When Angelina Jolie was admitted to a Nice hospital recently, under observation until her twins are born, the paparazzi went into high alert. Like over-eager puppies, however, they appear to be ready to snap at anything. When a pregnant woman -- an Angelina body double, maybe? -- waved to them from Angelina's hospital room, their shutters clicked and the headlines announced that Angie was "showing off her baby bump."
Only two problems with that scenario. One, Angelina is hardly the type of celebrity to lift up her shirt and bare her belly to photographers. Two, the picture looks nothing like Angelina.
I'm sure that being one of the most famous and most recognizable couples in the world makes it difficult to have a private and intimate birth experience. Rumor has it that Brad and Angelina lied about their August delivery date, and maybe using a stand-in is just one more way to keep the world out of their business while their twins get on with the business of being born.
According to the rumor mill, which has been churning for a while now on this one, actress Naomi Watts is pregnant with her second child. The Aussie is allegedly four months along.
Watts is married to fellow actor Liev Schreiber, with whom she has son Alexander, who will turn one this July. Watts' best friend, Nicole Kidman, is due this year as well, just a few months before Naomi, if the rumors are true. Hey, no time like the present to get moving with making your family. Have all the kids now and then get back to your original shape and all that movie-making business, eh?
Hey, remember Molly Ringwald? Well, she's back, and in more ways than one. The former teen star, memorable for such culture- and era-designing movies such as Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, is now starring in a television drama about teens. This time, however, the forty-year-old is playing mom to one of them.
And that teen happens to be pregnant. You may recall Molly is no stranger to the teen pregnancy plot. She played a pregnant teen in the movie For Keeps. Perhaps she'll be drawing from that experience for her latest project. Another project Molly has going for her is motherhood, so this role should be an easy one (as if being a mother, even playing one, was EVER easy!).
According to Molly, the key between moms and teen daughters is really communication. Her hope is to spread that message and curtail as many unplanned pregnancies as possible. The movie is titled The Secret Life of the American Teenager as is set to debut July 1st.
How far would you go to help your child have a child? A Michigan mom recently showed the world exactly how far she would go when she gave birth to her daughter's twins.
Crystal Sirignano, 52, gave birth last week to two healthy children, a boy and a girl. Crystal's daughter, Kendra, and her husband Aaron Simpson, struggled with infertility for years before turning to surrogacy. Though they were both hesitant at first, Crystal ended up being a healthy and helpful candidate. She moved from her home in Goodrich, where she owns a fitness center, to Arizona to be near her daughter and struggled with all the usual pregnancy symptoms at an age when pregnancy is the last thing on many women's minds.
Back in the days before Eve Ensler, the word 'vagina' was the verboten V-word. Now, it seems, there is another V-word on the horizon that people -- well, guys -- refuse to discuss, let alone think about: the vasectomy. Women have long-regarded the vasectomy as an easier, safer way toward permanent birth-control. Well, it's semi-permanent, actually, because it is a reversible procedure. Men regard it as little more than butchery. Women could get their tubes tied, the men say. Men could wear a condom, the women say. Men say that would reduce their feeling. Women say, well, tough!
But what about the vasectomy, really? Modern medicine would say it is a simpler and safer procedure than tubal ligation. It's also cheaper. There's also a new non-scalpel version on the market (my husband says don't even think of mentioning the words 'scalpel' and 'penis' in the same sentence; it turns him green). The result of unwanted pregnancy after a vasectomy is also low at 1 in 1,000.
It's also a procedure no one is really using. Why? Well, there is the obvious concern that my husband put so well. Then there are the myths that having a vasectomy reduces testosterone, etc. that still float around us like so much hot air. There's also the fear of having a needle stuck in one's weewee, which has been replaced by jet-powered anesthesia.
What about your family? Once you reached the optimal number of children (or no children!) what method of birth control did you or are you employing? Was vasectomy an option, or was it verboten?
Actress Tori Spelling recently debuted her new baby girl, Stella, to the media and the world. She also revealed that it only took one try for her to get pregnant. According to OK Magazine, Tori is quoted as saying she'd been on one type of birth control pill and was feeling nauseous, so went on a different pill prescribed by her doctor. She somehow missed a day in between though, and it was on that day she claims she became pregnant.
Spelling also said Stella was rather an accident--or, I guess, that they weren't trying to get pregnant. In my opinion, they weren't not trying to get pregnant, though, as we all know it only takes one shot to seal the deal and they knew that Tori wasn't protected when they had sex! Good for them--as my friend wisely said, another baby in the world is a wonderful thing. Little Stella is a beauty and I'm sure is making her parents unbelievably happy.
