Actor Ethan Hawke welcomed a baby girl into the world July 18th, according to his representative. Hawke and his wife, former nanny (to his kids with Uma Thurman) Ryan Shawhughes, are proud parents to Clementine Jane Hawke. Clementine is the first child for the newlyweds and joins siblings Maya Rae and Levan Roan, Ethan's kids with Uma Thurman.

Mara Buxbaum confirmed the happy news. Hawke and Shawhughes married a month ago. Hawke split from Thurman in 2004, and it is alleged that she may be pregnant as well.

Congratulations to the couple!

Former supermodel Christy Turlington is campaigning for maternal health. The mother of two (with husband actor Ed Burns) is attempting to get the U.S. government to provide more resources to women during childbirth.

According to Turlington, a woman dies every minute of complications from childbirth. She believes that women around the world do not have access to the same medical care she had when she gave birth to her children. I would wager she is right. I couldn't believe the amount of care I received during the birth of my son and after in recovery--and I'm just a regular gal! Women the world over deserve the same amount of care, so I am right there behind Christie in her endeavor.

Joining Turlington on her campaign is former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, who is mom to daughter Bluebell Madonna Halliwell. Turlington is ambassador for Care, an organization dedicated to fighting global poverty.

According to the definition of abortion contained in a new proposal -- "any of the various procedures -- including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action -- that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation" -- birth control pills would be considered abortion.

The proposal, still in draft form only, is intended to prevent any organization that receives funding from the Department of Health and Human Services -- including hospitals, clinics, and medical schools -- from refusing to hire doctors that are unwilling to perform abortions or provide contraception, even when that is part of the job. Mary Jane Gallagher, who heads the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, worries "that under the proposal, contraceptive services would become less available to low-income and uninsured women."

Naturally, there is a lot of outcry over the proposal. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says that, if enacted, the proposal "will launch a dangerous assault on women's health." While I don't think the new and expanded definition of abortion would include abstinence as some have joked, I do think it is pretty ridiculous.

Many of us will face the multitude of pregnancy ups and downs. During our first trimester we may be nauseous day and night, leading us to wonder why they call it morning sickness. We may swell in places we never dreamed could get any bigger. Our boobs--well, let's not even get into those. As for diet, there may be some things we can't be near and some things we can't live without. And then there's the heartburn.

My mother had heartburn the entire time she was pregnant with me. I got it--bad--in the third trimester of my first pregnancy. This go around, I've had it nearly the entire time. What causes it? Well, there's a baby in there vying for space with everything else. That could be it. It could also be hormones. Progesterone, a hormone that pumps up during pregnancy, relaxes the muscles in the uterus and allows gastric acid to seep up. According to one pal--who turned out to be right, at least in one instance with the birth of my son--heartburn means the unborn baby has a full head of hair.

How to treat heartburn while pregnant? That, luckily, is not so tough. Some of us had better be prepared to buy stock in Tums, which are recommended by OBGYNs. The modern version comes in a variety of fruit flavors and tastes less chalky than its predecessor and even offers a bit of calcium, which is extremely important for pregnant women to get. Another pal suggested apple cider vinegar as perhaps a healthier alternative to the Tums. While this method could work fine for non-preggies, pregnant women are advised against consuming cider. It has also been recommended to drink plenty of water and to imbibe milk when heartburn strikes. The other remedy? Have the baby!

Pic by pixthree.

For someone who had little to say about her pregnancy, Minnie Driver is certainly opening up these days. She won't reveal the name of the baby's father and she has no plans on finding out the baby's sex before the big day, but she has a lot to say about the rest of parenting.

The actress recently revealed she has no real plans to stay with the baby's father and is seriously considering single motherhood. Now she admits she is prepared to be a "chubby" mother as well. As opposed to other Hollywood starlets who look like they were never pregnant to begin with (Keri Russell, I'm talking to YOU) or those who hit the gym moments after they shed the placenta and worked out frantically to reduce their size, Minnie has no plans to do anything other than be a mommy! Take that, Kate Hudson! (Hudson gained seventy pounds with son Ryder.)

Driver says to plan on seeing her around Malibu, and to plan on seeing her fat. As most of us realistic gals know, it takes a year to put it on, and heaven knows it can take at least a year to take it back off--if we ever do. Nice to hear someone from tinsel town taking a breath of reality! I doubt Minnie will stay 'chubby' as she likes to call it, given that she gained a ton of weight for her breakout role in Circle of Friends and lost all of it, but only time will tell. I just wish someone would advise Minnie she doesn't look fat now that she's pregnant--she looks fantastic!

