Mariah: the pregnant oversharer

There is a point when sharing every morsel of information about your pregnancy is too much information. Case in point: Mariah Carey. She has posed on 2 magazine covers naked and pregnant, posts incessantly on Twitter and has broadcast the intimate details of every aspect of pregnancy and her relationship with her husband for the world since the first announcement of the pregnancy. I'm over it. Just on her website, her 'team' has posted that her fans can choose her twin babies' first outfit.

While social media has it's benefits, you wonder why some of these celebs are constantly posting. Is it the fear of being alone? Are they comforted by knowing that someone, somewhere in the world will be there reading their thoughts? I wonder why Mariah doesn't want to keep some of this to herself. Sure she gets paid for all of the magazine covers but when you have the media in your face all of the time, wouldn't you want to have just this one thing that you can have that's just for you?

Tori S. preggers

So no one could be more excited than me about Tori Spelling's announcement of her third pregnancy! I followed her first two pregnancies and now I have a third opportunity to make fun of follow her incessant whingeing insightful thoughts about weight loss and dieting. She debuted her new bump on EXTRA this week after announcing her little bun in the oven on Twitter. According to the Chicago Tribune, Tori surprised her husband Dean with the news: “I wrapped up the pregnancy test in a box and bow and gave it to Dean as his Valentine’s Day gift,” she tells People. “He was beyond surprised.”

TOTALLY TORI FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS!

Ryan Phillippe/Alexis Knapp debacle

Rage: So the word is that Ryan Phillipe's ex, Alexis Knapp is pregnant with his child. What annoys me is that everyone has been writing about this woman as though she is trying to con Phillipe into giving her money/support. A recent headline from US read that she 'blindsided' him with news of the pregnancy. She is saying she doesn't want any help from him. She's happy to be pregnant and just thought he should know. I love how it's the woman that gets judged for getting knocked up while men get treated as though they really didn't think that having sex would potentially lead to a pregnancy. PUHLEASE!

Eva Herzigova bares all

Oh my! Eva Herzigova, 37, features on the April cover of Bazaar, 7 months pregnant with her second child. She reflects on motherhood the second time around:

"Being pregnant is less about being sexy than being sensual. You feel very feminine. There are all these special hormonal enhancements.

"You really blossom, especially in the first three months: my skin and my hair were in great condition; my breasts were like 'wow'; it was like I'd had a facelift and breast-enhancement surgery. It's amazing refinding the body that you used to have in your twenties."

Rachel Zoe doesn't eat during pregnancy: shock/horror

For anyone that follows Rachel Zoe, stylist to the stars, you would know that she's pregnant and if you have really been paying attention, you would have noticed that it is almost impossible to tell that she is 8 months pregnant. Blamed for making Nicole Richie and various other celebs stick-thin in order to fit into her fashion, Zoe has recently been quoted by a "source" in In Touch Weekly as saying that she is not used to eating 3 meals a day which is why she hasn't gained much weight during the pregnancy. One doctor speculates she hasn't gained more than 15 lbs (and with her tiny figure, you can hardly tell).

For the sake of your baby and all of the women who religiously follow your every move, please eat up. Low birth weight babies are prone to a host of health problems! Besides pregorexia chic is so 5 years ago....

Pink shows off her belly in her own gorgeous photo

Wow. I just fell in love with Pink.

Tired of having unflattering photographs (like this) taken of her during pregnancy by the paparazzi, Pink has hit back with her own gorgeous pregnancy photo (above) that she uploaded to her Twitter feed this week saying:

"ALRIGHT... because paparazzi of today have absolutely no photograhic skill or artistry whatsoever, and their pictures are hideous...."

Gotta love the fact that 1) she screwed the tabloids out of money from photo sales and 2) she has taken control of the documentation of her pregnancy. WIN!

Miranda Kerr boasts about being stretchmark-free

Oh Miranda Kerr. You know when I was all pro-Miranda a few weeks ago when she published that lovely breastfeeding photo on her blog? Well, it didn't take her very long to start to start to use her pregnancy to push some of her organic beauty products on other mums. This week, in her blog, the supermodel boasts that she doesn't have any stretch marks following her pregnancy with baby Flynn:

"I am so excited and just wanted to share with you how my pregancy skin routine has helped me to prevent any stretch marks. As you know I had a huge belly (carrying a 9lb 12 ounce baby) and was convinced I would have stretch marks as a result. But I am so happy to report that my combination of daily body brushing and applying KORA Organics Body Lotion twice a day have helped me to prevent stretch marks."

