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Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt

Find Out the New Scientific Way to Tell If You’re Having a Girl or Boy without an Ultrasound

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Here is a brand new way of finding out if you’re having a girl or boy without getting an ultrasound or amniocenteses, and before waiting until around 16 to 20 weeks.

A recently released study by the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center discovered that the immune samples of women who are carrying girls  produced more of a specific type of protein that caused an inflammatory response than those carrying boys.

Amanda Mitchell, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in the Institute followed a group of women through pregnancy and exposed their immune cells to bacteria in the lab.

Mitchell and her team noticed some significant differences that later was revealed in the gender of the baby the women carried.

“This could mean that inflammation may play a role in why some women who are carrying girls have more severe reactions to illnesses, making symptoms of conditions like asthma worse for them during pregnancy,” said Mitchell.

“Too many of these cytokines or too much inflammation can really be unhelpful for our bodies’ functioning,” Mitchell said. “It can create or contribute to symptoms like fatigue or achiness.”

So, there’s now some evidence behind the notion that women carrying girls may be more likely to have a harder time with illnesses during pregnancy than if they were carrying a boy.

Melissa Fox, a woman who took part in the study, says the results made a lot of sense based on her experience. Fox said her allergies abnormally flared up during the pregnancy with her daughter, so much so that she had to take and over the counter allergy pill almost every day. Check out her story below:

 

Blake Lively is Learning to Love Her New Mom Curves

Actor Ryan Reynolds (R) holds his daughter James as his wife Blake Lively holds their unnamed new baby during the Deadpool actors Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in Hollywood, California on December 15, 2016. / AFP / Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)

Blake Lively is feeling good about herself and her body, just five month after giving birth to her second child with Ryan Reynolds.

The mother-of-two chatted with E! NewsZanna Roberts Rassi at the L’Oréal ParisGalentine’s Day” event Monday night—entirely curated and party-planned by Lively—where she was joined by her sister, Robyn Lively. Blake, 29, got to chatting about how pregnancy has not only changed her body, but taught her to appreciate it so much.

In fact, the actress got candid about getting back into shape after baby No. 2, saying, “It’s all a process. You know after the second kid it’s really different. So this is not my normal body, but I like it.”

She continued, “I’m learning to love my body in every iteration and that’s hard for women, and I learned a lot.”

Blake took that confidence with her to the event, looking stunning in a flirty, navy SemSem dress adorned with hearts and polka dots. She accessorized the look with a pair of Christian Louboutin spike-studded stilettos and a maroon purse.

That radiating confidence is something Blake was hoping to spread at the L’Oreal party with women celebrating women.

“L’Oréal told me this idea they had to have a Valentine’s event with your gals—your best girlfriends,” she told us. “I thought, ‘Right now, more than ever, it’s so great that women are coming together and supporting each other and building each other up.’ I got a little too involved. I said, ‘I don’t really just want to show up. I sort of want to plan it.’ It’s a lot more fun to plan a party when it’s not on your dime. I changed the party a bit.”

But party-planning aside, it was the message behind the event that was most important to the mother of two daughters.

“This is the first time in my lifetime where I have been aware of a women’s worth being questioned. I know it happens all the time everywhere, but I never felt it,” the actress explained. “It’s made me so much more aware and empathetic to the challenges that women face always, because I’ve been really fortunate. I think it’s just so important that we come together and build each other up—and that we remind women of their value. It’s really beautiful to see women come together. It’s something I’ve never seen.”

Reprinted with permission

The 10 Things You Teach Your Kids By Making them Do Chores

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When little hands struggle to complete their chores with the degree of skill that an adult possesses, it can be tempting for parents and caregivers to simply do the work themselves in the interest of saving time. There is, however, a wide array of benefits that children can reap from completing household chores. Here are 10 of the reasons it’s wise to institute a chore policy the moment a child is old enough to express interest in helping.

