Christina Aguilera Talks Pregnancy

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Christina Aguilera has finally confirmed that she is expecting her first child with husband Jordan Bratman.

The pop star told Glamour Magazine (via BBC) that

“she wanted to be a working mother, so she could ‘balance’ the needs of her child with her career”.

“I want to get it right,” the 26-year-old added.

Her husband, music executive Jordan Bratman, was ecstatic about the prospect of becoming a father, she said.

“He’s thrilled! He’s just great”, Aguilera explained.

“He’s so supportive and amazing through everything. He came with me on the last leg of the tour and he was my support system… I gush. I’m a lucky girl.”

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Marathoner Paula Radcliffe Celebrates Win With Daughter

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New York City Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe celebrates her win with daughter Isla.

The 33-year-old world record holder won the marathon just 10 months after giving birth to her daughter.

As she crossed the finish line in Central Park more than 20 seconds ahead of anyone else, Radcliffe draped herself in the Union flag and cradled her nine-month old daughter Isla as she kissed her husband Gary and waved to the crowds.She said she felt “stronger” both mentally and physically after giving birth to daughter Isla in January and added that she had run throughout her pregnancy.

Around 38,000 people were taking part in today’s race and around two million cheering spectators supported the runners along the city’s streets.

SOURCE

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Milla Jovovich Welcomes Baby Girl

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Congratulations to Milla Jovovich and fiance Paul Anderson on the safe arrival of their first baby.

US Magazine is reporting that the baby, a girl, has been named Ever and that the birth went smoothly.

She was born at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and weighed in at 7 lbs., 8 oz.

Milla hosted a baby shower at her Beverly Hills home on Oct. 14, where the yoga enthusiast gifted friends with special oils and Express sweatpants. “She couldn’t wait for the baby to come,” a source at the shower told Us.

The couple has said they plan to marry after the birth.

“He got me an antique ring and he proposed four years ago, but we broke up in between,” the Jovovich-Hawk clothing designer explained to Us last April. She and Anderson, 42, have been dating since he directed her in 2002’s Resident Evil.

Related Articles:

Milla Jovovich Craves Bone Marrow

Breastmilk For Sale: Would You Buy?

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The United Press has a story of a mom who has been pumping for some time, just to find out that her 4 month old daughter won’t take a bottle.

Martha Heller is causing quite a stir because she has taken out a newspaper ad to sell some of the breast milk that is piling up in her freezer.

She explains to The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette, “I’d much rather a baby use it, because at some point we’ll have to throw it away.”

She said she tried to research law about the sale of breast milk — but couldn’t find any.

Heller also donates to the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa, based at the University of Iowa. However, the 100 ounces she is trying to sell is what she had pumped before being screened and cleared for the milk bank.

 

Breast milk generally can be used up to six months if stored properly, said Linda Klein, a lactation consultant at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids. But she warned that medical conditions and medications a mother takes can be passed through breast milk.

So here’s the question…Would you buy this breast milk?

Even though I am a HUGE supporter of breastfeeding, I would not buy this milk.

This milk was made for Martha’s daughter. It is specially formulated for that baby, not mine.

Not to mention the fact that everything you eat, drink or smoke goes into your breast milk and in turn into your child’s body. I just wouldn’t chance it…

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American Academy of Pediatrics Recommends Universal Autism Screening

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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that all U.S. children should be formally screened for autism twice by the age of 2.

The new guidelines focus on early intervention, which can improve a child’s chances for effective treatment.

“If you recognize it earlier, you get them into treatment earlier,” said Dr. Scott Myers, a pediatrician who specializes in neurodevelopment and who helped write two clinical reports designed to help pediatricians identify and manage autism.

“Kids who start (treatment) earlier do better in the long run,” Myers said in a telephone interview.

The guidelines for the first time call for universal screening of babies at the regular 18- and 24-month check-ups, regardless of whether there are warning signs. They will be published in the journal Pediatrics and on the group’s Web site at http://www.aap.org.

No one knows what causes autism, a complex developmental disorder that includes problems with social interaction and communication.

Symptoms range from mild awkwardness to severe disability and mental retardation. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about one in every 150 U.S. children has autism or an autism spectrum disorder, such as Asperger’s syndrome.

The guidelines urge pediatricians to watch for subtle signs, such as a lack of babbling, late smiling and failure to make eye contact. Picking up on these cues could lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Warnings signs needing immediate evaluation include: no babbling or pointing or other gestures by 12 months, no single words by 16 months, no two-word phrases by 24 months and regression or loss of language or social skills at any age.

It has been proven that early intervention can make a big difference in a child’s outcome. SOURCE

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Study: Breast feeding Doesn’t Cause Saggy Breasts

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Some women believe that breastfeeding will ‘ruin’ their breasts and make them saggier faster.

A new study showed there was no difference in the degree of breast ptosis (or sagging) between women who breast-fed and those who didn’t.

University of Kentucky plastic surgeon Brian Rinker and his colleagues interviewed 132 women who came in for breast lifts or augmentation between 1998 and 2006. On average, the women were 39 years old, and 93 percent had experienced at least one pregnancy. Among the mothers, 58 percent had breast-fed at least one of their children. The average duration of breast-feeding was nine months.

The researchers evaluated the womens’ medical history, body mass index (BMI), pre-pregnancy bra cup size and smoking status.

The main factors that did affect sagging were age, smoking status and the number of pregnancies a woman has had.

Rinker noted that the smoking connection made sense because “smoking breaks down a protein in the skin called elastin, which gives youthful skin its elastic appearance and supports the breast.”

Mr Rinker hopes that his findings will

”alleviate the fears of new mothers over what nursing their child might do to their breasts in the long run and will encourage them to breast-feed because of the health benefits to their infant.”

“Women may be reluctant to breast-feed because of this unfounded myth that doing so means the end of youthful breasts,” he continued. “Now, expectant mothers can relax knowing breast-feeding does not sacrifice the appearance of their breasts.”

SOURCE

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Recommended Site: EWG’s Cosmetics Safety Database

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Over the summer I introduced you to a site that gave ratings to all sunscreen products.

It was surprising to see that some of the most popular products, that get premium shelf space, are in fact, harmful to your child’s health.

The site now rates all products that parents use for their kids including diaper cream, baby wipes, play makeup and toothpaste.

The cosmetics database contains information and online safety assessments for 23,745 products, 6,924 ingredients, 1,632 brands and 1,010 companies.

If you can buy it, they have probably have it in their system.

How it works:

Parents can look up a particular product or company and see how they are rated – 0 being the best and 10 being terrible.

Listed in the review are the ingredients that make up a product and their individual ratings.

For parents who do not know what issues can be caused by using a product that contains a certain component, that is explained as well.

The cosmetics database makes it easy to be brought up speed on what ingredients to look for when purchasing skin care products for yourself or family. Tips

• Download the parents guide and keep it in your purse/wallet for reference. You will never remember the scientific names of all of the ingredients that don’t belong in your home.
• Take note of companies that consistently get good ratings. (ie. California Baby, Earth Mama Angel Baby,)
• Take a moment to write down the top three products in each category that you regularly purchase. When you are at the pharmacy it will give you some choice if one product in unavailable.
• Think outside the box. Just because your mom used a certain soap for you, it doesn’t mean that product is good. Research has come a long way.
• Start slowly. This site has a lot of information. It is overwhelming to try to fix everything in one day.

Every parent should visit this site at least once to get an idea of what we are using on our skin. Ignorance is not bliss, it is what cuts our lives short and allows us to make decisions that will cause long term issues down the road.

Skin Deep’s official website address www.cosmeticsdatabase.com