Three Moms Explain Why They Chose To Keep Their Pregnancies A Secret During The Health Crisis

A lot of us were recently surprised to learn that Mindy Kaling secretly gave birth to her second child, son Spencer, while at home during the health crisis. But then again, celebrities pulling off secret pregnancies isn’t something entirely new — for every celebrity who opts to splash the news of their pregnancy all over the media, there’s a celebrity who chooses to stay mum until the baby is born (or even after).

However, more non-celebrity moms are choosing to keep news of their own pregnancies a secret during the health crisis. In fact, three moms recently spoke to Inside Edition about their decisions to keep their pregnancies secret from everyone except for close friends and family members.

Anabelle Evans explained that she was in her first trimester when the health crisis began, and she started spending a lot more time at home. She says, “All of my Zoom calls and phone calls were urgency, things need to be done now, I’ll call you in 15 minutes. There was never a chance to say, ‘Oh, and by the way, I’m pregnant.” She didn’t even tell anyone outside her circle about her baby until after her daughter was born!

“I got all of the messages saying, ‘You’re what? You’re pregnant?! I had no idea!’”

Anabelle isn’t the only one who chose to keep her pregnancy a secret the entire time. Watch the video to find out how each of these moms pulled it off!

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/secret-pregnancies-2020/

No Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Before Election

Oct. 16, 2020 — Pfizer won’t apply for emergency authorization of its coronavirus vaccine before the third week in November, the company’s chief executive said in a statement posted to Pfizer’s website on Friday.

The reversal from the company’s previous claims that it would apply for the approval in October is a blow to U.S. President Donald Trump, who repeatedly said that a vaccine would be available before Election Day on Nov. 3, The New York Times reported.

Even though Pfizer could have preliminary data about the vaccine’s effectiveness by the end of October, gathering safety and manufacturing data would take until at least the third week of November, Dr. Albert Bourla said in the statement.

Pfizer’s announcement was welcomed by some scientists.

“This is good, really good,” Dr. Eric Topol, a clinical trial expert at Scripps Research in San Diego, told The Times. He was one of 60 public health officials and other medical experts who sent a letter to Pfizer urging it not to rush its vaccine, The Times reported.

Pfizer is one of four companies with a coronavirus vaccine in late-stage clinical trials in the United States. The others are Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Pfizer has given the most optimistic timeline, while the other three have said later this year is more likely.



WebMD News from HealthDay



Copyright © 2013-2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Source: https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201016/no-pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine-before-election?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Chinese COVID Vaccine Shows Promise in Early Trial

By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter


FRIDAY, Oct. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — An experimental COVID-19 vaccine appeared to be safe and triggered an immune response in healthy people, according to preliminary results of a small, early-stage clinical trial.


The study of the vaccine based on inactivated whole SARS-CoV-2 virus (BBIBP-CorV) included more than 600 volunteers in China, ages 18 to 80. By the 42nd day after vaccination, all had antibody responses to the virus, according to researchers.


The vaccine was safe and well-tolerated at all doses tested, study leaders reported. The most common side effect was pain at the injection site. There were no serious adverse reactions.


The findings were published Oct. 15 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.


Similar results were reported from a previous trial for a different vaccine also based on inactivated whole SARS-CoV-2 virus. That trial was limited to people under age 60.


The new trial found that people 60 and older responded more slowly to the vaccine. It took 42 days for antibodies to be detected in all of them, compared to 28 days among 18- to 59-year-olds.


Antibody levels were also lower in 60- to 80-year-olds compared with the younger volunteers.


“Protecting older people is a key aim of a successful COVID-19 vaccine as this age group is at greater risk of severe illness from the disease. However, vaccines are sometimes less effective in this group because the immune system weakens with age,” said study co-author Xiaoming Yang, a professor at Beijing Institute of Biological Products Company Limited.


“It is therefore encouraging to see that BBIBP-CorV induces antibody responses in people aged 60 and older, and we believe this justifies further investigation,” Yang said in a journal news release.


Because the trial wasn’t designed to assess the effectiveness of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine, it’s not possible to know whether the antibody response it triggered is strong enough to protect people from infection with the new coronavirus.


After the researchers complete a full analysis of data from the adults, they plan to test the vaccine in children and teens under age 18.


Larisa Rudenko, a researcher at the Institute of Experimental Medicine in St. Petersburg, Russia, wrote an editorial that accompanied the findings.


She said more “studies are needed to establish whether the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are capable of inducing and maintaining virus-specific T-cell responses.”



WebMD News from HealthDay



Copyright © 2013-2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Source: https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201016/chinese-covid-vaccine-shows-promise-in-early-trial?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Heart Defects Don’t Increase Risk of Severe COVID

By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter


FRIDAY, Oct. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In what will come as reassuring news to those who were born with a heart defect, new research finds these people aren’t at increased risk for moderate or severe COVID-19.


The study included more than 7,000 adults and children who were born with a heart defect (congenital heart disease) and followed by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, in New York City.


