Puppy Love

Elizabeth Hurley and son Damian, 5, spent some time with a very cute puppy at the Macmillan Dog Day, held at London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea, yesterday.Damian looks cute hiding behind his moms back.

SOURCE:Matrix Photos VIA PEOPLE

Long Island Hospital Delivers 7 Sets of Triplets During June Baby Boom

The North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, was busy last month delivering 7 sets of triplets, a record for the facility that had just 11 in all of last year.

At a news conference Tuesday at the hospital, three pairs of new triplet parents looked tired, but they glowed as they described their experiences.

“We weren’t expecting triplets; it wasn’t planned,” said Ross Rinaldi, 37, of Whitestone, who sings Irish songs to his son, John, and two daughters, Noreen and Patricia. “When I found out I was getting triplets, I knew I needed a bigger home.”

At least one set of triplets born at the hospital was conceived without the use of fertility drugs, but most of the parents had used those treatments, doctors said.

Stacie Sakellis, 35, of Flushing, said she and her husband, Demetrios, 33, had been trying to conceive for more than two years when, with the help of fertility treatment, she became pregnant with triplets.

“It was the biggest shock when the doctor was doing the sonogram,” she said, laughing. “First he saw one, then he saw two, then he saw three. I told him to stop. I didn’t think I could take it anymore.”

Like most triplets, all seven sets were born prematurely and could face health problems, said Dr. Michelle Smith-Levitin, director of the hospital’s high-risk pregnancy center.

So far, none of the babies or their mothers have encountered serious health setbacks, and only one set of triplets has left the hospital. Three more babies, not all from the same set, were scheduled to leave yesterday.

Rates of triplet births have risen nationally since 1980 by as much as 500 percent, according to Smith-Levitin, in part because of the use of fertility drugs. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2004, the last year data were available, there was a 5 percent drop in triplet births to 176.9 per 100,000 live births, down from 187.4 the year before. And, despite modern health advancements, triplet pregnancies and births remain risky.

Triplets, like all premature babies, are prone to infection, as well as breathing and feeding problems, said Dr. Richard Schanler, chief of neonatology at the hospital. And more demand is placed on the mother, who must produce three times the normal amount of milk if the mother breast feeds.

The seven triplet births posed challenges for the hospital. Schanler said three delivery teams, each consisting of a doctor, a nurse and a respiratory therapist, were on hand for the birth of each triplet set. Parents seek out North Shore because of its reputation as a hospital that performs high-risk births, Schanler said.

As the hospital stays near an end for some babies, seven sets of parents prepared to bring their new triplets home.

Most said they have their nurseries ready, their triplet strollers waiting and supplies stockpiled.

Michele and Patrick Barbo of Greenlawn say they have loaded up on diapers as they wait for their babies.

“We’re hoping that in the next two weeks, they’ll come home,” said Michele Barbo, 33, who gave birth on June 11.

Do you remember when seeing a set of twins, triplets or quads was a rarity? Those days are long gone…It was funny to watch the video interviews with the parents when they said how ‘shocked’ they were that there were so many babies in there. They knew that there was a chance that multiples could occur during their fertility treatments, but didn’t believe that it could happen to them.

Does no one read the papers anymore?? Last year alone there were around 7,000 sets of triplets born in the U.S., with only approximately 2,100 of them occurring naturally.

That is a lot of parents who thought that it could only happen to someone else…

SOURCE

Is Your Sunscreen Safe? Pt. 2

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Last week I wrote about the independent study that the EWG (Environmental Working Group) conducted on almost 800 popular sunscreens sold to consumers.They have created a website where you can look up the sunscreen that you currently use and see how it is rated. All sunscreens are rated on a scale of 1-10 by Sun Hazard and Health Hazard. One being the best and ten being disastrous.

After spending almost an hour searching sunscreens we have, ones we have used in the past and those rated the best, I was BEYOND frustrated at the industry and the false sense of security that they have created for years.

It is safe to say that the majority of sunscreens that are sitting right at the front door of your favorite pharmacy are NOT doing that they say they will do. The rating that popular brands received scared me because I was under the impression that some of these brands were good.

The sunscreen that we have been using on our son for about a year now received the second worst rating in the baby category. Needless to say, we threw out all unused lotion and purchased one from EWG’s top 3.

Three products that received strong reviews from the EWG were California baby, Mustela, and Kinesys. All three of these lotions may cost you a bit more, but the research strongly suggests that they do not have any cancer causing agents and most are free from Developmental/reproductive toxicity and Allergies/immunotoxicity ingredients.

