Fact Checking - Baby Style

In celebration and acknowledgement of the upcoming presidential elections, I thought it was fitting to do some fact checking.  No, I'm not going to reveal the truth behind Governor Romney's plan for reforming the federal tax code or expose what really happened at the US Embassy in Syria.  What I will do is throw out some interesting baby facts for us to ponder.  Let's get this party started (click on answers to see the source of my info):


Average weight and length of baby at 40 weeks - 7 lbs 10.08 ounces and 20.16 inches

Original Gerber Baby - Ann Turner Cook

Ann Turner Cook in December 1996

US State with the most births - California

US State with the highest birth rate (number of births compared to number of women) - Utah

Top selling baby toy on Amazon.com - Sophie the Giraffe, obvy

What's So Great About Sophie?

Doctor who delivered the most babies (arguably) - Dr. Walter "Papa Doc" Watson, practice in Augusta, GA, delivered 18,000+ babies, still delivering at age 100

Year that TLC's A Baby Story premiered - 1998

Highest amount of money paid for photo of celebrity baby - $11 million was allegedly paid by People Magazine for photos of Brangelina's twins (Vivienne and Knox)

The Money Shot

Busiest Labor and Delivery Hospital in US (arguably) - Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX

Best selling baby book (through 2000) - The Poky Little Puppy

Now in it's 65th edition!!!

Number of children fathered by Eddie Murphy - 8 (Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola, Bella, Christian, Eric, Angel)

Amount of money Jay Z and Beyonce spent on Swarovski encrusted baby shoes for Blue Ivy - $800

Designed by Ruthie Davis

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Is She or Isn't She?

Is Catelynn Lowell pregnant or what? 

A long time ago, I falsely announced (here) that Catelynn Lowell was pregnant, again.  I say falsely because if she had been pregnant way back then she would have certainly had the baby by now.  My announcement was based on Catelynn's MySpace where she, at the time, declared that she was expecting.  To be specific, the "details" section of her myself page said "Children: Expecting".  Here's what the details section of her MySpace page looks like today:

Earlier this year, rumors (not started by me) once against swirled that she was knocked up.  These rumors came to a head in early summer with a cover of In Touch magazine that featured Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra.  The cover declared "I'm Pregnant!"...a statement attributed to Catelynn herself.

Now, I know that In Touch magazine isn't known for its hard journalism, but I would have guessed that fact checking comes into play when a cover and feature article are at issue.  With all the defamation suits that celebs throw around these days, what magazine would put out a cover story with false information?  So my assumption, upon seeing the cover, was that Catelynn Lowell was preggers again.  This time for real.

The plot thickened when Ms. Lowell gave an exclusive interview to US Weekly shortly after the In Touch cover went public.  In that interview she stated that she was NOT pregnant, despite the In Touch cover and article.  And so the pendulum swung back. 

But wait.  In response to Catelynn's interview with US Weekly, In Touch responded with one of those "we stand by our story" statements to the Huffington Post.  It's their story and they're sticking to it.

So, which is it?  Did In Touch get the scoop from a ratty insider or is Catelynn Lowell genuinely waiting for number two until she's a tad bit older?  She's currently 20, if anyone was wondering.

I guess time will tell, again.

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I Met Rosie Pope (Part 2)

This being "Part 2", if you haven't read Part 1 you may want to do so first (click here).

I ended Part 1 with my standing in that huge crowd, waiting impatiently for my chance to meet Rosie Pope.  I'm feeling guilty for what's going to be an anti-climatic conclusion, so I'm going to cut to the punch - I never actually shook Rosie's hand or introduced myself...or technically met her.  The damn line was soooo long.  After 30 minutes of eating gummy bears in line and chatting up the pregnant women in front of me and behind me it became clear I wasn't even halfway through the wait.  So, I made up an excuse to get really close, took a haphazard photo (below) and bee lined for the exit.

I got within 15 feet of the Pregnant in Heels hostess, maybe closer.  The girl in the pink, patterned, long dress (blurry) was definitely Rosie's keeper.  She was standing close by while members of the press questioned her with notebooks and microphoned recorders.  You can see in the top right corner there is a person with a camera taking photos of something out of frame.  That something is Daron Pope.  Oddly enough, Rosie and Daron maintained a significant distance for the entire event.

