When each of my children was born, the doctor handed them to me right after they arrived. While I wouldn't have minded if my husband had been offered the first hold, it was that moment when my eyes connected with those of my offspring's that I will never forget. I was shocked to learn that an Egyptian mother who gave birth to septuplets over the weekend had yet to cradle them. The report said:

A day after giving birth to septuplets, a 27-year-old Egyptian woman said Sunday she's only seen her babies on television and hopes to hold them and name them soon.

A medical emergency (the mother bled during her c-section) and hospital limitations (lack of incubators to accommodate the new babies) led to this delay. Medical professionals aside, who was the first to hold your baby?
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• Kid's Republic Bookstore — Ohdeedoh
• Jessica Alba is considering adoption — Celebrity Baby Scoop
• Eva Longoria desperately wants a baby — Celebrity Baby Blog
• For some kids whining is everything — Parent Dish
• When is it okay to leave your child home alone — Alpha Mom

Many mamas-to-be find denim too restricting, but jeans suit most occasions so pregnant women get a lot of bang for their buck when they invest in a pair. Paige sent me a pair of Laurel Canyon maternity jeans ($185) to review and since I am a fan of their regular jeans, I was excited to give them a go.

After washing and hemming them to my liking, I slipped on the swanky dungarees. A perfect fit on the tush and legs, I was thrilled to look hip in (gasp!) maternity jeans! Constructed with 98 percent cotton and the remaining percent spandex, the black stretchy belly band starts where a normal button and belt loops would be and rises to just below the belly button leaving no room to bare your burgeoning belly or bottom.

While some maternity jeans pull all the way up to the bra line and look unsightly on the hanger, they do keep the belly from looking pinched in half. When wearing tight shirts with my Paige jeans, I can see the line where the band stops. For slim mamas–to–be that's not a problem, but for mothers who are more cushioned, the split may be a tad too much. The seam didn't bother me too much though because I went out and purchased another pair in white and between the two, I hardly wear anything else.

Far from a doting grandmother, a Mississippi woman who was down on her luck tried to sell the owners of a bait and tackle shop her grand baby. The infant was so new his umbilical cord was still attached. In exchange for the newborn, the woman wanted two thousand dollars and a vehicle. The child's mother said she knew nothing about the incident and that it wasn't the first time the grandmother had done something like this. We hope the baby comes out of this bizarre incident unscathed.

I had heard of water births, home births, c–sections and standard hospital and epidural aided births, but not lotus births. Instead of cutting the umbilical cord after delivery, a lotus birth requires the child stay attached to the placenta until they naturally separate, which takes between three to 10 days.

Mothers tend to the placenta and often create special pouches for it, as it must stay close to the newborn during those postpartum days. As the placenta dries up, the infant's body prepares to relinquish the attachment, which can be a painful experience. Family doctor Sarah J Buckley of Australia chose to have lotus births for the last three of her own four children. She describes the experience:

Lotus birth has been, for us, an exquisite ritual which has enhanced the magic of the early post natal days. I notice an integrity and self–possession with my lotus–born children, and I believe that lovingness, cohesion, attunement to nature, trust, and respect for the natural order have all been imprinted on our family by our honoring of the placenta, the Tree of Life, through Lotus Birth.

Would you ever consider having a lotus birth?
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