Ghazala Khamis made history last week when she gave birth to seven apparently healthy babies via c-section, making her only the second mother ever to successfully give birth to septuplets. The children, four girls and three boys, all appear to be doing well and range in weight from 2 pounds to 4 pounds. Khamis recently told the media that she has only seen her children via TV, but that she intends to try and breastfeed them all. (Can you even imagine? Newborns feed up to 12 times a day. Twelve multiplied by seven equals... when do you go to the bathroom?)

Khamis and her farmer husband, who earns only £2 a day, one or two days per week, underwent IVF to conceive the children, in a desperate attempt to have a son. The couple are already parents to three daughters. Now that the babies are here, family members are concerned about how they'll care for them. The government has pledged free diapers and milk for two years, but what the family really needs, says Khamis's brother, is a home.

When I was in labor with our second (and last) child, I teased my husband that if he wanted a son, he was on his own, because two times through labor was enough for me. He reassured me that he was perfectly happy with his mini-brood of two girls. The pressure that women must feel in cultures that revere sons over daughters must be extraordinary. Khamis can breathe easy now that she has three sons, but the risks she had to take to get there had to be overwhelming, as their life will likely be from here on out.

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Is there a link between having an aboriton and depression, or other psychological maladies? According to the American Psychological Association, not if a woman has only had one abortion. In a report that came out last Wednesday, women who have one abortion are no more likely to suffer depression or other mental health problems than women who go on to have their babies.

To be clear, the abortions in question were those that were elective and in the first trimester. Prior mental health as well as self-esteem issues and the fear of stigma were the main factors in post-abortion health, according to the study. Also according to the report, which I find really hard to believe, is that half--HALF!--of American women will experience an unwanted pregnancy and that about half of those--a quarter, for those of you doing the math--will get an abortion. That's a LOT of people.

I also think that it's one thing to look at a hundred studies, but it's another to talk to the women who've made this choice themselves. And yet another for those women to feel like they can be honest with their responses and reasoning behind getting an abortion. I've never had to make that choice, but I know people who have. And let me tell you something--they come from all different backgrounds, are different ages, etc. And each of those women has had to deal with the decision she made for the rest of her life. I am all for women being in charge of their bodies and strongly support the pro-choice movement, but to say that having an abortion doesn't affect a woman's mental health (for better or worse), at least for some period of time, might be a little misleading.

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Sometimes, no matter how much you plan and prepare for something, things just don't go quite right. Like when you go into labor 6 weeks early while driving home from the mall. And the only other person in the car with you is a sleeping two-year-old .

But you gotta do what you gotta do and Jessica Higgins did it. When the Fullerton, California woman went into early labor, she managed to dial 911 as she arrived at her home. She came thisclose to actually getting inside her house, but baby Mary Claire had other plans. By the time help arrived, Jessica had already given birth to her daughter - right there on the front lawn!

I don't know if the two-year-old woke up before the excitement was over, but at least dad arrived in time to cut the umbilical cord under the front-yard ficus tree. You know, if there ever was a perfect spot to bury a placenta, I'd say under that ficus tree is it.

As for early-arriving Mary Claire, she weighed in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces and is reportedly doing just fine.

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Several studies in a recent New York Times article entitled "Honey, I Plumped the Kids" seem to be pointing in that direction. As we all know by now, human beings are getting bigger--and by bigger, I really mean fatter. In 2005 it was estimated there were 400 million obese people on the planet. Yes, 400 MILLION. And, in what is a recent phenomenon, some of those obese people happened to be women who then became pregnant and gave birth. The result? Well, if the studies are to be believed, a pregnancy for an obese woman can lead to her children being obese as well.

Similar news to this has been circulating for some time now. It's also no news that being obese, whether or not you're pregnant, can have dramatically harmful results. Cancer, diabetes and heart disease are just a few of the pleasantries headed your way if you happen to be obese. But, what does being obese mean for your unborn child? In one of the studies cited in the Times article, women who gave birth to children before they had surgery to correct their obesity were more likely have an obese child; once the women had the surgery, the children they later bore tended to not be obese. Hence, the obesity doesn't on the surface seem to be due to genetic predisposition, but rather to the mother being , well, fat.