  1. Self-Sufficiency and Independence – When kids learn to complete their chores on their own, without having to be cajoled into doing so by a parent or caregiver or directed in the proper way to do so, they’re also learning their first lessons in self-sufficiency and independence.
  2. A Sense of Responsibility – Children who know that there are certain tasks that must be completed, and that it falls to them to ensure that they’re done well, are learning about personal responsibility. Gaining this understanding during childhood years helps kids grow into more well-rounded, capable and successful adults.
  3. The Knowledge That a Feeling of Accomplishment Accompanies a Job Well-Done – One of the greatest rewards of a job well done is the sense of accomplishment and pride that comes with it. Mastering a task boosts a child’s self-esteem and confidence level, helping her to excel in other areas.
  4. Time Management – Juggling homework, chores and extracurricular activities may seem like too much pressure, but it’s important for parents to remember that their children are gaining precious time management experience that is essential in adulthood.
  5. Basic Life Skills – A child who knows how to make his own bed will become an adult who is capable of handling basic tasks. When children are required to do chores such as helping with laundry or loading a dishwasher, they’re not just performing menial tasks for their parents or caregivers; they’re also learning to do these things for themselves when they move out into the world as adults.
  6. Household Management Skills – Learning to manage smaller aspects of household management in childhood, with gradually increasing responsibility into adolescence and the teenage years, instills the ability to successfully manage a household later in life.
  7. An Appreciation for Order and Cleanliness – Children who are taught to keep things around them neat and tidy from a very early age may have less trouble maintaining order in their lives during the college and young adult years.
  8. Teamwork Skills – Working alongside parents, caregivers and siblings to complete essential tasks teaches children a very powerful lesson in working as part of a team and helping others in order to achieve a common goal. These skills will pay off in spades in a professional setting as an adult.
  9. Strong Work Ethic – Understanding the value and necessity of hard work during childhood and teen years is an essential part of becoming an industrious, successful adult. By requiring children to complete regular tasks and holding them accountable, parents and caregivers are helping their children build a strong work ethic.
  10. The Importance of Routine and Consistency – Caring for a pet, or even a houseplant, helps children understand the importance of establishing and adhering to a routine. Forgetting to feed the guinea pig leaves it hungry and miserable. Forgetting to water a plant causes it to die. These lessons can help kids absorb the necessity of creating a routine that they keep faithfully.

Small children aren’t likely to have the fine motor skills to complete many tasks to perfection, but it’s imperative that parents and caregivers do not allow children to see them redoing their work, which creates a feeling of failure. Instead, praise a child for his effort and focus on the process rather than the result, until he’s old enough to master a task.

Adele Expounds On her Post Partum Depression During Grammy Acceptance Speech

 

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During an award acceptance speech at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, singer/songwriter Adele gave new insight on the post partum depression she struggled with after giving birth to her now 4-year old son, Angelo.

The multiple-Grammy winning artist had previously shared during a candid interview with Vanity Fair magazine last October that she suffered from the condition though didn’t know what she was going through.

“I had really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me,” she told the interviewer, adding that in lieu of taking medication or talking with a professional to help her cope, she took consult from other moms.

At Sunday’s show, she recounted becoming pregnant after her last album 21 and how the experience and  having PPD made her feel disconnected from the world and all the things she knew as normal.

She credited her team for helping her bound back.

“As you can see it took an army to make me strong and willing again to do it. And I thank you all from the bottom of my heart,”

“And in my pregnancy and becoming a mother I lost a lot of myself and I’ve struggled and I still do struggle being a mum,” the platinum-selling artist said. “It’s really hard. But tonight winning this really feels full circle and like a bit of me has come back to myself.”

Nice!!

She also gave credit to her “husband” Simon Konecki for being her inspiration. It was the first time she had confirmed that she had gotten married.

“Grammys, I appreciate it. The Academy, I love you. My manager, my husband and my son — you’re the only reason I do it,” she said while accepting the award for Album of the Year.

She and Konecki  have been together for five years  and were introduced to one another by fellow British singer Ed Sheeran.

Before, in the Vanity Fair, piece, she talked about how then-boyfriend encouraged her to get out of her funk and to get help.

 

“My boyfriend said I should talk to other women who were pregnant, and I said, ‘Fk that, I ain’t hanging around with a fking bunch of mothers (sic)’,” she tells the publication. “Then, without realising it, I was gravitating towards pregnant women and other women with children, because I found they’re a bit more patient. You’ll be talking to someone, but you’re not really listening, because you’re so f**king tired.”

But while her non-mom friends didn’t get it, her friends with kids totally did.

“My friends who didn’t have kids would get annoyed with me,” she continues. “Whereas I knew I could just sit there and chat absolute mush with my friends who had children, and we wouldn’t judge each other. One day I said to a friend, ‘I fking hate this,’ and she just burst into tears and said, ‘I fking hate this, too.’ And it was done. It lifted.”

She added that she had a tough time self-diagnosing her condition because she wasn’t educated as to what it is.

