Chaunie Brusie, RN, BSN

Chaunie Brusie is a mom of five, a native Michigander, and a Registered Nurse turned writer and editor. She specializes in health and medical writing. Her work has appeared everywhere from The New York Times to Glamour to Parents magazine.
Forget the typical bachelorette destinations like Vegas or Nashville—Michigan is bursting with plenty of fun, pampering, and excitement for all types of brides-to-be!
Chaunie Brusie is a mom of five, a native Michigander, and a Registered Nurse turned write...

I am 32. I slam utensils in the sink, shaking my head as my children refuse yet another home-cooked breakfast: yeasty, lighter-than-air waffles made from scratch, savory sausage from a pig we raised ourselves on the family farm, fluffy eggs, fresh fruit and local maple syrup. Instead, my daughter clamors for frozen pancakes from a box and I feel defeated. I want to scream.

Believe it or not, there is an ideal temperature for sleeping at night — here, the experts weigh in.
If you find yourself tossing and turning at night more than usual, your room temperature may be to blame. As it happens, the mechanisms in our bodies that regulate sleep are widely affected by temperature, so any fluctuations — hot or cold — can make sleep more challenging. That said, experts agree that sleeping in a dark, cool environment lends itself to high-quality sleep. According to the d...

Heart disease doesn't just affect men — it's also the #1 killer of women in the U.S.
Chaunie Brusie, R.N.

As a former labor and delivery nurse (and a mom of five), I’ve seen it all. My younger sister recently asked me what she should pack in her hospital bag, and my advice to her was simple: take what you want and don’t stress about the rest.
Seriously, there’s really no such thing as a “perfect” hospital bag. The hospital is equipped with all of the essentials you and your baby will need, even if you end up rushing to deliver and don’t have time to grab your bag.
If you do have time to prepare, ...

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Lifestyle
Connect your child to friends, family, and helpful apps without giving them full access to the internet
Medically reviewed by Dr. Ann-Louise T Lockhart, PsyD, ABPP
Fact checked by Jessica Wrubel
In This Article
Reviews
Our Favorite Kids’ Smartwatches
Should You Buy a Kids’ Smartwatch or a Phone?
Other Notable Smartwatches for Kids
Our Testing Process
Other Notable
Fac...

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Babies
Breastfeeding and Chestfeeding
We wore these tanks while feeding, sleeping, pumping, and working to find the ones we love.
Reviewed by Rebecca Agi, MS, IBCLC
In This Article
Our Top Picks
Reviews
Other Notable Nursing Tanks
Our Testing Process
Factors to Consider
Your Questions, Answered
Who We Are
Like all breastfeeding products, nursing tanks come with different purpos...

From teething to the fact that it's just pure fun, here are a few explanations for your baby's sudden interest in their digits.
Medically reviewed by Wendy L. Hunter, M.D.
If you've noticed that your baby seems to be sucking on their hands or fingers (and sometimes, toes!), you've probably wondered why. Of course, babies love to chew on pretty much anything—and their hands are no exception.1 Chewing on their hands also helps babies get acquainted with the world around them; infants learn a lo...

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News
From cardboard boxes to pots and pans, these are the strangest things my kids have actually played with.
When my daughter was 3, she picked an onion from our garden, and it instantly became her best friend. For weeks on end, my daughter carried this onion—its long green stem still firmly attached—everywhere. She cradled it tenderly, played elaborate make-believe games with it, pushed it in her doll stroller, and insisted on t...

You may be surprised to learn the average week that first-time parents give birth. Here's why the term "due date" is a bit of a misnomer and what it means for your pregnancy.
Medically reviewed by Alyssa Dweck, MS, MD, FACOG
Pregnancy due dates can be tricky things: On one hand, they're an exciting milestone that many pregnant people are eager to reach. On the other, they can quickly become a misleading "deadline" that may cause more stress and confusion than excitement.
Doctors call due date...

Curious how long the average first-time parent's pushing time is? Get answers about the key moments of birth from a labor nurse.
Medically reviewed by Yamel Belen, R.N., IBCLC
If this is your first pregnancy, it's normal to have questions about labor. One I hear often: How long is a reasonable amount of time to push before it's time to worry? How long is too long? What happens if too much time passes? The short answer: It depends. The long answer, is, well, a bit longer. But don't worry, your...

Shortly before school started, my 16-year-old came home and flounced her arms dramatically on our kitchen island. "Mom, I need to get my nails done. All my friends get them done, and they're so cute!" she announced. As touching as her teenaged plea was, with five children in our house, the budget for acrylic nails—or regular nail care of any kind—was just not there.
However, I want to teach my daughter that there are creative ways to save money on what you want in life, so I offered her a com...

Coronavirus COVID-19 and its ensuing toilet paper panic has taken over the country. For some people, that means working from home for the first time.
A near future where all meetings become phone calls and office attire becomes sweatpants has triggered its own wave of panic. But for some, like myself, who have been happily working from home for the majority of our adult lives, midday trips to the fridge and less-than-flattering attire are just another day on the job.
Working from home may not...

Chaunie Brusie is a mom of five, a native Michigander and a registered nurse turned writer and editor. She specializes in health and medical writing. Her work has appeared everywhere from The New York Times to Glamour to Parents magazine.