She didn't get any stretch marks. I'm irked by the fact that she has decided to use her lack of stretch marks as an opportunity to sell $45 moisturiser to her readers. Firstly, who the hell has $45 to spend on bloody skin cream? Secondly, there is no evidence that creams actually work in preventing stretch marks. Scientists are divided as to what you can do to make them appear less prominently on your body. There is no evidence to suggest, however, that you can prevent them entirely. Genetics appears to play a significant role as to whether you are prone to getting them when you are pregnant.

So, in short, I would have liked to hear about Miranda's post-baby body minus the sales pitch.

J.Lo blah blah blah

J.Lo won't be giving pregnancy advice anytime soon.

"Everybody gives you a lot of advice when you are pregnant, which I find a tiny bit annoying, so I'm not going to give any."

J Lo added, "But I did read What To Expect When You Are Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. You can go day-by-day with that. It's awesome."

Hmm. From someone who doesn't like being told what to do, how could you actually enjoy reading one of the most prescriptive guidebooks for pregnancy available?!

Miranda Kerr: cover of Vogue Australia

How on earth did I miss this??

Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr (who just gave birth to her first son Flynn with partner Orlando Bloom) was the first woman to appear pregnant on the cover of Australian Vogue this month.

Inside the accompanying spread, there is also a photo of Kerr naked and pregnant.

Kerr also posed naked and pregnant for W, snapped by legendary photog Patrick Demarchelier.

"For me, family is life," Kerr, 27, told the fashion magazine who photographed her nude from the side while she caressed her baby bump.

"The decision to start one wasn't complex at all," she added.

Clijsters slams pregnancy rumour with panache at Oz Open

Oh if only all famous women responded to unsolicited uterus updates like tennis pro Kim Clijsters.....This little tidbit from Melbourne made my day:

Here's the story: David Cup coach Todd Woodbridge texted one of Clijsters friends, Rennae Stubbs speculating that Clijsters was pregnant again, specifically: "She looks grumpy and her boobs are bigger."

Stubbs told Kim about th e text and as Woodbridge interviewed Clijsters on court after her second round win over Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro at the Australian Open, Clijster's decided to get Woodbridge back...(you can watch the deliciously mortifying footage here)

"You thought I was pregnant," Clijsters said.

Woodbridge, turning a deep shade of purple, shot back, "Well, I guess we've got to ask, are you?"

Clijsters said that no, she wasn’t, but that wasn't the end of it. She read out the text to the crowd:

"You said: 'She looks really grumpy and her boobs are bigger!'"

Woodbridge was mortified, saying: "Well that's the end of my TV career, so thank you very much."

I just love this. While women have alot of reasons to absolutely hate celebrity mums for all of their money and seemingly easy lives, I have to say that the unsolicited uterus speculation really gets to me. It's no one's business to ask a woman if she's pregnant and a million other inappropriate reproductive questions. Clijsters was absolutely correct in making this clear to a man who had no business inquiring about her body based on stereotypes (I mean seriously, 'looking grumpy' could describe most working mothers around the world on any day).

GOLD.

Natalie Portman compares self to whale

Just as Natalie Portman waxes about how unflustered she is about gaining pregnancy weight, at the Golden Globes (side note: did you see her Victor & Rolf gown? AH-MAZING), she says: “I hope I’ll get to lie in bed and eat popcorn and watch TV for the rest of it,” she laughs. “Not always be out in public looking like a whale, but it’s all nice energy that everyone is showing.”

Nat? You were setting such a good example!

Possibly another book mums don't need...

