"Take your vitamins" is probably one of the most heard words a pregnant woman hears. We really need to listen. A new study has suggested a link between being deficient in vitamin D and gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, various infections, fetal growth restriction, and c-sections. The bad stuff. The stuff we don't want to happen.

I read some studies and get very skeptical about these supposed links, but this one makes sense to me. My son was fetal growth restricted. I ended up having a c-section from late onset preeclampsia. I'm deficient in vitamin D.

There are some pregnant women so worried about a vaginal birth that they just want to request a c-section. This does happen -- 2.5 percent of births in the US are mother-requested cesareans with no medical reason. It's fear. Some are so scared of birth, so scared of what having a baby is going to do to their lady parts and sex life, so scared of the "pain" that they think a cesarean is the better option. Generally speaking, it's not. It's major surgery. It has risks for mom and baby.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is now saying that a requested c-section by the mother should not be performed unless there is medical reason. I think what is needed here is more education about child birth and finding a way to take away women's fears because there shouldn't be the thought that vaginal birth is that terrible that surgery is preferred. I also want these moms-to-be in this 2.5 percent to have a doula and a massage every week.

Imagine having the doctor you choose to deliver your baby threaten to call the police on you to forcibly bring you into the hospital to have a c-section against your wishes. If this happened, I would say it is a form of birth rape. This is what happened to Lisa Epsteen, 35, who specifically chose Dr. Jerry Yankowitz, OBGYN chairman of the University of South Florida, to be her advocate to have the best birth possible.

It's not like this mom was mentally unfit. It's not even that Lisa was completely against having a c-section because she knew it was probably necessary as she had four cesareans prior, but was hoping for a VBAC. She just didn't feel it was time. She didn't trust the due date her doctor gave her and wanted to wait one more week. But Dr. Yankowitz sent her a sternly worded email.

We know the rate of c-sections in this country has been rising, and the scary implications that has for women and babies. But what hasn't been clear until now is just how much more frequently they're being performed in some hospitals than in others.

According to ABC, a new study found that the rate of cesarean deliveries can vary from 7 to 70 percent among hospitals. That's shocking and quite disturbing, especially because researchers say that the variance isn't due to women requesting c-sections or to the fact that high-risk populations might deliver at certain facilities, but rather because of varied styles of practice.

In other words, it sounds like your hospital's ideas about c-sections could have more impact on whether you have a c-section or not than your and your baby's need for one.

As thrilling as pregnancy is, it also comes with a lot of worrisome symptoms. Extreme morning sickness, painfully swollen breasts and feet, and sciatica are all par for the course. Though, one of the scariest things some moms-to-be experience is unexpected bleeding. It's a frightening moment. However, doctors say there are many reasons this can happen and, while it can be gravely serious, it doesn't always lead to losing a baby. Take a look at the 11 causes of bleeding during pregnancy and what it means for you and your baby.

We've all heard the happy stories about surrogacy -- just look at thrilled parents Giuliana and Bill Rancic! Who doesn't love their story? But what happens when a surrogate pregnancy goes wrong?

One couple found out the hard way, and ended up offering their surrogate an extra $10,000 to terminate a pregnancy they believed would cause a life of misery and suffering to the baby she was carrying on their behalf. She refused. Was she wrong? Were the parents wrong to ask her to terminate in the first place? It's a tough situation, but I believe the decision lies with the baby's parents, and in this case, that didn't include the woman carrying that baby.

It's been a while since I last had a cesarean procedure. Actually, it was five years ago almost to the day, since my youngest just had his birthday. As time goes on I find that certain aspects of pregnancy and childbirth are becoming harder and harder to remember (this must be how subsequent pregnancies happen, right?), but thanks to some postpartum note-taking, I have some pretty vivid memories of how that C-section felt.

Now, I wouldn't recommend a C-section -- it's no fun to recover from major surgery while taking care of a newborn -- but as we all know, sometimes they're unavoidable. And despite what you may have been told, they're not always awful. They are, however, weird. REALLY weird. Whether you've got one scheduled, you're just kind of curious, or you want to swap memories of your own time on the operating table, here's what I remember as being the 5 craziest things I felt during my C-section birth.

If you ever wanted to know what it's like to have a c-section, here is your chance! A 39-year-old mom has given Women's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas, permission to live tweet her cesarean with photos and video! No guts, no glory.

It was amazing to see. A beautiful birth with emotion and love even though some think that's impossible with a c-section. This will educate and most definitely scare the living daylights out of some people. Blood. Guts. Organs being moved around. A screaming infant. Prepare yourselves because you're about to learn what really goes down (and out) with a cesarean birth.