Colin Farrell & Alicja Bachleda welcome baby No.2 into the world

Colin Farrell, 33, has become a dad for the second time after his girlfriend delivered a bouncing baby boy.

Polish actress, Alicja Bachleda, 26, gave birth to Henry Tadeusz Farrell on October 7, the actor’s spokesperson has confirmed.

Alicja seen together with Colin seems to have gone right back to her PBB, (Post Baby Boody) after the pair were seen at a U2 concert together, just three weeks later.

Farrell fell for Bachleda when they filmed their new movie Ondine, which stars the actor as an Irish fisherman who falls in love with a mermaid played by the Polish actress.

The couple soon got serious and after discovering her pregnancy, she moved into his $4.3million Hollywood Hills home.

Farrell is also father to six-year-old James with ex-girlfriend, Canadian model Kim Bordenave. Although long split from his oldest son James’s mother, he shares joint custody.

Two years ago, Farrell revealed James had been diagnosed with a rare neuro-genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome.

He said: ‘I have never thought of my son as being someone with a disability.

‘It goes back to special needs and what is a disability and what isn’t.

‘He has amazing courage. I’m incredibly blessed to have him in my life.’

         

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John Hopkins reports no health insurance may have caused death for 17,000 U.S. children

A new report from researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore estimates that 17,000 United States children may have died over a 20-year period because they did not have health insurance.  The Journal of Public Health article was published yesterday online.

David C. Chang, co-director of John Hopkins pediatric surgery outcomes research group, joined Dr. Fizan Abdullah and other colleagues to examine records from more than 23 million hospitalizations of people younger than 18 years of age.

They examined records for an 18-year period of time ending in 2005.  During that time 117 million children were hospitalized, and nearly 6 million of those kids were uninsured at the time of admission.  The study reports that 38,649 children died while hospitalized.

After adjustments for differences in race and gender, the report concludes that uninsured kids are 37.8 percent more likely to die than kids with insurance coverage.

“This is actually something we as a society…can chose to do something about,” said Dr.Chang.  “It’s literally with the stroke of somebody’s pen, this could be changed.”  He believes that health insurance has a dramatic impact on health outcomes.

Although the study does not prove conclusively that being uninsured boosts a child’s mortality risk, it does suggest there is at least a strong correlation between the two.

Chang went on to say, “I think the message is insurance is a choice we can make as a society, and this is something that we should consider.”

Past data from the U.S. Institute of Medicine has suggested that people who are uninsured have a higher mortality rate, but Bruce Lesley, president of the bipartisan child and family advocacy group First Focus, believes that the data revealed in this new report is shocking and points to a need for national health reform.

         

Trick-or-Treat Visitors at White House

Volunteers decorate the White House for Halloween

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama expect to hand out goodies to more than 2,000 trick-or-treaters from the North Portico at 1600 Pensylvania Avenue.

The President and First Lady are not expected to be in costume, but what about Sasha and Malia?  After all, it is their first White House Halloween.  Remember all that initial chatter about fashion choices for the First Lady’s family?  Will the evening bring a red-carpet fanfare for Halloween fun and fashion?

Events planned for early Saturday evening include outdoor games and activities for the children from area schools who were chosen by the Education Department to participate in the White House event.

The First Family will then move to the East Room where they will be joined by Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, for Halloween fun and festivities with military families and the families employed at the White House.

Now, I wonder, is there a trick-or-treater brave enough to greet the President with the traditional, “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!”

         

Denkov Sues Summer Infant and Toys R Us Over Video Baby Monitor

Wes Denkov filed suit yesterday against Summer Infant Inc. and Toys R Us, alleging that his baby’s room was “completely visible” on a neighbor’s monitor.  The monitor was manufacturered by Summer Infant, and the unit was purchased at the Babies R Us division of Toys R Us.

The lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook, County, Illinois, after a neighbor with the same monitor informed Denkov that his baby’s nursery was visible, and the conversations taking place in that room could be heard.

After the conversation with his neighbor, Denkov tested his own unit.  By switching the channel on his receiving unit, Denkov was then able to view and hear his neighbor’s nursery.

The Complaint alleges that when Denkov contacted the manufacturer’s customer service representative about the problem, the representative suggested he purchase the more expensive model because it was more secure.  The court document goes on to make allegations that both Summer Infant Inc. and Toys R Us knew the monitors exposed families to “the prying eyes and perhaps ill intentions of neighbors and strangers.”  Denkov’s wife reportedly breastfed their baby frequently while in the baby’s nursery.

