That first photo of a newborn entering the world is precious and unrivalled. You never get another crack at it. According to an article in Babble, an Arizona couple's shot of their little girl emerging is priceless. While giving birth by C-section, photographer Alicia Atkins' husband captured the most exquisite moment: baby Neveah reaching out and gripping the finger of the doctor delivering her.
"I can FINALLY share this!!!!" wrote Alicia on her Facebook page, 10 weeks after delivering her daughter. "I am in awe of this photo. Something to remember forever." Her husband obviously learned a thing or two from his wife about how to take a great photo.
She also printed the photo on a canvas and presented the gift to her OBGYN, Dr Sawyer, which we can only assume hangs proudly in the medical office.
This shot is all kinds of miraculous. Take a moment to just look upon it and feel awe...
image: A Classic Pin-Up Photography
Is makeup a burden or a boon for today's women? The New York Times recently asked the floor: do cosmetics "ultimately damage a woman’s self-esteem, or elevate it?" It certainly makes us look more competent.
According to an article in Slate, the question is pretty much irrelevant. But I'm not so sure. Makeup can make women feel more attractive and, therefore, more confident. And girls are starting to wear it earlier and earlier. Yet, when a woman feels she can't leave the house without it—when makeup (yes, even the "natural look" we strive so hard to achieve) becomes obligatory—it can only enslave us.
Isn't the pressure to look as though we aren't wearing any makeup, when we are, just as bad as slapping on the war paint? "After all," argues Slate, "we all wake up in the morning with dewy perfect skin and naturally dramatic eyes, just like Zooey Deschanel (who wears fake eyelashes to get that natural look) or Kate Winslet (who I've never seen without mascara or her eyebrows drawn on)."
Would you be caught dead without makeup in public? How much do you spend on it a year? Could you live without it?
Pregnancy trends come and go. From bump casts to 3D fetus models, it seems we're always on the lookout for a novel way to celebrate the arrival of baby—the latest of which is the ultrasound party. Your family and friends huddle around, drinks in hand, while the mom-to-be gets her belly squirted with jelly by the ultrasound tech.
According to an article in Today Mom, the latest in overshare involves "an intimate viewing of baby in utero."
Guests get to mingle and munch, while technicians prepare the ultrasound machine. Then everyone gathers around the chaise longue while the licensed techs point out teensy body parts on the monitor.
For around $100-$350 USD, members of the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography will perform 3D/4D ultrasounds weeknights and weekends.
“Gender reveal is probably the bulk of our work,” said Teena Gold, who founded Baby Face and More.
For some couples, the ultrasound party offers the chance for a longer, lingering glimpse of their unborn baby, beyond the clinical setting.
“It’s more of an experience and less of an in-and-out procedure,” said Gold, who claims it can be fun to share surprises, such as the discovery of twins.
The ultrasound has gone from procedure to party. But though the trend is gaining momentum, it's not for everyone. And, of course, there are unanticipated risks. Say the machine fails to detect a fetal heartbeat? What if the skull fails to develop?
Would you really want to face that possibility with a houseful of revellers? After all, the whole purpose of ultrasounds are for detecting abnormalities, such as "chromosomal disorders, malformations, and to aid in estimating fetal weight or the amount of amniotic fluid." They weren't created for the sake of entertainment.
Would you consider having an ultrasound party? Spill it.
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