Strollerderby : new moms

New Mom Jessica Alba Was Totally Photoshopped - Check Out the Before & After Pics

SunnyChanel — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:30:00 GMT

Seeing Jessica Alba showing off her sleek and lithe body in the recent Campari campaign totally pissed me off. Yeah, I was jealous. After 2 ½ years I still don’t have my belly back in any semblance of it’s prebaby form. So I was partly thrilled and partly disgusted to see the leaked photos that prove that they did a total PhotoShop overhaul on Jessica Alba’s body, the new mother of a five month old.

The graphics team made some pretty drastic changes to the images taken by Mario Testino. They took off inches from her waist and hips, gave a lift to her bustline and made her skin look like flawless buttered caramel. Thing is she looks just as good in her original photos, it doesn’t seem like they needed to make the adjustments they did, or as drastically. Regardless, pre PhotoShop she still looks amazing after having a baby five months ago. And yes, I’m still jealous.

Do you think they needed to make so many changes to Jessica Alba's image?

Oh and check out Hannah's post New Mom Jessica Alba Poses in Campari Calendar here

Five Motherhood Myths

SunnyChanel — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:22:00 GMT

Yup, everyone has mom guilt of some sort or another. Recently there have been myriad of lists, essays and blog posts on why us moms shouldn’t beat ourselves up. No one is perfect. And every now and then, it’s reassuring to be reminded of that fact. That’s when we can sit down, have a big sigh of relief and celebrate with a glass of wine, or two. This week, the Today Show with a guest from Woman’s Day had a countdown on five motherhood myths just so we can all feel a little bit better.

Here are their Five Motherhood Myths

"Myth 1: A good mom likes her children all the time"
Christine Nicholson, PhD says “Some days you just want to pack their bags, drop them off at the train station and drive away,…That’s normal. If you can find the caring, kind parts of you 75 percent of the time, you’re doing really well!”

"Myth 2: A good mom bonds with her children immediately"
They cited that your newborn may seem like a stranger at first, many new moms don’t feel that strong motherly bond until much later. “Like any relationship, your connection to your children develops over time,”

"Myth 3: A good mom balances it all"
“Everyone knows at least one “perfect” mom — the one with the always-sparkling kitchen, the well-behaved children and the exciting career. How does she do it? She doesn’t…at least, not without help.” There’s always at least one ball that falls during the juggling act that is a busy mother’s life. They say we shouldn’t try so hard to do it all, that just makes even more stress.

"Myth 4: A good mom spends a lot of time with her kids—and they like her because of it"
Basically quality reigns over quantity.

"Myth 5: A good mom belongs to one big, supportive Moms Club"
Yeah, no mom is an island. Having a support group to vent to, get advice from and just have playdates can be a great and a resourceful thing. But just because these women all joined the Moms Club because of their ability to obtain offsping doesn’t mean you’ll get along with them. Some just aren’t supportive, are critical of other folks and many moms cite that they feel “undermined by other parents”.

To read the entire Woman’s Day piece – click here.

(image via SFGATE.com)

Woman Comes Out of Coma and Discovers She's Given Birth

Kelly Mills — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 14:23:00 GMT

Hmmm, what should we report on? The origins of the Christmas tree? How stores are hoping more of us buy crap? Nah, let's cover this evergreen story of a woman who came out of a coma, and found that she was a mom. Lisa Allison suffered a stroke brought on by preeclampsia, and barely pulled through. She was in a coma, partially paralyzed, and underwent extensive brain surgery. Once she woke up, she was presented with her son Benjamin. She has no recollection of having given birth.

One of the sucky things about this is that she actually went into the coma after labor, so she still had to suffer through all that. (And if you are going to tell me how amazing and wonderful giving birth is, I should let you know they must have been out of the Kool-aid the day I went to the hospital.) One silver lining? She says, "I don't remember much of what happened and I don't really want to." Smart woman. Of, and the other silver lining is of course being alive and able to go home with her husband and beautiful son. Yay.

Tell Us Something We Don't Know: New Moms Often Feel Lonely and Isolated

Kelly Mills — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 13:36:00 GMT

More than half of 2,000 new moms polled admitted they feel "lonely and isolated." Also: "Nine out of ten also lament the loss of the social life they enjoyed before baby arrived and around two-thirds say they 'feel cut off from normal life'." Is this news? Not that I mind drawing attention to it, since the first year of motherhood is a bitch-and-a-half in a number of ways, but yeah, lonely. This article points to the fact that nowadays we often live far from family and rarely know our neighbors, and I do think that's a big part of it. The idea that two bleary-eyed people whose lives have just changed dramatically should be raising a kid alone seems silly. And note that I'm avoiding using that phrase about it taking villages.