As I have been re-visiting my hometown of Chicago for the last few weeks, I find myself gravitating to my favourite bookstores, the majority of which are now overrun with Alison Sweeney's new tome, The Mommy Diet. Sweeney, host of the The Biggest Loser (US) claims that this book reflects her new found sensitivities surrounding pregnancy weight gain and the pressures to lose baby weight quickly. While I am usually all for positive reading material for new mums when it comes to body image, there are several things that bother me about this book. Firstly, Sweeney (in spite of what are probably good intentions) is inextricably linked with a television show that puts ordinary but very obese individuals through the paces to lose extraordinary amounts of weight in a short period of time. While she acknowledges that this environment led to her own anxiety about losing weight postpartum, I still think that it is difficult for other mums who are inevitably going to read this book to separate her from the context from which she has become famous. Secondly, while Sweeney reiterates that the book is meant to be a book for 'healthy' pregnant and post-pregnant bodies, I find it bizarre that a book that is meant to be about 'health' or mindful eating/exercise has the word 'diet' in the title. Call me crazy, but I think most of us have pretty explicit pictures of what 'diet' means and it usual brings to mind pictures of restrictive eating and lots of exercise in order to lose weight which I think seems to contravene what Sweeney is intending to do with the book. The book is a month-to-month guide to weight loss which, to me, isn't much different than any of the three million other books on the market that purport to be 'different' and all about 'health' when really they are just diet books in disguise. I think the whole premise of the book is hypocritical. Although Sweeney says that she didn't lose her baby weight quickly, nevertheless, she lost it and I think she would be lying if she suggested she didn't have lots of support to do so.

Has anyone out there actually bought the book or have you seen it? What do you think of it?

Portman pounded with pregnancy questions

As all eyes around the world have fixated on Natalie Portman for her dual roles as ballerina in Black Swan and mum-to-be, Portman has been asked endlessly about what she is eating, how she feels about pregnancy and whether she is worried about gaining weight after allegedly losing 20lbs for her role in the movie. I laughed to myself, however, when I read today that Portman is planning to step out of the spotlight after the birth. I wish her the best of luck with that. If the first few months of her pregnancy are any indication and considering that she has four movies coming out in 2011, the chances of Portman having a little privacy are slim to none. She is being a good sport about the interest in her life:

“It’s very positive interactions, I have to say,” Natalie told MTV News of the public knowing about her pregnancy. “The weird thing is … people knowing something that is so private but, I mean, you get used to that. It’s just wild to walk down the street and have a complete stranger be like, ‘Congratulations!’ It’s so nice, but it’s a new experience to have people know that much about your most private things. [But] it’s all good.”

Let's hope so.

BBP resolves to have head no longer in sand

Geez..has it been this long? A new year and a renewed commitment to blogging as my new years resolution. For those of you who have been wondering where I have been, well, I've been traveling around the world on a much needed holiday after a wild and wonderful year of research and teaching.

I have returned to the world of pregnancy to relish in the thought of supermodel Miranda Kerr pushing out a 10lb baby, Kate Hudson carrying the love child of a rockstar, Natalie Portman announcing her pregnancy in the midst of her publicity tour for Black Swan in which she plays a ballerina gone mad and Kelly Preston and John Travolta presenting their new son Benjamin to the world via the most relevant news source, People magazine.

When it comes to parenthood, what are your resolutions for 2011?

Miranda Kerr walks the runway

Wow. It's been a long time since I last posted. Let me break it down. As an academic, sometimes, I find it pretty hard to find the time to blog. I teach a lot and often find myself getting lose in the world of undergraduates and generally forget about the world of pregnancy for awhile. In fact, sometimes I just need a holiday from pregnancy. It consume my life inside and outside of academia and every year I always take a few months off. So there you go. Sorry if you thought I left you forever...

Well, I'm back now and there's no better way to return this world than with a post about Miranda Kerr revealing..or should I say not revealing her baby bump at Paris Fashion Week.

Apparently, Lady Kerr walked the Balenciaga runway wearing an oversized houndstooth coat which gave no hint of her 5 months pregnant belly. After the show, she wrote on Facebook: "I was so flattered that Nicholas asked me to walk for Balenciaga even though I'm pregnant! He is an artist and a wonderful soul. Guys, I'm off to bed and hopefully I will get a chance to talk to you over the next few days. Lots of Love Miranda xxx"

Image source: Getty Images

Kourtney Kardashian passes out trying to lose baby weight

Oh Kourtney, silly girl.

Well, it wasn't so long ago that Kourtney Kardashian (KK) was banging on about how quickly she lost her baby weight in Life & Style mag. According to New York Daily News, if you watched Sunday's episode of Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, you would have seen the physical costs associated with her extreme dieting.

In the episode, Kourtney is running and finds herself passed out, having eaten nothing for the day (in anticipation of the upcoming Life & Style photo shoot).