I can also confirm that you can, indeed, get pregnant the first shot. I wasn't trying either, nor was I not trying. And, bam, the first time we did it without protection, I became pregnant with my daughter. Seems like Tori and I are on the same track--we both have toddler sons, both got knocked up after one try, and both either have or will have a daughter in the very near future. Another thing we have in common? Well, Spelling says she might like to have a third child, just like me. Too bad i don't have an acting career paycheck to go with my life though!
Good luck, Tori--and congrats on beautiful Stella!
Every state in the union now has a safe haven law, allowing a parent to leave a baby with specified people or organizations instead of abandoning or injuring the child. I think this is a good thing -- if someone finds themselves with a baby they are unable to care for, I would much rather see that baby dropped off at a hospital, firehouse, or police station than have it dumped in a trash can or left in the woods.
I have no idea what it would be like to have to surrender one's child, but I do have some insight into what it is like to be on the other end of the process. I came across this piece written by a college student who was working at a hospital when a young woman brought in her baby. It's an interesting look at a side of the process we don't usually think about -- those who take these children in are affected too.
I wish that we had absolutely no need for these laws, but until that happens, I'm glad there are people like this young man who can help these infants with compassion and caring.
One of the things you sign away when you get pregnant is the right to modesty. That baby is coming out, and if she comes out the traditional way, people are going to be spending a good chunk of time focusing their attention on parts of your body that you yourself need a mirror and some decent flexibility to see.
Usually, though, those audience members are people that you yourself have chosen, such as a partner or spouse, doctor or midwife, mom or sister. Rarely are those people random strangers who happen to be wandering around a New York subway platform. That's exactly what happened to poor Francine Alfontent, though, who was desperately trying to make it to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, but didn't quite get there. She gave birth to Soleil, a baby girl, with the help of several strangers who stopped to help.
Mom and baby are doing fine, and according to New York Daily News, that's because passersby were willing to lend a helping hand. It really is a heartwarming story, if you think about it, and I'm guessing that Francine is grateful that, if she had to share the miracle of birth with random NY strangers, the right ones happened to be nearby.
If you or your partner have ever had to take drugs during pregnancy, then you know what a juggling game it can be. Basically, doctors only prescribe a medication if the benefits outweigh the risks to the pregnancy and the developing fetus. Want to take a decongestant for your stuffy nose? Forget it. Need an inhaler for asthma? Go right ahead.
One of the reasons doctors know so little about how drugs affect unborn babies during pregnancy is because there has been so little research done. USAToday has a really interesting article on the "drug drought" for pregnant women right now. Though many pharmaceuticals are considered safe for conditions women have before they become pregnant, there are no new drugs in the pipeline for medications that treat pregnancy-related conditions such as pre-eclampsia.
Drug manufacturers say the drug drought is due to safety issues -- no one wants to test drugs on a fetus. Others think it's more financial in nature. Pregnancy-related conditions are often short-lived and are relatively uncommon, so there's no real money in treating them. Either way, it leaves some women with extremely limited options when problems do arise. In the case of pre-eclampsia, treatment often includes delivering the baby, even if it's too soon.
Did you have to take medications during pregnancy? If so, did this "drug drought" affect you?
Is Gwyneth Paltrow expecting again? Well, the rumor mill would have us think so. For a while now, speculation has been building that the Oscar-winner is either with child or planning to be that way a third time.
Now, it seems more likely than ever that the star, who is married to and has two children with Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, is carrying a third proverbial bun in the oven. She was recently spotted with what is being called a fuller, more curvy figure. Now, that could mean she ate a sandwich or something--we all know how the media likes to jump all over any woman who bothers to consume anything other than iceburg lettuce.
Paltrow also recently commented to Harper's Bazaar Magazine that she is willing to go through a pregnancy a third time because the result is so amazing. She also commented that her father, the late Bruce Paltrow, regretted only having two children. Paltrow is already mom to Apple, who is four is you can believe it, and Moses, two. At least these sorts of rumors aren't as bad as the other kind that always circulate about Hollywood stars--that they're having a crisis in their marriages. You'll also recall not too long ago Paltrow commented she was interested in adopting, perhaps from Brooklyn.
Join the club, Ange! Being a mom rocks--it's the greatest. Not without its intense work, but the payoff is the absolute ultimate.
Angelina Jolie recently revealed that she, like millions of other non-celebrity moms, prefers motherhood to working. The Oscar-winning actress also commented she enjoyed traveling for work and getting to work in the field with refugees.
Ange says that rather than having the attitude of getting to work next that she and Brad take turns with one working while the other one gets to stay home with the kids. Says Jolie, "I love being a mom." It's a good thing she does! With four kids and two more on the way, Ange and Brad are on their way to becoming the next John and Kate Plus 8!
Ok, I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to be totally honest. Recently, a friend of mine revealed that when she went into the hospital to have her first child, wherein she had a Cesarean, she was offered and took advantage of free liposuction while she was in there.
