October Bump + Beyond news
Hello October!
It’s not just this ambient month that has made many of us cheerful. Get your pumpkin-spiced lattes at the ready because we’ve got some lovely stories to report.
From news of Molly-Mae’s pregnancy that broke Instagram to the return of the once-died-out baby name Gary, sit back and recap with us…
Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury expecting their first baby together
Love Island stars Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury have announced they are expecting their first child together. The couple, who have become arguably one of the show’s most famous faces made even bigger waves among their fans in revealing their pregnancy news via Instagram.
A video posted to Molly-Mae’s account showed a black and white clip of the two in the Love Island villa. It then cuts to recent footage of them holding Hague's baby bump while hugging each other.
The post has received millions of likes and many congratulations. Many were from fellow Love Island stars and celebrity influencers including Maura Higgins who said “And there we go I'm crying again! Love you so so much.”
For Molly-Mae fans, the news of the pregnancy was even more special as the influencer has been very open about her experiences living with endometriosis. One fan tweeted: “Can’t believe Molly-Mae is pregnant! It’s so hard for women with endometriosis and pcos to have children, I’m so happy for her.”
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This heart-warming announcement came as a wonderful surprise to those who follow this couple, with many people regarding the fashion influencer as ‘like a best friend’. It’s also enormously inspiring to other women living with endometriosis who, like Molly-Mae, have worried about the future of their health and ability to start their own family.
Study suggests that 'babies in the womb smile for carrots and cry at greens'
Researchers at Durham University found that foetuses whose mamas had taken the carrot tablets appeared to make 'smiling faces' soon afterwards.
The report, which was published in the journals of Psychological Science, was the first to look at how unborn babies react to taste and smell. It studied 100 pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks pregnant and took 4D ultrasound scans 20 minutes after they had taken tablets filled with either carrot or kale powder.
While scans also showed that babies whose mothers had taken kale powder appeared to make ‘crying faces’ the results ultimately showed that exposure to even a small amount of good was enough to stimulate a reaction from a growing baby.
The results also concluded that an unborn baby could potentially experience flavour of their mother's food by inhaling or swallowing amniotic fluid in the womb. This could mean that mothers might be able to influence their babies taste preferences in eating a bigger variety of food when pregnant and avoid ‘food fussiness’ in the future.
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It’s truly amazing when we get a glimpse into the miracles of the human body and its ability to grow a little one! Not only that, but this study also reveals we can see the behaviours and little personalities of our babies while they’re still in mama’s tummy. It’s a great step towards understanding how the time baby spends as a foetus affects who they become once they’re born.
Couple raise £70k for specialist X-ray machine at Sunderland Hospital
Image via South Tyneside And Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
A couple from Sunderland have raised over £70,000 for a specialist X-ray that uses state-of-the-art technology. Sergio Petrucci, 46, and Emma Petrucci, 40 raised the money after their own daughter was diagnosed with two holes in her heart. This was discovered during a check-up following her birth at the hospital's maternity unit.
As a way of giving back, the couple set up the Red Sky Foundation and have since fundraised for the new state of the art X-ray technology. The specialist machine is one of the first available in Europe and helps to X-ray babies and deliver images back to a radiographer in as little as two seconds. This allows for swift diagnosis and treatment.
As a smaller, lighter, and quieter system, the new machine is easier to manoeuvre compared with traditional models. Consultant Neonatologist Imran Ahmed said “We’re pleased to become one of the first in the Europe to have this equipment. Seeing it in action is fantastic and we know it will help us for many years to come.”
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What could be better than helping our youngest and most vulnerable receive specialist care? We’re hugely appreciative of our amazing NHS but we know support from people like Sergio and Emma’s foundation make all the difference to improving our healthcare system.
Gary makes come back in most popular baby names list for 2022
Image via Unsplash
In even lighter news, it seems that the name Gary is making a comeback on the list of baby names this year!
Although the humble name boomed in popularity amongst new parents in the 1950s and 1960s it has experienced a continued to decline ever since 1997. Its sharpest drop was between 2019 and 2020 but during 2015, Gary was listed as a name that was due to go extinct thanks to its extreme decline.
Recently, UK Baby Names revealed names are trending, including a number of other traditional baby names such as James, David, John, and Ian. While Gary didn’t make the top 100 most popular baby names list, the very fact it is trending has sparked a new hope that the name may live on for generations to come.
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Many of us know, love, or have a Gary in our life. While it may have fallen out of favour with parents over the last few decades, it would be a shame to see it extinct! It’s not too surprising as we’ve seen the increase in more traditional baby name ideas growing in popularity recently but we love it nonetheless!
Have your say
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the above so, if there’s a topic of discussion you think we should include in our next monthly Bump + Beyond round up, please get in touch via email to pr@naturalbabyshower.co.uk.
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