Between March and July 2020, the center reported 53 congenital heart disease patients (median age 34) with COVID-19 infection.


“At the beginning of the pandemic, many feared that congenital heart disease would be as big a risk factor for COVID-19 as adult-onset cardiovascular disease,” the study authors wrote in the report published online Oct. 14 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.


However, the researchers were “reassured by the low number of patients treated at their center and the patients’ outcomes,” they said in a journal news release.


Among the 43 adults and 10 children with a congenital heart defect who were infected with COVID-19, 58% had complex congenital anatomy, 15% had a genetic syndrome, 11% had pulmonary hypertension and 17% were obese.


Nine patients (17%) had a moderate/severe infection, and three patients (6%) died, according to the study.


A concurrent genetic syndrome in patients of all ages and advanced physiologic stage in adult patients were each associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 symptom severity, the findings showed.


Five patients had trisomy 21 (an extra chromosome at position 21), four patients had Eisenmenger’s syndrome (abnormal blood circulation caused by structural defects in the heart) and two patients had DiGeorge syndrome (a condition caused by the deletion of a segment of chromosome 22). Nearly all patients with trisomy 21 and DiGeorge syndrome had moderate/severe COVID-19 symptoms.


“While our sample size is small, these results imply that specific congenital heart lesions may not be sufficient cause alone for severe COVID-19 infection,” according to Dr. Matthew Lewis, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and his colleagues.


“Despite evidence that adult-onset cardiovascular disease is a risk factor for worse outcomes among patients with COVID-19, patients with [congenital heart disease] without concomitant genetic syndrome, and adults who are not at advanced physiological stage, do not appear to be disproportionately impacted,” the study authors concluded.

Source: https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201016/heart-defects-dont-increase-risk-of-severe-covid-19?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Husband Criticizes His Wife’s Relaxed Work-From-Home Look: ‘No Excuse To Dress Like A Slob’

A lot of people are working from home these days. This has definitely been a transition for many people — not everyone is made to work from home. But one of the upsides to not going into the office each day is that most of us have been able to tailor our work-from-home look to be something that’s probably a lot more casual than what we would usually wear.

One woman recently wrote on Reddit that she’s definitely relaxed her work look since being home. She works as a paralegal for a law firm, and she dresses appropriately when it’s required. Otherwise, she’s chilling.

“Since I have been working from home, I am not dressing professionally with full makeup and hair and all of that jazz,” she explained. “I typically wear jeans and a sweater or leggings and a sweater with more casual hair and no makeup. If I have meetings with the attorneys or clients, I will wear jeans and a button down top/blouse or sweater and put on a full face of makeup and hair.”

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/work-from-home-look/

Man Plans Incredible Boat Proposal, But Gets Knocked Off The Vessel When His Girlfriend Says Yes

A sweet idea for a proposal turned into a hilarious snafu the happy couple will never forget.

Colton Brownlee was ready to ask girlfriend Julie Palmer to marry him. He planned the whole day out. Colton was going to ask Julie while she was docking her boat on Como Lake in Wisconsin.

The boat proposal went down on September 26. He gathered friends and lined them up on the bank. Each had one word on their T-shirt, which ended up spelling out “Julie, will you marry me?”

Julie pulled up to dock her boat but found another in her spot. Colton decided this was his chance. He stepped onto the second boat to bring Julie ashore.

Julie was completely surprised as he pulled out an engagement ring. She said yes and leaned forward to kiss Colton. In doing so, Julie accidentally hit the boat’s throttle.

In an instant, Julie’s boat flew forward, knocking her over before crashing into the bank. Colton got knocked off the second boat into the water. One of their friends, filming from shore, almost fell into the water as well.

Thankfully, everyone was able to have a good laugh about it after the fact. No one was hurt. The boat was fine. Most importantly, Colton held onto the ring box through his fall. The story isn’t storybook perfection, but it’s one the couple will never forget.

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/boat-proposal/

Are ‘Dream Home Makeover’ Stars Shea and Syd McGee Mormon?

“My business grew exponentially,” Shea added. “I had people from throughout Southern California, and even across the country, asking me to design their homes. I had no idea how to handle the workload, but never considered working with my husband to be an option. And then one day it clicked. Syd was searching for a new start-up to dive into and there was the perfect candidate right in front of him. I remember crying and asking, ‘Are you sure we can do this?’ As it turns out, the answer was, ‘Yes!’”

Source: https://www.distractify.com/p/are-shea-and-syd-mcgee-mormon

Mom Is Stunned When Her Instacart Delivery Comes With Extra Bag, Along With Note About Her Kids

Meet Brittany, a hardworking and kindhearted woman from Arvada, Colorado. She’s currently working for Instacart, a grocery delivery and pickup service for busy shoppers who can’t make in-person trips to the store.

Brittany likes to make her job as motivational and fun as possible, while also finding ways to make others happy.

