Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher welcome second child

Actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher announced the birth of their second child together, a spokeswoman for Kunis confirmed on Thursday.

The couple has yet to name the baby boy born on Wednesday, the website E! News reported.

The actors and producers have a two-year-old daughter, Wyatt. They became engaged in February 2014 after a two-year relationship and married in July 2015.

Kutcher, 38, and Kunis, 33, met as co-stars on the set of "That '70s show," a television series aired in the United States between 1998 and 2006 in which their characters were also in a relationship.

Kutcher, who also starred in the television series "Two and a Half Men," among his other roles, shot to international fame when he began dating actress Demi Moore, to whom he was married from 2005 to 2013.

Kunis previously had a long-term relationship with actor Macaulay Culkin.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

World's first: Woman uses frozen ovary, gives birth

In a world first, a woman has given birth after surgeons implanted ovarian tissue that had been removed when she was a child, doctors reported Wednesday.

The girl was coming up for her fourteenth birthday when she was diagnosed with acute anemia, needing powerful, ovary-damaging treatment.

Before the therapy, her right ovary was removed and frozen in fragments in the hope that it could be used if she ever wanted to become a mother.

A decade later, surgeons in Belgium thawed some of the fragments and reimplanted them. A healthy son was born last November.

Several babies have been born from tissue taken from adult women, but this is the first success with tissue removed before puberty, doctors reported in the journal Human Reproduction.

"This is an important breakthrough in the field because children are the patients who are most likely to benefit from the procedure in the future," said Isabelle Demeestere at Erasmus Hospital at Brussels Free University, whose team carried out the transplant.

"When they are diagnosed with diseases that require treatment that can destroy ovarian function, freezing ovarian tissue is the only available option for preserving their fertility."

The patient, born in the Republic of Congo, was diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder, when she was five.

After she emigrated to Belgium at the age of 11, doctors found the disease was so severe that she needed a bone marrow transplant.

The procedure requires chemotherapy or radiotherapy to disable the immune system so that it does not to reject the marrow.

The transplant succeeded, although the girl had to continue with immuno-suppressive drugs for a further 18 months, and her left ovary failed.

Ten years later, the woman -- who wishes to remain anonymous -- wanted to have a family.

At this point, Demeestere's team offered their help.

They grafted four ovarian fragments to the remaining left ovary and 11 fragments at other sites.

The patient started menstruating regularly five months later but then hopes were dashed by another problem.

Her partner turned out to be infertile, the couple tried unsuccessfully for an in-vitro pregnancy, and then their relationship failed.

- Baby boy -

More than two years after the transplantation, the woman became pregnant naturally with a new partner at the age of 27. The boy was born last November, weighing 3.1 kilograms (6.8 pounds).

The patient's ovary continues to function normally, and she has the remaining fragments in storage.

Demeestere, in a press release, said the procedure was not without controversy, given that it entailed very young girls.

"For instance, because it is an invasive procedure and because the lifespan of the graft is limited, should it be used to induce puberty and menstruation, rather than to restore fertility, when hormone replacement therapy is an efficient, standard, and non-invasive alternative for inducing puberty?," Demeestere asked.

"Should the procedure only be proposed for patients with a high risk of ovarian failure or for those at low risk as well?"

Independent commentators hailed the feat as an important step in overcoming infertility, but agreed that ethical hurdles remained.

"We have to remember that many children who require chemotherapy are very ill and the surgery to remove ovarian tissue is no small undertaking," Professor Adam Balen, head of the British Fertility Society, told the Science Media Centre (SMC) in London.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Can you afford a baby?

MANILA, Philippines - A baby’s arrival into a family is always marked by great changes. The peace and quiet that once reigned in the home is suddenly disrupted by the baby’s laughter and cries; new furniture, toys and accessories are suddenly strewn everywhere in the house; mealtimes now include milk and cereal; and just about everything will begin to revolve around the new family member.

As a member of your family, your baby will be part of everything you do—from grocery visits to holiday vacations—and will influence every facet of your life, including your career, business, and even your choice of home and car. Expectedly, there will be both big expenses such as tuition fees, child care, and health care costs, as well as many small ones like purchases of toys, entertainment, clothes, and gifts, to name a few.

Needless to say, a baby’s arrival has lifelong financial implications that parents should prepare for, starting from childbirth all the way to adulthood. If you are planning to have a baby soon, or have recently had a new one, expect to make adjustments to your lifestyle and finances.

Here are some areas you need to look at closely to make sure no surprises for your budget:

Your date with the stork.

Your first major expense will be the cost of childbirth. Find out how much your chosen obstetrician will charge in professional fees so that you can set aside funds for this. Many hospitals offer a package that includes the doctors’ fees, hospitalization charges, regular check-ups, and other related fees. Compare and choose from among your options to come up with something that works best for you. If you have medical insurance, find out if this is covered. Check out and update your Philhealth coverage as well.

Time off to nurture.
When the mother gives birth, she will have to take a break from work. Philippine law provides for 60 calendar days off for a normal pregnancy and 75 calendar days off for birth by caesarian section. For some working mothers, this disruption might mean less or no income, so take this into consideration when planning your cash flow.

If you are working, check out your benefits and fill up forms that you might have to attend to in advance. Some companies give paid maternity leaves, and SSS also gives a maternity benefit. Fathers, on the other hand, are entitled to a paternity leave under the law. If you are employed, be aware that realistically, you will probably be taking some days off from work every so often to attend to unforeseen needs of the baby, which will be heaviest in the first 2 years of life.

If you used to make a good sum from doing overtime work, also expect that realistically, you may not be able to render as many hours in overtime work while your baby is very young.

Cost of Child care.

When the baby is born and when he is still young, you will need to make arrangements for his full-time care. Some mothers leave the work force to become a full-time stay-at-home mom, either permanently or for a short period. Alternatively, many working mothers employ the services of a full-time nanny (yaya). Others ask relatives to care for their children, while others leave their children at a day care center.

Work out an arrangement that is most suited for your circumstances. Whichever alternative you choose, expect child care costs to account for a major portion of your baby-related expenses.

Health is wealth (and expensive).

A new baby means many visits to the pediatricians. If you are lucky, these visits will just be for the administration of routine vaccinations. However, most children go through many illnesses in early childhood–respiratory tract infections, viral illness, diarrhea—that will require you to make a quick trip to the doctor. If you are employed and have health insurance or coverage from a health maintenance organization (HMO), find out if your baby may also be covered. Learn about the procedures to avail of these services.

Protect your future.

Now that you have a baby, you will have to think of ways to manage life’s uncertainties, like how to provide for your family’s needs in the unfortunate event that you pass away early or get disabled. This may be an opportune time to consider taking out a life insurance policy which is always cheaper to purchase when you are younger.

Invest in education (yes, this early!).

It is never too early to prepare for your baby’s education. At around 4, he will begin to attend preschool, and will continue to be in school for the next 15 years or so. Needless to say, the cost of education will account for a substantial part of the family’s budget, so it is something that you should begin to anticipate and plan for as early as you can.

Since the arrival of the baby heralds major changes in your life, it may be time to think about your life plans. Think of your life goals, the timetable with which you want to achieve these, and set up a financial plan to make this possible, taking into consideration the needs and wants of your now expanded family.

In the meantime, enjoy your bundle your joy!

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com