some multi-colored meteors streaking across the sky. The meteors burn off different colors depending on what chemicals they’re composed of, but you can expect to see yellow, red, blue-green and violet in the skies....

First, parents should understand that the AAP’s recommendation is less an indicator that infant ear piercing puts children in immediate danger and more an effort to let children make decisions about their own bodies. Another benefit of waiting until babies are older before piercing their ears is that they can, at that age, care for their piercings themselves, reducing the possibility of an infection. But as long as parents take on that responsibility for their infants, piercing a baby’s ears is generally safe....

This is mostly just a shared Pooh-universe that lives in my mind, but I think there is compelling evidence, that a 1989 picture book contains a low-key retelling of the origin of Pooh Bear. Think of this book as the secret “Batman Begins” of Winnie-the-Pooh lore. Let’s get into it. Christopher Robin Goes on a Bear Hunt We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is a 1989 children’s book written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury....

Writing for the Guardian, critic and reporter Catherine Shoard said: “A delay to the scheduled release date of 25 October 2019 looks inevitable; there is also speculation the fallout could stretch further, claiming star Daniel Craig as another victim.” In other words, because the movie is likely being put on hold because of Boyle’s departure, Craig might not end up being in the movie at all. This doesn’t necessarily mean Idris Elba will step in — he’s denied he’s going to be James Bond — but for right now, all expectations about what would happen with the next Bond movie went from being crystal clear to super-murky overnight....

“It’s totally developmentally appropriate to be defiant,” explains American Academy of Pediatrics Fellow Dr. Phil Bouchard of Lincoln Pediatric Group, “Even in the 12-, 15-, and 18-month range.” Bouchard notes that it’s important for very young children to begin testing boundaries as they enter toddlerhood. By defying parents or scampering away when they’re wanted, a kid feels out social limits, discovering the differences between suggestions and rules. Generally, this is not an issue of right and wrong....

To put it simply, Shark Week is likely to absolutely terrify even the most nature-oriented kids because they are not, for developmental reasons, able to take pleasure in vicarious dangers. For little kids, dangers are dangers — even when they’re just swimming around on the flatscreen. Masiello spoke with Fatherly about what Shark Week looks like for ankle biters and how parents can take advantage of the educational value of nature documentaries without terrifying their kids....

Encouragingly, your toddler is basically built to thrive outside. Every skill they’re learning can be honed in the woods, as if they’re some kind of tiny, adorable John Rambo. So, check out the developmental benefits of outside play for your toddler and a few ideas of how to make the outdoors really count. The Sad Reality A recent study lead by the National Institute for Play (where it’s probably insanely hard to get any work done) put a fine point on how dire the situation is for kids getting outside....

In her new book Maybe You Should To Someone, Gottlieb, a sought-after psychotherapist with decades of experience and who pens The Atlantic‘s “Dear Therapist” column, breaks the omerta of the therapeutic class. (Yes, they judge.) But more importantly, she lifts the curtain on what was, for me, an immensely surprising fact, that therapists too are people. Now as for why that is so surprising? Well, maybe I should talk to someone....

Perry, of course, is the actor-producer-director behind dozens of movies and shows, including the Madea films, House of Payne, Alex Cross, The Haves and Have Nots, and Sistas. He also owns the Tyler Perry Studios complex in Atlanta and heads up The Perry Foundation, the aim of which “has been to transform tragedy into triumph by seeding individual potential, supporting communities, and harvesting sustainable change.”During a four-minute Oscar night speech, Perry said, “When I set out to help someone, it is my intention to do just that....

Michael Myers’ legendarily terrifying mask in the original Halloween is actually an altered Captain Kirk mask that production designer and editor Lee Wallace bought for a couple of bucks at a random store on Hollywood Boulevard and it ended up being used in the movie. Shatner, who obviously played Kirk, told Jake Hamilton of the YouTube account “Jake’s Take” that he thought somebody was trying to trick him when he was first told that Myers was actually wearing a Shatner mask....

Scientists call this phenomenon the winner effect. Studies have shown that fish and birds, rodents and race car drivers, all follow a similar pattern. Winners keep on winning and losers keep losing, even after researchers control for talent, skill, and other factors known to influence a win. Preliminary studies suggest that winning increases testosterone levels, priming winners to take risks and compete, while losing increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol, causing losers to become risk-averse and avoid competition....

According to The New York Times, Ante took his girlfriend to the Happiest Place on Earth with the goal to propose. Standing in front of the Sleeping Beauty castle, Ante got down on one knee, holding his girlfriend’s hand and was seconds away from asking the big question. But before he could, a Disneyland Paris employee ruined it all. While standing on the stage, Ante took the ring out of his pocket, got down on one knee, and was about to ask his girlfriend to be his fiancée....

How did this happen? Well, some people don’t know that unemployment insurance is taxable — which it is, depending on what state they live in. Others might have signed up to withhold 10% of their unemployment benefits through their state, but not had the enhanced federal benefits withheld as well. The federal enhancement helped pad the unemployment insurance system as tens of millions became unemployed through the COVID-19 stimulus packages, but some states didn’t help withhold those unemployment payments....

Hevesh5 is no stranger to the domino game. One of the foremost builders in the world, she posts weekly techno-backed videos of her incredible domino line setups, which range from complex chains of color-changing dominos to 200,000 domino Rube Goldbergian masterpieces. She has more than 1 million subscribers is regularly featured in advertisements and films. One of her setups was by far the best part in that terrible movie where Will Smith talks about time, death, and love....

So, early on Episode 6, after bad-Captain America, John Walker is formally dismissed by the US Government, and yadda yadda yadda, he’s weirdly recruited by a mysterious woman with a shock of purple in her hair named Contessa Val. This character is played by none other than Veep and Seinfeld comedy legend Julia Louis-Dreyfus, setting her up to be possibly a huge villain in the rest of the MCU. In fact, Vanity Fair reports that at one point, Louis-Dreyfus was slated to appear in the upcoming Black Widow movie, which could mean that the Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has been operating behind the scenes for quite some time....

On Wednesday, the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid office released more details on how the “Fresh Start” initiative will benefit borrowers, particularly those behind on payments. Currently, we’re a week away from when President Joe Biden is reportedly supposed to announce his plan for student debt forgiveness — and whether or not student loan payments will resume. Most federal student loan payment requirements have been on pause since March 2020, when borrower balances were frozen to help families make ends meet financially during the COVID-19 pandemic....