Identical Quadruplets Born

Identical Quadruplets Born

 Identical Quadruplets Born - Identical quadruplets born, Identical triplets born in New York, A New York couple has become parents to a set of identical triplets. Laura, Sophie, Jasmin and Kim.

 Those are the names of four brand-new and astoundingly unique children born in Leipzig, Germany, on Friday. The children identical quadruplets were reportedly delivered with few complications and are all healthy

Desmond and Kerry Lyons left their Manhattan hospital with five-day-old Kevin Patrick (6lb), Declan Gerard (5lb, 8 oz), and Cormac Francis (5lb 4oz).
The couple, from Irvington, New York, who already have two children aged two and four, conceived the triplets without fertility treatment.

Twins, triplets and quadruplets have become much more common over the past few decades because of fertility treatments, but identical triplets are still rare. Some scientists estimate they occur in as few as 1 in 100 million births. Others peg the number higher, at 1 in 500,000 or even 1 in 64,000.The three tiny newborn boys emerged from the the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center on Tuesday wearing matching blue hats and asleep in a pram.
The triplets were born on Friday by Caesarean section.

Celebrity Health Changers

Celebrity Health Changers

Celebrity Health Changers, President Obama & Portia de Rossi are among the celebs who made healthy moves. Take this quiz to see how much you know about the benefits of seven behavior changes. The lifestyles of the rich and famous aren’t always the healthiest ones. Late-night parties, drug and alcohol binges, smoking and bad eating habits can all be harmful to your health and take years off your life. Here, some behaviors that are common among the stars, and how changing them can result in dramatic health improvements and increased longevity.

Smoking

According to the American Lung Association, 90 percent of lung cancer deaths can be directly linked to cigarette smoking. Cigarette addiction can also a host of other conditions — such as emphysema, heart disease, stroke, infertility, throat, stomach and pancreatic cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The good news? Kicking the habit can radically change that outcome.

Eating a vegetarian or vegan diet

Former President Bill Clinton had a legendary appetite — and a famously omnivorous diet that included extra helpings of fast food, barbecue, french fries and doughnuts. But after being diagnosed with heart disease and undergoing a quadruple bypass operation in 2004, Clinton committed to completely revamping his diet. Now he eats an essentially vegan diet — with no meat, no dairy and no eggs. And that could literally be a lifesaver for him:

Studies have shown that eliminating animal protein can lead to improvements in health. How? What is the recommended amount of protein in the daily diet?

Drug addiction

While celebrities with high-profile drug habits have their addictions — and related transgressions—tirelessly chronicled in the press, their struggles and health risks are really no different from any other drug users. Take cocaine, for example. This popular recreational drug is responsible for more visits to the ER than any other illegal drug. And that’s not surprising when you consider the drug’s effect on nervous system:

It increases heart rate and blood pressure and constricts the arteries that pump blood to the heart. What can this result in? It also constricts blood vessels to the brain. What can this cause?

Snorting it damages nasal passages, and it can also contribute to stomach ulcers and cause sudden kidney failure. Quitting successfully is tough because it’s so highly addictive, but doing so will reverse many of its negative health impacts.

Tanning

Even the notoriously golden browned stars of “Jersey Shore” have wised up to the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) rays. After a dermatologist from The Skin Cancer Foundation visited the cast, former tanning bed addict Snooki renounced her UV habit and now claims to get her glow exclusively from much-safer spray-on tans. Among the scary facts that encouraged the change:

Frequent tanners have an increased risk of deadly melanoma, and some high-pressure sunlamps can emit as much as 12 times the UVA radiation of the sun. Check out this staggering factoid on the yearly incidents of new skin cancer cases.

Staying up all night

It’s one thing when late nights are a partying celebs choice, but for some stars—as well as many regular folks — lack of sleep is due to insomnia, not after-hours clubbing. But no matter what the cause, not logging a full night of zzz’s can contribute to numerous health issues:

According to the National Sleep Foundation, getting too few hours increases your risk of obesity, diabetes, heart problems, depression and substance abuse. And then there are the more obvious side effects of being chronically exhausted — like an increased risk of getting in a car accident, trouble dealing with distractions and difficulty learning.

