When it comes to feeding newborn babies, breastfeeding is embraced for the benefits it has towards a child’s health and is seen as the healthiest form of nourishment for babies. In fact, in an article featured on TIME‘s website, it says “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises moms to breast-feed exclusively for about six months, then continue breast-feeding while offering new foods.” On the other hand, giving formula to a child straight out the womb isn’t embraced so much. Though there are sometimes reason for going the bottle route first, including the inability to breastfeed (and that includes if the mother has a certain disease too–HIV, tuberculosis, etc.), it’s tied to diarrhea and a higher risk of infection. But it’s important to note that many efforts have been made to improve the quality of formula over the years. With all the information saying breastfeeding is the best way to go, it’s surprising to hear that so many women are being somewhat pushed to use formula for their newborn by hospitals handing out promotional formula from companies as a form of marketing. As Bonnie Rochman, the author of the piece in TIME put it, hospital staff can be a bit pushy during a time when mothers are vulnerable, and rightfully stressed:

“As for my sister-in-law, Rachel, who recently gave birth in a Manhattan hospital to her first child, she knows firsthand how nurses pushing formula can impact an inexperienced mother. After her C-section, a nurse offered to give her newborn a bottle “to make it easier on you.” Exhausted and uncertain, she agreed — even though she’d intended to breast-feed. ‘I was a new mom,” she said. “I didn’t know what I was doing.’”

There’s never really a good time to run out of gas, but you definitely don’t want to be in that situation when your wife is in labor. That’s what happened to Aaron Reynolds in San Diego when his wife, Nicole, went into labor two weeks early.

After packing his wife in the car and attempting to head to the hospital, Aaron had to reroute when his Port Expedition ran low on gas. But the couple never made it to the gas station either, and Nicole ended up having to deliver their third child on the side of the freeway.

“She [was] saying she needs to push,” Aaron told Fox 5. “She said, ‘Pull over the vehicle’ and any father knows when the wife says pull over you better pull over.”

A 911 dispatcher helped the couple through the delivery, and although Nicole said she was worried about not having pain medication while giving birth, “it wasn’t that bad.”

“I really thank the 911 dispatcher and I thank my wife for allowing me to practice as a doctor,” Aaron said. “We’re just really thankful it worked out great. [It's like] something we see in the movies.”

I’m sure you’re just as tired of trying to do the right thing when it comes to your health as I am. Picking up salads and vegetables, watching your portions when you want to stuff your face and walking past the delectable cakes in the grocery store because you know your self-control is limited are just a few of the things I’ve been trying to be better about. Yeah, eating better sucks a**. But knowing what we now know about popular foodie Paula Deen and the new home delivery option that could be coming soon thanks to Burger King, it only makes sense to do better at watching what we eat since it’s pretty clear that no one else cares to lead by example.

Deen, the host of Paula’s Home Cooking on the Food Network, is known for not skimping when it comes to portion size or fats and sugar for the meals she makes on the popular show. Like Krispy Kreme donuts? Deen says you should make a hamburger out of it by throwing ham, cheese AND bacon in between two glazed donuts for the ultimate rot your teeth and give yourself a heart attack meal (*Note: there were no vegetables on this burger). While it all seemed like mouth watering fun and games, Deen announced that she was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes THREE years ago. She might want to play games about it, but we all know it probably does stem in some ways from her sweet tea downing, sugar and butter on everything way of living. Why wait three years? She claims she wanted to have more knowledge about the disease before speaking out, but critics think she came out about it because she just signed a deal with a lucrative diabetes drugmaker. Wow. Her unhealthy food choices may have played a part in her current health, but they’ve also made her a fortune. Therefore, at the cost of losing some of those dollars and cents, it seems Deen has been playing people for a fool for years while she stacked cash. I’m sure she’s changed her way of cooking and eating at home since being diagnosed, but on her show? A little bit more sugar here, a little bit more butter there, a little bit more salt…everywhere. Do better for yourself and sell the world high cholesterol.

And word on the street is that Burger King is testing the idea of offering home delivery by doing a few test runs in Maryland and Virginia. Great. I think for people like me who have struggled with weight and eating better, half the reason you decide to cook your own meals and work with what healthier options you have in the house is because after a long day at work, you’re not feeling like jumping in the car, or hopping on a train just to pick up some food. Distance doesn’t make the heart grow fonder, it makes your self-control a lot better. So if the home delivery option gets green lighted, who knows how many people will be calling at all times of the night, stuck in pajamas they’ve been wearing all day as they lounge on the couch, stuffing their face with double whoppers and fries. I truly doubt folks will be calling someone to rush over with the salad with the mandarin oranges and a diet coke. Yeah, right. Not only can you cop Chinese food and pizza, but now burgers hot off the grill could be on there way.

As I stated earlier, it’s more important now than ever to start eating better and taking good care of your health. Seriously, with the world around us and the people in it worried most about profiting off of the fat that winds up on your midsection and butt, clogging your arteries and helping you end up with diabetes rather than helping to aid in the fight against obesity, it’s time we stop expecting others to do better for us and just start doing better ourselves. Stop wishing McDonalds would make their salads cheaper and go buy a bag at the store. I would love to see Paula drop a stick of butter or two out of her foods for the health and well-being of her devoted fans, but she’s made it clear that she wont. And I’d love to see people not order the fattiest and greasiest of foods just because they can, but people wont, because if BK has their way, you’ll easily be able to. I think I’ve learned that I have to stop waiting for people to influence me on TV and in everyday life (and on menus) to watch my portions, stop eating so damn late and start eating more green (and less beef). The best thing for me is to just start motivating myself. Because if I wait on Paula to do it, or for cafe by my job to help/force me to do it, I’ll be looking like Rasputia from Norbit in no time.

More on Madame Noire!

• 7 Things Grown Women Don’t Fall For
• Color on Campus: What It Really Feels Like to Be the Only Black Girl
• The Most Painful Things A Woman Can Say To A Man
• Huh?!?: 8 Media Moments That Made Us Go WTF
• We Are Family: Shocking Celebrity Relatives!
• Let’s Be Real: Things in Life You Need to Blame Yourself For From Time to Time

The happy parents!

Janet Johnson and her fiancé Michael Brown of Longview, Texas were shocked to find out that their newborn son JaMichael, born last week, came out the womb weighing in at a whopping 16 pounds and one ounce, and was nearly two feet long. “Little” JaMichael, Johnson’s fourth child, also now known as “Moose,” was delivered through a C-section procedure on Friday.

The fact that JaMichael is a large baby is not necessarily that astonishing. His father is 6’7″, so “big” runs in their family. But another factor that could have contributed to his size could be that the mother was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, as women with this form of diabetes are prone to delivering larger babies. On top of that, doctors told the parent’s that because of Johnson’s diabetes, they saw him coming in at around 12 to 13 pounds.

The 16-pound bundle of joy is definitely one of the largest babies ever to be born in the state of Texas. According to Medical News Today, the young’n weighs about the size of a three to six-month-old baby. But JaMichael is doing great! He’s being kept in the ICU to regulate his blood sugar level and until he can breathe on his own, but his parents are sure that he’ll be fine.

Congratulations to both Janet and Michael! That’s one BIG, beautiful boy.

To read more about baby JaMichael and to get the parent’s response, check out the New York Daily News.

The little big guy.

Do you know everything there is know about tipping? Paying the bill when you take a vacation, dine in at a restaurant, or receive a manicure only accounts for half of what establishments expect. It’s also customary to leave gratuities or tips as appreciation that you (the customer) valued their service. Here’s a short list of some careers that heavily rely on tips and how you can redeem them:

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