BumpNews

Earth Day: Tweet #Flipp4Forests to Plant a Tree

Posted on April 22, 2015

Today is Earth Day and if you are looking for at least one simple way to contribute to the day dedicated to celebrate mother Earth Day, the app Flipp will plant a tree with every social media share using the hashtag, #Flipp4Forests. And it will also enter you to win a $300 VISA gift card along with the hashtag.

Good for Earth and your pocketbook potentially.

Flipp is a free iOS and Android app available in the U.S. and Canada that digitally aggregates over 400 retail circulars from national chains as well as hundreds of local stores to help consumers find the latest sales in their community. Digital means less trees and that too is good for the earth! And it looks like it would be a time-saver for busy parents! Sweet!

Check out this infographic about forests for more reasons on why planting trees is important!

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Bump Watch: Ashlee Simpson supports Evan’s latest movie

Posted on April 22, 2015

Mom-to-be Ashlee Simpson Ross looked radiant while attending her husband Evan Ross‘ latest film project, Just Before I go at the ArcLight Hollywood on April 20, 2015 in Hollywood, California.

Courtney Cox directed the project which stars the Hunger Games actor, who is also the son of music great Diana Ross.

It was at Diana’s estate that Simpson and Evan married last summer.

This will be Evan’s first child as Simpson is already mom to 6-year old Bronx with Fall Out Boy front man Pete Wentz.

Evan’s sister Blackish star Tracee EllisRoss was there to support her baby brother.

We’ve said it before but with Evan’s looks and Simpson’s chin cleft, that baby is bound to look like Michael Jackson, at least the version from the “Bad” album cover. Ha!

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Top 10 common movie cliches involving pregnancy

Posted on April 22, 2015

In a recent HuffPo post, blogger Melissa Sher of MamaLingo put together some top cliche things one can expect to see in a movie that has a pregnancy in it and/or is focused on pregnancy. I was cracking up at the list which to me contributes to so much misinformation and fear people have about pregnancy. Never get your information about pregnancy from a Hollywood film, folks. From Huffpo:

Waiting Room As Party Headquarters Celebrate good time, come on! Forget just the grandparents. In the movies, everyone’s invited to hang out in the waiting room. The waiting room is fun. Labor is pretty fast so no one ever gets bored. And, there’s always a “nosy messenger,” someone in the group who will check in on what’s going on you-know-where and report back.
The Menstrual-Cycle Calendar Flip Technology schmechnology. Film characters must keep track of their periods with date books and marker. This way, when a woman thinks she might be pregnant, she can frantically flip backwards through her calendar to find the exact date of her last period.
What To Expect During Labor
Bring earplugs. The breathing is loud: “Hee hee hoo. Hee hee hoo.” And that’s just the father-to-be offering his help. And the woman — when she’s not busy berating him for being alive — is screaming during each contraction. That is, until she is told that she needs to push one more time. (Exactly one more time.) Then, the poor thing will break down. She can’t do it. She can’t. She’s done. She can’t possibly. Not even once more. But… wait… SCR-E-E-E-E-E-AM! Cue the six month old wrapped in a blanket.
The Pregnancy Test As A Social Activity If you’re a character in a movie, sitcom or even a reality show, taking a home pregnancy test is something you do with a friend. The friend will probably buy the test for you, talk you into taking it, and sit on the sink while you pee on the stick. She’ll also be the one to read and announce the results.
Public Puking Of course, sometimes, our heroine doesn’t know she is pregnant. Sometimes, she has no clue. In those cases, there’s a good chance that she’ll be in the middle of a business presentation in a conference room when she’s hit with her first bout of morning sickness. The poor thing won’t make it to the bathroom in time so she’ll have to make quick use of either a wastebasket or potted plant
Breaking The News When a movie character tells her husband that she’s pregnant, she does it when he’s in the middle of telling a long story. She will usually just say something like, “I’m pregnant.” (Or, “We’re pregnant” which I can’t stand. There’s no “I” in “team”… and there’s no “we” in “pregnancy.”) The news never registers right away. Instead, he continues talking. Then, he’ll stop and ever-so-slowly look over at his nodding wife.
Baby Shower From Hell Women who attend baby showers in movies and television shows are the most annoying, uptight guests in the world. Some bring their children to the shower. Those kids will be unruly, booger-picking brats who solely exist to scare the crap out of the pregnant main character.
Start Your Engines Labor can begin one of two ways in the movies. The woman’s water can break. And if it does, it’s a flood of epic proportions all over someone’s shoes or the produce aisle. Or, the woman will calmly notify her husband, “It’s time.”
Wigging Out It’s time? It’s time?! Let the overacting begin! He zigzags around the house, grabbing a suitcase and running around in circles, while his wife waits patiently. Nine times out of ten, he’ll run out the door without her.
Taxi Driver As Delivery Man There are two reasons that taxicab drivers exist in the movies. The first is to drive a heartbroken young man to the airport to catch the love of his life before she leaves on a flight to Europe. The second is to deliver babies.