Excessive drinking

Alcohol fuels many a Hollywood party, but dozens of celebs have also renounced the hard stuff—many after much-publicized trips to posh rehab facilities. And while moderate drinking has been linked to some positive health benefits, chronic alcohol abuse is nothing but trouble:

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 79,000 deaths each year in the U.S. can be attributed to excessive alcohol consumption.

Starving yourself

The pressure to be stick thin is everywhere, but no one feels it more than celebrities — whose most microscopic bulges are under the constant focus of the papparazzi’s zoom lens. But when mere dieting turns into a full-blown eating disorder, that unhealthy obsession can take a serious toll.

According to the National Association of Anorexia and Associated Disorders, a sizeable percentage of anorexics die from complications related to their disease.

Pot use students high

Pot use students high

Pot use students high, Pot use by teens reaches new peak. According to a new report, one in 15 high school students smokes marijuana regularly. That’s the highest rate in 30 years. Researchers say some teens have the idea that smoking the drug carries little risks, and that could be due to poor restrictions for getting medical marijuana. School anti-drug programs deserve some of the credit for a downward trend in drug use among Pennsylvania middle and high school students, observers say.

Managers of two midstate drug and alcohol agencies said the findings of the 2007 Pennsylvania Youth Survey show the programs have merit. The survey, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, involved more than 16,000 students and found, in general, that more are saying "no" to drugs and alcohol.
"Our school districts take a lead role," said Jack Carroll, executive director of the Cumberland-Perry Drug & Alcohol Commission. "These reports are an indication they are doing a pretty good job with that."
Jodi Wadel, director of the Franklin/Fulton county Drug & Alcohol Program, said education was a factor in the declines noted in the PAYS survey.
"We are seeing kids make better choices," she said.
Among other things, the PAYS report found that in 2007, 28.6 percent of high school seniors surveyed said they were willing to try marijuana. In 2001, the figure was 40.5 percent.
The findings mirror national trends. Lloyd D. Johnston, a University of Michigan professor and an expert on national drug use data, said national surveys have showed a general decline in student drug use since about 2001.
But Carroll said he was worried about continued funding cutbacks for school anti-drug programs. Most of the money comes from the federal government, he said, and the most recent proposal is for a funding level of $100 million next year, down from $451 million several years ago.
"This data," Carroll said, "is an example of how funds invested in those types of programs are working."

Studies may have overestimated cellphone crash risk

 Studies may have overestimated cellphone crash risk

Increased risk of having a car crash attributed to cellphone use may have been overestimated in some past studies, a new analysis suggests.

So-called "distracted driving" has become a big public health issue in recent years. The majority of U.S. states now ban texting behind the wheel, while a handful prohibit drivers from using handheld cellphones at all (though many more ban "novice" drivers from doing so).

But studies have reached different conclusions about how much of an added crash risk there is with cellphone use.

In the new report, Richard A. Young of Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit finds that two influential studies on the subject might have overestimated the risk.


The problem has to do with the studies' methods, according to Young. Both studies a 1997 study from Canada, and one done in Australia in 2005 were "case-crossover" studies.

The researchers recruited people who had been in a crash, and then used their billing records to compare their cellphone use around the time of the crash with their cell use during the same time period the week before (called a "control window").

But the issue with that, Young writes in the journal Epidemiology, is that people may not have been driving during that entire control window.

Such "part-time" driving, he says, would necessarily cut the odds of having a crash (and possibly reduce people's cell use) during the control window and make it seem like cellphone use is a bigger crash risk than it is.

The two studies in question asked people whether they had been driving during the control windows, but they did not account for part-time driving, Young says.

So for his study, Young used GPS data to track day-to-day driving consistency for 439 drivers over 100 days.

He grouped the days into pairs: day one was akin to the "control" days used in the earlier studies, and day two was akin to the "crash" day.

Overall, Young found, there was little consistency between the two days when it came to driving time.

When he looked at all control windows where a person did some driving, the total amount of time on the road was about one-fourth of what it was during the person's "crash" day.

If that information were applied to the two earlier studies, Young estimates, the crash risk tied to cellphone use would have been statistically insignificant.

That's far lower than the studies' original conclusions: that cellphone use while driving raises the risk of crashing four-fold.

And, Young says, the results might help explain why some other studies have not linked cell use to an increased crash risk.

