When I was first diagnosed with a placental abruption and put on bedrest for 8 weeks, someone (who shall remain nameless) asked me if it was the stress that did it.

As if stress could actually physically move my placenta a millimetre away from the uterine wall and make it start bleeding. Please. Blaming stress on pregnancy issues or fertility problems is blaming the victim -- and there is very little science behind it. 

Slate did a takedown of this old wives tale and explained that stress and anxiety has very little affect on pregnancy or fertility issues.

Allison Schaffer reports that a British study in 2011 looked at 14 different studies on IVF and reported that anxiety did not change outcomes: "In other words, women with more extreme levels of anxiety or depression were just as likely to get pregnant after a single cycle as women with milder levels."

What about pregnancy? Can stress and anxiety harm your unborn baby? A Danish study looked at 78,000 Dutch women and found that those with the highest self-reported stress levels gave birth a mere two days earlier than the women who reported little stress. In fact, reports Amanda Schaffer, fetuses whose mothers reported higher levels of distress tended to be more active in utero, a positive developmental sign.

So, if the next time a doctor or well-meaning relative gives you the "just relax for the baby's sake" speech. You can tell them to lay off because being told to constantly "think positive" is just a recipe for more stress, and while that won't harm the baby, it can cause heartburn. 

Were you ever told to "just relax"? Do you think anxiety affected your pregnancy?

Want more chaos? Last year, I reported that Beyoncé breastfed in public (reportedly) and how that can change the world.

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Parents of twins are suing the government saying both parents should be able to take 35 weeks off so they can care for their twins at the same time.

The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed the suit, but it is an interesting question. Their argument is that parents of children born a year apart are entitled to two leaves of 35 weeks, so parents of twins should get the same treatment.

Did (or do) you imagine a little girly girl holding hands with you as you skip down the street to have tea? Or did (do) you imagine explaining the parts of a truck to your tough little son?

Were the dreams dashed by the reality of having a baby that was not the same sex as the one in your fantasy life? (Not that you can't skip and have tea with a boy or inspect trucks with a girl -- I certainly do.)

It happens: it doesn't make you a bad parent. Often people do have a secret longing to have one sex over the other, but usually people can work through their disappointment quickly to love their child, no matter what he or she turns out to be.

The sweet, earthy smell of a baby's head, the scent of their milk breath -- it is one of the joys of early parenting and a warm memory of wistful parents.  

But some parents of squirmy newborns may be worried that their baby doesn't smell high-end enough, so fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana have a solution -- baby perfume.

Yes, perfume for your baby, not perfume for you to smell like a baby.

According to the company press release:

“This perfume is also inspired by the smell of a baby and is ‘designed to cuddle and pamper every little boy and girl’, which means it’s fine for delicate skin, is unisex, but ultimately, mimics the smell of a baby’s skin.”

Don't worry though, it doesn't have any alcohol in it. The bottle is going to retail for approximately $45 and will be in an exciting orange box.

I'm sure some people will buy it. They already buy lots of ridiculous items for the baby. I'm sure I did too. 

Recently, I saw a 6-month-old in a Canada Goose Jacket (a cool $265) and Canada Goose mitts, which retail for $50, but aren't worth much when you lose one in the mucky snow. But that is the low-end of ridiculous. How about this crib that starts at $65,000? If you get that crib, then you would have to get this Mediterranean Villa Playhouse. 

And any child wearing D&G perfume better be sucking on this diamond pacifier and bathing in this Swarkovski-encrusted tub (Blue Ivy reportedly has both).

It's never enough for some people.

What are the most ridiculous, extravagant baby products that you have seen? 

Want more chaos? Last year, I wrote about Gwyneth bathing with her kids.

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Her name means "light breeze" in Icelandic but the government of Iceland just calls her "girl". Fifteen-year-old Blaer Bjarkardottie is suing the government to allow her to use her given name legally.

