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Gal Gadot gives birth to fourth child after secret pregnancy

<p>Gal Gadot is now a mum of four!</p> <p>The Wonder Woman star announced that she and her husband, Jaron Varsano, have welcomed a baby girl, after keeping the pregnancy under wraps. </p> <p>“My sweet girl, welcome,” she wrote on Instagram, with a photo of her cuddling her newborn. </p> <p>“The pregnancy was not easy and we made it through.”</p> <p>Gadot added that her baby girl, Ori, has brought them "so much light" and revealed the sweet meaning behind her name being "my light" in Hebrew. </p> <p>“Our hearts are full of gratitude. Welcome to the house of girls. daddy is pretty cool too️,” she concluded.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4L5btqPutJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4L5btqPutJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Gal Gadot (@gal_gadot)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The actress received many congratulatory messages in the comments, while others were surprised at the announcement. </p> <p>"Wait she was pregnant?" wrote one confused fan. </p> <p>“Congratulations my love! May you raise her with peace and love to be a superhero,” wrote another. </p> <p>“Congratulations ️How exciting. With four children you are finally Wonder Woman,” added a third. </p> <p>“Welcome Ori. Best wishes and congrats,” said a fourth. </p> <p>“Big congrats! I suppose only a Wonder Woman can look that great after a delivery of the fourth child,” added another. </p> <p>Gadot and her husband kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from the public, but she was reportedly spotted with a baby bump while out in Los Angeles last December. </p> <p>The pair tied the knot in 2008 and are also parents to daughters Alma, 12, Maya, 6, and Daniella, 2.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

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“Meant to be”: Twins give birth just 22 minutes apart

<p dir="ltr">Just days after sharing their 33rd birthday, twin sisters Nicole and Renee Baillie have given birth on the same day. </p> <p dir="ltr">The women, from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, were shocked when they fell pregnant around the same time, with their due dates just two weeks apart. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We magically fell pregnant at the same time, which was crazy,” Nicole told <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/news/sunshine-coast-twins-give-birth-just-22-minutes-apart--c-13517897">7News</a></em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">Nicole was already at the hospital ready to give birth to her baby when Renee went into labour early. </p> <p dir="ltr">Renee rushed to the hospital just in time to give birth in the hospital foyer,  welcoming a baby girl named Ruby.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was just about to have a bath when I heard someone had a baby in the corridor,” Nicole said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I couldn’t believe it,” Renee said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When I got here, into this room after we had (the baby), I wasn’t sure how far along Nicole was. I didn’t want her (Nicole) to know I’d already had my baby, just in case it, like, threw her off.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Renee soon found out Nicole had given birth to a baby boy, named Zavian, only 22 minutes earlier.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought I had a few days left, but they decided they wanted to be born on the same day,” Renee said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was just meant to be, and I think everyone has just manifested this happening,” Nicole said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p>

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Gordon Ramsay welcomes another "bundle of love"

<p>Gordon Ramsay is a father-of-six!</p> <p>The 57-year-old celebrity chef took to Instagram to announce the heartwarming news that his wife Tana, 49, had given birth to an adorable baby boy. </p> <p>"What an amazing birthday present please welcome Jesse James Ramsay, 7lbs 10oz whopper!!" he captioned the photo of him kissing his newborn on the head, while his wife cradled him in her arms. </p> <p>"One more bundle of love to the Ramsay brigade!! 3 boys, 3 girls…. Done," Ramsay added. </p> <p>In a few other photos, Tana is seen glowing with happiness as she held baby Jesse in her arms. </p> <p>Tana also took to Instagram to share that their family had been "blessed" with baby Jesse's arrival. </p> <p>"It's been a nerve wracking 9 months but we've made it and we have been blessed with this little bundle," she began. </p> <p>"Ramsay family definitely complete. Jesse James Ramsay we love you so much," she wrote with a red heart emoji. </p> <p>Gordon and Tana are already parents to five children: Megan, 25, twins Jack and Holly, 23, Tilly, 22, and Oscar, four.</p> <p>The pair, who have been married for 27 years, have kept their latest pregnancy a secret, following reports that Tana had wanted another child.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Czg4DJVRYX7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Czg4DJVRYX7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Gordon Ramsay (@gordongram)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The happy couple were flooded with congratulatory messages from celebrity friends and fans. </p> <p>"Wow congratulations guys what lovely news," wrote British TV presenter and model, Kirsty Gallacher.</p> <p>"Fantastic! Congratulations x," British actor and comedian Paddy McGuinnes wrote, while Sky Sports F1 reporter Natalie Pinkham added: "Completely wonderful ❤️🙌👏😍 huge congratulations ❤️"</p> <p>"You two amaze me! Congratulations ❤️" wrote one fan. </p> <p>"Great stuff congrats big man 👏❤️" added another. </p> <p>"Congratulations! What a beautiful gift 💙" added a third. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

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Kate Middleton's brother welcomes first child

<p>In an exciting family update for Princess Kate, her brother James Middleton and his wife Alizee Thevenet have welcomed their first child. </p> <p>The couple were spotted pushing a pram around London on Tuesday, according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12675009/James-Middleton-Alizee-Thevenet-welcome-baby.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Daily Mail</em>.</a> </p> <p>The pair are already getting into the groove of things as James was spotted pushing the pram with a cup of coffee in hand and a backpack carrying all of his essentials as they walked down the streets of Nottingham Hill.</p> <p>Alizee rocked a makeup free look, with a coffee in one hand and a shopping bag on the other. She also carried a backpack and the pair had a travel bag for their newborn reportedly worth around £127 (around $250 AUD) </p> <p>Although exact details and when James' new bub was born has been kept private, it is assumed that he or she was born in recent weeks, following a post James shared of Alizee in celebration of their anniversary. </p> <p>“The best is yet to come," he captioned the sweet photo of his wife holding her baby bump. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxD9eLBIVAc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxD9eLBIVAc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by James Middleton (@jmidy)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>James' bub means that Princess Kate is now an aunt to four kids, as she already has two nieces and one nephew from her sister Pippa. </p> <p>The baby is also the seventh grandchild of Carole and Michael Middleton. </p> <p>James first <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/kate-middleton-s-brother-shares-exciting-family-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced his wife's pregnancy</a> in a post shared to Instagram this July. </p> <p>"We have a new member of the pack coming soon, we couldn't be more excited 🐾 ❤️,"  he posted at the time. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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Twin sisters give birth on the same day

