Best of the Web

03.05.10 Hits of the week

• A sign of the times?: A writer shares a co-worker's new-dad experience with having to pay the hospital before the baby arrives. Economic times are still hard these days, so check out our tips on how you can have a baby without breaking the bank.

• One website asks the question: How do you co-sleep? Co-sleeping is simple but controversial—and there's more than one way to do it, from family bed to bedside bassinets.

• After a 15-year drop, U.S. health officials report an increase in home births. Home, sweet home—there's no other place where some women would rather deliver their babies.

• One woman looks into the pressure that women face to shed excess baby weight ASAP. There's no need to rush, our experts say, as long as you're healthy. After your baby is born and your days become more routine, try our seven surefire ways to get back into pre-baby shape.

• A new study finds that delaying your next pregnancy may cut the risk of your water breaking early. Previously, our Ask the Labor Nurse blogger waded into the subject of amniotic fluid and shared her advice.

• Here is some more evidence that they should take the "Einstein" out of Baby Einstein, as one newspaper report put it; and why the DVDs do offer benefits—albeit for the parents and not the kids. Crib Notes reported on Disney offering refunds to parents who were unhappy with the results from the popular videos.

• U.S. officials in a new study find that childless marriages don't last on average, and marriages last longer than living together. Don't forget to nurture your relationship! Here is some advice from our experts on how to keep your union intact when baby makes three.

• A mom shares her experience of dealing with too much information in the parenting age of the Web. One of our writers previously asked: Is ignorance bliss, or knowledge power?

• Here's a cute way to track your baby's first year of life: monthly photo sessions!

Maria Vega is Fit Pregnancy magazine's copy editor.