Source: WENN

Here’s round two of the baby birth news for today. US Weekly just learned that “Real Housewives of Atlanta’s” Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida just dropped their bun in the oven! A source told the mag that Phaedra gave birth to the couple’s second son today in Atlanta and  ”Mom and baby are doing great.”

Thank God all that drama on the three RHOA reunions didn’t affect Phaedra and Apollo’s little bundle! Though there aren’t any details on the name or the baby’s weight, we’re sure he’s a cutie just like the couple’s 2-year-old son Ayden, and we can only imagine how the southern belle will spoil the new prince in the house. Remember Ayden’s first birthday party?

Surprisingly, the reality TV couple hasn’t spilled the beans on Twitter yet, but it looks like the little one came just in time. Less than a day ago, Phaedra sent out this tweet which likely helped the pair welcome their new pride and joy into the world safely today.

Early baby blessing by Pastor @glpollard instagram.com/p/ZB7BcsKwrr/

— Phaedra Parks, Esq.(@PhaedraParks) May 8, 2013

Congratulations!

Source: WENN

One of the many celebrity couples welcoming babies this spring/summer has just given birth! According to US Weekly, football player Reggie Bush and his fiancee Lilit Avagyan just welcomed a baby girl on Monday, May 6. A rep told the mag:

“Lilit gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The tot weighed in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces.”

Sounds healthy!

Less than a month ago, Bush, who is now a running back for the Detroit Lions, wrote about his family plans and how the couple will balance new parenthood with his career on the football team’s blog, saying:

My fiance’s name [is] Lilit. She’s Armenian and just got her citizenship, actually. She speaks Russian, Armenian, English, she’s learning Spanish now.  She wants to speak Russian/Armenian to the baby first, which I like, because that way she grows up knowing multiple languages.

“The baby will be in LA. Well, she’s going to be in LA because her family lives 15-20 minutes away from us. So she’s going to need that support system while I’m here for a few days out of each week. Then I’ll be home. Depending on which week it is, I’ll be home on a Thursday or a Wednesday and come back here Sunday. I’ll just have to deal with travel. I’m going to rack up a lot of sky miles, I know that.

“I’m very excited. Very excited about the baby. It’s our first one and couldn’t have come at a better time. I don’t know if there’s ever a perfect time to have a baby because you can always find excuses like, ‘Well, I’m still trying to do this.’ I just think, for me, it came at a good time when I needed it to just kind of put in my head my direction in life. It just made it more simple. It couldn’t have come with a better person. Someone I really love and care about. It’s great. It really worked out perfect.

Glad things worked out so well for the couple. Congrats on the new bundle!

Source: Facebook

It seems like it was just yesterday when we reported that Tamar Braxton and hubby Vincent Herbert were expecting their first child. Now it appears that the little bundle of joy will be here in no time! Over the weekend the parents-to-be celebrated their upcoming birth with family and friends at their adorable backyard boogie baby shower. It goes without saying that Tamar’s fabulous sisters were in attendance. The guest list also included Tamar’s mom Evelyn, Flex Alexander and wife Shaniece, T.I.and Tiny, Tami Roman and Omarosa just to name a few. The 36-year-old “Love & War” singer took to her Twitter page last night to semi-gush about her shower.

We take it she had a great time!

Turn the page for pictures from the celebration.

About This Episode

If you’re a Mother having problems getting your Baby to latch on when it comes to breastfeeding this bonus episode of Mommy In Chief  is for you. We’ve invited back Doctor Lisette Lugo, to offer advice and resources for Moms who are experiecing complications when it comes to breastfeeding.

About Dr. Lissette Lugo

About This Episode

We are back with a popular topic amongst moms – yes breastfeeding–and its benefits. We invited Doctor Lisette Lugo, founder and managing partner of Every Woman Wellness and obstetric anesthesiologist to clarify the breastfeeding role. Is it truly for every Mom?

About Dr. Lissette Lugo

Welcome to the third season of  Mommy In Chief! This season we’ll be touching upon all things mommy. That includes topics ranging from pregnancy to breast-feeding to adoption, to building your child’s self-esteem. We have a lot in store for Moms and Dads this season, so you don’t want to miss one single episode. Be sure to tune in every Monday for the latest episode of Mommy In Chief.

About This Episode

Moms-to-be, we know you are out there and so we’ve decided to dedicate this episode to helping you prepare for your baby’s arrival! That includes what to expect during your first, second and third trimesters.

About Bilen Berhanu

Bilen Berhanu is a DONA-trained birth doula. Bilen has worked with families throughout New York city and the tri-state area. She has provided preconception consulting, pre-natal, labor, birth and post-partum support. Her practice is centered on a desire to provide pathways to empowered birth. Founded on a philosophy of honoring the wisdom of the body and the birth workers that came before, her approach is very grounded and embodied. For inquiries about services, email doula@bilenberhanu.com

The details surrounding the birth of anyone who is not the product of, shall we say, a planned two-parent household pregnancy can be a touchy subject. But perhaps the most sensitive of all circumstances regarding one’s conception is being conceived by rape.