My pal said she figured they were in there already, so why not go for it? Within a month of having her baby, if that, she was back in her regular jeans. Meanwhile, here I am, going about it the regular old way of the vajayjay, and I got nothing but running fourteen miles a day trying to get my butt back to its original, non-Texas size.
My friend said, however, that when she had her second child (also C-section, not VBAC), she was not offered such a thing. When she asked the doctors and nurses looked at her like she was insane. Her first child was born in New York City, her second, upstate. Perhaps it was a city trend. Perhaps it was because she had a rather large baby in there. Perhaps it was because she had a scheduled C-section. Perhaps it was NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So. Were you offered a free bit of lipo when you went under the knife? 'Cuz if so, it might explain why all those Hollywood moms look pencil thin ten minutes after giving birth. And, it may be reason enough to sign up for an elective C-section!
Finally, after all this time, Nicole Kidman and I have something in common. The Oscar-winning actress is set to become a mom this year, and like me, she cried at her ultrasound. Sound silly, but it's true--an ultrasound can be one of those moments in life where everything--everything--changes.
Says Kidman, who feared at one point she would never bear a child, "To feel life growing with you is something very, very special, and I'm going to embrace that completely." Kidman went on to say, in an interview to Vogue Magazine, that you either walk through life and experience it or are a voyeur, and she's not a voyeur. I'm not 100% clear on what she meant but that, but frankly having an ultrasound does make one a bit of a voyeur! Your little unborn baby has no idea you're watching him or her do his or her thing in the womb.
Still, to see who it is that's giving you all those kicks, and that gas--well, it's nothing short of a miracle. I laugh now, but every time I even hear the heartbeat, which is about once a month, I get all weepy. There is nothing more beautiful than the sound of your child's heartbeat. Good luck to Nicole and Keith Urban as they wander through this glorious experience that is carrying and birthing a child. If she's like this now, just wait until she gets one of those 4-D ultrasounds!
Lately I have been a little concerned about what seems to me to be the mainstreaming of teen pregnancy. Maybe it's just me, but movies like Juno and television shows like The Secret Life of the American Teenagermake getting pregnant in high school seem like a viable option. I know teen pregnancies happen - it happened to me. And while having a child while I was still a child myself didn't exactly ruin my life, it sure made it difficult. And being the child of an unwed teenage mother was no picnic for my daughter, either.
Perhaps NBC's new show, The Baby Borrowers, is the antidote to all that. The whole purpose of the show is fight teen pregnancies. The show gives five couples ages 18 to 20 the opportunity to find out what it is really like to be responsible for the life of another person. The couples will live together and begin the journey with a simulated pregnancy. After the empathy belly comes off, they are charged with caring for an infant. For television purposes, life is fast-forwarded and after a few sleepless days of baby care, the couple is given a toddler to care for. After that, they get a tween, a teen and finally an elderly person.
The show, which which is based on a popular British show, debuts June 25. My girl is too young for it now, but I intend to tune in to this interesting social experiment. Will you watch? If you've got teens, will they be watching?
A woman from Newcastle in England was visiting the town of Blackpool on England's Northwestern coast with her girlfriends when she became ill. She returned to her hotel room from a night on the town only to give birth to a 2 pound baby boy. And that's the normal part of the story. What sets this apart from the usual didn't-know-she-was-pregnant story is that Ally Ashwell was dressed like a bumble bee when she gave birth in her hotel room.
Apparently, Ashwell was on holiday as part of a bachelorette party or hen's night, as they call it over there. And, I guess, in addition to calling it something different, British women also dress up as bumble bees. In any case, the baby bumble bee, born prematurely at 26 weeks and weighing only two pounds, is hanging on and getting stronger.
In typical British understatement, Dr. Ian Freeman of the Blackpool Victoria Hospital noted that "it is very unusual for a baby to be born in this situation." I would hope so. My wife was wearing just a hospital gown when our three kids were born. I suspect that's more the usual case. In any case, best of luck to mom and baby Owen!
When Angelina Jolie was admitted to a Nice hospital recently, under observation until her twins are born, the paparazzi went into high alert. Like over-eager puppies, however, they appear to be ready to snap at anything. When a pregnant woman -- an Angelina body double, maybe? -- waved to them from Angelina's hospital room, their shutters clicked and the headlines announced that Angie was "showing off her baby bump."
Actress Tori Spelling recently debuted her new baby girl, Stella, to the media and the world. She also revealed that it only took 
Every state in the union now has a 
Lately I have been a little concerned about what seems to me to be the mainstreaming of teen pregnancy. Maybe it's just me, but movies like 
A woman from Newcastle in England was visiting the town of Blackpool on England's Northwestern coast with her girlfriends when she became ill. She returned to her hotel room from a night on the town only to give birth to a 2 pound baby boy. And that's the normal part of the story. What sets this apart from the usual didn't-know-she-was-pregnant story is that Ally Ashwell was 