“My knowledge of postpartum-or post-natal, as we call it in England, is that you don’t want to be with your child; you’re worried you might hurt your child; you’re worried you weren’t doing a good job,” she explains. “But I was obsessed with my child. I felt very inadequate; I felt like I’d made the worst decision of my life… It can come in many different forms.”

She confided that spending time alone helped.

“I just said, I’m going to give myself an afternoon a week, just to do whatever the f**k I want without my baby,” she says. “A friend of mine said, ‘Really? Don’t you feel bad?’ I said, ‘I do, but not as bad as I’d feel if I didn’t do it.’ Four of my friends felt the same way I did, and everyone was too embarrassed to talk about it;

At the end of the North America leg of her tour, Adele announced plans to try to get pregnant again, and is “off to have a baby.”

“I’ll see you on the other side,” she told fans in Phoenix. “In a couple of years I’ll be back [to the States]. You won’t be able to get rid of me.”

While she’s enjoyed spending a few months at home with her family, Adele will soon be headed back to work. She’s kicking off the next leg of her world tour in Australia and New Zealand later this month.

 

How to Set a Good Financial Example for Your Kids

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Kids and teenagers learn so many things in school that they may never use. From trigonometry to writing in cursive, a lot of the traditional core subjects seem less and less practical everyday. But somehow the topic of personal finance largely gets glossed over, leaving children with no choice but to follow in the financial footsteps of their parents — or worse, their friends.

Unfortunately, parents often fail to understand their critical role in teaching their kids to manage money. So millions are left with a large blind spot as they leave the house to fend for themselves at college or in the job market. It doesn’t have to be this way. With just a few small behavioral modifications, parents of any age or income level can become great fiscal role models for their children.

Setting a Budget

The simplest financial lesson is often the hardest to learn. While the complexities of life make setting a budget easier than following one strictly, there isn’t much to it.

You take your monthly income, subtract your fixed expenses and your variable recurring expenses, and the remainder is what can be put to savings and discretionary purchases. Really, the savings should not be negotiable, but the realities of today’s wages mean that some people have to cheat during lean months.

Cutting Costs

While you don’t have to share the details with your kids, the biggest benefit for them will just be understanding that keeping a budget is important. Key them in on the fact that you track your expenses, save your big receipts, balance your accounts and never go above certain thresholds.

Then teach them how to cut down on expenses. If they ask for an expensive cereal, you can tell them that it doesn’t fit in the weekly budget — not just lecture them again about eating too much sugar. Then show them the coupons you brought or how this week you are buying four packages of toilet paper because the store is having a sale. And let them know that doing this means you will have more money next month to buy the cereal they want as a treat.

Increasing Income

There are of course two sides to every budget: income and expenses. So it is great for children to learn early that, if you work harder and show some entrepreneurial spirit, you can then do more fun things with the money you earn.

If you are a teacher, maybe you can be an SAT test proctor on the weekend. If you have camera skills, you can shoot an event for a friend or local business. Or anybody can get started in the “gig” economy by doing sales work.

Then — and this is key — make sure your kids see how that extra income gets spent. When you take the family on a weekend trip to the beach, or just go to play a round of golf one Sunday, show them that you are enjoying it all the more because you worked for it.

Opportunity Costs

The discretionary spending area of your budget is the best way to include your children in the decision-making process. Lay out the costs of certain options and let them decide. Let them know that, sure, the family can go to the water park this weekend, but that means they cannot get a new video game for the next three months. Show them how much basketball camp costs compared to a new bike. Then let them choose one or the other.

If you treat your children like grownups, they will start to act that way. Life is a series of trade-offs. Do you want the nicer car or the extra vacation? Do you want the latest big-screen TV or a camera? Do you want two cheap toys now or one better one later?

Each time you say “yes” to one thing, you are implicitly saying “no” to many others. Too many teenagers go off to college not really understanding this and immediately get themselves into credit card or rent-paying trouble. As a parent, it is your job to do everything you can to prevent them from getting in over their heads.

The Historic Imporance of Ciara’s Whitney Tribute

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Cuteness alert! Second-time mom-to-be Ciara paid tribute to the late great Whitney Houston on the anniversary on the day before the 59th annual Grammy Awards.

Outfitted in a white maternity tank under a white collared shirt and black leggings, the “Body Party” singer pranced around her apartment, passing by her Seattle Seahawks husband Russell Wilson.