<p dir="ltr">Identical twins Gillianne Gogas and Nicole Patrikakos have lived their whole lives in synchronicity after being born together 36 years ago. </p> <p dir="ltr">Now, the women have welcomed their own children into the world on the same day, in the same hospital. </p> <p dir="ltr">The extraordinary coincidence happened in Melborune’s Epworth Freemasons hospital, with both Nicole and Gillianne welcoming healthy baby boys just hours apart. </p> <p dir="ltr">Gillianne said they both felt a mix of emotions over their matching maternity experience.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The timing, you just can't plan something like that. So yeah, disbelief, shock, excitement, all of those emotions," Gillianne told 9News.</p> <p dir="ltr">Gillianne's son, Alexander, arrived on August 22 at 1:20pm, followed by sister Nicole's baby boy, William, a mere five hours later.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nicole said the sisters had the same due date, so the duplicate deliveries were no surprise to the identical twin sisters.</p> <p dir="ltr">"(We were) very close growing up. We have always done everything together so this is just another example of that," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Gillianne said they had nine months of pregnancy to process their "tandem" due date.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And yet it is still quite unbelievable," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the synchronicity didn’t end there, as the babies were both delivered by the same obstetrician, Dr Joseph Sgroi, who said the births were a first for him during his time as a doctor. </p> <p dir="ltr">"It is not something that is common. It is not commonplace for even sisters to give birth on the same time or on the same day," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The newborns even had the same birth weight, a healthy 3.5 kilograms.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Oh yes that came as another surprise," Gillianne said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Exactly the same," Nicole said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Sgroi said the babies would biologically be closer to brothers than cousins, with Nicole and Gillianne hoping they would share the same special relationship as their mothers. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Hopefully they will be as close as we are because it really is a special bond that we have," Nicole said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

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Iconic Dulux dog gives birth to adorable puppies

<p>The iconic Dulux dog has given birth to seven adorable Old English Sheepdog puppies. </p> <p>The heart-warming news was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the global paint brand to celebrate International Dog Day. </p> <p>The pups can be seen running around on wobbly legs and playing with each other before resting on their mother, Olivia. </p> <p>Olivia, who lives in Lincolnshire in England, is the current the face of the Dulux ads, with the brand using Old English Sheepdogs in their advertisements for more than 60 years. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">This International Dog Day, we're introducing the next generation of Dulux puppies.... Say hello to our fluffy friends 🐶 <a href="https://t.co/NApCnZUHT3">pic.twitter.com/NApCnZUHT3</a></p> <p>— Dulux UK | Colour &amp; Inspiration (@duluxuk) <a href="https://twitter.com/duluxuk/status/1695346808568861170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Olivia's pups may already have their future in showbiz sorted, with Dulux calling the six-week-old puppies "stars in their own right", hinting they may appear in ads as they get older. </p> <p>Dulux Creative Director and Colour Expert Marianne Shillingford said, “As proud sponsors of the Old English Sheepdog Rescue &amp; Welfare Fund, we’re delighted to be able to finally share the exciting news of the irresistible puppy additions to the Dulux family.”</p> <p>“The pups are stars in their own right, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of them in the years to come.”</p> <p>The beloved breed of dog has been synonymous with the Dulux brand since first appearing in a Dulux ad in 1961 when the director’s Old English Sheepdog, Dash, crashed one of the adverts. </p> <p>The camera and cast loved Dash so much that he made it into the ad after the final edit. </p> <p>After Dash, pup Digby took the reins - and was perhaps the most famous Dulux dog after picking up a Hollywood film credit. </p> <p>Between 1995 and 2002, the position was held by Mash, followed by Willow and, most recently, two Old English Sheepdogs, Madison and Olivia.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Dulux</em></p>

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Kate Middleton's strict post-birth rule

<p>As Prince George celebrated his 10th birthday, reports have emerged of a strict rule that Kate Middleton had to follow after she brought her first child into the world one decade ago. </p> <p>The Princess of Wales gave birth to Prince George at St. Mary's Hospital in London on July 22nd 2013, with the news of the future heir of the throne making waves around the world. </p> <p>When Prince George was born, centuries of royal tradition and protocol meant no one was allowed to know about the royal birth until the late Queen Elizabeth was told first. </p> <p>This strict rule meant that Kate had to wait to tell her parents, family and friends until it was confirmed that the Queen was aware of Prince George's birth. </p> <p>According to reports from <a href="https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/royals/queen-elizabeth-found-out-prince-george-birth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Marie Claire</em></a>, those in the delivery room were also sworn to secrecy to keep their lips sealed. </p> <p>They also reported the Royal protocol in full, which states that the current monarch should be the first call following the birth of a future monarch. </p> <p>In terms of how Queen Elizabeth found out, it was revealed that Prince William - the now next-in-line to the throne - called his grandmother from a specially encrypted phone to break the good news.</p> <p>This isn't the only rule involved in the birth of a royal either, with the huge news coming with a strict set of rules.</p> <p>As well as being the first to learn of the young prince's birth, Queen Elizabeth also had to approve his name due to the fact that he was a direct heir to the throne, and luckily, Prince George Alexander Louis was a hit!</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Naomi Osaka is a mum!