Hilarious. What was your favorite?

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Judge: Sherri Shepherd is surrogate mom to child planned with ex

Posted on April 22, 2015

Yesterday, we blogged about Sofia Vergara‘s ex fighting for parenthood despite no longer being romantically involved with her and now today, Sherri Shepherd was also dealt a blow by her ex over parenthood.

A judge ruled Tuesday that Shepherd is legally the mother of a now 8-month old baby boy, conceived via surrogate and born on July 28, 2014. Shepherd and ex husband Lamar Sally arranged for the surrogacy while the two were still together, but split before the baby, Lamar Sally Jr, was born. Court papers show the couple separated April 16, 2014.

With the ruling, Shepherd’s name will be listed on the baby’s birth certificate as the mother. The judge found that Shepherd was one half of the two people who caused the baby to be brought into this world.

“The court upheld what we believe is and should be the law in Pennsylvania,” Sally’s attorney Tiffany Palmer told E!News. “If you set out to conceive a child through assisted reproduction and enter into contracts to do so, you cannot just walk away from your legal parental responsibility because you changed your mind.”

So far no comment from Sherri but Sally’s attorneys said video shown during the proceedings of Shepherd expressing excitement over the surrogacy helped sway the judge’s decision. Indeed, we too blogged in 2013 about the surrogacy and Shepherd’s glee over becoming a mother with Sally.

Shepherd has a 9-year old son, Jeffrey, with her ex husband comedian Jeff Tarpley.

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Nonprofit invents ‘shoes that grow’ for kids in poor nations

Posted on April 21, 2015

While working in an orphanage in Africa, Kenton Lee, executive director of Because International, said he noticed a little girl in a white dress wearing shoes that were several sizes too small. When he inquired more, Lee learned that the home had gotten a shipment of donated shoes but the kids were stuck wearing what was available. The other alternative would be to go barefoot then risk exposure to ground contaminants.

That’s when Lee came up with the concept for “Shoes That Grow.”

He partnered with designers and created a shoe with snaps, buttons and a few buckles that hold the shoe together and can be adjusted to grow as the child does.

The shoes can grow five sizes and can last up to five years.

Small = Grows 5 sizes – From Kindergarten to 4th Grade
Large = Grows 5 sizes – From 5th Grade to 9th Grade.

Because International has delivered shoes to children in impoverished nations including Haiti, Kenya, Ghana and Ecuador and is considering expanding the program to help poor children in the US.

The organization relies on donations to ship the shoes, which cost $10 each, in bullk. Consider donating a shoe, a duffle bag or volunteering otherwise here and check out this promotional video about the group and its efforts:

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On sharing due dates with a major celebrity mom-to-be

Posted on April 21, 2015

Nine-months pregnant writer Emily Gould wrote a well thought-out piece in yesterday’s Racked.com which I could relate to much. In it, she talks about being fascinated with the pregnancies of celebrities like Kate Middleton, Zooey Deschanel, Keira Knightley and other celebrities also expecting as she is.

Even though Gould knows these women have different pressures of having to incubate a child under the watchful eye of cameras and the public, she still feels a sort of kindred kinship with these ladies and for that reason has kept up with their respective pregnancies in the media. She knows sort of what they are going through and can relate.

It reminded me of how this blog launched eight years ago. Like Gould, I too was expecting and found comfort in keeping up with media coverage of Halle Berry, Garcelle Beauvais, Nicole Richie and Christina Aguilera, Jenna Elfman and Salma Hayek who, back then, were also expecting. Along with blogging about my own personal third and final pregnancy, I’d sprinkle in some post here and there about these ladies. But dissimilar to Gould, who suspects that she will “be over” the celebrity pregnant thing after she gives birth, my fascination and appreciation continued and hence we have the Bellyitch Blog of today which brings readers a good dose of celeb bump watch, sprinkled in between fashion, parenting tips and news and studies related to pregnancy, parenting and children.

And so…today, we are officially on baby watch #2 with Kate Middleton who is officially due this Saturday and sources say is close to giving birth to her second child any moment now! Still exciting!

If you get a chance, head on over to Racked, and check out Gould’s entire essay.

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Introducing wearable tech for your baby! yeah, we said Baby! (VIDEO)

Posted on April 21, 2015

For paranoid first time parents who are scared of SIDS and other possible issues that may endanger your baby while they sleep comes a wearable onesie baby monitor!

Mimo is a onesie with a built-in monitor that collects real time data about baby’s breathing, temperature, sleep, body position and sends it to a smartphone.

Wow! Yeah. Get a 3 pack for $199 from our partners at Amazon.com!

WATCH MORE:

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Sofia Vergara and ex spar over fate of fertilized embryos in storage

Posted on April 21, 2015

Sofia Vergara may have the two fertilized embryos she froze while with her businessman ex-fiance, Nick Loeb, frozen for perpetuity.