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She leapt onto her couch and landed next to her super cute curly-haired 3-year old son Future Zuhair.

And we know we aren’t the only ones who held our breath at that stunt.

The remembrance’s timing was appropriate because it was the day before the Grammys in 2012 that Houston passed away in a bathtub in the Beverly Hilton hotel.

Also, when Houston recorded the video for that song, she was very pregnant with her daughter Bobbi Kristina, who also tragically passed away in 2015 in a bathtub in her Atlanta home.

So for Ciara to be performing this song while pregnant was a very fitting tribute!

Bravo!!

 

Here is Why We Don’t Know Much about Medications’ Impact on Pregnancy

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As women have children later and later in life, the need to take medications during pregnancy is on the rise. Unfortunately, because very few studies have been conducted on how medications work in pregnant women, we’re really in the dark as to what kind of effects they have on both women and their fetuses. But new legislation aimed to address this lack of knowledge has finally been proposed.

Pregnant women are warned against eating or drinking many things—alcohol, caffeine, sushi, soft cheeses, to name a few—and when it comes to medication, similar precautions are taken. The problem is we actually have no idea how most medicines affect pregnant women or her fetus.

“I think it’s very important for anybody taking care of pregnant women on medication to understand that there are significant risks to not treating pregnant women,” says Maged Costantine, an Ob/Gyn and Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch

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14 Gifs That Perfectly Showcase Beyonce’s Grammy Homage to Motherhood

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By now, most who are in tune with pop culture happenings know that  Beyonce gave a captivating bumpilicious performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards that took place at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California last night, February 12th.

Fresh off of the platinum-selling artist’s announcement that she and her husband Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter are expecting twins, the 22-time Grammy-award winning pop star didn’t back down from her commitment to perform LIVE at the show.

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It was glorious and showcased a marvelous celebration of the human body in pregnant form by a woman who was the most nominated for the night (9) though took home just two awards for Best Music Video and Best Urban Contemporary Album.

As could be expected, with her being that heavily pregnant and high-risk and all, she took it slow and opted to sing two ballads from her latest album, “Lemonade”: Love Drought” and “Sandcastles.

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During the performance, the “Love on Top” singer was draped in gold, flowy yellow fabric, regal chains, an ornate crown and draped with colorful maidens in waiting all outfitted in light slip dresses, tribal neck corsets and goddess braids.  She moved slowly and methodically, sounded breathy at times, probably from the pressure of carrying around two human beings while bringing down the house; and the event featured her mom Tina Knowles and daughter Blue Ivy.

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The imagery was reflective of Hindu, African, Orisha and deities and figures, which carried its own controversy and elicited the usual outcry from Christians and the anti-Illuminati crowd.

Though slow and melodious, it was still an impactful performance which really paid homage to motherhood, the birthing process and femininity. The most drama came when the chair at the end of the runway she sat in made a dangerous pivot off the edge. It was enough to have anyone who has ever been pregnant or cared for a pregnant person sit at the edge of her/his own seat, hoping for the best.

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Many agreed, she put a lot of trust in that chair and after a couple of sound snafus last night with Adele’s George Michael tribute and the Lady Gaga and Metallica set, I’m not sure I’d be that certain that a snafu wouldn’t go down.

But alas, when you have a squad this wide and deep who has your back, also known as the Beygency, then what can go wrong, right? These gifs from Vulture‘s gif bible provide an excellent showcase capture of the magnificence of the performance.

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 There were clear elements of the mutli-armed Hindu goddesses a plenty in case one needed reminder of why she is called Queen.

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When you are radiant and ethereal and know it…

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 Rising from ashes like a Phoenix…

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 But still full of enough swagger to work a runway while balancing the weight on ample birthing hips….

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 And with the ground littered with rose petals and flowers to catch your fall just in case…

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which won’t be needed when your throne awaits…

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 And as the herstory continues…

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Your ghost baby hologram throws everyone for a loop…

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Yeah…all that!

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Gracious and full of gratitude and humility…

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Palentine’s Day: How to be a Good Friend in 30 Tips!

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Today is Palentine’s Day, that day before Valentine’s Day when single people or those who are frustrated with the commercialization of Valentine’s Day. It is a day to spend hanging out with your bestie, catching a movie, binge watching your fave show or just playing video games.

It is also a day for reconnecting with old friends and getting reacquainted with what it means to be  good friend.