<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Unstoppable tennis sensation Naomi Osaka has traded in her racquet for diapers as she embraces her newest title: mum!</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">The 25-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion and her rapper beau, Cordae, are the proud parents of a bouncing baby girl in sunny Los Angeles.</span></p> <p>According to a <a href="https://people.com/naomi-osaka-boyfriend-cordae-welcome-first-baby-daughter-exclusive-7504607" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-secret source</a>, Osaka and her precious little one are doing swimmingly well. The dynamic duo is already acing the game of parenthood, proving that they're champions both on and off the court.</p> <p>This adorable bundle of joy is Osaka and Cordae's first little smasher. The Instagram world went wild when the couple dropped the baby bombshell back in January. Osaka, being the queen of surprises, unveiled the gender of their tiny teammate at a whimsical princess-themed baby shower. It was an "aww"-inducing moment, for sure.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs_l_uVLU8X/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs_l_uVLU8X/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 大坂なおみ🇭🇹🇯🇵 (@naomiosaka)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>As for the name game, Osaka and Cordae aren't interested in playing by the rules. They're going for something unique and out-of-the-box, perhaps even as unconventional as Osaka's wicked backhand. </p> <p>Throughout her pregnancy, Osaka anticipated some wild cravings. But to her surprise, her tastebuds remained pretty chill. No cravings for pickles and ice cream, or bizarre food combinations. Just your typical, run-of-the-mill snacks for this tennis superstar-turned-mum-extraordinaire.</p> <p>Osaka has also expressed her desire to be the ultimate role model for her little champ, striving to be the kind of person her son or daughter can brag about. No pressure, Naomi; we're sure you'll ace the parenting game just like you do on the court.)</p> <p>When Osaka made the big announcement on Instagram, she did it with style. In a carousel of photos, she unveiled an ultrasound screen capturing the first glimpse of her future tennis prodigy. But it wasn't just about the picture; she had a heartfelt message to share with her fans.</p> <p>She reflected on the rollercoaster ride of the past few years and how challenges have shaped her into the fierce competitor she is today. Life's too short to take for granted, and every moment is a precious blessing. Osaka can't wait for her little one to witness her dominating matches and proudly declare, "That's my mum!" </p> <p>Osaka also has her sights set on the court once again. She's determined to swing back into action after welcoming her baby girl. In her own words, 2023 will be a year of lessons and growth, with Osaka aiming to make her comeback at the Aus Open in 2024. </p> <p>So, let's all join in a round of applause for the newest tennis mum in town. Naomi Osaka has served up an ace in life's game, and we can't wait to watch her dominate both on and off the court. Congratulations, Naomi and Cordae, on your adorable little match point!</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Mum who gave birth during coma finally wakes

<p>A woman from the US has woken up from a coma to discover her baby had been born. </p> <p>Jackie Miller James, a 35-year-old beauty and lifestyle influencer, was found found unresponsive by her husband in June, after she suffered a brain aneurysm while heavily pregnant. </p> <p>Jackie fell into a coma following the traumatic event, with her sister posting a fundraiser to help her family through the difficult time. </p> <p>“We are deeply saddened to share that our sister, Jacqueline (Jackie), was nine months pregnant and one week from her due date, when she suffered an aneurysm rupture, leading to severe brain bleeding and injury,” she wrote. </p> <p>“Jackie was found immediately by her husband, Austin, and was rushed to the emergency room and into an operation where they performed an emergency C-section and brain surgery simultaneously.”</p> <p>In a heart-warming update, Jackie's family has confirmed that she is awake and has has an emotional reunion with her baby girl.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuNV3eDJP3-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuNV3eDJP3-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jackie Miller James (@jaxandrose)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The family shared that Jackie's recovery is exceeding expectations, with medical professionals pleased with her most recent tests. </p> <p>“The doctors have been pleased upon her latest tests, numbers and evaluations, noting that Jackie is performing above expectations at this stage of her recovery and is progressing more with every passing day,” the post read.</p> <p>“Jackie and Austin’s baby girl is a constant source of light for the entire family and continues to grow into a happy, healthy, and animated little angel."</p> <p>“Despite James’s delicate state of health, her daughter was delivered safely, spending 12 days in the NICU before going home.”</p> <p>Since Jackie's incident, a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jackies-long-road-to-recovery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> campaign to support her and her family has amassed an incredible $500,000, as the funds will be allocated to cover the costs of Ms James’ speech therapy, physical therapy, necessary home modifications, and alternative therapies to address any lasting impairments she may face.</p> <p>Jackie's family thanked those who have donated for their support, writing, "The resources raised from the GoFundMe will allow us to continue to give Jackie the very best care and every chance at recovery. We are so appreciative of your donations, every little bit continues to help.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: GoFundMe</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Naomi Campbell secretly welcomes baby boy at 53