Denkov is seeking an unspecified amount of damages and an injunction to block Toys R Us and the manufacturer from selling the baby monitors without adequate warnings.

To read the full text of Denkov’s allegations:  Denkov vs. Summer Infant and Toys R Us

         

Short-term memory leaves mother unable to remember baby

Karen Wilkinson-Wigham with Baby George

Short-term memory loss caused by a bout of meningitis has a mother resorting to write a daily diary of her interactions with her baby.

On Christmas day of 2005, Karen Wilkinson-Wigham felt poorly, suffering from severe migraines. A few days later, she was in a coma, having contracted tubercular meningitis, an infection that attacks the central nervous system.

When she came out of the coma, she soon realized that her ability to remember things from even one day before was gone. Sadly, it even affected her ability to remember her fiancé Brian.

“It was such a relief when she eventually woke,” said Karen’s mother, Muriel. “It was such a relief when she eventually woke. She knew who I was, but when Brian came in she said, ‘Who’s he?’”

“Brian was devastated. But we all felt a bit better when she added ‘Whoever he is, he’s a bit of all right.’”

However, Karen and Brian were able to rekindle their love and eventually were married. The couple was making  plans for having a baby when doctors gave the couple sad news that Karen wouldn’t be able to have a baby. Set to have a hysterectomy, doctors gave the couple surprising news that Karen was pregnant.

Sadly, the pregnancy resulted in the baby dying en utero. A second failed attempt followed, but finally Karen gave birth to a healthy baby, George, last month.

Now, Karen has resorted to keeping a diary to remember the life of George.

“I can’t remember George being born—I can’t even remember when I last fed him. So I’m making the memories of him by writing everything down in a notebook which never leaves my side.”

“Every time he pulls a face I take a photo on my phone so I have a memory of it. I write down when he had his last feed and set my mobile with an alarm to tell me when his next one is due.”

“And while I can’t recall milestones like other mums, I re-live them with him by re-reading my diary.”

“My diary is so important to me because when he is older and asks me questions he will have everything written down for him. After so many nightmares, I still can’t believe Brian and I have a healthy baby. The diary will help me remember.”

         

Vegetable consumption during pregnancy lowers baby’s risk of diabetes in future

Vegetable consumption by expectant mothers may lower the risk of childhood diabetes, but more research must be done.

In a joint effort, University of Gothenburg and Linkoping University in Sweden have had research published that confirms the importance of a balanced diet for pregnant women.

The research, published in the journal Pediatric Diabetes, was based on the study of 6000 five-year-olds and their blood levels of antibodies that suppress the production of insulin. Children with the inability to produce insulin are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Researchers also recorded information about what the children’s mothers ate during pregnancy. When researchers compared the insulin data with the recorded diets of the children’s mothers, they discovered that the risk indicators of children whose mothers ate few vegetables during pregnancy were twice as common as those whose mothers regularly ate vegetables during pregnancy.

“We cannot say with certainty on the basis of this study that it’s the vegetables themselves that have this protective effect, but other factors related to vegetable intake, such as the mother’s standard of education, do not seem to explain the link,” said Hilde Brekke, a clinical nutritionist at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg. “Nor can this protection be explained by other measured dietary factors or other known risk factors.”

Brekke went on to say that more research is necessary to directly link a cause-and-effect relationship.

“This is the first study to show a link between vegetable intake during pregnancy and the risk of the child subsequently developing type 1 diabetes, but more studies of various kinds will be needed before we can say anything definitive.”

         

The Monster Mash Lyrics and Videos - Happy Halloween from Baby Chums

“Monster Mash”, released in October 1962 by Bobby “Boris” Pickett has been a perennial Halloween favourite.

Inspired by earlier hits including “Alley Oop”, as well as by the Mashed Potato. It takes us back to an era of dance crazes and innocent fun, the BBC didn’t agree at the time, banning the record on the grounds that the song was “too morbid”. It was eventually released in the United Kingdom in 1973, where it peaked at #3 in early October. Even The Beach Boys covered the song, two years after its original release.

The Lyrics to, “Moster Mash”:

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise

He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
He did the mash
It caught on in a flash
He did the mash
He did the monster mash

From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes

They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They did the mash
It caught on in a flash
They did the mash
They did the monster mash

The zombies were having fun
The party had just begun
The guests included Wolf Man
Dracula and his son

The scene was rockin’, all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, “The Crypt-Kicker Five”

They played the mash
They played the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They played the mash
It caught on in a flash
They played the mash
They played the monster mash

Out from his coffin, Drac’s voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist
And said, “Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?”