A researcher not involved in the work said that the two earlier studies may well have overstated the crash risk from using a cellphone.

But that doesn't mean you should feel free to chat and text away at the wheel, according to Fernando Wilson, an assistant professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

A number of other studies, using designs other than case-crossover, have suggested that cellphone use, and particularly texting, is hazardous on the road, Wilson told Reuters Health.

"In wider policy, I don't think this study is going to change the conversation about distracted driving," Wilson said. "Most of the conventional thinking is that we need to do something to reduce it."

In his own study published last year, Wilson looked at information from a government database that tracks deaths on U.S. public roads. He found that after declining between 1999 and 2005, deaths blamed on distracted driving rose 28 percent between 2005 and 2008.

And the increase seemed to be related to a sharp rise in texting. ("Distracted driving" refers to anything that takes the driver's attention off the road, from fiddling with the radio to talking to other people in the car.)

Other studies, Wilson noted, have used mounted cameras to show that drivers' behavior becomes more risky when they are using cellphones.

All of those studies have limitations, and cannot pinpoint just how big a risk driving-while-texting (or talking) might be. Wilson said the current study highlights a limitation in case-crossover studies.

But the new study, itself, has shortcomings. Applying the GPS findings from this study to the two earlier ones, done with different drivers, in different countries, is tricky, both Young and Wilson point out.

"It's possible that the (earlier) study findings were overstated," Wilson said, "but it's difficult to know by how much."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 450,000 Americans were injured in crashes linked to distracted driving in 2009. Another 5,500 were killed.

9 Reasons Why You Can't Concentrate

9 Reasons Why You Can't Concentrate

You walk into a restaurant to meet a friend and remember you were supposed to meet somewhere else. You leave your boss's office and, quick as that, forget the deadline she gave you for a new project. You had your keys in your hand, you were just holding them, and now they're gone -- again. What's going on? Here, nine possibilities for why your mind is wandering, and expert advice on how to get your concentration back.



1. Your numbers are low. Fuzzy mindedness could
signal a vitamin or hormone deficiency, especially if you're also feeling unusually tired. For example, hypothyroidism -- too-low levels of thyroid hormone -- could be to blame, says Robert Orford, MD, consultant at the Mayo Clinic's Preventive Medicine Division in Scottsdale, AZ. "If there's a deficiency in thyroid hormone, metabolism slows, which reduces blood flow and cellular function in various parts of the brain," Dr. Orford says. B-12 deficiency and related anemia can have similar symptoms. Most people get plenty of B-12 in their diet, but an underlying condition such as Crohn's or celiac disease can prevent your body from absorbing it.

Try this: Schedule an appointment for a physical with a doctor who'll take time with you. Make a list of any other health changes you've noticed that could help pinpoint the source of your problems concentrating. "You want a comprehensive medical exam, including blood tests," says Dr. Orford. Also ask your doctor to test for cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome or prediabetes: if left untreated, they can cause cognitive decline.



2. Your hormones have gone haywire. If you're nearing the end of your baby-making years, your inability to think clearly may signal the start of perimenopause -- that run-up to menopause when menstrual cycles become irregular and estrogen drops. Lack of concentration is a common complaint of perimenopausal women, says Kimberly Pearson, MD, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Women's Mental Health. "They describe it as feeling fuzzy. That's the word a lot of women use. They feel like their vocabulary is diminishing, like they're not as sharp, not as crystal clear."

Try this: If other signs point to perimenopause (hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness), consider short-term hormone replacement therapy to get you over the hump. "Women who go on replacement notice such a shift," says Dr. Pearson. "They say, 'Oh my God, I have my brain back.'" If HRT is out because of the health risks involved, ask your doctor about the possibility of taking a low-dose, concentration-boosting stimulant such as Ritalin instead. "And exercise seems to help everything," says Dr. Pearson.


3. You've changed your meds. Anti-depressants can affect mood and concentration when you go on or off them. Antihistamines, sedatives, and anti-anxiety medications can cause lingering drowsiness, and antidepressants, beta blockers, and other medicines can cloud your mind. People who take statins sometimes notice a loss of mental clarity, says Dr. Orford. A daily dose of Coenzyme Q10 may counteract this effect. As for sleeping pills -- please.