Recently, Loeb slapped the Modern Family actress with a lawsuit preventing her from destroying the embryos court documents say they created using in vitro fertilization in November 2013.

“I have always strongly believed that life begins at conception and that every embryo is life on the journey towards birth,” the Onion Crunch CEO said in a statement on his lawyer Mark J. Heller‘s website Monday morning. “I created these two female embryos with the purpose of taking them to term and not destruction, because I have always dreamed of being a father.”

Loeb said he would be willing to raise the child and absolve Vergara of any parental responsibilities.

“I have previously offered to waive any parental or financial responsibilities or obligations on the part of my ex, and to even give her the opportunity to be involved with the child in the future, should she change her mind,” the statement further explained. “I take the responsibility and obligation of being a parent very seriously…Regardless of how life comes to be created, this should have no determination on the rights of either wanting to be or the requirements of having to be a parent.”

Bioethicsists say a court would not permit the embryos to be destroyed unless both parties agreed. Apparently when the two stored them, they also signed an agreement that a child would not be borne from them unless both parties agree, Radar Online notes.

Although Loeb is claiming religious reasons for not wanting the embryos destroyed, California courts would more likely regard them as property and treat the matter as a property law one.

Unless the two agree to have a surrogate carry them given Vergara is already 42, there is a chance they’ll stay in storage forever…unless they stop paying storage fees in which case the clinic banking them would be free to destroy them.

What a mess! Weigh in below!

photo: Getty

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Spring Garden Season: 10 Tips for keeping children safe

Posted on April 20, 2015

It’s lawn and gardening season once again. Every year 600,000 Americans are injured riding lawn mowers while doing yard work. Often times, your children also want to join in and “help” doing yard work. They can but while exercising proper supervision and following some safety tips.

SummerNannyJobs lists 10 tips for keeping the children safe:

As the temperature rises and the days get longer, the amount of attention that your lawn requires also increases. For parents who are considering outdoor chores for their brood, there are some safety rules that should be taken into account before sending them outside. Here are 10 of the most important guidelines that should be instituted when kids help out with yard work.

Teach Proper Tool Use – It’s easy to assume that older kids have a handle on the use of basic lawn tools, but those without hands-on experience may be a bit confused. This can lead to serious injury if tools are mishandled, so it’s a good idea to outline the basics.
Supervision is Key – For younger children, it’s absolutely essential that they be supervised at all times. Work alongside them or even on another task nearby, but never let them work while you’re inside or on the other side of your property.
Keep Little Ones Inside During Mowing – Kids are fascinated with riding lawnmowers, so it might be difficult to keep them indoors while an adult cuts the grass. Still, the potential for flying debris and injury from the blades is too great to allow for close observation.
More On Mowers – In addition to keeping smaller kids indoors while an adult is mowing the lawn, it’s a good rule of thumb that those under the age of 13 be deemed too young to operate a mower. This rule can be flexible; you know your child’s abilities and level of responsibility best. However, be sure that they are well-informed about safety measures and instructed on proper operation.
Insist On Proper Footwear – Summertime might be flip-flop weather, but kids and adults alike should wear shoes that cover the entire foot and lace securely during lawn work. In addition to the chance of injury due to mishandled equipment, there are also a myriad of other things that can cause injury if stepped on.
Keep Kids Away From Chemicals – Though more and more parents are opting for organic or “green” lawn and garden solutions, it’s still important to treat all additives as if they’re potentially harmful and to keep kids entirely clear of traditional, chemical-based solutions.
Store Everything Properly – At the end of a yard work session, kids should be instructed to return everything to its proper storage space. Rakes, hoes and shovels left lying in the lawn can be obscured and cause injury if stepped on.
Wear Proper Protective Clothing – Kids should wear protective gear to shield their eyes, close-fitting clothing that is less likely to be caught in any mechanical equipment, and plenty of sunscreen.
Stay Hydrated – Summer heat can be downright brutal in some places, so it’s important that kids know to stay well hydrated and to come inside if they feel overheated. These rules can also be applied to outdoor play.
No Horseplay Allowed – Kids are, by nature, prone to rough-housing and horseplay. They need to understand, however, that it isn’t allowed during lawn work. There are too many potentially-dangerous situations that arise from this sort of behavior when tools are involved.

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Reese Witherspoon wows on Academy of Country Music Awards red carpet

Posted on April 20, 2015

I am totally crushing on the A-line metallic embellished David Koma mini dress actress Reese Witherspoon wore tonight at the 50th Academy Of Country Music Awards at AT&T Stadium on April 19, 2015 in Arlington, Texas.

Koma is known for his futuristic take on girly girl designs and comes signature with cut outs and creative angles like this similar sleeveless lace and macrame layered A-Line dress from a recent collection which retails for about $2k!

The Oscar winning star and her Hot Pursuit co-star Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) played it up on the red carpet and on stage tonight promoting their new action comedy that will be released in theaters nationwide on May 8.

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Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt