Star Moms Share Mother’s Day Plans

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

This post was written by our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop.

In honor of on May 12, we asked some of our favorite celebrity moms how they’re planning to spend the special day.

From new moms Holly Madison and Giuliana Rancic to mom-of-four Tori Spelling, let’s look at how the stars celebrate all things mom.

Giuliana Rancic:
Reality stars Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic welcomed their first child, son Duke, in August 2012. The new mom opened up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about her big plans to celebrate her first Mother’s Day.

“Bill and I are having our moms come to LA for Mother’s Day – to make it special for all of us,” she shared. “We’re planning a fancy bunch with the whole family at a nice hotel in Newport Coast and then a walk on the beach. Really, I just want to relax and enjoy the day together as a whole family.”

She added: “This Mother’s Day is especially meaningful because it’s my first time to celebrate as a mother, of course! After struggling for years to have a baby, it’s a real gift to be able to spend the special day with Bill, Duke and our family.”

Holly Madison:
Before welcoming her first child, daughter Rainbow, on March 5, Playboy model Holly Madison shared her hopes for her first Mother’s Day.

“I hope my boyfriend and I can find something fun to do that someone only a few months old will enjoy,” Holly shared. “Maybe we will take her to the Springs Preserve (a park here in Vegas) and see if she reacts to any of the animals and the nature.”

Tiffani Thiessen:
White Collar star Tiffani Thiessen is mom to 2-year-old daughter Harper. The Saved by the Bell alum talked about celebrating Mother’s Day in New York City with her mom and her daughter.

“Being a mom now myself, it is even more special,” she shared. “What’s great is we will be in New York again this year as I shoot Season 5 of White Collar. I’ll get to celebrate the day with my Mom and my daughter, all of us together.

Niki Taylor:
Supermodel Niki Taylor is proud mom to four children – 18-year-old twin sons Jake and Hunter, 4-year-old daughter Ciel, and son Rex, 17 months. Here’s what the blonde beauty had to say about what Mother’s Day means to her.

“I don’t know what my family has planned for me,” she admitted. ”I just want to be with my babies and I hope I am with my mom and my sister. My mom is still an amazing mom and she’s a wonderful grandmother as well. I thank her and always pray for her. I still always call her for advice. To me, Mother’s Day is about my mom and I want to be with her on that day. It is a day for the family to be together.”

She added: “My favorite Mother’s Day gifts are anything with chocolate or sugar in it [laughs]. Also, I think quality time is always the best gift.”
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10 Celebrities Who Used Surrogates to Conceive

Friday, February 22nd, 2013

This post was written by our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop.

CelebrityBabyScoop is taking a look at 10 celebrities who have used a surrogate mother to expand their families. From Elton John, to Nicole Kidman, to Giuliana Rancic, to Sarah Jessica Parker, hear how gestational carriers have helped change the lives of some high-profile families.

Elton John
Sir Elton John and David Furnish welcomed their second son Elijah on January 11, 2013. The doting daddies used the same surrogate mother for their 2-year-old son Zachary.

“She is a wonderful, kind and loving woman,” Elton said of their surrogate, who thinks of her as “part of our family.”

The couple used the same egg donor for both boys and have chosen not to find out either of their son’s paternity.

Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban welcomed daughter Sunday on July 8, 2008. But after a “roller-coaster ride with fertility,” the couple used a gestational carrier for their second child, now 2-year-old daughter Faith.

“Having given birth and then being there to see my child born in that way, I felt so much love for our surrogate, gestational carrier,” Nicole said.

The Academy Award-winner went on to discuss why she uses the term “gestational carrier” as opposed to “surrogate” – something she was criticized for in the days following the announcement of Faith’s birth.

“We were trying to be accurate,” she shared. “The term ‘gestational carrier’ is used if it’s your biological child and if it isn’t, then you use ‘surrogate.’ I mean, who knows what it is. But she’s the most wonderful woman to do this for us.”

Elizabeth Banks
What to Expect When You’re Expecting actress Elizabeth Banks and husband Max Handelman have welcomed both sons – Felix, nearly 2, and Magnus, 3 months – via surrogate mother.

“Like Felix, Magnus was born via gestational surrogate,” she shared. “This experience has exceeded all expectations, taught us a great deal about generosity and gratitude, and established a relationship that will last a lifetime. I am also so very thankful to our family and friends for their support throughout this process, as well as the Center for Surrogate Parenting for helping make all this possible.”

“It was a womb issue for me. Embryos wouldn’t implant,” she said of her fertility issues. “It’s a big leap, inviting this person into your life to do this amazing, important thing for you. And it’s hard losing that kind of control. But our surrogate is so extraordinary, and she’s still in our lives. She’s like an auntie.”

Neil Patrick Harris
How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris and partner David Burtka are dads to 2-year-old twins Harper and Gideon. The Doogie Houser alum opened up about welcoming the twins via surrogate mother.

“We really, really wanted kids,” NPH said. “We really had thought it through financially, emotionally, relationship-wise. We didn’t just accidentally get pregnant and decide that now we need to make this work. These kids come into our world with nothing but love.”

The handsome couple talked the science behind the birth of the fraternal twins, revealing each father fertilized one egg and the twins were carried and born via one surrogate.

Burtka explained that the twins were conceived by “two eggs, two embryos, one of mine, one of his.”

The couple knew the surrogate, whom Burtka described as “more like the oven.” And they found an anonymous egg donor through a donation bank where they were able to research her personal and medical history.

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The Most High-Profile Celebrity Babies of 2012

Friday, December 21st, 2012

This post was written by our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop.

There’s always reason to celebrate a baby’s birth, but when our favorite celebrities add to their families, we can get downright giddy!