<p dir="ltr">Naomi Campbell surprised fans overnight by announcing that she had secretly welcomed a baby boy.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 53-year-old model took to Instagram to share an adorable snap of her cradling the newborn while her two-year-old daughter holds both her mum and baby brother’s hand.</p> <p dir="ltr">"My little darling, know that you are cherished beyond measure and surrounded by love from the moment you graced us with your presence. A True Gift from God 🙏🏾, blessed ! Welcome Babyboy. 💙🍼” she wrote in the caption.</p> <p dir="ltr">She used the hashtag #mumoftwo alongside two hearts representing her babies, one red and one blue.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s never too late to become a mother 🙏🏾” she added.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuFUy_YRDJH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuFUy_YRDJH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Dr Naomi Campbell (@naomi)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">This is not the first time the model made headlines for her surprise baby reveal. In 2021 she welcomed her daughter at the age of 50 and announced the happy news in the same way.</p> <p dir="ltr">The model has kept the lives of her kids private as she hasn’t released details of her daughters name, and shares glimpses of what they look like here and there.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the 2021 post, Campbell was pictured gently holding her newborn daughter’s feet and gushed about how blessed she was to be “chosen” by her daughter.</p> <p dir="ltr">"So honoured to have this gentle soul in my life, there are no words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you, my angel. There is no greater love," she captioned the photo with her first born.</p> <p dir="ltr">Fans and celebrities alike have taken to the comment section to congratulate Campbell.</p> <p dir="ltr">“NAOMI!!! Congratulations!!” wrote American singer, Kelly Rowland.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh my goodness! Welcome!! Blessings upon blessings!” commented Avatar actress Zoe Saldana.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Congratulations Omi!! ✨✨” commented fashion icon, Donatella Versace.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh my! Already? I can’t believe a second blessing. How amazing!!” commented another fashion icon, Marc Jacobs.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Congrats sweet Naomi,” wrote one fan.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My heart swells with joy for you,” commented another.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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20 old words that have new meanings since the birth of the internet

<p><a href="../Dictionary.com"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Dictionary.com</strong></span></a> has revealed a list of commonly used words that have seen their definition change considerably in the last couple of decades.</p> <p>The changes have been primarily driven by the increased use of social media. While 1995 may seem like it was just yesterday to some of us, 20 years is actually a really long time. The world has change from dial-up modems and VCRs to unlimited broadband and Netflix streaming.</p> <p>Check out the list of 20 words with new meanings below:</p> <p><strong>1. Bump</strong></p> <p>Then: “to come more or less heavily in contact with.”</p> <p>Now: “to move an online post or thread to the top of the reverse chronological list by adding a new comment or post to the thread.”</p> <p><strong>2. Cloud</strong></p> <p>Then: “a visible collection of particles of water or ice suspended in the air.”</p> <p>Now: “any of several parts of the Internet that allow online processing and storage of documents and data as well as electronic access to software and other resources.”</p> <p><strong>3. Core</strong></p> <p>Then: “the central part of a fleshy fruit, containing the seeds.”</p> <p>Now: “the muscles of the torso, which provide support for the spine and pelvis.”</p> <p><strong>4. Fail</strong></p> <p>Then: “to come short or be wanting in action.”</p> <p>Now: “to make an embarrassing or humorous mistake, be in a humiliating situation, etc., and be subject to ridicule.”</p> <p><strong>5. Footprint</strong></p> <p>Then: “a mark left by the foot.”</p> <p>Now: “a unique set of characteristics, actions, etc., that leave a trace and serve as a means of identification.”</p> <p><strong>6. Friend</strong></p> <p>Then: “someone attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.”</p> <p>Now: “to add a person to one’s list of contacts on a social-networking website.”</p> <p><strong>7. Glance</strong></p> <p>Then: “to look quickly or briefly.”</p> <p>Now: “Information on an electronic screen that can be understood quickly or at a glance.”</p> <p><strong>8. Goldilocks</strong></p> <p>Then: “a person with golden hair.”</p> <p>Now: “Not being extreme or not varying drastically between extremes, especially between hot and cold.”</p> <p><strong>9. Like</strong></p> <p>Then: “having the same or similar qualities or characteristics.”</p> <p>Now: “to indicate one’s enjoyment of, agreement with, or interest in website content, especially in social media.”</p> <p><strong>10. Meme</strong></p> <p>Then: “a cultural element, as a custom or concept.”</p> <p>Now: “A cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the Internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way.”</p> <p><strong>11. Ping:</strong></p> <p>Then: “to produce a sharp, ringing, high-pitched sound.”</p> <p>Now: “to make contact with someone by sending a brief electronic message, as a text message.”</p> <p><strong>12. Profile:</strong></p> <p>Then: “the outline or contour of the human face, especially as seen from the side.”</p> <p>Now: “the personal details, images, user statistics, social-media timeline, etc., that an individual creates and associates with a username or online account.”</p> <p><strong>13. Sandbox:</strong></p> <p>Then: “a container holding sand, usually located in an outdoors area.”</p> <p>Now: “an environment in which software developers or editors can create and test new content, separate from other content in the project.”</p> <p><strong>14. Swipe</strong></p> <p>Then: “a stroke with full swing of the arms.”</p> <p>Now: “to move the fingers across a touchscreen.”</p> <p><strong>15. Takeaway</strong></p> <p>Then: “food or beverage purchased for consumption elsewhere.”</p> <p>Now: “conclusions, impressions, or action points resulting from a meeting, discussion, roundtable, or the like.”</p> <p><strong>16. Text</strong></p> <p>Then: “the main body of matter in a book or manuscript.”</p> <p>Now: “to send a text message.”</p> <p><strong>17. Timeline</strong></p> <p>Then: “a representation of historical events in the form of a line.”</p> <p>Now:  “a collection of online posts or updates associated with a specific social-media account, in reverse chronological order.”</p> <p><strong>18. Tweet</strong></p> <p>Then: “the weak chirp of a young or small bird.”</p> <p>Now: “a very short message posted on the Twitter website.”</p> <p><strong>19. Unplug</strong></p> <p>Then: “to disconnect by pulling the plug from it or from a power socket.”</p> <p>Now: “to refrain from using digital or electronic devices for a period of time.”</p> <p><strong>20. Viral</strong></p> <p>Then: “relating to or caused by a virus.”</p> <p>Now: “becoming very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, especially through the Internet.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong> </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="../lifestyle/family-pets/2016/01/inside-a-1950s-tea-factory/">Inside a tea factory from the 50s</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="../lifestyle/family-pets/2015/12/vintage-beach-photos/">Vintage beach photos to get you in the summer mood</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="../lifestyle/family-pets/2016/01/grandparents-make-grandchildren-happy-study/">Why the grandparent grandchild relationship is important for happiness</a></em></strong></span></p>