It’s now the mash
It’s now the monster mash
The monster mash
And it’s a graveyard smash
It’s now the mash
It’s caught on in a flash
It’s now the mash
It’s now the monster mash

Now everything’s cool, Drac’s a part of the band
And my monster mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living, this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you

Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash
The monster mash
And do my graveyard smash
Then you can mash
You’ll catch on in a flash
Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash

Video:
Bobby ‘boris’ pickett & The Cryptkickers - Monster Mash

Karaoke Lyrics:

Vincent Price does the Monster Mash at the Monster Club, with a little help from Pan’s People:

         

Baby has dead twin removed from stomach thanks to Red Cross appeal

A Chinese Baby has had her dead twin removed from her stomach. The Red Cross were able to save the life of Kang Mengru in a condition that effects 1 in 500,000 births called Fetus in Fetu.

At first Kang’s parents couldn’t fathom why their daughter’s stomach was growing larger, almost overnight and were concerned it was a tumour. Kang, from Henan Provence, was unable to eat solid food and suffered in constant pain.

Neighbours had labelled the baby a, “monster” with a belly that made her look pregnant.

However, after medical examination, doctors discovered that she had a rare condition, Fetus in Fetu. This occurs when an identical twin somehow gets absorbed into the body of its twin and continues to grow by initially sharing the placenta with its twin and then becoming a parasite that lives off its twin host by using the host’s body to sustain its growth.

Initially her impoverished parents couldn’t afford the operation; however, help arrived in the form of the Red Cross who raised the funds for Kang through an appeal.

After a 10-hour operation, Kang is now recovering well and will be able to live a normal life.

Her mother said: “She doesn’t understand what has happened to her. But she is happy.

“She still has her womb and ovaries, so one day she will be able to have children of her own.”

         

Simon Cowell announced patron of national Children’s Hospices UK

Simon Cowell, the X Factor judge whose infamous on-screen nastiness has made him a household name was today announced patron of national Children’s Hospices UK.

Simon Cowell delighted a clutch of sick children on a visit to a children’s hospice, while Dannii Minogue drew massive crowds at the switching on ceremony of the Harrods Christmas lights.

Cowell, who has been a long time supporter of the Chase Children’s Hospice, was this week named the patron of Children’s Hospices UK - which represents the UK’s network of 44 children’s hospice services.

Simon Cowell appears to have an altruistic side, saying: “I go to CHASE and suddenly I have no problems. These youngsters and their families are the ultimate reality check. This is real life where ordinary people are coping with unbelievable situations with amazing courage and dignity.”

Talking about children, Simon said: ‘They’re funny, they’ve always got opinions and you can learn a hell of a lot more from them than you do from grownups.

‘I just like being around them, maybe because I haven’t got kids. Maybe because I’m still a kid myself, I don’t know.’

Children’s hospices in the UK have little government support. Relying predominantly on fundraising to provide the most amazing care to youngsters suffering from life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses.

On average just 12% of funding comes from government, which runs out in 2011. The rest is donations.

For more information visit: www.childhospice.org.uk

         

$16m for family of Nintendo Wii Mom who died, “Holding her Wee for a Wii”

The family of Jennifer Strange, a mother of three aged 28, who died after drinking seven litres of water in a radio contest for a Nintendo Wii has been awarded $16million in compensation for their loss.

The mother died of acute water intoxication after the challenge to see which contestant could drink the most water without having to wee. The competition prompted Jennifer Strange to force herself to drink 7.5 litres of water trying to win a Nintendo Wii.

A jury in California decided that the operator of KDND-FM radio, was liable for Jennifer Strange’s death after ignoring warnings, given during the contest by a show host and a listener, that the consequences of drinking too much water could be fatal.

Joking on air that she “looked pregnant again”, Jennifer later complained of a headache and upset stomach. She was discovered dead that afternoon.

The Radio station fired 10 employees after the death, arguing during the trial that Ms Strange should have known the contest could be dangerous.

Nearly all deaths related to water intoxication in normal individuals have resulted either from water drinking contests, in which individuals attempt to consume high amounts of water, or long bouts of intensive exercise during which electrolytes are not properly replenished, yet excessive amounts of fluid are still consumed.

         

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