The poll also found that a third felt "tearful" and I'm guessing another third were so sleep-deprived they forgot they just sobbed the morning before. They also discovered the women spent only an average of 90 minutes a day in the company of people other than their spouses. That's actually pretty good. I just remember the supreme effort it took to actually leave the house, what with the giant diaper bag and the nap timing and the inevitable poop explosion as we walked out the door. And then once you make your engagement you're expected to be able to speak coherently and focus on conversations while your baby screams bloody murder. I think this is why moms groups are helpful to some--you need buddies in the trenches.

Stressed Out Moms Should Rub Babies Like Celebrities Do

Kelly Mills — Fri, 04 May 2007 15:30:00 GMT

Yes, it is hard being a new mom. So when you get frazzled, perhaps it's time to turn to celebrity moms for inspiration, and find out how they stay so fresh and put-together in spite of the obvious stresses of caring for a newborn. Alyson Scott, stylist of celebrities and founder of StyleChic says there's things we civilian moms can do to "look and feel well-rested".

Okay, wait. We are taking our cue from celebrities... So I'm guessing most rely on a live-in nanny, a full-time chef, a housecleaning service, tons of money, a personal trainer and a professional makeup artist to keep famous mom looking and feeling paparazzi-ready at all times. Is that what Alyson recommends we get?

Nope. Alyson says we ought to slather our babies with Vick's BabyRub. Let's all pause and let that one sink in. Because "the gentle Vicks BabyRub formula contains petrolatum and Aloe to leave your baby's skin feeling soft... Plus, Vicks has been a trusted name for more than 100 years, so you know that you are being a good mom when you combine this with a mother's loving touch."

Maybe I'm especially dense, but I wonder how rubbing stinky vaseline on my kid is going to make me feel less stressed out. Or how it would make me look like a celebrity. This is what we call: Cheap. Product. Whoring. And not even skillful whoring, to tell you the truth.

Alyson's other tips are: go for a hike with your baby, and let neighbors or friends help out. Alyson missed an opportunity here. Try, "If your muscles are sore after your hike, try rubbing Vick's BabyRub on your infant to make your own legs feel better. And why hand your baby off to friends? Let your Vick's BabyRub jar watch the kid for a couple hours while you get in some 'me' time. Leave the baby with a product you've trusted for over 100 years. That way you'll know you are a good mom for buying the stupid-ass, overpriced balm we are trying to sell you by getting a celebrity stylist shill to endorse it."

Apparently they believe new moms are not only stressed-out, but also idiots.

Top 6 Reasons New Moms are Selfish

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:13:00 GMT

New moms are selfish. There, I said it. I know you wanted to say it to so I've just saved you the trouble. I'm willing to take the heat. So bring it. The Strollerderby crew generated some great ideas when we first started discussing this usually taboo topic. Here are the top 6 reasons we've come up with that new mothers are selfish. Feel free to add yours.

1. Always with the crying - New moms cry. They don't seem to care that it's upsetting to witness the heaving shoulders, and red puffy faces. Don't they even care what they look like?

2. Refusing sex - Even when they get the "green light" from their doctors at the six-week check-ups. Even when the ice packs the the Tylenol-3s are put away. Still, many new moms are hesitant to rev up the sex engines again. How insensitive can you get?!!

3. Possessiveness - New Moms often refuse to let grandparents babysit, even when the babies are TWO weeks (even two months) old. I mean come on!! What does a person need to do to get some serious bonding time with a new baby? Don't you think a new Mom would understand that better than anyone?

4. Pain Intolerant - Childbirth and the post-partum weeks and months following hurt like hell. So women claim. But seriously? Can it really be all that bad? Women have been having babies since the beginning of time. And THEY didn't have helpful spouses and great pain medication. Ok, so you have hemorroids. So your nipples are chapped. Get over it, sister, and move on.

5. Men Have Needs - Ok so women are in pain and they are nursing and co-sleeping and hormonal. But sometimes, the men have needs. Have they never heard of hand-jobs? Is it that hard to meet your husbands' / partner's needs? I think not.

6. Insistence on Showering - Women want to be with their babies all the time, right? So what is the problem with bringing the baby in the bathroom when they shower? And also? Why the need to shower every day? If new mothers were more other-centered, these things wouldn't be such a big problem.