For example, at the start of the pandemic, she kept a small stash of hygiene supplies to give away to shoppers whenever stores ran out. She’d give these items away for free.

One day, Brittany found herself shopping for a woman named Katie — a busy, stressed-out mom of two toddlers who was simply trying to order groceries for her family.

Katie placed an online shopping order at Target and waited for the delivery to arrive. She was able to chat with Brittany before the order was met, just to make sure everything was squared away.

Nearing the end of their chat, Brittany asked Katie if there was anything else she needed.

“My sanity if you see it, these kids are driving me crazy!” Katie joked. She didn’t think much of the casual, lighthearted comment — but Brittany did.

When Katie’s order arrived, she was shocked to discover an extra bag of groceries and supplies, along with a handwritten message that brought her to tears.

As it turned out, Brittany had taken it upon herself to do some extra shopping for the busy mom — and she paid for these unexpected items with her own money, no strings attached.

“There is still kindness in this crazy world,” Katie told CBS.

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/instacart-shopper-kindness/

Cops Are Begging People To Stop Calling 911 About The Giant Ocean Creature Swimming Off Cape Cod

Dozens of boaters spotted a giant sea creature swimming in the waters off the coastal town of Wareham, Massachusetts.

The creature looked so big and bizarre that they grew concerned, thinking it was some kind of lost or injured shark or a seal … or some type of species totally unknown to mankind.

The Wareham Department of Natural Resources received so many calls that it launched an investigation into the mysterious animal.

The experts quickly realized the strange-looking creature is a sunfish.

Sunfish are generally harmless … and they can grow up to 11 feet long and weigh upward of 5,000 pounds!

They’re typically spotted in the autumn months and can get caught in coves or get left behind in high tides.

According to the Cape Cod Times, “[Sunfish] have a tall dorsal fin that can conjure the John Williams theme from Jaws when spied by nervous swimmers. However, they tend to swim on their sides, so the dorsal will come in and out of the water as they navigate about. So when the dorsal fin goes up and down, it’s not a shark. Sharks swim straight ahead with dorsal remaining above water.”

“We have checked on it, and it is doing normal sunfish activities,” the Wareham Department of Natural Resources wrote on Facebook. “It’s swimming. It is not stranded or suffering. The sunfish is FINE. Don’t be jealous just because its not swimming weather anymore!”

Then the department issued its plea: “PLEASE STOP CALLING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT THIS SUNFISH!!”

See the sunfish for yourself in the clip below.

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/giant-ocean-creature-massachusetts/

John Legend Dedicates Tear-Jerking Performance To Wife After Miscarriage: ‘This Is For Chrissy’

Chrissy Teigen is known for her candidness when it comes to just about every topic, and her pregnancy journey is no exception. She has been open about the fact she and her husband, John Legend, turned to in vitro fertilization to conceive their two kids.

For many years, the 34-year-old supermodel and social media sensation said she took pregnancy tests nearly every single month, hoping and praying for a positive result.

In August 2020, Chrissy announced she was pregnant with her third child, and this time they’d conceived without the use of fertility treatments. She didn’t even think that was a possibility for her.

She and John revealed the pregnancy in a music video for his song, “Wild.”

While the superstar couple prepared for the birth of their son Jack, Chrissy remained just as open and honest as ever.

She revealed the pregnancy was a difficult one from the start, and that she was placed on bed rest with a weak placenta and abnormal bleeding.

Two months after their pregnancy announcement, Chrissy shared devastating news with her millions of followers.

Despite many bags of blood transfusions, Chrissy and John lost their baby boy and were hit with “a kind of pain we’ve never felt before.”

Chrissy has been quiet on social media ever since.

As for John, he returned to the stage a few weeks later to perform at the Billboard Music Awards. And he dedicated his new song, “Never Break,” to his brave and inspiring wife.

“This is for Chrissy,” he told the audience.

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/john-legend-dedicates-performance-chrissy/

13 Times Parents Were Completely Freaked Out By Ghost Encounters Their Young Kids Experienced

Ghosts are meant to be a little scary — that’s why they’re such a popular character for Halloween. While everything must eventually die, it’s often a little eerie to think that our late loved ones may start haunting us. However, enough people have experienced a story they attribute to ghosts that it’s important to take them somewhat seriously. Whether it’s a house that’s “haunted” or just an odd experience or feeling someone gets, stories involving ghosts may give you a bit of a fright.

However, for some, talking about ghosts is more of a spiritual exercise that gives them peace. Regardless of what you believe, it’s hard not to feel comforted by the fact that your loved ones are still around in some form.

Not every kid will come in contact with a ghost. And sure, some of the stories may be fueled by childhood imagination. But when people’s children talk about seeing a ghost? It’s hard not to avoid. Especially when they have tons of details to support what they saw.

Here are 13 of the best ghost encounter stories parents have shared online. It might be the exact thing you need to get into the Halloween spirit. Or they may lead you to question everything.

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/kids-ghost-encounters/