So it seems you've got your Tinseltown tots down, but do you know the sex of the lil notable newcomers? Take this quiz and test your knowledge on recent celebaby arrivals.
Pacific Coast News and INF
Doctor Jaidan, medicine girl! Valerie Lujan was seven months pregnant and at home with her daughter, Jaidan, when she went into labor. The nine-year-old stayed calm and acted quickly to deliver her little brother. Following the directions of a 911 operator, the child tied off the umbilical cord and massaged the newborn until emergency medical workers arrived. Both the mother and newborn are fine.
When big babies make their way into the world, sometimes something has to give and in my son's case it was his collarbone. My lil guy's debut was a bit of a struggle. As all nine pounds and four ounces of him squeezed down the birth canal, he fractured his clavicle, which connects the sternum to the shoulder.
Had my lil sister, who weighed in at 12 pounds, 6 ounces, not broken hers when being born, I would have worried. But, since I remembered that the bones reconnect rather quickly on their own and all I'd have to do was scoop my baby up carefully to avoid antagonizing the tear, we checked in with our pediatrician and the break healed in a matter of months. To learn how the clavicle breaks, read more
Every pregnant woman wonders when her water is going to break. Will she be at work or wet the floor? Who will clean up the liquid mess while she rushes to the hospital? Well, some mamas-to-be never experience the gushing and it's not because their doctor ruptures the bag of waters for them. Though it's rare, some babies are born in the caul, meaning they are delivered in the amniotic sac. Normally, the membrane is then broken by the medic or midwife. According to lore, a veiled infant was lucky and would never drown.
Do you know anyone that was born in the caul?
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People can be superstitious about numbers, especially birth dates. One Arizona couple got a treat Friday when their daughter, Katharine Rowley was delivered at 8:08a.m. on August 8, 2008. Parents Jason and Laura are thrilled to have another healthy child. Their first baby was born on New Year's Day in 2007 and the mama joked that they will shoot for October 10, 2010 for their third child. Though I don't subscribe much to the number theory, people have told me my kids have special birthdays as they are Leap Year and November 11th.
Were your kids born on a lucky date?
There's nothing harder than losing a child. But, what about the devastation parents endure when their baby dies in utero? When I came across a post on Jezebel about the politics behind getting grieving parents stillborn birth certificates, I was aghast that just 23 states offer the families more than a death certificate.
A recent report in the New York Post, talked about the current bill that advocates hope will pass in the Big Apple. Outside of City Hall, one New Yorker shared his story. He said:
"The first time I held my son, Daniel, was the single saddest moment of my life," said Staten Islander Jeff Tieger, whose first child was stillborn on Feb. 8, 2007. ". . . Not another minute should go by before [this bill] is passed."
His raw words reminded me of a heart wrenching piece that former San Francisco Chronicle reporter, Suzanne Pullen wrote about the experience of delivering her first child who had passed away. She said:
You don't plan for the doctor to tell you your future has no heartbeat. You don't plan to deliver a baby who will never open his eyes. You don't plan on coming home with an urn of ashes instead of a bag of diapers. Before my son died, I had every hope -- and worry -- of being a good mother.
It's these emotions that make one wonder why national legislation has not been passed.
Actress Tori Spelling's sTori continues. She and husband, Dean McDermott made their son, Liam Aaron, 1, a big brother yesterday when they welcomed daughter, Stella Doreen in Los Angeles. According to People, the new addition weighed in at 6 lbs., 8 oz and was delivered via C-section. The proud mama said:
"I've always wanted a little girl since I'm such a girly girly," said Spelling, who had an emotional reaction when she found out. "I immediately started crying. I couldn't believe it. I have my beautiful little boy and now I'll have my little girl! It's amazing.
Dean also has his 9-year-old son, Jack from a previous marriage.
Flynet
Giving birth to a child is a poignant moment in a mom's life — one Texas woman experienced it twice with her daughter. One-month-old Macie Hope, had been medically taken from her mother's womb during the sixth month of pregnancy so doctors could remove a tumor the size of a grapefruit that would have killed her. Then, she made her official debut ten weeks later on May 3rd. According to an NBC report, the surgery the fetus underwent was risky. It said:
The happy couple talked exclusively to TODAY’s Ann Curry on Friday from the hospital, where they were joined by Dr. Darrell Cass, the fetal surgeon who led the team that performed a surgery that has been successfully completed fewer than 20 times around the world. In Macie’s case, he said, “We were very, very fortunate. It really turned out perfectly.”
The baby's middle name was chosen when her parents learned that she had less than a ten percent chance of surviving, but now the miracle baby is expected to be released from the hospital this weekend.
Last month, we discussed banking your newborn's cord blood to possibly help that child, or another relative, should they be afflicted by a life-threatening disease. The cost of privately banking the blood is upwards of $600 for the initial banking, which does not including the annual storage fees. So many people seek out public banks where they can donate the blood for the community to use as necessary.
The Today Show took on the subject last week and noted that cord blood is best used in siblings, and even then, there is only a one in four chance that the sibling will be a match.
Given all of this information, would you consider banking your baby's blood?
Baby on board! A New Jersey couple flying from the Philippines to New York welcomed an unexpected delivery during their Korean Air flight — a baby boy! Born at 37,000 feet in the air and a lil more than two months early, Jadan Brown earned his wings. Weighing in at less than three pounds, the premature infant arrived above Northern Canada about half way into his parent's flight home.
Proud parents Larry and Jacel Brown didn't have time to panic. Their bundle of joy was delivered in the kitchen area by his daddy, a trained emergency medical worker and another passenger, a surgeon. A CBS report said:
"At the time we didn't know that the baby was actually coming out - she had to walk from business class into the kitchen area and kneel down to allow us to remove her clothes. At that time, when I was able to remove her clothes, the baby was actually on his way out," Larry Brown told The Early Show.
The newborn was taken to a hospital in New York when the plane landed and is said to be doing well. Jacel had been cleared to fly by her doctor.
Would you have flown this late in pregnancy?