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Reality TV star welcomes identical twin girls

<p>Reality TV star Dani Dyer has welcomed two baby girls with her partner, footballer Jarrod Bowen. </p> <p>The <em>Love Island UK</em> winner, who won the show in 2018 with her ex-partner Jack Fincham in 2018, shared the happy news on her Instagram on Thursday. </p> <p>Dani didn't reveal the identical twin girls' names, but confirmed the date of their birth, May 22nd, in the caption. </p> <p>Dani is already mum to Santiago, two, who she shares with with ex Sammy Kimmence.</p> <p>Her <em>Love Island UK</em> co-stars were quick to send their congratulations, with season one winner Cara De La Hoyde writing, "Congratulations Dan they are beautiful ❤️."</p> <p>"Congratulations to your beautiful family ❤️," Zara McDermott added, while season four winner Molly-Mae Hague added, "Congratulations beautiful 😭😭😭."</p> <p>Dani is the daughter of English actor and presenter Danny Dyer, who's well known for his role in British soap <em>EastEnders</em>.</p> <p>Dani shared the news of her pregnancy with a sweet announcement post, showing her son Santiago holding a letter board with the ultrasound pictures of her new babies. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpWIihrD1x/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpWIihrD1x/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by ♡ Dani Dyer ♡ (@danidyerxx)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"We have been keeping a little secret... Our little TWINS!" she wrote.</p> <p>"So excited to meet our babies and watch Santi be the best big brother.. The biggest surprise of our lives but feeling SO blessed.. our family is getting a lot bigger and we can’t wait."</p> <p>Just weeks after announcing the pregnancy, Dani confirmed the gender of their babies in another Instagram post. </p> <p>"A lot of you have been asking on the gender of our babies and we are so excited to share with you all that we are having identical twin girls. Half way our little darlings."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Readers respond: What do you know about your mother's life before she had you?

<p>Many of us a guilty to forgetting our parents had lives of their own before they brought their children into the world. </p> <p>We asked our readers what they discovered about their mother's life before she became a mum, and the response was overwhelming. </p> <p>Here's what they said. </p> <p><strong>Georgina Johnson</strong> - Mum was in the Army during WW2. That’s how she met Dad. Before that she had wonderful parents and siblings, left school at 14 and lost her only brother in 1945 in New Guinea. That event defined Mum and her family.</p> <p><strong>Robyn Chalmers</strong> - My mother had great childhood. Two lovely brothers. Was a Triple Certificated nurse by 1944. Nursed in a third World Country. Always laughing. Lots of energy.</p> <p><strong>Stanley Freeman</strong> - Not enough. Her mother died in 1918 during the flu epidemic. My mother was just 3 years old.</p> <p><strong>Elaine Stewart</strong> - My mother was the second eldest of sixteen children. She went to school until she was twelve and then went to work and paid all her wages to her father until she was 21. She married my darling father when she was 25 and her life from then on was wonderful as she never wanted for anything and the marriage was truly blessed.</p> <p><strong>Wendy Mack</strong> - Sadly she didn’t have the easiest life, but with all she had thrown at her, she always saw the good side of people and never judged.</p> <p><strong>Jackie Ferguson</strong> - My Mum had to sit in her house with bombs dropping everywhere. She was petrified and then I arrived!</p> <p><strong>Esma Adger</strong> - My mother had a hard life. Raised in a convent, not until late in her life did she discover who she was. Her life story was amazing.</p> <p><strong>Brenda Vera Bennett</strong> - My dear Mum had me at an early age and kept me without a lot of help from family. Unfortunately taken too early at 60yrs with cancer. I hope I am as strong a woman as Mum was. </p> <p><strong>Jill Howell</strong> - My mother wrote a journal about her younger life. Parts of it were read at her funeral. She passed away last February at the grand age of 99.</p> <p><strong>Kay Montebello</strong> - I’m lucky enough to still listen to Mum tell us stories of her and six siblings growing up. At age 96, she has great memories of a very happy childhood.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

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Hilary Swank shares stunning photos post-birth

<p>Hilary Swank gave birth to twins in April 2023, and despite <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/sour-note-spoils-hilary-swank-s-double-delight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nasty trolls taking aim </a>at her, she has shared a gorgeous series of photos reflecting on her pregnancy journey.</p> <p>The star and her husband Phillip Schneider welcomed a baby boy and girl, taking to Instagram to share the exciting news.</p> <p>The new mum is now celebrating her pregnancy body on Instagram by posting one of her “favourite” moments.</p> <p>"One of my favorite moments in time, being pregnant,” she wrote alongside the image, which was captured by celebrity photographer Brian Bowen Smith.</p> <p>"I was 27 1/2 weeks here," the actress revealed in her post, a snap of her cradling her bump.</p> <p>She said being pregnant has been one of her favourite experiences, alongside meeting and marrying her husband and meeting her twins for the first time.</p> <p>Bowen Smith later shared an image from the shoot, an artistic shot of Swank grasping her hair with closed eyes.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrLqsmmryrQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrLqsmmryrQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 📷: BRIANBOWENSMITH (@brianbowensmith)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p> Her photographer applauded the actress for being such an incredible woman, writing, "Now you have two more awards to add to your collection. Thank you for choosing me to photograph what I'm sure will be an unforgettable moment in all of your lives.”</p> <p>Swank previously hinted that the birth of her twins was challenging, when she initially shared the news with her followers, she captioned her post, "It wasn't easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it.”</p> <p>The star shared several moments during her pregnancy with fans online after revealing she was expecting back in October 2022.</p> <p>She documented ultrasound scans, workout sessions and celebrating Halloween and Christmas while pregnant.</p> <p>In the midst of all her excitement, she took the time to mourn her late father on what would have been his 75th birthday.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrHNrLTPbFT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrHNrLTPbFT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Hilary Swank (@hilaryswank)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"You would be a Great Papa to two more extraordinary souls," she wrote, on Instagram alongside a series of photos with her father.</p> <p>"Thank you for being my guiding light. I love you, Dad. Always and forever through every lifetime."</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Sour note spoils Hilary Swank’s double delight