One theory as to why this is concerns the fact that people have access to an overabundance of sugar and fat. As a direct result, so do their fetuses. In another study pregnant female rats were allowed to have as much as they wanted of either human junk food or regular old rat food. Those who had access to the junk food ate 40% more food than their rat-chow eating buddies. The baby rats born to the junk food rats were more inclined to eat such food and were more likely to be overweight as a result of consuming too many calories.

So what does this mean for all us preggies out there? Perhaps that we should listen to our doctors and cut back on the sugar and fats. Pregnancy cravings aside, the article and the studies make a good case for being even more healthy when you're pregnant--for you and your baby.

Pic by armchairgeek.

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Remember the so-called pregnancy pact that the principal at Gloucester High School blamed for the unusually high number of teen pregnancies in his school? The pregnancy pact explanation was put forth by Principal Joseph Sullivan during a debate on whether or not the school should provide contraceptives to students. Clearly, his position was that the high number of pregnancies were not due to lack of available contraceptives, but because the girls wanted to become mothers. He later claimed that while he never used the word 'pact', he did believe that many of the seventeen students who became pregnant earlier this year did so intentionally.

Shortly after the pregnancy pact story made national headlines, the mayor of Gloucester, Carolyn Kirk, threw Sullivan under the bus. She said his pact theory could not be substantiated and she distanced herself from the principal by not inviting him to a press conference where the issue was discussed.

Yesterday, Principal Sullivan resigned his position and accused Mayor Kirk of slandering his reputation, integrity and intelligence. "The ramifications of this whole episode on me and ... my family have been devastating and the Mayor's actions and the Superintendent's public silence has forced me to recognize that I have neither the trust, confidence or respect of the Mayor nor the Superintendent," Sullivan said in a statement. He now plans to retire.

In response, Mayor Kirk issued her own statement: "Dr. Sullivan will long be remembered in Gloucester for the many individual families he helped over the past 10 years. I wish him all the best in his retirement."

Whether or not there really was a pregnancy pact remains to be seen. A study is underway that will include a review of the city's sex education classes as well as a look at whether or not having a day care center at school might be sending students the wrong message regarding teen parenthood.

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It seems like it should be common sense. Don't diet while pregnant. Yet for many moms these days that seems to be the trend. Many of them are successful at it--but at what cost to their unborn children? In the United States as well as in the UK, pregnant women are succumbing to what is being termed "pregorexia," wherein the consume as little as possible during pregnancy to avoid weight gain. Experts agree this is harmful to both mother and unborn child. Fetuses get their nutrients straight from mommy; when she doesn't supply enough, like with calcium, they get it from her bones. If they can't get the nutrient from the mother, they suffer--kids are born prematurely, with a low birth weight and an increased risk of spina bifida all from mothers being underweight during pregnancy.

In Hollywood, the recent barrage of women giving birth would have have us think they were barely pregnant at all. Most of them gain hardly and weight and sport only the tell-tale bump. Almost as soon as they've given birth, they return to their pre-pregnancy weight, which was scandalously low in the first place. Some, like Nicole Kidman, have even drawn harsh rumors that she was never even pregnant at all--after seeing her less than a month post-baby her body was scarily small, prompting the media to generate the notion that her sister, who'd basically remained under cover during the pregnancy, was the one actually carrying the baby.

With all these Hollywood celebrities maintaining tiny frames while they attempt to bring another human being into the world, it's hard to not feel the pressure to be thin in our own lives. Forget the fact that it's pure misogyny at work, isn't it also the worst thing in the world to deprive not only yourself but your unborn child of vital nutrients and sustenance? Experts suggest that women of normal weight (meaning not underweight nor overweight) gain between 20-25 pounds during a pregnancy. That number was recently lowered from the old notion of anywhere from 25-35 pounds (and in some cases 40). instead of worrying about gaining too much weight, shouldn't we be more focused on getting our children--and ourselves--the nutrition needed to be happy and healthy?

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Poland thinks that they have the answer to their declining population problem, a controversial "baby house" where 37 young women live, prepared to provide babies for infertile couples. Authorities say that 1.5 million couples in Poland are unable to have children, but for 11,000 pounds (about $21,000 U.S.), women at the baby house -- who are screened for health problems and who pledge not to drink or smoke -- will have one for them.