You're probably pretty angry right now - angry that I didn't actually meet her, that I didn't suck it up and just wait in line, that I fraudulently entitled this post (and Tuesday's post) "I Met Rosie Pope".  I'm angry too.  And I'm sorry.  A more honest choice of words would have been "I Almost Met Rosie Pope But I Was Too Bored".  The worst part is that I can't officially confirm or deny her strange accent/lisp/speech impediment because while I got within an earshot, it was so damn noisy I couldn't distinguish her voice from all the others. 

Despite your anger, maybe you still want to read about my thoughts on her maternity line?  

The Rosie Pope for A Pea in the Pod maternity line is full of blazers and blouses.  It has a distinct business woman (with a bump) feel.  It's also expensive for what I would consider reasonable money to spend on maternity clothes.  A woman is pregnant for 9 months and probably only needs maternity clothes for 5-7 of those months.  So, spending a few thousand dollars on a 5-7 month wardrobe isn't a luxury that most ladies can afford, especially considering all of those other looming expenses (strollers, cribs, diapers, etc.).  The least expensive item in Rosie's new collection was a peach blouse for $85.  

I was also struck by the fact that this line isn't all that different (if at all) from the regular Rosie Pope maternity line.  The whole point of the collaboration alluded me.  It wasn't like Vera Wang's collection for Kohl's or Stella McCartney's collection for Target, both of which are highly affordable and stylish collections from designers who made names for themselves by making highly expensive and stylish collections.  

The collection itself is cute and very New York.  I'm not sure it's practical (both in cost and style) for non-professionals.  No need to drop $180 on a maternity pencil skirt if you're not required to wear business attire on a daily basis.  The color palette is black, white and rose, with few exceptions.  The individual pieces are almost all tailored, which I appreciated - just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you have to sport shift dresses and empire waist shirts - but a couple loose fitting items would have been nice.  Not everyone can look like Victoria Beckham through the 9th month.  

This sparkly, black blazer was one of many blazers.  It was cute, had a Chanel vibe.  

This white blouse was one of my favorite pieces.  

It was simple and didn't look maternity to me.  It retailed for $125.

This geometric shirt dress was another favorite.  But for $225?  

I agonize over non-maternity fashion purchases for $225, much less a purchase 

that would realistically fit me for a only few months.

Two parting questions:  Do you forgive me?  Would you buy Rosie Pope's maternity line for A Pea in the Pod?

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The Lisping (Mrs.) Pope is Back

Who's been watching the 2nd season of Pregnant in Heels?  A lot of you.  I know this because every Tuesday the traffic on Next Stop Baby skyrockets between the hours of 10 and 11 p.m. as people across America find the need to google the phrase "Rosie Pope speech impediment" (it's still the reigning Stuff People Google champ).  For those who don't know, Next Stop Baby is in the top 3 results on Google if you search this phrase and a lot of people search this phrase, especially when Pregnant in Heels is airing.

Rosie Pope - pregnant again, lisping as always

I myself am guilty of not really watching this season.  I made it through most of last season because I thought it was important to the blog, being baby related and pop culture relevant.  This season I haven't managed a single episode.  I've barely been able to handle a couple minutes here and there.  It's official, I don't like Pregnant in Heels.  And it's not Rosie's speech impediment (or lisp or accent or whatever) that bothers me.  I'm just not into the show.

This past Tuesday was one of the few times I've tuned in for a couple minutes.  I was specifically motivated to check out the episode because I know someone who knows someone who used to date one of the husbands that was featured.  Yes, I'm four degrees from Rosie Pope.  Anyway, I watched for about three minutes.  The first 5 seconds were spent identifying the guy, the next 2 minutes and 55 seconds were spent thinking, "meh".  There were two couples.  The husband in one couple was experiencing pregnancy-like symptoms.  The woman in the other couple was pregnant but hated maternity clothes.  Rosie to the rescue.  I didn't see whether she fulfilled her two very complicated missions of relieving the non-pregnant man's morning sickness and finding maternity clothes that satisfied the fashion sensitive mama-to-be, but I assume that's exactly what happened.