<p>Hilary Swank has delighted fans around the world by announcing the birth of her “miracle” twins. </p> <p>The 48-year-old actress took to her social media with an image of herself at sunset, a baby - a boy and a girl - cradled in each arm, overlooking the water. Or, as Hilary called it in her caption, “pure heaven”. </p> <p>“It wasn’t easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it,” she wrote, before wishing her 1.5 million  followers a happy Easter. </p> <p>Hilary shares her happy new additions with entrepreneur Philip Schneider, who she married in 2018. The two have made no secret of their desire to expand their family, with Hilary opening up multiple times in interviews over the years, most recently to <em>Good Morning America</em> in late 2022 while publicly revealing her pregnancy. </p> <p>"This is something that I've been wanting for a long time,” she said, “and my next thing is I'm gonna be a mum. And not just of one, but of two. I can't believe it. It's so nice to be able to talk about it and share it."</p> <p>And as she told <em>Extra</em>, also in 2022, the timing hadn’t previously been correct, with the actress focussed on her career and unable to find the right relationship. According to Hilary, “all the elements needed to come together and be right” for motherhood. </p> <p>“It’s just something I thought about even as a young girl,” she added. “It’s something that was on my mind, so it’s nice to be here and just be pregnant."</p> <p>In 2020, Hilary spoke to <em>The Daily Mail </em>about how she felt she was “very maternal”, and shared her belief that not having children did not have the power to render someone - like herself at that point - unable to be maternal. </p> <p>"I’ve heard a lot of women say that they’ve been told, 'oh, you’re kind of a failure,'” she said. “Or, you know, 'didn’t you come here to procreate?’. There are so many different ways to procreate!</p> <p>“Any type of mothering, any type of nurturing, is being a mother.”</p> <p>Now that Hilary has taken her own nurturing to the next level, after months of sharing the various milestones and moments in her pregnancy journey with her supporters, she has been met with an outpouring of love and celebration from friends, fans, and family. </p> <p>“Aaaaahhhh!!!!! Congratulations,” wrote an excited Viola Davis. </p> <p>“So happy to see you turkeys soaking up the sea, the sun and the salt air! Love you. Welcome to planet earth little ones. Hope you have a lovely stay here,” gushed actor Misha Collins. </p> <p>“Congratulations!!!!!!!!! God bless!” declared actress Lindsay Lohan, who had recently shared that she was also expecting her first child. </p> <p>However, not all were on board with Hilary’s joy, with some mean-spirited souls taking issue with the actress’s move into motherhood at 48. </p> <p>“When she is my age, those kids will be fourteen. Ack. Why? I don't understand people,” one complained. </p> <p>“And I don’t understand people that leave comments like this one!” a fed up supporter shot back, while another opted for a humble facepalming emoji. </p> <p>“These kids are going to be well cared for and well loved,” another pointed out. “What’s not to understand and celebrate??”</p> <p>“It's not your place to understand! She's waited her entire life to have these babies, it's nobody's business at what age she wanted to have them or was actually to have them either!!” said one more passionate fan, before they added the most important piece of advice the troll would be receiving, “just be happy for her or just shut up.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Woman reunited with family 51 years after being abducted

<p>A family from the US have been reunited with their long-lost daughter and sister, 51 years after she was abducted as a toddler. </p> <p>Melissa Highsmith went missing in 1971 when, at just 22 months old, she was taken from her parents’ Texas home by a babysitter.</p> <p>Now, with the help of a 23andMe DNA test, the Highsmiths tracked down their missing loved one “without help from law enforcement or other outside involvement.”</p> <p>Melissa was last seen by her family in August 1971, when her mother Alta Apantenco was in need of a babysitter, and hired a woman who expressed interest in the job without meeting her in person.</p> <p>While Apantenco was at work, her roommate handed baby Melissa to the babysitter who allegedly abducted her and never returned. </p> <p>Melissa's family never stopped looking for her, and in recent years even created a Facebook page named “Finding Melissa”.</p> <p>After a recommendation from a genealogist, the Highsmith family used Ancestry and 23andMe to track down Melissa. </p> <p>The family said their mother was hesitant since she had done DNA tests with six different women throughout the years and they all came back negative.</p> <p>“Every time my mother got her hopes up. After 51 years, she didn’t want to submit another DNA test. She was tired and she was hurt and guilty from carrying this all these years,” said Victoria Highsmith, Melissa’s sister, <span style="caret-color: #323338; color: #323338; font-family: Roboto, Rubik, 'Noto Kufi Arabic', 'Noto Sans JP', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">told NBC.</span></p> <p>“I’m thankful that we got her to agree to submit her DNA ... It is because of that, and my dad submitting, that we were able to find Melissa.”</p> <p>“Within three weeks we found my sister. It was like, ‘boom, boom, boom,’ we found her,” said Victoria Highsmith.</p> <p>Victoria also said she is so happy that her mother can now feel vindicated after being accused by police when she had nothing to do with Melissa’s disappearance.</p> <p>“She has carried this pain and this guilt for 51 years and I have watched her cry for three days of joy. I have never seen my mother so happy,” said Victoria Highsmith.</p> <p>When the family met up in an emotional reunion, Melissa with her mother, her father and two of her four siblings, shared tears, hugs and smiles.</p> <p>“I couldn’t stop crying. I was overjoyed and I’m still walking around in a fog trying to comprehend that my sister is right in front of me and that we found her,” said Victoria Highsmith.</p> <p>“It’s a Christmas miracle! It’s amazing meeting her. It was like looking into myself, she looks like me, like us. She’s overjoyed to be in our lives.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Highsmith family </em></p>

