Second Morrison Sextuplet Dies

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It is very frustrating to report that these babies are no longer with us. I know that they were born WAY too early and that Brianna, their mom, couldn’t keep them in any longer, but deep in your heart you hope that they will be strong and surprise us all by thrieving in their artifical environment.

The second of the Morrison sextuplets born last Sunday in Minneapolis has died, according to a statement from Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Tryg Morrison died Thursday night, and his brother, Bennet, died Wednesday. The four surviving newborns remain in critical condition at Children’s neonatal intensive care unit in Minneapolis.

The babies were born to Brianna and Ryan Morrison late Sunday night at 22 weeks gestation, which is considered at the extreme limit of viability. Their birthweights ranged from 11 ounces to 1.3 pounds. Their struggles are in stark contrast to sextuplets born 12 hours later in Arizona. The Masche sextuplets were delivered less than a day later at 30 weeks gestation and all weighed more than two pounds.

Both couples conceived through infertility procedures. They both have cited religious reasons for declining the selective reduction of the fetuses in order to reduce the risk of the newborns dying or suffering disabilities.

Brianna and Ryan Morrison offered thanks for the hospital care and support of family and friends. “Our faith remains strong as we are in the midst of mourning our sons,” they said in the Children’s statement.

Related Articles:

• One Of The Minnesota Sextuplets Dies
• Update: St. Louis Park Mom Delivers Sextuplets
• Update: St. Louis Park Couple Expecting Sextuplets
• Pregnant With Triplets…Would You Chose A Reduction?

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Brad Takes Pax To The Pediatrician

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Brad was seen out yesterday in NYC taking his newly adopted son Pax, 3, to the pediatrition.

On Thursday’s Daily Show, Jon Stewart wondered how many kids Jolie wanted in all, asking: “How high we going, you think?”

Replied Jolie: “It fluctuates between seven and 13 or 14.” The audience howled and Jolie laughed, and Stewart said, “Wow, I’ll tell you this: I admire that, because two is kicking my ass.”

Jolie quipped: “Yeah, I understand that. Four is kind of kicking our ass, but we kind of feel like, ‘Damn it, we’re up for the challenge!’ ”

Also on Thursday, Jolie appeared on CNN’s Larry King Live, where she described raising the latest addition to her family, 3-year-old Pax Thien, whom she adopted from Vietnam in March (he joined Maddox, 5; Zahara, 2; and Shiloh, 1). “He’s wild. He’s beautiful and wild,” she said.

“He had no freedoms for three and a half years. … He lived in the same place on the same cot along with 20 other cots and did things at the exact same time and had no chance to have an opinion himself or do – he lived a very structured life. But he’s also suddenly very free.”

She explained that her new son’s name was suggested by her own mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, before her death from ovarian cancer in January. “My mom wrote a list of names when we were going to have Shiloh,” said Jolie. “One of the names that she suggested was Pax because it meant peace. [But] he’s anything but at the moment.”

I love seeing Brad with the kids. He is such a great hands on daddy.

Related Articles:

Shiloh’s First Birthday
Brad and Shiloh in Prague

Photos Courtesy of AND property of FLYNET(Thankyou!)

SOURCE

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One Of The Minnesota Sextuplets Dies

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One of the “Morrison 6” sextuplets died Wednesday night: one of the boys named Bennet Ryan Morrison, according to hospital officials speaking for the parents.

Brianna Morrison, 24, of St. Louis Park, gave birth to four boys and two girls shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis after 22 weeks of gestation.

Brianna and her husband Ryan Morrison, also 24, have yet to speak directly to the media since the births.

The couple’s other five children, three boys and two girls ranging in weight from 11 ounces to 1.3 pounds, remained in critical condition at Children’s Thursday evening. The boys’ names are Tryg, Lincoln and Sylas, and the girls Lucia and Cadence.

Following the death, the Morrisons released a statement Thursday through Children’s Hospital, saying “Our family wishes to express gratitude for the support of our families, friends, and churches, as well as the staffs of Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Children’s of Minnesota. Our faith remains strong in the midst of mourning our son.”

Hospital officials said they would not be releasing any additional information – including Bennet’s weight – on Thursday.

“The parents both mourn the loss of their son as well as continue to focus on their children in the NICU,” a statement from Children’s said.

The survival rate for sextuplets is relatively low: no more than a dozen sets have survived infancy in the United States.

After learning of the sextuplets, doctors encouraged the Morrisons to consider selective reduction to reducing the number of embryos and improve their odds of a healthy birth. They declined to remove any of the babies, due to religious beliefs. Ryan and Brianna believe that each one of their babies is a miracle given to them by God.

Related Articles:

• Update: St. Louis Park Mom Delivers Sextuplets
• Update: St. Louis Park Couple Expecting Sextuplets
• Pregnant With Triplets…Would You Chose A Reduction?
• Quintuplets Born To A Couple In War Torn Gaza Strip
• New Test Reduces Risk Of Multiple Births

SOURCE

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Alistair Has Playdate With Rod and Penny

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Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster take in the sights of the French Riviera on Tuesday and Wednesday with their son Alistair Wallace, 18 months.

After being engaged for two years, the couple will make it official on Saturday at the beautiful Portofino hotel on the Italian island of Capri.

Rod’s little boy is precious!

He appears to be enjoying the French Riveria.

SOURCE:JUSTJARED(they have many more photos)

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Christina Aguilera Reportedly Pregnant

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There has been some speculation lately that Christina Aguilera is expecting her first baby.

On June 7, Christina and Jordan were seen leaving New York’s Maternal Fetal Medicine Association.

The facility is known for its state-of-the-art ultrasounds and expertise in high-risk pregnancies. The singer was seen later that day with what appeared to be a baby bump.

The 26-year-old star married the music executive in the Nappa Valley on November 19, 2005.

Christina said last year, “I’m going to do one more album and then consider settling down and having kids.”

SOURCE

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Are Mumps On The Comeback?

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Mumps used to be common, but these days, cases are rare. In the early 1950s, approximately 34,000 Canadians would come down with mumps each year. By the late 1990s, the number of annual cases had fallen by 99 per cent to fewer than 400.

The number of cases dropped to an average of 87 between 2000 and 2004.

Widespread vaccination programs have all but eliminated what once was a common childhood disease.

But in recent months, concern about mumps has resurfaced as an outbreak that began in Atlantic Canada gained momentum, spreading to Toronto and Alberta.

Well over 300 cases surfaced in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. in May alone. Nova Scotia has been hit hardest since the outbreak surfaced there in February. The province had reported 302 cases by May 25 – mostly among university students. More than 100 hospital workers in the province were forced to take paid leave after testing positive for exposure to mumps.

Mumps is an infection of the salivary glands, caused by the mumps virus. It usually affects children between the ages of two and 12, but can also affect other age groups, though infection among those over the age of 40 is rare.

The disease is contagious, spread though direct contact with respiratory droplets, saliva or contact with any contaminated surface.

The disease may involve fever and swelling of the salivary glands in the neck just below the jaw line.

The sudden increase in mumps is probably due to parents not giving their children the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shots. There has been so much talk about vaccinations being linked to Autism some parents are opting out of important shots.

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