In Iceland, parents must choose from an approved list of 3,500 names. Blaer is not on the official list of girl's names because it takes a masculine article and no gender-ambiguous names are allowed. Blaer's parents appealed the decision when Blaer was a baby, but the government turned them down and used the term "Stulka", meaning girl, as a placeholder for her first name. 

The parents left "girl" as her legal first name and continue to use Blaer in daily use. The government has responded to the suit by saying that their job is not about "personal taste" but about upholding the law. Icelandic names must have Icelandic grammatical structure and Icelandic roots -- Kelly and Konrad were recently rejected but for some reason Elvis is okay. 

Blaer's story has made headlines around the world. With many in North Ameria aghast at the idea of the government limiting first names. (Though, I'm sure some of us would love to be the arbiter of names so that naming atrocities stop happening.)

Laura Wattenberg from Babynamingwizard.com has a interesting article on how different countries limit names, including Portugal and Denmark. She was on CBC's The Current recently, with a very thoughtful approach to the idea of what is in a name. Seems that Quebec also has a strict policy on names.

So what will happen to Blaer? Will she take Iceland by storm? Will there soon be a bevy of odd and crazy names happening in the small, Northern country? I doubt it, but something's coming.

Should parents be able to name their kids whatever they want?

Want more chaos? Last year, I was happy that Greg Wiggle was back, but now I hear the Wiggles are all retiring. 

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Claire Danes is getting a little taste of the mommy wars, and she has only been a mother for one month!

The cover girl of this month's Elle magazine told the writer that she would make a "lousy stay-at-home" mom, saying: "I think I would make a lousy stay-at-home mom. It just wouldn't suit me. I feel so fortunate, in that I've had this arrow-straight focus that I wanted to act."

The criticisms in the comments were boring in their predictable 'she shouldn't have had a baby if she didn't want to take care of it' variety.

I couldn't even pack a diaper bag one month after having a baby, let alone choose a career path. But I doubt someone with Danes' laser-focus would change her mind. And why should she?

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, is combating her morning sickness and pregnancy cravings with flowery lavender biscuits, says a British paper. 

Her father-in-law Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla have been sending her boxes of the delicate shortbread made by the Prince's Duchy Originals line. Lavender is a traditional anti-nausea cure, so who knows maybe it works? (An aside: the picture in the Sun article is by far my favourite of Kate, she looks so natural there.)

I know from experience that when breastfeeding is difficult, the main response from doctors and lactation consultants is to tell the mother to try harder.

When my first son had a tongue tie, the doctor refused to cut it. When my son refused to latch because there wasn't enough milk, everyone shrugged their shoulders.

For the next baby, I went to a doctor who specializes in breastfeeding and a lactation consultant who understood the issues that I was facing. With their medical knowledge, I was able to breastfeed and supplement simultaneously which was a success for me.

Women aren't the only ones whose biological clocks tick louder as they get older. There is new research suggesting that men need to stop pushing the snooze button and start making babies, if they are so inclined.

A number of studies have shown that men's age at conception can affect the outcome of the pregnancy and also the baby's health. An Icelandic study shows that aging sperm carries genetic risks and may be tied to the increase in autism and schizophrenia. It shows that men possibly pass on more genetic mutations to their babies than women do. The researchers also found that the number of mutations increase as a man ages. 

Was 2012 the year of the celebrity mom? Every time you looked at the news, or glanced at a magazine or even stumbled upon a gossip website (totally inadvertently, obviously), the celebrity mom was all over it. From Jessica Alba's green baby company, to Beyonce's Blue Ivy, to all those bodies bouncing back after baby. We are inundated with images that celebrity moms are just like us.

Today's Parent recently released a poll that listed Jennifer Garner as the year's Top Celebrity Mom because of her relatability; frumpiness to glam quotient; and the fact that she does crafts and shops at the farmer's markets. Top Canadian gossip blog, LaineyGossip, had some very pertinent thoughts on that decision, as well as the growth of celebrity mom culture.