The recent comments from republican candidates Todd Akin and Tom Smith about what they consider “legitimate” rapes and what women who find themselves pregnant as a result of these acts should do with their offspring have spurred a slew of reactions and commentaries. Not the least of which is the question of what a woman who keeps a child conceived by rape should tell her child about her father and the circumstances surrounding his or her conception.

In an article on the topic, Slate quotes a statistic from the National Institutes of Health which puts the number of children born from rape at approximately 12,000 annually. What does the site suggest the mothers of these 12,000 children tell their children about their birth? The truth.

A child who has just begun to ask about his origins is probably too young to be told that his father was a rapist. The best response a mother can give at that time is to simply say that she didn’t know the father very well. (Unless she was the victim of acquaintance rape or incest, which can complicate matters further.) Mothers often use what psychologists call a “soft truth,” saying that the father wanted to be with her more than she wanted to be with the father. When the child gets slightly older, some mothers decide to explain in vague terms that the father committed some act of violence against her. These disclosures begin to prepare the child to hear the truth, once he’s old enough to understand it. Most mothers wait until the child is about 12 or 13 before fully disclosing the rape. Children at this point become curious about the full details of the incident, and mothers typically feel that the only option is to answer those questions honestly. People involved in these cases say the most important thing is to avoid painting the father as a monster: Even small children worry that they might share some of a rapist father’s traits.

To me, 12 or 13 still seems a bit young to disclose to a child that he or she is the product of rape, particularly with all of the hormonal changes and social/peer pressures placed upon adolescents at this time as they begin to really discover who they are. I tend to lean on the side of Jezebel writer Katie J.M. Baker who comments, “That seems like a disclosure that should wait until adulthood, doesn’t it?”

Imagine worrying that your dad’s “rapist genes” would be passed down onto you, or feeling guilty for the conditions of your existence having caused pain for your mother, and all this before you really even understand the meaning of rape, because you only recently learned that Santa Claus isn’t real. Perhaps worst of all: imagine wondering whether your mom even wanted you to exist in the first place.

But what’s a mother to do if a child is pressing for answers and won’t settle for the vague responses they’ve become accustomed to? I think worse than telling a child about the circumstances of their birth too soon would be telling them a lie about their conception. Eventually, you’re going to have to tell your child the truth and they likely will be resentful of being lied to for however many years prior. And to me, the thought of taking things like this to the grave is inconceivable. In my opinion, veryone has a right to know who their father is and how they came to exist, the question is how and when should they find out?

What’s your take on telling a child that he or she is a result of rape?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Depending on who you talk to, we are on this earth to procreate and keep the human race thriving. In the meantime, we get jobs, we achieve things, we possibly get married, we live and learn (and change hairstyles), but in the end, folks are conditioned to be ready to bring another human being into the world (once again, this depends on who you’re talking to). According to the media, everybody is doing it (“Teen Mom,” celebrities, hell the Duggar family just won’t stop), and people should follow suit. But what happens when in your mind, you’re the one person who doesn’t want to have kids?

For years, I wasn’t extremely amped about the idea of motherhood, maybe because of the fact that I’ve had nieces and nephews to help look after and keep entertained since I was 4 (I can barely remember when my first niece and nephew were born, that’s how young I really was). I liked the idea of naming kids, but the raising kids part seemed like more than I could wrap my brain around, especially when my mom would say,”When I was your age, I had TWO kids and was married!. Oh, okay.

But as the years have gone by and I’ve watched other nieces and nephews be born and grow, and now watch my sister go through her first pregnancy, I realize that IN THE FUTURE, I’d like a little bundle of joy myself. But a coworker of mine looks at the idea of motherhood the same way she looks at the rubbery stick of cheese she tried to ingest from 7-Eleven this morning…with a bit of confusion, or as I like to say, she gives it the “Oh hell no face.” She respects those who do it, but she’s over the whole “Oh, I want to have a baby” hysteria. Aside from naming the struggles of growing up in a big family, when I asked her what influenced her to pass on having her own children in the near future, she threw out a variety of scattered reasons and responses:

The Commitment: The reality of the fact that when a child comes out, it’s with you and yours until you pass on (God willing) was a little too much for her. Having responsibility over another human being for years and years was something she was a bit leery of, and even when a child grows up, that doesn’t mean the worry over them stops. There’s no vacay from being a mom.

The Financial Burden: From the cost of the pregnancy test, to the money you have to put together to help put them through college, children are indeed expensive. My co-worker says she realizes she’s not in a place in her life where she can shoulder all the costs, and isn’t sure she’ll ever be there  or ready to shoulder it at all.

The Thought of Taking Care of Children Isn’t a Pleasant One: While she might not mind taking care of a little cousin for a few hours, knowing she can’t give said child back to their parent at the end of the day is a tad bit scary. Dealing with their possible terrible twos and tantrums, their energetic personalities and more for 24 hours a day, seven days a week 365 days a year (of course, with school or daycare involved) is something that fills her with anxiety, not a sense of happiness or fullness. Forget diamonds, kids are forever!