For an admittedly baby crazy individual, it would seem that Pregnant in Heels would be right in my wheelhouse.  But, again, it's not.  It's just not.  Maybe it's too formulaic for me?  Can't be.  The Cutting Edge is one of my top favorite movies of all time and arguably the most formulaic movie of all time.  Maybe it really is Rosie's lisp?  No.  I just don't find it that bothersome.  It's more comical than anything and slightly endearing.  Plus, I'm obsessed with the Real Housewives of New Jersey.  Ever heard Teresa Giudice pronounce cumin?

I hear Teresa Giudice (above) uses a lot of "ingredientses" in her cookbook

I think it's the lack of drama.  Teresa Guidice flipping a table, that's drama.  A husband faking having pregnancy symptoms, that's annoying and kind of boring.  A woman who doesn't like maternity clothes - who cares?  I mean...snooze fest, right?  I say right.  But, clearly you say WRONG because you're all watching, ever Tuesday on Bravo.

So, please, tell me - WHY do you love Pregnant in Heels?  Why?!

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Meathole of the Week: Amber Portwood

Who remembers the movie Ernest Goes to Jail?  I do.  Sort of.  I don't remember the plot or really anything about the movie other than the title and the lead actor.  For those who need a refresher, it came out in 1990 and was a sequel of sorts to Ernest Goes to Camp.  Jim Varney played Ernest in both. 

What's the segway?  Well, much like Ernest went to Jail in 1990, Teen Mom's Amber Portwood is heading to jail in 2012.  She will be the little darling of the Indiana Department of Corrections for the next five years.  And, as the title of this posts suggests, she will also be the Meathole of the Week on Next Stop Baby.  That's right, I'm bring back the Meathole of the Week because the original post (here) was so darn popular.  Speaking of, I almost made Ms. Hilary Duff a two time Meathole winner thanks to more annoying comments she recently made about how she's a genius at changing diapers and her son's a genius for rolling over.  Irkity Irk.

Back to Amber.  Whatever we think about shows like Jersey Shore and Teen Mom, we can begrudgingly concede that the cast members make bank.  Yes they earn that money by acting like the lowest common denominator, but I think it's safe to say that a portion of that grotesque behavior is choreographed (intentionally or subconsciously) for the cameras.  Crazy sells.  So, I don't fault Amber for viciously arguing with her child's father on camera or generally making us gasp at her lack of parenting skills.  She's paid to do that, sort of.  And Mama Amber's not bringing home the bacon in any other discernible way. 

Where the problem lies is in her need to repeatedly break the law.  Amber is to Teen Mom what Angelina is was to Jersey Shore.  Angelina couldn't suck up the fact that she hated all the other guido punks for just a few weeks out of the year to set herself up financially for life (or at least a couple decades).  Amber couldn't subdue her desire to abuse drugs and physically assault people for the sake of her daughter, much less for the sake of a pay check.

Weird

In second thought, maybe Angelina is the true Meathole because she's just a loud mouthed pain in the ass, where as Amber has a clinical drug addiction.  Either way, both girls have successfully dumped their cash cows in the garbage.  And, in Amber's case, she dumped her daughter in the hands whoever is legally able to care for her while she spends half a decade sporting an orange jumper and trying not to drop the soap.

But wait, some of you are thinking - forget Angelina, those soulless producers over at MTV are the true Meatholes.  On some level the old, wise adults at MTV knew exactly the type of teenage time bomb they cast as a Teen Mom.  You're thinking that the MTV staff has taken their formulaic television programming to a disgusting new level by supplying underage, drug addicted, anger unmanaged mothers with more than enough dough to feed all of their gnarly habits (and not their kids).  I hear ya, but I won't subscribe to this perspective until I'm given convincing evidence that, on top of all that cold hard cash, MTV also provides free access to drugs and weapons for all its teen mothers.  I don't think MTV can be blamed when there are plenty of young ladies on Teen Mom that did the opposite of Amber and got their shit together (relatively speaking).

Nothing like a good Meathole discussion to kick off your Tuesday.  What's your take?

