Briana Engelbrecht

Your baby's first birthday is almost here, and you might already be picturing balloons, a tiny party hat and that iconic smash cake moment. Here's the thing: the party in your head and the party your baby actually experiences might look pretty different (which is totally normal). This week, we're covering what to realistically expect from a one-year-old at their own birthday party, plus everything you need to know about that first cake experience (sugar, mess and all).

Middle names don't get nearly as much attention as first names—but for a lot of parents, that middle name slot carries just as much weight. And landing on the right one can be just as hard. I'm Briana, an editor at Babylist on the baby name beat. One of my favorite parts of the job is digging through Babylist Babes—our weekly roundup of real names that Babylist parents are actually giving their babies—and paying close attention to what's showing up in the middle slot.

As you begin your research into breastfeeding, pumping and the top breast pumps on the market, wading through all of the options can feel overwhelming. Hospital-grade, medical-grade, closed-system, open-system, double electric, portable, wearable—you might feel like you’re learning a whole new language reading over all of the breast pump terminology (which, you basically are). Breast pumps fall into a few different categories. Electric breast pumps are your standard, primary pump.