After we discussed her issues with motherhood and childbirth, the conversation turned to the idea of whether or not having these feelings and being against the idea of having children made people self-absorbed. She told me a story about hanging out with a girlfriend while they had a conversation with a man about why they didn’t have kids yet, and her friend made it clear that she wouldn’t have a child if she didn’t meet the right guy. The fella decided to blast her friend for being “selfish.” As crazy as that sounds, it’s not the first time someone has tried to pull that on a woman. When Oprah made it clear that she wasn’t going to push out any babies and reiterated the point over the years, people wondered why a woman who could provide so much to a child wouldn’t want to have children, or even adopt them. Selfish, much? But it was an interesting question: Does not wanting children make a woman selfish?

While some women might not want to give birth for superficial reasons (“I’m trying to keep my body right!”), or for random reasons (they had a bad encounter with ONE child and are over them all), there are many who just really don’t feel the need to do have a kid. Not because they hate kids, but because they just don’t see themselves in the motherly role. Maybe they’ve had bad experiences being children in humongous families, or have aspirations to do a wealth of things that wouldn’t be baby friendly, but whatever the reason, while folks might not immediately understand it, I don’t think it makes someone selfish. That’s like a woman unsure of whether or not to get married to her boyfriend does so to please the folks who say she should, only to have a rocky marriage. If you know in your heart you don’t have an enthusiasm for the concept, why would you go forth and have a child? Why bring someone in the world that you don’t want? In reality, what would be more selfish is to bring a child in the world that you can’t provide for, don’t have love for, and don’t want to take responsibility of, and sadly, we see women do things of that nature every day. Instead of giving these ladies the side eye, you might want to show them love for keeping it real with themselves.

Who knows, my co-worker’s feelings could change in the future. The right guy could come along, sweep her off of her feet and make her want to start a family. Or maybe she’ll continue to work her way to the top of the fashion world and leave all the babies and the baby talk to everybody else. In the end, I know what I would like for myself, and she clearly knows what she doesn’t want for herself. Coming to terms with the fact that you don’t want to have kids and being okay with your choice doesn’t make you selfish though, at least in my opinion. But uh, good look getting your family to be as understanding…

What are your thoughts on women who don’t want to have children? Is it selfish?

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Source: topnewsonline.co.uk

Do you remember what you were doing at the age of 10? Hopefully you weren’t in the hospital getting ready to give birth, but in the case of a 10-year-old girl from Manaure in Colombia, that’s exactly what she did. The young girl, according to CBS News, is from an indigenous tribe called Wayuu, and she gave birth recently via cesarean section. She came into the hospital complaining of massive pains and bleeding a great deal. Allegedly, this child is not the first girl from the Wayuu tribe to wind up pregnant, but because the tribe is allowed to govern itself in Colombia, police don’t usually try to go after the fathers. This is what the director of the hospital in which the girl gave birth told a local Colombian radio station: “We’ve already seen similar cases of Wayuu girls. At a time when (the girls) should be playing with dolls, they go to having to take care of a baby. It’s shocking.”

According to reports, she gave birth to a healthy 5-pound, 5-ounce baby girl, but that the delivery was the first time the girl had been to the doctor at all since becoming pregnant. Since giving birth, the 10-year-old new mother allegedly doesn’t seem interested in trying to breastfeed, nor does she understand or know a thing about motherhood. But I mean, at the age of 10, the closest thing you would know about “motherhood” is from what you see your own mother doing, or better yet, from lugging around a doll.

While we’re glad that she came out of the delivery alright, according to CBS News, she could face some serious health risks and major obstacles down the road:

“Pregnant mothers this young could face major risks, according to doctors. They face a higher risk for pregnancy-induced hypertension (high blood pressure) or a dangerous condition called preeclampsia, in which a mom-to-be with high blood pressure also has protein in their urine, which causes sudden weight gain and swelling of the hands and face…According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, they could also face long-term risk for problems with school failure, poverty, and mental illness such as depression.”

It’s terrible to think that this young girl won’t be able to actually be a child anymore, and it’s probably worse to know that this “trend” of VERY young mothers (both a 10 and 11-year-old girl gave birth in Mexico last year) is becoming somewhat common. The fact that she and her baby are healthy is an absolute blessing, but her pregnancy in general (and the fact that she only saw a doctor about it once)? Now that’s just a horrifying mess…

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From StyleBlazer.com

Pregnant one day and posing in bikinis the next: It seems like celebrities have learned the key to getting in top shape after giving birth! We all want to know the secret—and yes, trainers and personal chefs providing round-the-clock healthy meals, we’d flaunt our six-packs too— but good old willpower is free, and these celebs seem to have it in abundance!

Whether you’ve just given birth to your own bundle of joy, or simply want some inspiration to get bikini-ready, let these fab femmes inspire you to get into the best shape of your life!

For more celeb secrets to getting in shape post-baby, visit StyleBlazer.com.

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