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Consideration and Deliberation of 2011's Most Popular Baby Names

Today's post title is hardcore (read: long).  If you've read prior baby name posts on NSB you've come to know that I get hardcore about the subject.

For starters, thanks to fabulous comment from Amy in a post from last week (here), I now know that the Social Security Administration posts the most popular baby names from the prior year on the Friday before Mother's Day.  I knew it was an annual occurrence, but I didn't know there was a precise date.  I had thought it was just a random day in May.  Not so.  There is a sentimental method to the madness.

Next, let's get down to business and discuss 2011's most popular baby names.  I'll start with some interesting notes on specific names, girls first.

• Aubrey/Aubree - Both versions of this girl name gained noteworthy popularity last year.  Aubrey broke into the Top 20 and Aubree jumped from 223 to 99.
• Avery - As I predicted (more on that later in the week), the popularity of Avery continues to rise.  She jumped 5 significant spots from 23 to 18.
• Briella - This name jumped 394 spots from 2010 (#891) to 2011 (#497).  Not only that, but 2010 was the first time Briella was even in the Top 1,000.  She jolted from not listed to Top 500 in 2 years flat.  Impressive.  My previous (here) and current theory on the sudden popularity of Briella is also known as the Jersylicious Effect.  Jerseylicious is another trashy, fabulous reality TV show that stars, amongst many, Briella Calafiore.  Ms. Calafiore's mom must feel like an innovator.
• Brisa - She fell the most spots of any girl name, sliding from 464 to 807.  It's a relatively common name amongst Latino families, but can't seem to hit it's stride in the US of A. 
• Sophia/Sofia - As if Sophia overtaking Isabella for the #1 spot wasn't enough, Sophia's less popular twin sister (Sofia) broke into the Top 20.  I don't think this name (either version) is going anywhere anytime soon.

Briella Calafiore.  Jerseylicious.

Now the boys.

• Benjamin - It may be hard to believe, but this boy name has never been this popular.  It broke into the Top 20 for the first time. 
• Brett - Bye, bye Brett.  Much like the career of Brett Favre, this name's hay day has passed.  It went down a whopping 119 spots in a year from 389 (2010) to 508 (2011).
• Joseph - Perhaps one of the most significant changes to the Top 1,000 boy name list was the movement of Joseph.  He is officially out of the Top 20 for the first time in the history of the SSA keeping tabs on this stuff. 
• Liam - It's the shorter (if we're counting letters), Irish brother of William and it's yet another name that broke into the Top 20 for the first time in 2011.  Liam has been on the rise since the mid 1990s and after becoming a popular choice for celeb baby boys (i.e. Liam McDermott, Liam Costner, Liam Stewart), I imagine it will maintain it's stronghold for years to come. 
• Mason - Well hello there fella.  A mere 15 years prior, Mason hadn't even broken the Top 100 and now he's Number 2.  Nearly 1% of all little boys were named Mason in 2011.  Can we blame credit Kourtney Kardashian for this trend?
• Brantley - This is the biggest mover and shaker of the 2011 boy names list.  Brantley jumped from 736 in 2010 to 320 in 2011 (that's 416 spots).  Brantley Gilbert could be the reason...possibly, maybe.  He's a country music singer/songwriter who released his first songs and music videos in 2010 and also made headlines for surviving a messy DUI.

Brantley Gilbert.  Countrylicious.

When it comes to girls versus boys, there isn't much to report.  The characteristic differences between these groups seem to have held true in the last year.  For example, in 2011, like every year prior that I cared to run the math on, a significantly larger percentage of boys (% 43.77) were given a Top 100 boy names than were girls (% 31.12) given a Top 100 girl name.  This means that it is (and has always been) more likely that your son will share the same name as his bestie than will your daughter.  On the other hand, the Top 5 girl names held strong with only slight jockeying between the ranks while the Top 5 boy names lost Ethan and Michael and gained Noah and Mason.     

Did you have a chance to peruse the SSA website and see if you're favorite baby name(s) were on any of the Top lists?  Any trends that you're seeing so far in 2012?  Do you get as excited over baby names as I do?

