(Photo credit: Anirudh Koul.)

Congratulations to Canadian chaunteuse Celine Dion on the news of her pregnancy! According to People.com, Dion is 14 weeks along and will learn the gender of her twins next month.

As we have chronicled here before, Dion’s road to motherhood has never been easy. And so after 6 rounds of in-vitro fertilization, Dion and her husband, Rene Angélil, must be thrilled to announce that they are expecting twins.

Angélil calls the news of twins “a double blessing“. Multiple births can also be challenging and pose health risks. And if you’ve noticed more and more multiple births these days, you’ve noticed correctly.

via Medbroadcast: Dr. Jon Barrett, chief of maternal and fetal medicine at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, said in a recent Globe and Mail article that there has been a 300% increase in the incidence of twins and triplets in the past 10 years, largely due to fertility medications.

And with IVF procedures, there is a higher proportion of multiple births than with naturally occurring pregnancies. Out of 1,645 deliveries resulting from IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedures in 2001, 31.5% were multiple births.

If you’ve been considering seeking medical assistance to get pregnant, do not let the stats deter you. Each fertility journey is unique. Your local fertility clinic would be a great place to start, where specialists can help you to figure out the best, safest next steps on your baby quest.

For years, I paid little attention to the type of bristles on the toothbrushes I bought. “Soft, firm, whatever,” I thought. I think I may have actually chosen based on colour more than anything else.

Then I found out my teeth had tiny cracks in them, and I started being a bit more mindful in my oral health care choices. I wondered if a soft-bristle brush might treat my teeth more gently. After all, brushing your teeth too vigorously can wear down the enamel, and a harder bristle seemed just an extension of that bad brushing habit.

Was I right to make the switch to soft? [Read more →]

Your weekend habits may include sleeping in, loafing on the sofa or in the hammock at the cottage. We interrupt these leisurely pursuits to address a few day-to-day habits that you might want to break.

> Nail down the cause of this gnawing habit.

> Ahem! Could constant throat clearing be a force of habit?

> How can you tell when a little harmless retail therapy turns into full-blown shopaholism?

> Are you an over-dresser? A speed-eater? Guilty of any of these 8 food and nutrition no-no’s?

> Answer 4 quick questions so you can blow off bad breathing habits.

> Calories in vs. calories out. Weight loss is that simple. So, why do we fall for diet scams?

> A marriage saved by patience: He wanted out, she didn’t buy it.

> It hurts to see your child in pain. Know the truth behind 5 children’s pain myths so you can ease your kid’s aches.

> With summer on the approach, you may find yourself swatting and slapping away all sorts of flying, hopping, stinging pests. Here are 4 types of bug bites that require special care.

When was the last time you played - really played, just for the heck of it?

It pays to play, especially if you’re a kid. According to a research survey, “young adults who had played more as children were more likely to be healthy, to eat nutritious diets, and to get regular exercise.”

But what about you? Are you all grown-up? Have you left behind childish things? Think it’s all just silly child’s play?

You may have put your “inner child” to bed a long time ago, but perhaps you play more than you think you do … [Read more →]

> Here are the best foods to fight stress (along with a few that actually cause it!)

> Is Biggest Loser’s Jillian Michaels qualified to teach yoga … or math? Why her yoga DVD doesn’t add up.

> Could this gnawing habit be keeping you up at night - and damaging your teeth?

> Got mid-week cabin fever? Daydream about 11 spring outing ideas - and then make them happen!