Family & Pets

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New NASA images capture birth of a star

<p dir="ltr">The James Webb Space Telescope continues to stun with its images of the universe following the release of an image showing a “fiery hourglass” housing a newborn star.</p> <p dir="ltr">The image of the protostar (a young star that is still unstable and cocooned in a cloud of dust and gas) has offered scientists insight into what stars might look like “in their infancy”.</p> <p dir="ltr">With the star located in the dark cloud L1527 and only visible in infrared light, the image was captured using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).</p> <p dir="ltr">The protostar itself is hidden from view within the “neck” of the hourglass shape.</p> <p dir="ltr">"An edge-on proto-planetary disk is seen as a dark line across the middle of the neck," NASA said in <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-catches-fiery-hourglass-as-new-star-forms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a release</a>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5b29e609-7fff-75b1-1c05-9a8cee017e57"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">"Light from the protostar leaks above and below this disk, illuminating cavities within the surrounding gas and dust."</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/star-birth1.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a photo of a young star using its infrared camera. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. Image processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI)</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Blue and orange clouds forming above, below and around the protostar that form the hourglass represent empty spaces created as material shoots away from the protostar and collides with surrounding matter, with the colours being caused by layers of dust between the camera and the clouds.</p> <p dir="ltr">The thicker the dust, the more orange the clouds appear, since blue light is unable to escape and be perceived by our eyes.</p> <p dir="ltr">While it may appear small, the disk in the middle of the hourglass is about the size of our solar system.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to NASA, the protostar is relatively young at about 100,000 years old and considered a class 0 protostar, “the earliest stage of star formation”.</p> <p dir="ltr">‘Protostars like these, which are still cocooned in a dark cloud of dust and gas, have a long way to go before they become full-fledged stars,” NASA said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"L1527 doesn't generate its own energy through nuclear fusion of hydrogen yet, an essential characteristic of stars.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-83fc6d66-7fff-9fca-4c7e-d55b846fada4"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">"Its shape, while mostly spherical, is also unstable, taking the form of a small, hot and puffy clump of gas, somewhere between 20 and 40 percent the mass of our Sun."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our universe is beautiful. <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAWebb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASAWebb</a> captured a stellar birth which is so poetically nestled in this hourglass shape. A truly stunning marker of time. <a href="https://t.co/8UflbFPdid">pic.twitter.com/8UflbFPdid</a></p> <p>— Shannon Stirone 💀 (@shannonmstirone) <a href="https://twitter.com/shannonmstirone/status/1593026314310934528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The protostar will get closer to stable nuclear fusion (the requirement to be a star) as it gathers more mass and its core compresses.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The scene shown in this image reveals L1527 doing just that," NASA said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The surrounding molecular cloud is made up of dense dust and gas being drawn to the centre, where the protostar resides.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As the material falls in, it spirals around the centre.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This creates a dense disk of material, known as an accretion disk, which feeds material to the protostar.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Ultimately, this view of L1527 provides a window into what our Sun and solar system looked like in their infancy.”</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><em>Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. Image processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI)</em></p>

Technology

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Grandma gives birth to her own grandchild

<p dir="ltr">While it might be her fifth time welcoming a grandchild, the way this US woman has done so is a first for her and her family.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nancy Hauck gave birth to her granddaughter Hannah last week, according to the <em>New York Post</em>, and did so for a special reason.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 56-year-old from Utah offered to be a surrogate for her son Jeff and his wife Cambria after her daughter-in-law experienced a traumatic birth and underwent a life-saving hysterectomy.</p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking to <a href="https://people.com/human-interest/utah-grandmother-gives-birth-son-daughter-in-law-baby-feeling-so-blessed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>People</em></a> magazine, Ms Hauck said giving birth to her granddaughter “went perfectly” and that they are feeling “so blessed to have her in our family”.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said the nine-hour labour was a “remarkable and spiritual experience”, but admitted to feeling “some sadness” since the birth.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Even though I know that the baby’s going to my son, I know there’ll be a little bit of that empty feeling,” she said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8b8cb539-7fff-98da-9dd5-146942999604"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Now, the grandmother plans to take a break from work and write a book about her experience.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkihR3cMu-0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkihR3cMu-0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Cambria Hauck (@cambriairene)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Her son and daughter-in-law were high school sweethearts and always knew they wanted a big family.</p> <p dir="ltr">“From the time I was a teenager, I knew that if I could only be one thing, I wanted to be a dad,” Jeff told <em>People</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We always had in our mind that we wanted four to six — whatever the Lord would bless us with, is what we would always say," Cambria added.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, the couple struggled to fall pregnant for six years before having two sets of twins, four-year-old Vera and Ayva and 13-month-old Diesel and Luca, through IVF.</p> <p dir="ltr">After giving birth the second time in 2021, Cambria was advised to have a hysterectomy and was unable to safely carry more children - which is when Ms Hauck stepped in.</p> <p dir="ltr">Starting hormone treatments in January this year, Ms Hauck injected herself every day for 12 weeks with the help of her husband Jason.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e9b25e37-7fff-f21e-015b-b8223b6704d8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">A month later, a fertilised embryo created by Jeff and Cambria through IVF was transferred to Ms Hauck and she became pregnant with her grandchild.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgvWEb_LtM2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgvWEb_LtM2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Cambria Hauck (@cambriairene)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">According to the couple, baby Hannah’s name has a special meaning and is a tribute to her grandmother.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jeff said that six days after the transfer, when his mother tested positive on a pregnancy test, she was “woken up in the middle of the night, and she heard a little voice that said, ‘My name is Hannah’”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Hauck was also convinced her grandchild was a girl even before testing, and soon convinced Jeff and Cambria as well.</p> <p dir="ltr">Cambria explained that they discovered that “the name Nancy comes from Hannah” and that “they both mean grace”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I knew instantly that that was her name,” the 30-year-old added.</p> <p dir="ltr">Since Hannah’s birth, Ms Hauck and her husband have been adjusting to the idea of being her grandparents.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I hope that we won’t treat Hannah any differently,” Jason said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But we’ll always have that connection — that Nancy carried her for nine months. Just the magic of the whole experience will always be unique in our eyes.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Hauck added that she wants all of her grandchildren to know that they’re equally loved and she “would’ve done it for any of them”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fa4cd013-7fff-2175-632c-b33d2ecaa8ce"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @cambriairene (Instagram)</em></p>

