By Ashley Hagist
St. Joseph's Hospital/Phoenix

Thanks to Jennifer Fox’s motherly instincts, her baby, Josephine “Josie” Fox, is surviving the odds of a rare and relatively unknown birth defect. Josie was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center on Feb. 19 with a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), which occurs in every 1 in 2,000 live births. On Monday, March 31, Jennifer and Jimmy Fox will get to bring home baby Josie for the first time which also happens to be the first Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) Awareness Day.

BEND, Ore. AP -- An Oregon man is five months pregnant, according to a national magazine.

Thomas Beatie, who used to be a woman, appeared in the most recent issue of The Advocate, a magazine for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender readers.

Beatie wrote the article and it included a picture of him while he was 22 weeks pregnant. According to the story, he went through a sex change, but decided only to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy.

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(HealthDay News) - The medical community continues to debate the merits of getting a massage during pregnancy, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

Before you get a massage while you're pregnant, always check with your doctor. The association believes for many pregnant women, massage can offer benefits that include:

* Improved regulation of hormones related to stress and anxiety.
* Reduced swelling of the joints.
* Improvement of nerve pain.
* Better circulation.
* Fewer muscle aches and pains.
* Better sleep.

THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Women who quit smoking during pregnancy may be more likely to have an easygoing child, according to British researchers.

Okay--I have a personal question that I would love input on! I was talking with my new OB/GYN today about having a second child (not for 1-2 years...I'm a planner!!!), and since my first delivery was 2 months pre-term, I was told that any subsequent pregnancies will be "high risk",and basically, I told my new doc. that I wanted to know what I was in for.

Reuters

WASHINGTON - Mothers who stop smoking while pregnant tend to have cheerier, more adaptable babies, British researchers reported on Wednesday.

Babies of women who continued to smoke while pregnant were notably grumpy, and the researchers believe that mothers who can muster the effort to kick the habit are also caring more for their babies in other ways.

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Recent studies show that most women are not taking the recommended folic acid supplement during pregnancy. Folic acid is most important within the first 3 months of pregnancy, to prevent birth defects. In fact, women of childbearing age are told they should be taking a folic acid supplement (and eating folate-rich foods), in case they become pregnant, planned or unplanned (do you know how many pregnancies are unplanned? 50% !! yikes!) :-)

(HealthDay News) - Pregnant women may feel overwhelmed with how their bodies are changing.

The American Pregnancy Association offers these suggestions to keep you feeling good about your body:

* Take some time to learn what exactly is happening to your body, and how your body is supporting your growing baby.
* Understand that your body is burning extra calories, so you often feel hungrier.
* Exercise to help yourself feel better. But always get your doctor's approval first.

(HealthDay News) - It's important to take care of yourself while you're pregnant. But you should begin caring for your body long before you confirm that you're expecting a baby.

Here are suggestions on how to prepare your body for pregnancy, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

* Eat a healthy, balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat.
* Start a regular exercise routine. You should get at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week.
* Stick to a regular sleep schedule, to make sure you get plenty of rest every night.

EmpowHer's HealthDay News - It's important to take care of yourself while you're pregnant. But you should begin caring for your body long before you confirm that you're expecting a baby.