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Congratulations on your pregnancy!

It’s so wonderful to bring a new life into this world… too bad mama never warned us what lies ahead on the journey to baby. If you are still in your first trimester you may be experiencing uncontrollable pregnancy symptoms that range from nausea to vomiting. Who knew that this discomfort could last for weeks let alone a few months for some?!

As the first trimester can have so many “what if” scenarios, many mothers-to-be make the decision not to share the good news until they reach their second term. The trick however comes with trying to complete your daily 9-to-5 when you don’t want to spill the beans to the boss or co-workers.

Should you want to keep things on the hush but find great difficulty with getting through the day, here are some tips that will hopefully help you out.

Image Source: Instagram.com

On any given Monday, the foolery I witness on “Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta” is mindless entertainment I can delete from my thoughts by 9:01. And then there are times when the situations get a little too real and you begin to really feel for the participants who you are reminded aren’t just characters, like Stevie J and Joseline, but people with real feelings.

Watching Kirk and Rasheeda’s interaction at her photo shoot during last night’s episode was infuriating, disappointing, and frankly, just plain sad. As Rasheeda sat explaining why she was doing a photo shoot before gaining a ton of pregnancy weight, it was baffling to hear her husband of 13 years refer to their unborn child as a “that,” insinuate she was cheating and demand a blood test, and then suggest that she “X that out the picture” — again the “that” being their unborn child. I’ve written before about the right I believe any unmarried man has to request a DNA test to prove a child is his, but when that demand comes from a spouse of many years who has no reason to doubt paternity other than his own conscious, the idea of it all is preposterous and reeks of mid-life crisis and new fame.

As if it wasn’t bad enough to allow himself to be seen on camera telling his wife to get an abortion, Kirk one-upped himself when Rasheeda told him he needs to be a supportive husband, and he retorted, “I don’t wanna be a husband right now, for what?” For what? Maybe because you are a husband, even if you don’t feel like it, and because, even though you’d like to deny it, your wife is pregnant and you will have a son or daughter within the next nine months. Is that not reason enough?

As is often the case with reality TV couples, the cameras can once again be chalked up as the outside culprit contributing to the breakdown of this relationship. No, I don’t believe Kirk was putting on for the cameras — although I wish that were the case — I think he’s gotten a taste of the shine that comes with being a reality TV star (because of his wife’s fame, mind you) and now he wants more. That’s why we see this man taking Instagram shots like the one above in t-shirts that say “almost single,” as if bragging about divorcing your pregnant wife is something to be proud of. Or we see other photos of him surrounded by women who are not his wife and being grabbed in areas one who is married shouldn’t be. He’s starting to believe his own hype and is willing to sacrifice his family just to make sure he lives out every 15 minutes of fame allotted to him.

The situation isn’t new. We all probably know a husband of a friend or relative who bailed when responsibilities increased at home because his career was suddenly soaring, or someone new was paying him a little mind. It’s the basic principle of the 80/20 rule. You sacrifice the 80% of your needs that are being fulfilled to get the 20% you never had before. After all, what man wouldn’t want to hang out poolside with a bunch of half-unclothed women when his wife is at home gaining weight carrying someone that is going to be a financial burden and additional responsibility? Well I can name one type of person who wouldn’t — a man of integrity.

So what’s Rasheeda to do? The obvious answer is she will go on and have her child and be the mother she should be, with or without Kirk’s support. But that’s the simple, cookie cutter response. What’s a woman really to do when she falls into single motherhood rather than chooses it? No, Rasheeda isn’t innocent in the breakdown of the couple’s marriage. We all witnessed her inability to properly communicate her wants and needs with her husband and their struggle to separate business from the personal last season, but there’s something very startling about being in a union where support from your partner in a time like this is expected, but isn’t given, and the adjustment period won’t be easy.

In post-production interviews, both Rasheeda and Kirk have been coy about the true state of their union, but unless Kirk comes to a point of valuing family over fame, I can’t say I expect a happy ending by the season 2 reunion. In the end though, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kirk was the one left more wounded than his potentially soon-to-be ex-wife.

Check out footage of Kirk and Rasheeda’s argument in the video below. What do you think about their situation?

Source: Cory Allen Contemporary Art (CACA)/WENN.com

From StyleBlazer

Many of you have seen Kim Kardashian without clothing, but not like this!

Pop artist and sculptor Daniel Edwards debuted his statue of the pregnant reality TV star, which he has dubbed “L.A. Fertility.” It features Kim with an exaggerated (or maybe not) body, wearing the tiara and earrings similar to the ones she wore to her wedding to ex-husband Kris Humphries. Look closely and you can see Kim’s signature lip pout, too.

