Photo by ShaylaLynn

November is Prematurity Awareness Month, so here are some links I love:

Photo by MadsMom04

A weekly post to help us get to know some of our CafeMom cuties ...

Who: Lucas Kenneth, 11 months old, son of MadsMom04. When Lucas was born via c-section, he was screaming so loud. My husband I were laughing so hard we were crying.

He sometimes sleeps through the night, and he takes two, two-hour naps during the day.

What makes him smile?

His big sister!

Photo by StarrMom2Xander

Carrying my babies up and down our slippery wooden stairway was always one of my biggest new mom fears. There were a couple of near misses, but we made it to toddlerhood unscathed. I'm making up for it now. Just the other day, I sledded down the last few treads on my butt. I'm just so klutzy.

natalies_mama's husband did fall down the stairs the other day with their 2 1/2 month old daughter. Their stairs are carpeted but narrow, and her husband is tall. Every time he ventures down with the baby, she holds her breath and listens.

The other night, that ended with tumbling and her husband crying out.

Photo by ventichaitea

One CafeMom had a surprise home birth. (Not unusual unless you're not planning on it.)

Cafe MicheleZ, who's expecting twins in another month, is worried that her babies might come so fast (she should be so lucky!) that her midwife or doctor of choice may not make it to the delivery room in time. She's thinking of creating a Birth Plan B and C just in case.

This is probably a good idea considering the strange and unexpected places babies decide to pop out. Just this week, a woman in Eau Claire, Wisconsin gave birth on the sidewalk outside the hospital.

Photo by livewiresav06

I felt guilty taking my two-week old firstborn to a friend's party where there were lots of snuffly little kids around. Our pediatrician had specifically said to wait at least a month to six weeks before exposing him to germs, and as a new mom, I took his words as gospel.

When my daughter was born, I was strolling the aisles of Target and visiting friends within days with no guilt whatsoever. If she was going to catch anything, it would be something from her germy big brother.

I recently visited my friend and her 1 week old, and even though she's been through it all with an older son, she doesn't plan to take her new baby out anytime soon, especially with the Swine Flu going around. So it seems like it just depends on the mom.

Some of the responses from moms who were asked when they took their newborn out in public in Answers made me giggle:

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty

Mel Gibson, 53, already has seven kids ages 28 to 10 with ex-wife Robyn Moore -- and now he's the father of a baby girl. Gibson and Grigorieva named her Lucia.

RadarOnline.com reports that the actor's partner, Oksana Grigorieva, 39, gave birth to a baby girl last Friday.

The online tabloid reports that everything went well, and mom and daughter are already home.

Photo by ilovemyjo2

A weekly post to help us get to know some of our CafeMom cuties ...

How long does she sleep at night?

Her sleep schedule is GREAT. She will go down for the night around 9 p.m. and then not wake up until 5 - 5:30 a.m. for a bottle. Then she goes back to sleep for about another hour. She takes a nap around 10:30 a.m. - 11a.m. for about an hour. She would sleep longer, but I have to wake her up to take her brother to school. She takes another nap around 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. for about 30 minutes and then we start all over again.

Photo by Mama_Lissa

Both my kids recieved either an 8 or a 9 APGAR score immediately after birth. I'd have to look it up to be sure. All I cared about what that they were crying and moving and alive.

But your doctor will do a little test to make sure your baby is perfectly okay. This is called the Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration score, or APGAR.

The test, given immediately and five minutes after birth, was designed to quickly evaluate a newborn's physical condition after delivery and to determine if any extra medical or emergency care, such as CPR, is needed.

Click to see the APGAR in chart form or here's the rundown:

Photo by RanaAurora

A weekly post to help us get to know some of our CafeMom cuties ...

Who: Aurora Rose, 3.5 months old, daughter of RanaAurora

How long does she sleep at night?

She sleeps on me, pretty much 24/7. She wakes up between 7:30-9 a.m., when Big Brother Rowan is getting up. We walk him to school (she in the Moby wrap) at noon. By 12:45 when we get home, if she hasn't fallen asleep in the Moby, she's ready to nurse and pass out. We leave the house again at 2:50 to get her brother, so that's the end of nap time. Once Rowan is in bed at about 8-9, she plays and then nurses to sleep for the night on the couch until I take her to bed with me.

Photo by Jeanmarie1975

Those infant car seat carriers are a godsend in so many ways. Can you imagine having to wake and unstrap your sleeping baby every time you to run into the grocery store for a gallon of milk, wisk your older child into day care, or all those other little in-and-outs we do all day?

Even though the experts say you shouldn't let a baby sleep in the carseat when not in the car, they still will a good portion of the time.

The last thing you need is a sore back, so here are some do's and don'ts from ergomomics.com to help you carry your infant's seat the right way:

DO's

When carrying the seat short distances, support it on your bent elbow (using biceps) and keep it close to your center of gravity, OR