"I've been obsessing about this weight thing a little too much," she says. "I'm so embarrassed that I punished my body for a photo shoot."

Well, I guess we can all thank Kourney for admitting that her post-baby weight loss wasn't as easy as it is portrayed on the magazine. On the other hand, it makes me so sad that rational human beings can be forced into going to ridiculous lengths to look good for the media. All of the working out and dieting she did was probably for nothing considering so many of the images we see are airbrushed anyway!

If only actresses could get a clue..

Once upon a time, I used to really like Gwyneth Paltrow. She maintained some semblance of down-to-earthness in spite of her elite family and private school upbringing.

Then one day, the lovely actress who wore the bubblegum pink Ralph Lauren gown to the Oscars, had children and got married. The down-to-earth girl became this evil, warty Mother Superior. As if overnight, everything Gwyn did was better than everything else. She started an arrogant Martha Stewart wannabe website called GOOP with the goal of trying to 'enrich' the lives of everyday people (but let's face it, she's writing for women), most of whom don't have a clue what a macrobiotic diet is and buy their clothes at K-Mart.

Gwyn has been in cohoots with trainer to the stars, Tracy Anderson, herself under fire for her spouting her mouth about why being skinny is the only path to happiness. But that's another story for another day.

Today, Gwyn blabbed to the Associated Press about working out post-pregnancy. While she admits that getting the weight off was no small feat (back in my good books), she immediately says that women should 'make time' and have no excuse not to exercise (oh Gwyn, back in my bad books). Specifically:

"Every woman can make time - every woman - and you can do it with your baby in the room," she said. "There've been countless times where I've worked out with my kids crawling around all over the place. You just make it work, and if it's important to you, it'll be important to them."

Hmm. Gwyn, let's just focus on the fact that you had Tracy Anderson come to your house everyday to exercise with you. You did not have to actually go anywhere with your kids to exercise or find a gym with a childcare or a willing grandparent/friend to look after your kids so you could exercise. That's right. YOU HAVE A GYM IN YOUR HOUSE.

What pisses me off even more is that you undoubtedly have had a hand in the new Tracey Anderson Post-pregnancy workout DVD.

1) Tracy Anderson is hardly a role model for post-pregnant women who feel crap about their post-pregnancy bodies 2) Neither are you.

SHUT UP.

Alicia Keys, working her bump in satin

Could Alicia Keys look any hotter in this magenta satin maternity frock?

Claudia Schiffer bares all for German Vogue

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer is naked and pregnant for the June issue of German Vogue. Shot by Karl Lagerfeld, the photo is reminiscent of Demi Moore's 1991 Vanity Fair cover photo taken by Annie Leibowitz. Schiffer turned 40 this year and the entire issue of the magazine is dedicated to her. She's featured in a number of 'controversial' shots in the centre spread as a pregnant nun and a dominatrix. She says:

"I’m a lot more self-confident than I used to be. To some extent I owe that to my children and my husband. I know what I’m doing and what I want. I have control over myself and that feels good.

"I’ve never hidden the fact that I used to be shy, even when I was 30. However, I might have been self-conscious on the inside, but I was never inhibited about my body. I never had a problem with stripping in front of the camera. Maybe that’s because of how I grew up. Back home we never used to knock at the bathroom door. No, I’ve never been prudish."

Schiffer gave birth last month to her third child, Cosima.

Kelly Preston: Having a baby at 47

So it appears that Kelly Preston, actress and wife of John Travolta (age 56), is pregnant AT THE AGE OF 47.

Today they have released a statement to People describing the pregnancy as a 'miracle'.

'Miracle', my arse.

Aside from all of the gay rumours circulating lately about JT, everyone with half a brain cell could probably figure out that they have probably been undergoing fertility treatments for quite some time now. As reproductive specialists suggest, it's a rarity for a woman to become pregnant on her own after age 45." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008 there were 0.7 births per 1,000 women ages 45 to 49, compared with 9.9 births per 1,000 women ages 44 to 40.

As much as Celine Dion makes my skin crawl, at least the gal has had the guts to be open and honest about her age and the fact that women over 40 don't get pregnant miraculously. I mean, seriously, that's like suggesting storks drop babies on your front porch.

What do you think? Are Kelly and John too old to parents again?