Researchers at the University of Massachusetts released findings earlier this week that suggest that pregnant women’s bodies could react to serious infections in ways that directly influence the brain development of their unborn children. In pregnant women, when the body is fighting extreme infections, the maternal immune activation (MIA) is triggered. It is this immune response that seems to be directly linked to an increased risk of autism. More from CafeMom: Science May Have Found a Way to Give Kids All Their Vaccines In One Shot Using pregnant mice, researchers were able to identify what part of the fetal brain is impacted by MIA and link those effects to a specific type of immune cell — Th17, and an associated molecule called IL-17....

title: “We Need To Talk About These Horrifying Baby Shower Cakes” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-09” author: “Valerie Valdez”

And why not? It is, ostensibly, the most important piece of jewelry we will ever own. Not to mention the most expensive. And if we are lucky, we will wear it every singe day for the rest of our lives. It’s a tall order and, according diamond experts, the one we pick says a whole lot about the people we are. More from The Stir: 7 Craziest Themed Engagement Rings (PHOTOS) “The first question I ask a man who is looking to propose is, ‘What kind of person is your girlfriend?...

title: “What Your Favorite Cookie Says About You” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-05” author: “Stephen Mcmullen” title: “What Your Favorite Cookie Says About You” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-02” author: “Lisa Cason” title: “What Your Favorite Cookie Says About You” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-10” author: “Melony Luong” title: “What Your Favorite Cookie Says About You” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-14” author: “Michelle Keller” title: “What Your Favorite Cookie Says About You” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-10” author: “Francis Brown” title: “What Your Favorite Cookie Says About You” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-13” author: “Amy Estrada”

In short, co-sleeping totally rocks for babies. However, there is a dark side to co-sleeping. Dun dun dun. Everyone talks about dangers to the baby, but rarely do people talk about the dangers to co-sleeping moms. Imagine this — you’ve nursed your little one to sleep, and you’ve drifted off peacefully as well. Suddenly, BAM! PAIN! Oh no, pain! Your sweet little angel has woken up, and decided since you weren’t paying attention, they’d smack you in the face....

When I was married, my husband and I disagreed frequently about how our son should be raised. I felt strongly in my core that divorce was the right choice, for me and for my child. But almost all children of divorce suffer in some way. How to pull the trigger that, no matter how soundly and earnestly the decision is made, will leave your child or children with some kind of damage?...

When dad Clint Edwards last chatted on the phone with his mom, he was hit with a specific question about his wife: “Doesn’t it bother you that Mel won’t keep a cleaner house?” Clint shared on his Facebook page, No Idea What I’m Doing: A Daddy Blog, that he was in the process of doing dishes when his mom shared her “curiosity” and he had no idea how to respond....

Alas, I digress. In the children’s section, I happened to come across a shirt for my daughter that I found to be the proper amount of sass-a-frassery AND adorability, and as such, I picked it up and exclaimed to Alex, who happened to be in the cart I was pushing (yes, we take two carts) (no, we don’t FILL them both), “Oh! Look at this cute cupcake shirt for Your Sister!...

In order to help fix his erectile dysfunction and keep things hot, Michelle actually breastfeeds her husband Jeff to make sure he climaxes. Yes — she breastfeeds him — as in he latches on and drinks the milk as it starts flowing as if he were a hungry baby. And this isn’t a one time deal, because Jeff’s been getting his milk on for a year and a half! (Let me guess — you just threw up in your mouth a little bit, right?...

It’s not that I didn’t like Ann — in fact, I found her shyness to be quite sweet, and the whole “dork in high school” thing was endearing — but she was just so sickly skinny. I just wanted to feed her a hamburger. And after watching the show, millions of girls went to sleep last night thinking that a size extra extra extra extra small is a good thing....

Two years ago, the mom from Palo Alto, California, was told that her 11-year-old son Jared needed to lose weight. Today he’s a healthy teenager, and the mom behind the Kurbo Health program to help parents help kids to lose weight told The Stir how she helped her son pare his weight down without instigating a ton of family dinnertime fights. At what point did you realize your son Jared needed to lose weight?...

I caught up with Elizabeth West, trained behaviorist and author of blog A Real Housewife’s View, who analyzes their often bizarre behavior. So, just in time for tonight’s reunion show, here’s what she had to say about the New York ladies and their real-life personality disorders. See if you agree: Kelly Bensimon, Paranoid Personality Disorder — I really think she has paranoid personality disorder. She’s very concerned about hidden motives and that she’s going to be exploited....

One user shared that after his buddy was gifted a pack of these, he now swears that he’ll never go back to regular baby wipes. More from CafeMom: This Prank Baby Shower Box Is the Only Gift You’re Going to Want to Give New Moms One parent even gave it to her son as a graduation present to show that he’s officially old enough to wipe his own ass — but it turned into the best gift he’s ever gotten....

Because all I kept thinking during the fifth episode of MTV’s Teen Mom yesterday was, “What the hell are they thinking?” Will somebody call DYFS already? Because Farrah, for like the fifth episode in a row, has let poor little baby Sophia get injured while she’s right there, being completely self-involved and neglectful. It doesn’t seem like she means to do it. And you can give her the first or second or maybe even third time....

The one-page letter laid out how their relationship would work. In exchange for the mistress’s services and becoming his “sexual property,” he would, in turn, compensate her with “tasteful accommodations to her liking” and also foot the bill for their outings. On top of that, the woman wrote she would perform “all sexual acts as requested, with suspension of historical, emotional, psychological disclaimers.” I know what you are thinking — this is basically a contract for prostitution....

There is no one “ideal” for beauty. It varies widely from culture to culture. Would you try any of these beauty rituals? Image via MyLoupe/UIG via Getty Images More from The Stir: 8 of the Weirdest Beauty Treatments You Can Try More from The Stir: 10 Totally Bizarre Beauty Treatment Ingredients More from The Stir: 11 Embarrassing Celebrity Beauty Blunders title: “10 Beauty Rituals From Around The World That Redefine Gorgeous Photos " ShowToc: true date: “2024-08-30” author: “Dahlia Saunders” There is no one “ideal” for beauty....

Turns out, a new study conducted by skincare brand RoC has assigned a assigned a “wrinkle index” to each state — and the results may cause you to frown! In the study results, Debra Jaliman, MD, FAAD, a Manhattan-based board-certified dermatologist, explains: Check out 5 states that came out on top when it comes to that coveted youthful glow, and 5 that will have you furrowing your brow and planning to move....

Since you know this scenario is inevitable, don’t fight it. Simply prepare for the vortex of boredom the same way you would pack your guide books, water, and extra clothes. If you have a range of games at your disposal — some short term, some that can last for days — you will all make it out of the car in one piece. Here are a few fun road trip games to keep everyone engaged and amused until you get to your next destination....

Snort. How sorely I was mistaken. Yesterday, I looked at my house and my child and realized the tragic truth: I’m raising white trash kids. How did I come to this conclusion? The front yard full of toys. Bats, balls, water toys, and hula hoops half-hazardly fill the lawn. The pool the kids brag about to their friends is a big plastic blow-up one from Walgreens. We own a large collection of toy guns and character T-shirts....

So how about this: 8 simple steps for a quick, good-enough spring cleaning. (Those of you with high standards may want to look the other way.) Then share with us your favorite quick-cleaning tricks. *Images ©iStock.com/YinYang; *©iStock.com/mattjeacock More from The Stir: 8 Sneaky Ways to Fake-Clean Your Bathroom title: “10 Steps To Cleaning Your House In Under An Hour” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-22” author: “Carl Gustafson” So how about this: 8 simple steps for a quick, good-enough spring cleaning....