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Why is newborn baby skin-to-skin contact with dads and non-birthing parents important? Here’s what the science says

<p>Soon after a baby is born, it’s getting more common these days for the father or non-birthing parent to be encouraged to put the newborn directly on their chest. This skin-to-skin contact is often termed “kangaroo care”, as it mimics the way kangaroos provide warmth and security to babies.</p> <p>Mothers have been encouraged to give kangaroo care for decades now and many do so instinctively after giving birth; it has been <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27552521/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shown</a> to help mum and baby <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882596316000531?casa_token=QBk4MOx7VIMAAAAA:3DIH_RF_PdsZDqHkKSYgbM37Tgsau5GpTBPqUowy4kDN3tOwtnnPvpXCGkpBI8lJEQIqSorp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">connect</a> and with <a href="https://connect.springerpub.com/content/sgrnn/27/3/151.abstract" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breastfeeding</a>.</p> <p>So what does the evidence say about kangaroo care for other parents?</p> <p><strong>A growing body of research</strong></p> <p>A growing body of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361591701_Fathers_providing_kangaroo_care_in_neonatal_intensive_care_units_a_scoping_review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> shows kangaroo care brings benefits for both baby and parent.</p> <p>One <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apa.14184" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> that measured cortisol (a stress hormone) levels and blood pressure in new fathers found:</p> <blockquote> <p>Fathers who held their baby in skin-to-skin contact for the first time showed a significant reduction in physiological stress responses.</p> </blockquote> <p>Another <a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/nrp/2017/8612024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> in Taiwan involving fathers and neonates (newborn babies) found benefits to bonding and attachment:</p> <blockquote> <p>These study results confirm the positive effects of skin-to-skin contact interventions on the infant care behaviour of fathers in terms of exploring, talking, touching, and caring and on the enhancing of the father-neonate attachment.</p> </blockquote> <p>A <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361591701_Fathers_providing_kangaroo_care_in_neonatal_intensive_care_units_a_scoping_review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paper</a> I co-authored with the University of South Australia’s Qiuxia Dong found:</p> <blockquote> <p>Studies reported several positive kangaroo care benefits for fathers such as reduced stress, promotion of paternal role and enhanced father–infant bond.</p> </blockquote> <p>Qiuxia Dong also led a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jocn.16405" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> (on which I was a co-author) exploring the experiences of fathers who had a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide.</p> <p>This study found kangaroo care helps fathers connect and bond with their baby in an intensive care environment. This had a positive impact on fathers’ confidence and self-esteem. As one father told us:</p> <blockquote> <p>I think after all the stress, when I have skin-to-skin I can actually calm down a little bit. I sit down and relax, I can cuddle my child and it’s just a little bit of a happy place for me as well as him to calm down, not to do any work all the time, not to be stressed out. There’s other things on my mind all the time but it’s time to relax and turn off a little bit.</p> </blockquote> <p>Another told us:</p> <blockquote> <p>She nuzzled around a bit, kind of got my smell I guess and then literally fell asleep. It was great. It was very comforting for both I guess for her and myself.</p> </blockquote> <p>As one father put it:</p> <blockquote> <p>Of course, they can hear your heartbeat and all that kind of stuff, of course warmth […] it’s being close with your baby, I think that would be the best way of building a relationship early.</p> </blockquote> <p>However, this study also reported that some dads found giving kangaroo care challenging as it can be time-consuming. It is not always easy to juggle with commitments such as caring for other children and work.</p> <p><strong>Involving both parents</strong></p> <p>One study noted <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21820778/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dads</a> can sometimes feel like a bystander on the periphery when a newborn arrives.</p> <p>Encouraging and educating all non-birthing parents, including fathers, to give kangaroo care is a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21820778/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">valuable way</a> to get them involved. And if a caesarean birth makes it difficult for the mother to give kangaroo care while still in theatre, the father or non-birthing parent is the next best person to do it while the mother or birthing parent is not able.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=504&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=504&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480777/original/file-20220824-22-j9lpxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=504&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><em><span class="caption">A caesarean birth sometimes makes it difficult for the mother to give kangaroo care while still in the theatre.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Isaac Hermar/Pexels</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>More research needed</strong></p> <p>There is a need for broader research on these issues, especially around the experiences of fathers from culturally diverse backgrounds and other non-birthing parents.</p> <p>But the research literature on kangaroo care shows there is good reason for dads and non-birthing parents to do some kangaroo care when a baby is born. As we concluded in our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jocn.16405">study</a>, in the challenging neonatal intensive care unit environment, kangaroo care can serve:</p> <blockquote> <p>as a silent language of love.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188927/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> </blockquote> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-steen-970055" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mary Steen</a>, Adjunct professor of Maternal and Family Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of South Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-newborn-baby-skin-to-skin-contact-with-dads-and-non-birthing-parents-important-heres-what-the-science-says-188927" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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