Try this: Write down all the meds you take or recently stopped taking and review this list with your doctor. Ask if any of them are known to cause concentration problems when people go on or off them, or mix them with other medications, or take them long term. Educate yourself about the drugs on your list so you can have a more fruitful discussion. Go to the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Health, MedLine Plus and DailyMed Web sites for good information.

4. You're quitting smoking. Yaaay! Two things to remember when you're tempted to cheat: 1. The more and longer you smoke, the more gray matter you lose. That's proven. The sooner you quit, the more you maintain. 2. Yes, you'll have trouble concentrating as you go through nicotine withdrawal, says Christopher Kahler, PhD, professor of behavioral and social sciences in the public health program at Brown University. It's a common complaint. But that passes, and the mental-health boost you get from quitting more than compensates: You did what? You quit smoking? Wow. "There's a lot of psychological benefit to it," he says.

Try this: The happier you feel when you tackle quitting, the more likely you are to succeed, says Kahler. His tips for boosting mood: Track three good things that happen to you each day and write about them each night. Write a letter of thanks to someone you never thanked for something and deliver it. If you can spend some of the money you save by not smoking, skip the material purchases and do something fun with a friend. Shared experiences generate lasting happiness.

5. Your diet has deteriorated. What you eat can have a major impact on mental clarity, says Laura Middleton, PhD, assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Bad eating habits increase your risks of obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and related ills that can impair cognitive function, and being overweight or obese makes it harder to stay active, which is essential for brain health.

Try this: Middleton's motto is "If it's good for the heart and cardiovascular system, it's good for the brain." She advises sticking to the principles of the Mediterranean Diet: A diet high in fish and vegetables and lower in meat, saturated fat and processed foods. If sweets and other junk food are your downfall and you're able to cut back, magic can happen: Brain fog, energy crashes, hunger pangs may dissipate.


6. You think busy means fit. You may be incredibly busy, but if you're stuck at a desk or behind the wheel of a car most of the day, you won't be engaged in the kind of physical activity your mind needs. To stay sharp, you need to keep moving. Among other things, exercise increases production of a substance called brain-derived neurotrophic factor that helps the brain rewire itself and slows formation of plaques that accompany Alzheimer's disease. Start exercising, and you could feel sharper and more able to focus within a month. "It takes a few weeks to get into it," says Middleton, "but then positive changes happen quickly."

Try this: Shoot for 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity three to five times a week. "If you can build to an hour, that's great," says Middleton, and weight training also seems to improve brain function. Middleton and her colleagues found in a recent study that being active throughout the day may do more to help keep your mind sharp as effectively as purposeful exercising. "Anything that contributes to movement matters -- doing chores, gardening, getting out of your chair to stretch," she says.


7. You have anxiety overload. Your boss gave you a bad evaluation and you know she has to cut staff, the IRS wants to audit your taxes, and your doctor wants to order another round of tests. And you wonder why you can't concentrate? Of course you can't. That's how the brain responds to real or imagined threat. We become hyper-alert to our surroundings ("Shhh! What's that?"), but ask us to focus on a task or follow a conversation, and forget it.

Try this: If you can't concentrate because you're too busy worrying, stop and do something fun to clear your head, says Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, PhD, professor and chair in the department of psychology at Yale. Go for a walk, try a new recipe, play with the dog. Now think of one small thing you can do to address your worry and do it, even if it's just talking to a friend. Taking small, positive actions reduces the psychological stress that destroys concentration and bathes the brain in harmful stress hormones. Taking action can also stimulate healthier brain function. A 2009 study found that when people suffering from depression were helped to take small steps toward re-engaging in life, not only did they start feeling better but areas of their brain associated with motivation and pleasure that had been under-active revved back up. "And this is without medicine," says lead author Gabriel S. Dichter, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine. "Just changing behavior jump-started the brain to function in a healthier way."


8. Your plate overfloweth. You work ten-hour days and stop to check on your widowed mom on your way home. You're chairing the church fundraiser again this year because you did such a great job last year and everybody begged you to do it again. You've got to get the invitations out for your daughter's birthday party, the dog needs to go to the groomer, you need a haircut, and your in-laws are arriving next weekend for their annual visit. Even if you're not super-worried about any of these things, having too much on your to-do list could mean you're setting yourself up for distractions and forgetfulness. "It happens to men and women," says Dr. Orford. "They have so much going on they can't keep up. Their minds get overloaded."