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Pregzilla Anyone?

I'm contacted by many a random website owner/product pusher at the Next Stop Baby email address (nextstopbabyblog@gmail.com).  Several times a week someone asks me to promote a cause on Next Stop Baby.  I pretty much never oblige.  I'm not a snob, I'm a preservationist.  I want Next Stop Baby to be about products, website and (mostly) thoughts that authentically strike me in my daily life.

I was emailed two days ago with one of these standard requests to pass along information to you, my beloved readers.  Right off, I was annoyed because the emailer called me a "Mommy Blogger".  You and I know that I'm not a mommy blogger, but I decided to continue reading.  Despite the introductory faux pas, the content of the email was interesting enough that I couldn't just blow it off.  One can't break an unwritten rule without serious consideration.  So that's what I did and after about 4 minutes I had made my decision.  I'm sure you'll understand why.

She also called me a mommy when she signed off.
She is clearly NOT an NSB reader.

The emailer is affiliated with a reality television casting company and she's working on an upcoming show: Pregzilla.  That's right, Pregzilla.  You understand my extremely quick decision to pass along the good word, yes?

I'm a reality show addict.  I don't waste my time calling it a guilty pleasure because I'm not guilty about it. You know that I've written about Teen Mom several times (here, here and here) and referenced the Real Housewives (here and here).

I'm an urban dictionary addict and "pregzilla" is a defined term (here).

I found a t-shirt with the
Urban Dictionary definition of Pregzilla
(from zazzle.com)

I'm a Pregnant in Heels addict critic.  My posts about Rosie Pope and Pregnant in Heels have been reigning fan favorites.  I envision Pregzilla as being a direct competitor of Pregnant in Heels (aka more fodder for NSB).

The sum of all this meant I had to share the casting information.  I would freak out if a Next Stop Baby reader applied for the show and made it to any of the casting rounds, much less onto the show.  So, if you're interested or know anyone that would be the info is below and keep me posted!!!  Look out Rosie Pope, Pregzilla is on the way.

Now casting the humorous and crazy side of pregnancy! 

EXPECTING MOTHERS: You thought PMS was bad, but this just got a whole lot worse! Are you losing your mind? Hormones running amok? Freaking out over the littlest things? Are you making yourself and everyone else around you nuts and using your pregnancy as the excuse?

This is your pregnancy and you need to be treated like a queen! Let's face it, you're never going to have a better excuse to act up, diva out, regress to childhood, and take command as the queen!

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS:  Do you not recognize the woman you fell in love with?  Are you feeling more and more like an alien took over her body and turned her into an emotional monster?  This is your chance to have fun with the fact that your lady has gone off the rails.  

Looking for both expecting mothers and significant others to participate and share with us the comic drama that surrounds wild ride of pregnancy.  

Doron Ofir Casting, the star-making casting company behind Jersey Shore, Millionaire Matchmaker, My Strange Addiction and RuPaul's DragRace, is now casting pregnant mothers who are loud and proud pregzillas! If you or someone you know qualifies, please apply now!

If you and your significant other are currently expecting and appear to be between the ages of 21-35, you could be eligible to star in a new exciting series that celebrates the roller coaster ride of pregnancy. 

This is your opportunity to express yourself and tell the world what you've been going through. Vent, complain, brag, show off...and get the ultimate travelogue of your journey to parenthood. 

If selected, you will receive an episodic stipend of $5,000.00

To apply, please visit www.pregzillascasting.com and fill out the digital application. 

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Pregnant in Heels...Again

She's back.  Our favorite lisping (or regular speaking...depends who you ask) British pregnancy guru is coming back to Bravo for another season.

If you don't watch Bravo during every spare second of your day then you might not have seen the new commercial for Season 2 of Pregnant in Heels.  No fear, head to the Bravo website (here) to check out the details of the new season that will start on May 15.

After visiting Bravo.com, head to Hulu.com
to rewatch the SNL spoof from last year 

And you can check out all my old posts on Rosie Pope at the links below:

Your Burning Rosie Pope Questions

Rosie Pope Said...Wha???