Valentine’s Day is typically a time to celebrate romantic relationships, it can also be a good time to celebrate your friendships, says therapist Jessie Shepherd who offered her 6 tips on maintaining a healthy friendship on Fox 13, Salt Lake City’s The Place.

How to be a good friend

  • You BOTH work at it.
  • Push each other.
  • Be a good influence.
  • Be honest, open & real.
  • Be mindful with each other.
  • If you fight, practice forgiveness.
  • Learn to accept yourself fully (and them!).

And here is what readers of the blog Tiny Buddha contributed:

1. Always be there, even in silence. (Nerrisa Nam)

2. Be kind and listen. Be fun and light. Be serious when needed, love extensively, and forgive always. (Sandra Lumb)

3. Don’t be scared to tell each other the truth, no matter how difficult it may be. (Eva Valencia)

4. Guide each other in times of need with your honest opinions. (Ashna Singh)

5. A true friend is someone who always listens and is genuinely interested in the good and bad, and someone who calls or writes just to say hello. (Kimberly McCarthy)

6. Be loyal in confidence and character, always open and inviting to share concerns, always honest even if you disagree. (Peggy Turner Beatty)

7. A true friend tries his best to cheer you up when you are upset and makes you feel special. (Kalpana Tewani)

8. Try and improve their life though your friendship. (Barry Cassidy)

9. Be who you truly are, be that vulnerable, and provide the other person the space, safety and choice to do the same. (Cynthia Ruprecht Hunt)

10. Be genuinely happy when they get, receive, or achieve something you truly desire. (Heather Tucker)

11. Share the truth in your heart, without the fear of misunderstandings. (Ricardo Marques)

12. Be loyal and forgive but above all: love and respect. (Casey Jo Wagner)

13. Accept the person as they are, as an individual, without conditions. Also, as important as it is for you to be there for them, sometimes you have to be willing to let them be there for you. (Casey Kimes)

14. Remain friends despite a person’s choices in life and don’t bail on them when they aren’t who you want them to be. (Kim Shaw)

15. A true friend always supports the person but doesn’t feel compelled to support the situation. A true friend knows how and when to say the firm, “No.” (Leslie Mollay)

16. Help yourself and those closest to you grow. To live means to grow, and a true friend is someone that you can honestly say has helped define you as an individual. (Kevin Ball)

17. Celebrate the wins and be there to support the losses. Keep your word and acknowledge it when you don’t. (Margalit Ward)

18. Walk in to a friend’s aid when others are walking out. (Larry Stilts)

19. Don’t hold grudges over petty disagreements. (Annika de Korte)

20. Show up! You can pretend to care but you cannot pretend to show up. (Sherri Levy)

21. A true friend is someone you feel as comfortable with as you do when you are by yourself. No illusions, no holding back. (Liz McConomy)

22. Be there for the other person in the same way you would be there for yourself. Granted, if you can’t be there for yourself, that’s probably something you should address first. (Elizabeth McDaniels)

23. Don’t let your own stuff get in the way. The ego is powerful. (Sabrina Toffey)

24. Know someone’s least admirable characteristics and still love and support them. (Talia Startsman)

Great pieces of advice,  all of it!

All Of Our 2017 Grammy Red Carpet Moments

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Before I get to sharing some of the best Grammy moments tonight, I wanted to shout out what our Bellyitch Bumpwatch alums wore.

Jennifer Lopez revived her sexy extreme height split leggy look  from year’s past in a light purple Ralph and Russo gown, Christian Louboutin heels and Butani jewels.

Solange was golden in a pleated Gucci floor-length gown and Celine Dion went with an emerald green Zuhair Murad gown with a plunging neckline and high split.

It was the musical diva’s first major public appearance without her husband Rene Angelil who she lost to throat cancer last year.


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Simple clean lines were spotted on Kristin Cavallari in a black Olima dress and Heidi Klum in a super mini metallic Philipp Plein dress. While Hillary Scott walked away with two Grammys and rocked a black Jenny Packham gown.

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Dark lace and cut out were the name of the game for Nicole Trunfio who looked hawt in a lace burgundy form-fitting Zuhair Murad. Her husband Gary Clark Jr performed And Chrissy Teigen did lace and sheer cut outs too.

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Adele looked fab in a green custom Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci and Lorraine Schwartz jewels.

Carrie Underwood was a stunner in an Elie Madi dress, Nigaam and EFFY jewels, and Jimmy Choo heels. She performed with Keith Urban. 

Bravo to fashion!

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