Does perineal massage work to prevent tearing? I mean both prenatally as “prep” for birth and during the birth itself, or both? — @LaraLeeRasberry via Twitter Short take Perineal massage during pregnancy and during delivery can reduce tearing and the need for an episiotomy (a surgical incision to enlarge the vaginal opening during childbirth). The…
Mom and Dad have been married for 45 years. Their relationship seems O.K. But at my father’s 70th birthday party, I asked him if he had a wish. He said, “I wish I was one of your mother’s old boyfriends. She’s always positive about them, but criticizes and complains about me. She might have been…
Lilly Smartelli dreams of marrying her best friend on Valentine’s Day. “Bernie and I have been looking for just the right wedding venue to stage our big Italian wedding,” said Ms. Smartelli, 55, who lives in Phoenix. Ms. Smartelli marks Feb. 14 on her calendar, not as a romantic holiday, but as a day defined…
The Ozone Hotel in Queenscliff, Victoria, was the site of one of my most vivid childhood dining epiphanies. My family and I were on a beach vacation, having driven down the coastal road from Melbourne around the edge of Port Phillip Bay to its western tip, where Queenscliff sits on a spur of land jutting…
While newer boxing clubs like Rumble and Overthrow may draw the Instagram crowd with their nightclub lighting and electronic dance music, Church Street Boxing, a block from City Hall in Manhattan, is known for its vintage fight posters, seasoned trainers and creaky equipment. On a recent Monday night, the groans of finance bros, creative professionals…
Neighborhood restaurants occupy a very special place in my heart. These spots are not on any “hot” lists, the staff members are pleasant but generally indifferent to your presence, and the menus almost never change. But none of that matters, because that’s not why you go. You go because you just can’t wash another skillet.…
For the latest developments, read our cold weather live briefing. EVANSTON, Ill. — It was minus 15 degrees here on Wednesday afternoon, near the epicenter of the polar vortex, and school had been canceled for much of the week. “How are we going to survive?” one mother asked on a text thread Tuesday night. My…
Earlier this month out of nowhere came the “How Hard Did Aging Hit You Challenge” that flooded Instagram and Facebook. The game, better known as the “10-Year Challenge,” couldn’t have been easier: Simply post two photos side by side — an early profile photo from 2009 next to a recent one — as proof positive…
Scientists have uncovered a mechanism in a group of immune cells in the gut that can sway nutrient metabolism to favor fat storage over energy use. How does the gut’s immune system influence weight loss? The finding may help explain why some people remain slim despite having eating habits that cause others to gain weight.…
A spoonful of kelle paca is close to pure liquid fat, a velvet sheath for the tongue, a declaration against winter. At Sofra, a Turkish restaurant that opened in November in Sunnyside, Queens, the cloudy soup starts with a sheep’s head, minus eyes and brain. It’s soaked for two days, then plunged into a pot…