Though it's not entirely clear from reading this article, it appears that these women are not gestational carriers, or women who carry a baby who is not biologically related to them. They are surrogates in the truest sense of the word, carrying their biological children, then giving them up for adoption. This, I think, is one of the most controversial parts of this "baby factory" idea. What if the women change their mind during the pregnancy or after the baby is born? What if they aren't prepared for the emotional part of relinquishing a baby?

The center requires parents to adopt the babies immediately after birth, regardless of whether the child is healthy or not. This may prevent them from being embroiled in a situation like the recent surrogate custody issue in India, but even so, this seems to be a solution that might create more problems than it solves. What do you think?

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Last year, when a woman in Berryville, Arkansas went into the hospital to deliver her baby by Cesarean section, she did not request or authorize her doctor to also perform a tubal ligation. But that minor detail didn't stop Dr. Shirolyn Ruth Moffett from doing just that. Dr. Moffett claims that she surgically ensured that this woman would never have another child because she feared that the patient's uterus would burst if she ever got pregnant again.

Not only did Dr. Moffett perform this procedure without permission, she failed to inform the woman after the fact and made no notation of what she had done on her medical chart. "I know now that was a mistake," she told the Arkansas State Medical Board. "I had not made this kind of error my whole medical career. I was appalled."

She was appalled? I imagine the woman who underwent this forced sterilization was even more appalled. Officials at St. John's hospital, where the procedure took place, clearly understood the gravity of the situation and stopped Dr. Moffett from seeing any more patients. But regulators at the Medical Board feel a reprimand is more appropriate to the offense and voted last week to allow Dr. Moffett to keep her medical license.

How is this possible? I don't get it and neither do officials at St. Johns, who released a statement expressing surprise at the decision. If performing an unauthorized and secret tubal ligation is not an offense worthy of losing a medical license, what is?

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Matt McConaughey's bongo drums aren't just for show; the man is earthy and he's not afraid to show it. His costars have to learn to put up with his "natural scent," since he refuses to wear deodorant. And after the birth of his son Levi in July, he saved the placenta to plant at a later date.

"It's going to be in the orchards," he told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "And it's going to bear some wonderful fruit." The new dad apparently got the idea from a trip to Australia, where he met a tribe who had a placenta tree where all new babies' placentas are buried.

Honestly, I don't care what people do with their children's placentas. But don't Matt and Levi's mom, Camila Alves live in a motorhome? Where do they keep that thing -- next to the frozen breastmilk in the freezer? I can't be sure, but I'm guessing sharing a home and parenthood with Matthew means never having a dull moment.

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As many of you may know, I have a sixteen-month-old-son. When I first became pregnant I never thought whether I wanted a boy or a girl. I was simply thrilled to be having a child at all, and wanted only a happy, healthy child--the sex of the baby was inconsequential. Then, at one point I found out I would be having a son. I was an only child and a girl and knew not the first thing about having, and raising, a little boy. Now I'm on track with my second child, a little girl. I'm nervous and flustered and wondering just how different raising a child of the opposite sex will be. After all, I've had experience raising a baby, but he is all boy, all the time.

Is there such a difference in raising children of the opposite sex? Ask anyone, whether or not they're parents, and they'll have a pretty strong opinion about the world of boys vs girls. For example, when I found out I was having a girl, the pink clothing literally started pouring in. Everything is pink! When I was pregnant with my son I received clothes in all manner of colors, but not with my daughter. People also always comment that boys are much more rambunctious than girls in the beginning, but that girls are ever so much harder to deal with as teenagers--and that as the would-be mother of a teenage girl I have a lot of drama to look forward to.

The only real difference I've come across in my research is how you change a diaper. For girls you simply wipe in a different direction than with boys. Perhaps there's a little more clean-up involved as you're dealing with internal parts as opposed to external parts, but really that's the only difference I can discern. All of my friends who have two children, oddly enough, started out with a boy and then followed up with a girl. They all say that there is a real difference, even if it can't be defined in words, to raising a boy vs a girl.

Thoughts? Is there any real difference? Is it just society straining its concept of norms over us? Or is there more to raising girls than pink clothing that makes them intrinsically different than boys? After all, aren't little boys made of snails and puppy dog tails and such, while girls are made of sugar and spice?

I think we can all agree that hospital gowns are horrible. They're shapeless, come in terrible colors, and open in the back, forcing you to either wear two gowns or a bathrobe to keep your backside to yourself. During labor and delivery, I felt like I kept getting tangled up in the yards of fabric. And don't get me started on the two-tie system on the neck.