Read and see more at StyleBlazer.com.

A North Carolina woman is planning to bring legal action against a former employer after she was reportedly let go for getting pregnant out of wedlock. Venita Short told ABC news she was fired from the New Life Baptist Daycare and Preschool in Fayetteville after she told the staff she was expecting and was immediately questioned about her plans to get married.

Short said she told the church administrator who inquired about her long term plan, ”I plan to get married one day, but not because I’m pregnant.”

It was at that point that the administrator told Short the daycare committee would have to determine if she could work at the facility or not, and the obvious ending was that she could not. What makes the firing even more baffling to Short is the fact that before she was fired, she took care of several children of single parents at the church. And what’s more, even though she had worked at the church for just a year-and-a-half, she had already received at least three pay raises based on her positive reviews.

With the Pastor of the New Life Baptist Church, Ed Wilson, neglecting to return calls to ABC 11, there has yet to be any formal explanation on Short’s firing, other than the one she told the news station:

“They told me I was fired because I am pregnant and I am not married.”

Short said she is currently in the process of hiring an attorney to take the matter to court. Do you think she has a case? What do you think about unwed mothers working in Christian centers being fired for the message they’re assumed to be sending?

Source: Keek

It’s great to see that Tamar isn’t allowing those bothersome symptoms that can sometimes come along with pregnancy to keep her down. The youngest and most animated Braxton sister is still clowning as usual. She recently shared some video footage of herself joking around and as usual- she’s nothing short of entertaining.

Looking as if she’s ready to pop any day now, the “Love and War” singer posed in front of the camera with her sister Trina what appears to be two members from her glam squad and they all began to hilariously sing Juicy J’s “Bandz A Make Her Dance.”

As if that weren’t funny enough, the entire crew broke out into a ratchet dance routine, with Tamar in the middle popping her huge belly. In no time, Tamar begins to add her own twist to the song, chanting “pop that baby,” which prompts Trina to walk away laughing, telling her that she’s going to “go into labor.”

Tamar is a clown!

Turn the page to check out the video of Tamar bugging out with her crew. 

Source: Huffington Post

While a treacherous tornado was destroying her community, 25-year-old Shay-la Taylor was preparing to give birth to her second child. Although she was unable to watch television, Taylor keep herself  informed regarding the twister by checking her  cell phone for updates. Initiatively, she wasn’t too concerned about the tornado, as cyclone warnings occur pretty frequently in Oklahoma around this time of year.

“We’re used to tornadoes and sirens. If you freaked out every time you heard a siren, you’d have an anxiety attack every May in Oklahoma,” she told the Huffington Post.

Shay-la’s doctors, however, who previously scheduled her to be induced at 9 a.m., were very concerned and wanted to reschedule the procedure. It turns out the new baby didn’t want to wait because Shay-la began to experience contractions. By 2:30 in the afternoon, the baby still hadn’t been delivered. As the tornado began to make its way towards the hospital, a nurse informed Shay-la that they would have to take her husband and 4-year-old son, who were waiting with her in the hospital room, to seek cover in another part of the hospital.

An hour later, the tornado hit the hospital.

“I knew it was headed for the hospital but just didn’t know it would be a direct hit,” Shay-la said.

“The floor was shaking like an earthquake and then I saw the ceiling shaking too. You could see insulation starting to fall. Me and two of the nurses were all just holding hands and praying. My eyes were closed, but you could kind of see daylight. And I opened my eyes and I could see out the wall,” she continued.

Shay-la, who was still in labor, was later transported a nearby hospital with the assistance of the hospital staff and her husband, who carried her to the ambulance.  Thirteen hours later, she gave birth to a little boy, whom she named Braeden Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” Despite having chosen the name months prior, she basked in the irony of it all.

“It definitely fits,” she said.

Braeden’s adorable big brother, later told his Mom to tell God not to make anymore tornados because “He broke the hospital.”

Source: WENN

We’re a little late on this news, but yesterday afternoon New York Knicks player Amar’e Stoudemire and his wife Alexis Welch welcomed their fourth child into the world. The basketball player shared the news on Twitter around 3:45 pm May 22, saying:

We are proud to announce we added a healthy baby boy to the Stoudemire team. Alexis and the baby are doing great. #Blessed

— Amar’e Stoudemire (@Amareisreal) May 22, 2013

The couple, who has been together since 2002 (with a few breakups and new lovers — like Ciara — in between) already had three children together — daughters Assata and Are, and son Amare – with their new baby boy making their fourth. The pair just wed in a private ceremony on the rooftop of the baller’s apartment on 12/12/12 after becoming engaged in Paris in June of last year. Since then, we’ve seen the 30-year-old and his lady gushing about their expectant child on red carpets, in the classic pre- birth, stomach groping pose.

Congrats to the lovely parents on having a healthy baby boy!

Lauren London is most known for her breakout role as NewNew in T.I.’s 2006 film, ATL. Although she may seem like an overnight success, the 28-year-old L.A. girl says she encountered a lot of rejection before became the big-time television actress we see before us today. In her recent interview with Vibe Vixen, The Game actress opened up about her early years in the industry, being a single mom  and why she refuses to take mess off of anyone.

On facing a lot of rejection during the early years of her career:

“Starting my career, there was a lot of rejection going on. I remember my dad telling me that if you let that define you, they’ll basically make you nothing. You have to define yourself. Every time you hear a no, it’s one step closer to a yes. Jobs come and go, so I don’t get too down on myself. You have to stay self-motivated. If you wait for someone else to motivate you, you’ll be waiting for a long time. You have to really be your own cheerleader. Even if you don’t feel all that way in the moment, tell yourself that you’re enough.”

On maintaining her privacy: 

“I was always a private person. My business is my business. I have a small group of friends, and I just like the simple things out of life. My privacy is something that I value. I’m also socially awkward.”

On finding out she was pregnant: 

“The public was the last thought. Most of my thoughts were on my family and inner circle. It was mostly how is this affecting Lauren as a person and is Lauren ready to completely put herself to the side and be a mother. My priorities were changing. My career was last.”

“Before ATL, people didn’t know about me. I auditioned for ATL and no one cared who I was. I was a regular girl in L.A. who auditioned and got the role. No one knew I was doing it and I did it. No one gave me that. I did that. They can’t take what they didn’t give. God has the last say, so I just trust that. Is it an uphill battle? Yes. But isn’t everything? I’m not starving.”

Thoughts on marriage: 

“I think it’s awesome when it’s done right. I don’t think anyone is supposed to be alone, you know. Having a partner and having somebody that is with you through the ups and downs is awesome. I’m all about connection. If I connected with someone and met a nice guy maybe, but I just haven’t ran into that yet.”

On lessons from her mom that she plans to pass down to her son:

“Being resilient. No matter what, never giving up on your dreams. It sounds cliché but it’s so real. She grew up struggling, but she was always very positive, no matter how bad things came. We kept a positive outlook because your perception is everything. It is your reality. That is something I want to pass down to my child. My mom was very into inner beauty. She would say all the time, “Being cute is cute, but who are you on the inside?”

On lessons she’s still learning:

“[To have] faith and thicker skin. Not letting what people have to say about me matter so much.”

On constantly being scrutinized by the media: 

“I’m not going to front. I’m not a lover, I’m a fighter. I will forget that I am Hollywood and get Holly-hood [Laughs].”

Source: WENN

This past weekend E! News set media outlets ablaze when they reported that Beyoncé’s pregnancy had been confirmed by a solid source from the singer’s camp. Even hip-hop Russell Simmons appears to have fallen victim to the speculations, offering Jay and Bey congrats on their pregnancy, but Jay is urging everyone not to believe the hype. Well, at least that’s what Hot 97′s program director Ebro Darden says. According to Ebro, when he reached out to Jay via e-mail over the weekend to offer his well wishes regarding the new baby, Jay revealed that there is no new baby!

“Well, I emailed Jay-Z [to congratulate him] and then he hit me back and said ‘It’s not true.’ Like literally, it had to be Saturday afternoon, so it had been a whole 24 hours of it’s true,” Ebro revealed on air.

When asked by his morning show co-host Cipha Sounds what Jay’s exact response was, Ebro responded:

“‘It’s not true, the news is worse than blogs,’ so no baby yet.”

“That’s what the email account said unless he’s been cat fishing me the whole time [laughs] for the last five years,” he added.

As a respected New York-based hip-hop radio station, it’s unlikely that Ebro would put his station’s credibility on the line by misquoting  Jay-Z or going off of hearsay. But, I supposed we’ll have to sit back and watch how it all plays out.

Check out footage of Ebro’s revelation on the next page.

Now you know Wendy Williams has never been one to bite her tongue when it comes to her opinion, so when she sat down with Andy Cohen on Bravo TV’s Watch What Happens Live! and was asked about “Kimye,” she didn’t hold back. The question was, what kind of mom did she think Kim Kardashian would be and did she think Kim and Kanye would make it? Here’s what she said in full, with the “Yeah, I said that ish” face on the whole time:

“She and Kanye will not make it, and what kind of mom will she be? A single mom.

(They will split) 30 seconds after the baby is born. I believe right now there is probably a plan in motion and Kris is probably helping Kim and Kim is probably asking for the help.