Suri Cruise was recently seen on the beach in France carrying a bottle of California Baby. Someone smart is obviously advising the Cruises on great products for their children.

Hopefully other parents will start to realize that just because the product is common or has been around for years, it doesn’t mean that it is safe. As consumers we tend to take the path of least resistance and use what is easily accessible.

With the heat of the summer upon us, kids need to be protected from the strong sun. Please take the time and review the list of recommended sunscreens. Your kids will thank you later!! www.EWG.org/sunscreen

Related Articles:Is Your Sunscreen Safe?

SOURCE, PHOTOCREDIT:PEOPLE MAGAZINE

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Tiger Woods Talks About Elin’s Pregnancy Complications

Tiger Woods spoke yesterday about the birth of his first child, Elin’s complications and fatherhood in general.He revealed that he played the whole tournament (U.S. Open) knowing that his wife, Elin, was in a Florida hospital with complications from her pregnancy. He also recalled that he was in continuous phone contact with Elin and that both she and her doctor insisted that he keep playing the major championship in Oakmont, Pa.

The message, the golfer said, was: “There is nothing you can do. So go out there and just get a ‘W.'”

Tiger did not end up winning The U.S. Open, finishing back just one stroke to Angel Carberra of Argentina. After the tournament was over Tiger returned home in time to be present for the birth of his first child.

He describes that night as “infinitely more rewarding than any ‘W’ could have been”. On choosing the name Sam for his daughter:

“My father had always called me Sam since the day I was born,” said the 12-time major champion whose given name is Eldrick and whose more popular nickname was taken from a soldier who was a friend of the elder Woods in Southeast Asia. “He rarely ever called me Tiger. I would ask him, ‘Why don’t you ever call me Tiger?’ He said, ‘Well, you look more like a Sam.’ I said, ‘All right, that’s cool.’ “

On being a first time daddy:

“It’s been fantastic these last couple weeks to have Sam Alexis as part of our life,” he said. “It was a dream come true for both Elin and myself. I’ve been changing diapers and doing feedings. I definitely don’t sleep now.”

On their love for their new baby:

“Elin and I talked that first night and said, ‘How can you love something so much that didn’t exist the day before?’ We never experienced anything like that.”

The Gift Phil and Amy Mickelson sent for Sam:

Woods and Mickelson are known for their rivalry on the course and a cool relationship off it, but they have been known to have fiercely friendly pingpong games during the Ryder Cup. The Mickelsons sent Sam a miniature pingpong table with the message, “We thought we should give Sam Alexis a chance to jump-start her own game.”

Just in case anyone is wondering…Sam has already had a club in her hand. “She couldn’t quite hold it, but it was there.”

SOURCE, SOURCE

One Class…Five Sets Of Twins

A teacher in the UK was surprised to find out that 1/2 of her class was made up of twins.

“One set of twins is fairly unusual, but to have five sets in a class is something I’ve never heard of. It can get confusing to say the least.”

She added: “We’ve no idea why there are so many in the class. There must be something in the water.”

The twins, aged two and three, make up half of the nursery class at the school’s newly-formed Flying Start nursery.

And the ten – six of whom are identical twins – could even go right through their school careers together because they live in the same catchment area and are the same age.

Their appearance in one nursery together is so unlikely that mathematicians have calculated its probability as almost zero.

Playgroup leader Carol Mansell said: “They are adorable. They are like little angels – although they can be little devils sometimes too.

“The blonde little girls Rebekah and Teagan Wheatley are behaving so well today. They’ve been brilliant.

“And the Bugby twins Callum and Damian are full of mischief. They are lovely but I don’t know where they get their energy from.”

Her colleague Lynda Gould added: “The children all mix well but twins have a special bond.

“It is lovely to see how close they are. If one of them is not around the other is less sure of themselves.

“It is hard to tell which one is which sometimes but you’d be surprised how often we get it right.”

All 10 children were born between April and September 2004, and have been attending the nursery since it was set up in January with funding from the Welsh Assembly.

Fertility can’t be blamed for 3 of the 5 sets. Identical twins occur spontaneously, they can’t be created using drugs…

SOURCE

Introducing Dezi James Cubiche

This weeks issue of People Magazine has the first great photo of Jaime Pressly’s new baby Dezi James Cubiche.

Dezi arrived on May 11th weighing 6 lbs. 4 oz.

Jaime recently gushed to People Magazine about motherhood saying:

“We are both head over heals in love with our son.

“We’re constantly playing with him. He is just a joy, smiling and easygoing. I guess that means the next one we have will be a devil!”