But there's a reason that women give birth in hospital gowns. For one, they're all access. For another, childbirth can be messy and who wants to be concerned about ruining a favorite gown in the middle of pushing out a baby?

The Dar-a-luz challenges the notion that we all need to have our babies in shapeless shifts, however. The "birthing dress," which sells for $98, is made from organic cotton and comes in violet or steel blue. I have to admit, it's pretty cute and looks very comfy. Its sleeveless style is sure to keep a laboring mom cool and would make for easy nursing. I'm not the kind of women who spends $100 on a dress like this, but if I was, I'd save it for lounging around in after the baby was born and I wanted some decent family pictures!

What about you? Would you buy a special gown or birthing dress for giving birth?

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I had to re-read this story twice to make sure I didn't miss something, but sadly I didn't. UK Shop-owner Amanda Bere really did remove a pregnant mannequin from the window of her lingerie store because some people found it offensive.

Bere opened her store, which specializes in lingerie for pregnant women, in Selby, North Yorkshire about eight weeks ago. She dressed her shop window with a mannequin she calls Emily in a black nursing bra and panties. She says it didn't take long for the mannequin, which is actually just a headless torso with a distinctly round belly, to become the target of complaints.

"It started with people looking in the window and making comments outside and they told me their points of view that they found it offensive," she says. "Other shop traders also told me that people were saying to them that it was offensive and that I should cover her up or move her. So I put a camisole on Emily and someone else made another comment, saying that they could still see the bump, so I put her in the corner of the shop away from the window."

Bere is trying to run a business, so I can understand why she wouldn't want to offend the locals. What I can't understand is just what is so offensive about a pregnant mannequin. Bere says the complaints came from the town's older residents. In fact, the video accompanying this story has an elderly woman expressing her opinion that the mannequin's large belly is "not pleasant look at."

I hope Bere returns Emily in all her pregnant glory to the front window. The people who are offended by it are probably not people who would shop there anyway.

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When Leo and Kelley Durant lost one of their twins after a premature delivery, they could have easily and understandably turned inward and focused only on raising Cameron, their surviving son. But instead, Kelley wanted to do something in honor of her daughter, Ressa. So she started pumping her extra breast milk and donating it to a local milk bank.

Kelley just dropped off her last delivery of donated milk, which put her total amount donated at an unsurpassed 100 gallons, enough to feed a baby for 17 months. Kelley said that she wanted to do it to help babies who are born prematurely or who are sick, and that she hopes to be able to donate again in the future.

Any mom who has had the pleasure to be acquainted with a breast pump will understand exactly how big of a sacrifice Kelley, especially, and her family have made. What a wonderful way to honor her daughter. Women who are interested in donating their breast milk can do so through international organizations such as Give Milk, or domestically through a local milk bank.

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Childbirth is no walk in the park, that's for sure. But for a majority of women, the experience is a positive one. We made need a little time to let the memory of painful contractions fade or for stitches to heal, but the rewards definitely outweigh the pain and stress.

But when complications arise, things might go a little differently. When a mother or child's life is threatened or heavy interventions are needed, the trauma of childbirth can linger long past Mom and baby going home. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a new study that found that post-traumatic stress disorder may be far more common in new mothers than previously thought, and some are wondering if screening new moms should be a regular part of post-partum recovery.

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Former model Carla Bruni has announced she wants kids. The new wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy is keen to begin a family soon. Bruni, who is 40, has a seven year old son from another relationship and wants to provide Aurelian with a sibling if she's "young enough." Bruni and Sarkozy have been married less than a year.

Bruni also has a burgeoning career as a pop star to consider in addition to her duties as the President's wife. How will the beauty ever find time to be a mommy (again)? She has sworn off using fertility treatments to find herself in the family way, referring the matter over to a nature. AS we've all had rammed down our throats for ages, a woman's fertility begins a downhill course at twenty-seven (or so current wisdom holds).

Many women are having children later and later in life, and are therefore turning to the very thing Bruni is eschewing (at least in print) to become mothers. Being a model, pop star, or politician's wife--or all three--doesn't seem to be interfering with Carla's desire to add to her family. Will she become pregnant? Will she turn to fertility treatments? Only Carla (and mother nature) knows. Good luck to Carla and Nicolas!

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