1. Blue Ivy Carter

R&B royalty Jay-Z and Beyoncé welcomed daughter Blue Ivy on January 7, 2012. The superstar couple released a touching statement to announce the birth of their first child.

“Hello Hello Baby Blue!” they stated. “We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012. Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven. She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs and it was the best experience of both of our lives. We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support.”

2. India Rose Hemsworth

The Avengers star Chris Hemsworth welcomed first child, daughter India Rose, with his wife Elsa Pataky on May 11, 2012. The Snow White and the Huntsman actor said fatherhood has been smooth sailing so far.

“She’s been great,” Chris gushed of his newborn daughter. “She sleeps very well. Not out of any skill on my behalf, but my wife has been amazing.” The Aussie actor adds that fatherhood has already shifted his perspective: “Just her being here. It’s certainly taken all my focus and attention away from work — or what have you — but that’s the main thing on my brain right now. It’s wonderful.”

3. Samuel Garner Affleck

Already parents to daughters Violet, 7, and Seraphina, nearly 4, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck finally welcomed a son, Samuel Garner, on February, 27, 2012. The proud mom-of-three opened up about their newest family member.

“He is so chill… He reaches when he sees me and he laughs a lot,” Jennifer said. “He thinks I’m super funny. What more do you want?”

4. Olive Barrymore Kopelman

E.T. star Drew Barrymore and husband Will Kopelman welcomed their first child, daughter Olive, on September 26, 2012. “We are proud to announce the birth of our daughter,” the newlyweds announced.

“I can’t wait until I have my children,” Drew said just weeks before welcoming baby Olive. “I love the idea that they don’t have to do something that they have no interest in, that they can do something completely opposite if they want to. I will be so surprised if they don’t want to do something involving food or wine or art, but I’ll be OK with it. I just want to build fun, great things for my family.”

5. Maxwell Drew Johnson

Singer-turned-entrepreneur Jessica Simpson and fiancé Eric Johnson welcomed their first child, daughter Maxwell Drew, on May 1, 2012. And by all accounts, it seems the Fashion Star mentor has taken to motherhood like a duck to water.

“I am so in love with baby Maxwell,” the new mom gushed. “I want to cry every time I look at her. Motherhood is by far the best thing I’ve ever experienced.”

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Giuliana and Bill Rancic Advocate For Cord Blood Banking

Friday, November 2nd, 2012

Reality star and E! News host Giuliana Rancic has been open about her struggle with infertility and breast cancer over the past year. So when she and her husband Bill announced that they were expecting through a gestational surrogate back in April, her fans were ecstatic. These days, the happy couple seems to be loving every minute spent with two-month-old Edward Duke. “No matter what, the baby is always priority one,” Bill says.

Now, Giuliana and Bill are teaming up with the Cord Blood Registry to educate parents on the values of cord blood banking—the process of collecting and storing umbilical cord blood after a baby is delivered. These cord blood stem cells can treat many diseases, including leukemia, certain cancers, and blood, immune and metabolic disorders. So saving the cord blood could potentially end up saving the life of the child or someone else in the family. “For us, we thought ‘What if Edward has a health issue and those stem cells can save his life?’” Giuliana says. “So we decided it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

The Rancics first worked with the Cord Blood Registry when Giuliana’s sister gave birth, and Giuliana was put in charge of the kit. “I was so nervous about it,” she admits. “I thought I would actually be involved with the packaging of it and getting everything together, but really, they send you the kit and you bring it and all the doctors know what to do with it. It was really my responsibility to just ship it in a timely manner. It was so easy!”

After that experience, she knew she wanted to do the same with her own children when the time came. “It was just on my list,” she explains. “I bought the stroller, the crib, I bought everything I could in order to assure my son’s safety and this was just one of those things on the list.” Bill agrees: “For us, it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it,” he says. “We just wanted to make sure that we could provide the best life possible for our kid.”

The first step for expectant parents interested in cord blood banking is to do a little research to make sure this is right for them. “You have one shot at getting those stem cells before the umbilical cord is discarded,” Giuliana says. “We recommend for people to do their research. Just because it’s right for us doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone, but you spend so much time online researching strollers and cribs and toys. Why not research this as well and see if this is something you want to do?” Some day, you may be very glad that you gave up just a few minutes of your time to set some cord blood aside.

Photo courtesy of the Cord Blood Registry.

Parents Daily News Roundup

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Should Parents Be Allowed to Decline Vaccines? Vermont Debates
Vermont is among 20 states that currently allow some form of “philosophical exemption” — essentially a right of refusal for parents who want to enroll their children in school or child care without immunizations.

Wisconsin’s Planned Parenthood Suspends Non-Surgical Abortions
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has suspended non-surgical abortions in response to a new state law that makes it harder for women to have the procedure, a move that followed anti-abortion measures in several Republican-controlled states.

Aging Moms Prefer Daughter to Hubby, Study Finds
A study published this week in the journal of Scientific Reports, suggests that as women age, they shift their focus of intimacy from their husbands to adult daughters — even as their husbands continue to retain their wives as their closest confidantes.

Women with Heart Trouble More Likely to Have Baby Girls
Pregnant women with heart disease are more likely to give birth to girls than boys, according to a new study from Iran.

Obesity Rates Down for Infants, Toddlers
After a three-decade tripling in childhood obesity rates, the trend has leveled off and, for the first time, appears to be on a substantial decline – at least among Massachusetts infants and preschoolers, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Giuliana Rancic Is Expecting a Baby
Giuliana Rancic, 37, whose road to motherhood has been made difficult by infertility struggles, one miscarriage and a diagnosis of breast cancer, announced in person Monday on the Today show that she is expecting.