Slightly Scared of Pregnant in Heels

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Reality Stars Do Pregnancy

Has anyone else noticed that reality TV stars are getting knocked up left and right?  Why?  I have two theories.  My first theory is that the pregnancy-is-so-hot-right-now trend is having a trickle down effect from the A list stars to the non-A list stars.  If Angie does it, it's cool.  And, by now, she's done it twice.  My second theory is that someone at MTV realized that the excessive drinking, hair pulling and grammatically incorrect sentence forming is losing it's allure.  Then someone at E! realized it...someone at Bravo...and so on.  Regardless of WHY, it's become clear that Gym, Tan, Laundry is being replaced by Unprotected Sex, Preggers, Baby. 

Today, I'm going to pretend to be Perez Hilton before he got all politically correct following a tongue lashing by Jennifer Aniston.  Anyone else remember that?  I'm going to waste a good 10 minutes of your life by dissecting the rampant pregnancy trend infecting affecting D-list Hollywood.

First up, Snooki.  Who was shocked by news of Snooki's pregnancy?  I was.  I really was.  Jersey Shore may not be as epic as it was a mere summer ago, but it still brags a huge following.  So huge that MTV has developed 2 spin off series, one with Pauly D (The Pauly D Project) and one with Snooki and J Woww (untitled at the moment).  Now, as I just hypothesized, maybe MTV (or Snooki herself) anticipated the Jersey Shore audience wanting something more than episode after episode of black out drinking and fist pumping at Karma.  Maybe a new generation of hair gel abusers is just the ticket.  But, if not, Snooki has just given up her cash cow for a money hungry baby.  She can't exactly head back to the Shore this summer while 7 months pregnant.  And, I don't think The Situation would approve of a Baby Snooks sleeping in a pack-n-play in the Smoosh Room.

via UsMagazine.com

Kristin Cavallari, former Laguna Beach and Hills star, is also pregnant.  Like the Snooki news, this announcement was quite the curve ball.  Just last year Ms. Cavallari had ended her engagement to Jay Cutler and was accused of scamming for cocaine all day, every day, all the time.  A lot can change in a year.  She announced her pregnancy about a month ago and seems to come up with a new, mind-numbing story to tell People.com on a day-to-day basis about her progress - her cravings, the size of her bump, her prediction that Jay Cutler (aka baby daddy) will be a good father because he's "good with [her] little dog".  I'm starting to think that she got pregnant to stay relevant.

image via UsMagazine.com

Then there's Kourtney Kardashian who's very pregnant with her second.  Unlike Snooki and Kristin, Kourtney's announcement wasn't all that shocking.  But, the timing of her announcement was noteworthy.  Just as the Kim and Kris relationship inferno hell came to a head last fall, WHAM: Kourtney's pregnant.  It felt like Kris Jenner was snapping her fingers at America - look over here, not there, HERE...ignore the Kardashian behind curtain number one...look at the fabulous Kardashian behind door number two!!!  While I avoided using the word "calculated" with Snooki and Kristin (because I don't think it applies), I'm gonna casually throw it out with Kourtney Kardashian.  I don't believe her pregnancy was calculated, but I do think her pregnancy announcement was orchestrated to divert as much negative press away from sister Kim as possible.

image via Celebuzz.com

How did I do?  Could I guest write for Pink is the New Blog? What do you think of all these reality TV ladies and their baby bumps?

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Equally Awful

Did you hear that Leah Messer had a miscarriage?  UGH.  Here is the full story from OK! Magazine.

When I heard the sad news I had been ironically working on a post about the fact that Leah Messer was pregnant again.  A cheeky post that went something like this:

If you know I love Teen Mom, you also know that I have mixed opinions about it's overall worth to society.  I've asked the question before (here) and I'll ask it again: is Teen Mom teaching teens about how truly difficult it is to be a teenage mother or is it glamorizing teen pregnancy?  I think, and I could certainly be wrong, that the founding idea behind Teen Mom was to encourage the use of birth control (and celibacy).  I haven't come across any statistics on whether this principal has in fact affected the general teenage population, but when it comes to a specific teenage individual, Leah Messer, we can now say with certainty that the whole importance of birth control message didn't resonate.  She's nineteen and recently announced that she's pregnant, again.