Ever read the book Brave New World? In Aldous Huxley's science fiction masterpiece most people stop having babies the old fashioned way; instead humans are the product of test tubes, petri dishes and the like. With the advent of that seventy-year-old woman recently giving birth to twins, I'm starting to feel like the "fiction" part of sci-fi isn't so far-fetched.

Turns out scientists themselves don't think so either. A new report in the July edition of the Nature journal, scientists are predicting that within 30 years artifical wombs will be commonplace and it will be ethically acceptable to perform experiments on human embryos. Creeped out enough yet? They're also predicting infertility could go the way of the dinosaur, that labs will be able to manufacture eggs and sperm and that "genetic cassettes" will be used to correct diseases among other things.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) will be available for everyone and anyone from babies to grandmas will be able to have children. It was also noted that designer babies will remain an impossibility and people will still generally prefer making babies the old-school way, as it's less expensive and more fun. Having that kind of technology is one thing, but using it is another. Ethics take interesting turns throughout the years, and I don't necessarily think everyone would agree with all the possibilities mentioned above.

What do you think? Is this sort of progress inevitable and we should embrace it, or is there a good reason why infertility exists and we should let mother nature take her course?

According to new research, they just might. A recent study suggests that pregnant mothers who eat nuts may impact their child's health later on. Women who consume nuts or "nut-products" like the beloved peanutbutter may increase the risk of asthma in their children by as much as 50%.

Before we go any further, I would like to point out for the record that peanuts are NOT nuts, they're legumes. It's true. Anyway, the Dutch researchers in charge of the study are leary of advising pregnant women to forego peanuts as they provide protein and nutrients. Although seafood also causes similar allergic reactions in children, the researchers were only able to make a connection to peanuts.

Four thousand women were surveyed for what they ate while pregnant along with their children's eating habits over eight years. The research indicated that women who ate nut products daily were more likely to have children with asthma. The link persisted despite factoring for the children's diet. Although there is no conclusive evidence at this time, the researchers think the toxin from the peanuts could pass through the placenta and sensitize the unborn baby. Needless to say, more studies are needed before anyone throws out her peanut butter jar!

Photo by Dr Stephen Dann.

Lots of flowy summer tops couldn't hide what the media was desperate to know: Would Jennifer Garner become a mommy a second time? Well, after months of such tops and much speculation, Violet's mom has finally come clean.

The star of television's Alias series and husband actor Ben Affleck are expecting their second child. According to reports, Garner is five months along. The news, as usual, came from a surprising source. Rather than being from Jen's own mouth, it came from Victor Garber, Garner's Alias costar who also presided over her wedding to Affleck.

No word yet on whether the new bundle to be is a girl or a boy. Heck, with the way things are going these days it could very well be twins on the way! Congratulations to the expectant couple!

Actor Kevin Costner recently revealed his fear of fatherhood almost cost him his marriage. The Tin Cup star, already father to three children, was unsure of his ability to be an effective father to the children new girlfriend (now wife) Christine Baumgartner.

Christine made no bones about her desire to be a mother, and Costner admits it kept him from marrying her for years. Then the actor made a stark realization: lose a gorgeous young woman who wants to spend the rest of her life with you, or have another kid.

The pair wed in 2004 and Christine gave birth to the couple's first child, son Cayden, in 2007. I can appreciate Christine's candor--so many couples fail to discuss the crucial element of children before they get married. Either you want them, or you don't--and it's best to make that clear before you take a trip down the aisle. Looks like Christine got to have her cake and eat it too.

Nicole Kidman may be debuting pics of her new baby soon, but if she does so, it won't be for cash. The Oscar winner and her country music star husband, Keith Urban, recently welcomed Sunday Rose into the world. According to reports, they've been debating about whether to share their joy in picture format.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, if they do release pics, it won't be for a lot of money. In fact, the Australian paper is reporting, if pictures are released it will be for free.

As we all know, the Jolie-Pitt twins pictures will be worth between $15 and $20 million. The money has reportedly been earmarked for charity. Hollywood stars have had a long tradition of selling pictures of their children to publications like People and OK Magazine for hefty sums. Nice to see the Kidman Urban tribe isn't willing to share their joy only if there's payment involved.

