Mother and Child

OverviewPickles and ice cream. Waves of nausea. We've all heard about the various cravings and symptoms that moms-to-be experience. But every woman responds differently to the hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy. What can you expect? Here are t...

OverviewPickles and ice cream. Waves of nausea. We...

Pregnancy is the most natural thing in the world, but it's a good idea to monitor just how nature is taking its course. That's where prenatal tests come in. They keep tabs on the baby's development and detect problems early on. But not all tests are ...

Pregnancy is the most natural thing in the world, ...

Your BabyIt's only been a week since your embryo, about the size of an apple seed, attached to the wall of your uterus, but already it has made many developmental leaps. The placenta and the umbilical cord are functioning, passing oxygen and nutrient...

Your BabyIt's only been a week since your embryo, ...

Your BabyThe uterus has formed a lush bed of tissue, and the production of estrogen and progesterone increases as the uterus decides to hold onto its precious cargo -- the cluster of cells that nests inside. Some of these cells become attached to the...

Your BabyThe uterus has formed a lush bed of tissu...

Your BabyAt about the midpoint of your cycle, this is the week of ovulation, when the egg and sperm meet. If your egg is fertilized this month, your baby's nine-month odyssey begins as a fertilized egg whose cells multiply at a dizzying rate of as ma...

Your BabyAt about the midpoint of your cycle, this...

Your BabyHoping that you'll soon find out you are pregnant? You won't really know for another week or so, for this is actually the week preceding ovulation. It's referred to as week 2 because experts date a pregnancy from the first day of the last me...

Your BabyHoping that you'll soon find out you are ...

Your BabyHoping that you'll soon find out you're pregnant? You won't know for several weeks yet, for week 1 is actually the week of your last menstrual period before pregnancy. Confusing, isn't it? But the first day of the last menstrual period is th...

Your BabyHoping that you'll soon find out you're p...

Every other week, Joey's friend Vinnie goes to the orthodontist after school to have his braces checked. One day the dentist told Joey's mom that Joey should see an orthodontist, too. What's an orthodontist? Why does Joey need to see one? And what wi...

Every other week, Joey's friend Vinnie goes to the...

Adam's lip had been feeling itchy all day — itchy and a little tingly, like someone was tickling it lightly. When he woke up the next morning and his lip still felt strange, he looked in the mirror and yelled "What's on my mouth?" His mom took a look...

Adam's lip had been feeling itchy all day — itchy ...

Have you ever had a canker sore? If so, you know that these small mouth sores can cause major pain. You can get a canker sore on the inside of your lip or cheek, under your tongue or at the base of your gums. Usually canker sores form one at a time i...

Have you ever had a canker sore? If so, you know t...

Adenoids and tonsils are often talked about together. You can see your tonsils in the back of your throat, but where are your adenoids? For that matter, what are your adenoids? Let's find out. What Are Adenoids? The adenoids (say: ADD-eh-noids) are a...

Adenoids and tonsils are often talked about togeth...

Lots of kids need braces, but the cost can scare off many moms and dads. Braces cost about $5,000 and even if your family has insurance, it may not cover much of the bill. So what's a kid with crooked teeth to do? Grab a parent and start figuring it...

Lots of kids need braces, but the cost can scare o...

Cavity. That's the word no one wants to hear at the dentist's office. A cavity (say: ka-vuh-tee) develops when a tooth decays (say: dih-kaze), or breaks down. A cavity is a hole that can grow bigger and deeper over time. Cavities are also called dent...

Cavity. That's the word no one wants to hear at th...

Your skin is red and sore. It may even look scaly. You itch like crazy. You know you haven't been near poison ivy and you don't have chickenpox, but you're starting to worry that you're slowly turning into some kind of scaly creature from a monster m...

Your skin is red and sore. It may even look scaly....

You know what hearing is, but what is hearing loss? Hearing loss, or hearing impairment (say: im-pare-ment), happens when there is a problem with one or more parts of the ear or ears ("impairment" means something is not working correctly or as well a...

You know what hearing is, but what is hearing loss...

"My talking is bumpy." "The words get stuck." "My tongue stumbles." "My brain goes faster than my mouth." These are some of the things that kids say when they describe how it feels to stutter. In other words, they know what they want to say, but ...

"My talking is bumpy." "The words get stuck." "M...

Good hearing makes life easier. You can hear what's going on around you (Whoa! It sounds like a truck's about to come around that corner!). You also can hear what other people are saying and hear what you're saying. That's important because then you ...

Good hearing makes life easier. You can hear what'...

Huh? Can you speak up? Oh! You want to know if loud music can hurt your ears. Are you asking because you like to put on your headphones and crank up the volume of your favorite CD? Maybe your mom or dad has told you, "Turn that down before you go dea...

Huh? Can you speak up? Oh! You want to know if lou...

"You're not paying attention." "Don't you know where you put your lunch money?" "Stop fidgeting!" "Don't interrupt." Can you imagine what it would be like to hear people talk to you this way every single day? If you can imagine it, or if it sounds ju...

"You're not paying attention." "Don't you know whe...

Peter works so hard at reading, but it just never gets easier. He knows he's smart so why can't he read like the other kids? Peter has a problem called dyslexia. Dyslexia (say: dis-lek-see-uh) is a learning problem some kids have. Dyslexia makes it ...

Peter works so hard at reading, but it just never ...

Have you ever been afraid? Everyone gets scared sometimes. Maybe thunder and lightning make your heart beat faster. Or maybe your mouth goes dry when your teacher announces a pop quiz, or your palms sweat when it's your turn to give your report in fr...

Have you ever been afraid? Everyone gets scared so...