I was actually inspired to write a post about Leah's Messer's pregnancy by one of my favorite NSB followers who emailed this question: why haven't you covered the Leah Messer pregnancy?!  A solid question given my juvenile obsession with the Teen Mom franchise.  Of course it was blog worthy news, but I was biding my time as I searched for my angle.  So, I started the post (above) but couldn't figure out where to take it.  Then, news of the miscarriage hit the internet and my angle found me.

Pregnancy is major.  It can be major good or major...not good.  That's because not all pregnancies occur under ideal terms.  It's easy to think of the married couple in their thirties who get pregnant after thoughtful consideration, financial planning and a month of hot, unprotected sex.  Of course that's not always the case.  Pregnancy can also be the result of a couple teenagers having a one-night, supremely awkward romp session after drinking far too many Natty Ices.

aka Natty Ice

Miscarriage, on the other hand, is pretty much always awful - whether you're sixteen or fifty, a billionaire or poor as hell, ready or not ready.  There is no upside to discovering a pregnancy and then losing that pregnancy.  For a woman whose discovery of pregnancy is major good, loss of that pregnancy is awful.  Totally and utterly devastating.  For a woman whose discovery of pregnancy is major not good, loss of that pregnancy is still awful.  Losing a pregnancy won't erase the emotional turmoil that occurred while the pregnancy existed.  And, even in major not good cases, unexpectedly losing a pregnancy may still provoke sadness.  A loss is still a loss, even if it's accompanied by a sense of relief.

Upon hearing news of the miscarriage, my heart hurt for Ms. Messer, even if she did ignore the good word of Dr. Drew.

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A Moment for Giuliana

Today is something different.  It's not an anecdote about why babies scare me or something gross I learned about childbirth.  It's not a baby shower theme or gift idea.  It's not about nursery decor or trendy baby clothes.  And it's not a weird phrase that someone googled.

Today is my non-witty, non-fluffy, non-weird post for Giuliana Rancic.  While I don't believe Mrs. Rancic is a follower of Next Stop Baby, Next Stop Baby is a follower of hers and I was very touched as I watched her on yesterday's Today Show.  I (and everyone else) was expecting her to announce that she was pregnant with her first and long-awaited baby.  Instead, she told Ann Curry that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and won't be able to pursue her dream of motherhood until she undergoes 6 weeks of radiation therapy and recovery.

You know I'm obsessed with reality television and all things celebrity gossip, so it should be no surprise that I'm a big fan of Giuliana's reporting on E! News, her Fashion Police quips and her reality show on The Style Network.  She's a class act.  As she navigates the less than exciting adventures of IVF and the more than annoying monologues of Ryan Seacrest, she always remains spirited and endearing.  I have no doubt that she'll maintain that poise through this new challenge and find her way to a speedy recovery.  I wish her all the best as she does.

Did you see the announcement?  What did you think?  Click HERE for a link to the 6 minute clip of her interview with Ann Curry.

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Stuff People Google Teen Mom 3 - Quatro

This is the final Stuff People Google phrase in celebration of Teen Mom 3...for today.  I think the typist should have been a little more specific in his/her search.

teen mom people naked

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Stuff People Google Teen Mom 3 - Tres

My tribute to Teen Mom 3 continues with another Stuff People Google phrase.  I'm actually not sure this one is about Teen Mom 3...

naked stuff moms

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Stuff People Google Teen Mom 3 - Dos

As a tribute, today (all day) I'm posting Stuff People Google that is related to one my favorite Not Guilty Pleasures (huh...pleasures) - Teen Mom.

teen mom pleasure

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Stuff People Google Teen Mom 3 - Uno

Here is the first Teen Mom 3 Stuff People Google phrase of the day (more to come).  I can't comment because I'm not sure what was going on here.  I'm not sure what was "fake"...anyone know?

tyler baltierra naked fake

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Rosie Pope Said...Wha???