Minnie Driver may want to give Bridget Moynahan a call. Ms. Moynahan has experience in something Minnie thinks she may be taking on pretty soon: single motherhood. The actress, who is expecting any day now, says she isn't certain whether or not she'll stay with the baby's father and is considering single motherhood as a definite option. Minnie has even set the stage for the possibility of a man-free world by surrounding herself with family and friends to help rear the baby.

According to the actress she'll have her mother, aunt and best friends to support her. Minnie has still refused to let on who the father of the baby is. She is also quoted as saying it's great to be independent in that way--and she certainly already has a leg up on that by denying the Hollywood gossip rags info on the baby daddy! Way to go, Minnie!

Minnie has also stated she'll probably go for a regular old baby name instead of some type of fruit, a day of the week or something that belongs on a space station. We'll see about that--she's resisted telling us the baby's daddy, the sex and now she wants a normal name? Who is this person who does whatever she wants? Independent indeed!

If the newest celebrity baby names got you buzzing last week, try this one on for size. When Florida resident David Partin's girlfriend, Samantha, gives birth to their son this winter, he'll be named "Dixon and Willoughby Partin." That might not be so bad if she was having twins, but she's not.

Florida radio DJs Richard Dixon and J. Willoughby ran a contest where the listener with the most interesting thing to trade won $100 gas card. Partin offered up naming rights to his unborn son and won. So the baby, for better or for worse, will be named for both men... the "and" included.

Can you imagine? My husband named our younger daughter, and I love both her name and the fact that he chose it. But had he come home and announced that he sold that right for a couple of fill-ups at the gas pump, well, there may have been words. Samantha seems to be a good sport however, saying that her son (Will they call him Dix? Will?) will have an interesting story to tell.

As yet another bitter celebrity divorce gets under way, interesting details about Cynthia Rodriguez's time while she was pregnant have been revealed. Cynthia, or C-Rod as she is now being called by the press, wife of Yankee's baseball star Alex Rodriguez (who is known as A-Rod, hence her nickname), recently stated she flew in the last trimester of her pregnancy to be with her husband on opening day.

Many doctors prefer women not fly in the third trimester of pregnancy for safety and health concerns. In fact, current wisdom holds a woman (at least in the U.S.) should not travel by air after her seventh month of pregnancy. C-Rod apparently flew in her ninth month. Her daughter was born less than a month after the flight.

What do you think? Is it a lot of poppy cosh that women shouldn't fly in the last trimester of pregnancy or is there something to it? C-Rod seemed to do fine and so did her daughter. I personally wouldn't want to fly while that pregnant. Heaven forbid you go into labor while you're in the air! Not to mention those seats are WAY too small for bulging pregnancy bellies. And if you have a craving? Well, if that's not the in-flight snack you're out of luck.

Actress Minnie Driver is refusing to play the Hollywood game with her pregnancy. Unlike some stars, who finally give in the the pressure of the media, Driver is refusing to comment on the sex of her baby. She's also sticking to her guns and not revealing who the baby daddy is.

Naturally media tongues are wagging with rumor, but Minnie will not satisfy them. The actress, who is set to give birth any minute now, doesn't know the sex of the baby, which makes it easier to keep that item a secret. Apparently the suspense is killing her, too (although she seems to think the baby is a girl)!

Driver also revealed she has no plans for a C-section, stating she isn't "looking for any type of intervention." Good luck, Minnie! Time will certainly tell what the sex of the child is, but who knows if we're ever going to find out who the daddy is. Who knows--maybe she'll keep it up and the answer to that will be one of life's great unresolved mysteries.

It's the moment the entire world seems to have been waiting for. New York's Daily News is reporting that actress Angelina Jolie has finally given birth to twins. Perez Hilton, among others for those of you counting, is reporting the same thing. Papa Brad Pitt was there for the birth, and docs are reporting the mommy and babies are doing "marvelously."

The babies, a boy and a girl, were welcomed into the world Saturday night in Nice, France. Reports are that the names of the new babes are Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline (Marcheline Bertrand was the name of Jolie's recently deceased mother). Each weighed in around 5 pounds. If reports are accurate, the babies were delivered via C-section for medical reasons.

Congratulations to the happy couple. And, congrats to Ange. If the rumors are true, she was ready to get those babies out of there! The next question on everyone's mind, of course, is when we'll get a first glimpse of those beautiful babies!!!