Q: We just had a baby, and it looks like our best (childless) couple friends have dumped us. What can we do?

Either they think you’re busy and don’t want to bug, or they never really liked you anyway and they’re using your baby as an excuse to cut the cord on the friendship. Try this: Let them know you still want to hang out, and see what happens. If they don’t come around, don’t beat yourself up—they’re the ones who broke up with you after all.

Q: I’m pregnant. Should I go natural or have a C-section?

Precluding any medical conditions that indicate a Caesarean section might be necessary, ask yourself what you want out of your birth experience: To feel empowered by managing the pain without drugs and to avoid interventions? To get it over with as quickly as possible and avoid labour altogether? To experience vaginal birth? To know exactly when your baby will arrive? Once you answer that, you’ll know the way to try to go. After all, there are no guarantees. Different risks accompany elective C-section, emergency C-section and the various forms of vaginal birth. Talk
to your doc.

Q: I’ve read that men who witness their wives giving birth can suffer symptoms akin to post-traumatic stress disorder. What’s your take? Should my guy be in the room with me?

I am doing everything in my power right now to, hmm, how to put it...AVOID SPITTING COFFEE ALL OVER MY LAPTOP SCREEN! Ahem. If your partner is nervous about hospitals or gets green around the gills at the sight of blood, then sure the big event might be a tad difficult for him. Still, missing the birth of one’s child is a bigger deal than getting a little light-headed. If he’s queasy, have him stay seated near the head of the bed.

Q: Is it true that miscarriages are on the rise?

It’s difficult to know. Many women who miscarry do so before they even realize they’re pregnant. And Statistics Canada only keeps count of what it calls “fetal loss,” which includes hospitalized miscarriages, stillbirths and abortions. Those rates are going down according to the most recent numbers. What’s going up, though, is the average age women get pregnant. And the miscarriage rate rises with maternal age—from about nine percent of the recognized pregnancies of 20-year-olds to as high as 50 percent by age 42.