Last week's post, Slightly Scared of Being Pregnant in Heels, has received a lot of attention.  I would love to attribute this interest to my witty, insightful and altogether brilliant writing skills, but that's definitively (and unfortunately) not the case.  I'll explain.  I track the ways that people find this blog: links from other websites, twitter, search engines, etc.  If someone gets here from a search engine, I'm able to see the precise phrase that was searched.  Here are just a few of the exact phrases that led people to Next Stop - Baby over the past seven days:

• pregnant in heels host speech impediment (MANY googled/binged/yahooed this one)
• Pregnant in Heels host speech
• what is up with rosie pope speech impediment
• rosie pope disability
• Rosie Pope lisp
• Rosie Pope speech impediment
• is pregnant in heels host deaf
• rosie's lips on pregnant in heels
• pregnant in heels host rosie pope lisp
• bravo.com r osie pope speech impediment?

Finally, my personal favorite - "anyone notice rosie pope has a lisp".  Yes and YES.  Everyone has noticed.  Though I'm not willing to concede that her speech is more interesting than the highly eccentric and highly pregnant women on her show, I am willing to admit that I understand the fascination given that the question remains unanswered.  How are we supposed to stop debating it until we get an answer one way or another?

So, what exactly is the issue with Rosie Pope's speech?  I HAVE THE ANSWER, sort of.  NextStopBaby follows RosiePope on twitter (and we have actually exchanged a couple tweets, ehem, ehem).  Yesterday, @RosiePope tweeted the following response to a question posed by one of her followers/speech impediment enthusiasts (@DanielleDiDit):

"Not aware of impediment but now u have me wandering- think just accent;)"@DanielleDiDit :do u have speech impediment or just "crazy" accent"

Thank you DanielleDiDit for going to the source and asking the question everyone else was afraid to ask, but absurdly curious to know the answer.



UPDATE (5/17/11) - Some of the comments below are...negative (to put it lightly).  For now, I've decided not to erase any of them because I think it's a bad precedent.  However, I do want to point out that they are not my thoughts (my thoughts are above only) and I do want to suggest that if Ms. Pope's voice genuinely upsets you it's as easy as switching the channel.

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Slightly Scared of Being Pregnant In Heels

Bravo's new show Pregnant in Heels provides quite a bit of fodder for discussion.  So let's get started.

The shows host, Rosie Pope, is incredibly likable.  She strikes a great balance of blunt and sweet, which helps me get over her annoyingly statuesque figure and all-American look.  She's British, of course.  Something about her was instantly familiar to me (like I'd seen her in a recent rom com), so I googled her.  Turns out she has no prior history per imdb.com, but what she does have is people everywhere wondering whether she is deaf.  Websites, blogs and online Q&A forums are full of people debating whether she has a hearing disability.  Yes, it's impossible not to notice that something is going on there, but of ALL the madness the show presents I'm boggled by the extreme interest in the hostess's speech.

Here are a few things about Pregnant in Heels that I find more interesting than Rosie Pope's accent/speech impediment/lisp/whatever:

1. After systematically reviewing the names of all 2010 Harvard and Yale graduates, one couple used a focus group to consider and debate their top choice names.  After all, a name is a first impression, is a brand, is the foundation to a successful and fabulous life.
2. A pregnant bride's dog peed on her wedding dress.  Not near, but ON.  Not a tinkle but a whole mini bladder of urine.  The bride's reaction: lift the dress to let the pee roll off and resume berating her mother and stepmother.
3. This is a two-parter: 1) a husband commented that his 8 month pregnant wife should "force herself" to have sex with him (because she had lost interest during the pregnancy), and 2) Rosie made said jackhole husband wear a 30 lb. fake baby belly while he knelt on all fours and considered how sexy he felt. 
4. Rosie asked a couple (husband from #3 and his wife) to place a video camera in their bedroom to record their nightly ritual, which would then be viewed by Rosie and a sex therapist.  The couple obliged.
5. A mother-to-be unzipped a mini garment bag to reveal her unborn baby's "take me home" outfit that she had special ordered online.  She didn't have stroller.

Amongst all the online chatter, I was unable to determine whether Miss Pope is deaf or otherwise hearing disabled.  I was also unable to determine whether wedding guests were able to see or smell the remnants of dog urine on the wedding dress (#2 above), which is of far greater interest to me.

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