Try this: "I try to take regular little breaks," says Nolen-Hoeksema. "I'll program my Blackberry to buzz me to stop for five minutes and breathe and regroup. It really helps me take a step back, which can be hard to do, and often I'll realize, 'I could delegate that,' or 'This isn't that important' or 'I can put this off.'" Carrying a written reminder to "Stay focused" or "Get back to Number 1," whatever that means to you, can help, too. Saying "no" may not come naturally but you can build your skills. "It takes practice and realizing that the world doesn't cave in," says Nolen-Hoeksema. Working with a buddy helps. Hers is her husband. "We have a deal that when I say 'no,' he gives me a treat. If it's a small thing, it might be a candy bar. If it's a big thing, he takes me to dinner. Or I just email him and say, 'I said "No,"' and he emails back, 'Congratulations!'"


9. It's just the way you're wired. If a new job or relationship is making your problems with focus, organization, time-management and follow-through newly apparent to others, but the truth is they're not at all new to you -- you've been struggling with them all your life -- you could have undiagnosed Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). You don't have to be hyper to be a candidate, says J. Russell Ramsay, PhD, co-director and co-founder of the Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Symptoms can take many forms, including impatience, distractibility, forgetfulness, impulsiveness, and having trouble finishing tasks.

Try this: Rate yourself on the World Health Organization's Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. If you score high, "it's worth following up with a specialist," says Ramsay. Visit add.org or chadd.org to find one in your area, or ask a specialist in childhood ADHD for a referral. Meds work, and finding the right one is your first priority. But old habits and defenses die hard. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you replace them with healthier coping skills. Focused attention meditation -- focusing on a sound, image or your breath and bringing attention back to that focus when it strays -- helps, too. A 2009 study found that new meditators who practiced daily for three months were more able to stay focused and dismiss distractions with less effort and without making their brains work so hard.

Celebrities who've bounced back after pregnancy

Celebrities who've bounced back after pregnancy

Kate Hudson

When actress Kate Hudson had her first son Ryder in January 2004 she struggled to lose the excess baby weight she had gained. But with her second child she didn't gain as much weight so it was easier to shift. She did this by taking daily exercise and following a strict eating regimen. She followed a low carb, high protein diet plan of about 1,500 calories a day and her exercise routine included cardio, yoga and pilates.

Health and fitness consultant James King says of her choice to use pilates to get back into shape: "Pilates is unique in that it changes your body shape without necessarily affecting your weight significantly but rather improving your posture. Weight loss is not one of the 'most efficient' benefits of Pilates."


Jessica Alba

Actress Jessica Alba gave birth to her second child Haven in August and has been spotted on the red carpet looking back in shape. Jessica puts it down to good old-fashioned working out using an exercise bike and elliptical machine. She said 'I didn't gain too much this time so that made a difference and I started working out as my doctor said it was fine. I try to be healthy and balanced. I have definitely not lost the baby weight but it's coming off slowly but surely. I don't weigh myself. I just see what clothes fit.'

Victoria Beckham

Victoria runs up to five miles each morning which is a sure-fire way to blast away excess baby fat. But health and fitness consultant James King says: 'If five miles sounds unrealistic to you then utilise the time versus intensity trade off, perhaps run two to four miles but at a higher intensity. In addition resistance training will act as a catalyst to getting your body back in top shape.'

Mariah Carey

Pop diva Mariah Carey piled on the pounds when she was pregnant with her twins Moroccan and Monroe, but six months after giving birth she has already lost an amazing 70lb! The singer credits her weight loss to the Jenny Craig diet, which she is now an ambassador for, which meant sticking to a 1,500-calories-a-day menu and working out three times a week. Talking about her weight loss, Mariah said: 'I'm proud of how hard I worked to get my body back...I had to do this for me.'

Mel B

Mel B is another celebrity who enlisted the help of weight loss company Jenny Craig to help her lose the weight she gained while pregnant with her third child. The singer was keen to get her fab figure back after 'pigging out' during her pregnancy.

A month after giving birth Mel tweeted that she was running to get back into shape: 'Just ran 5miles that's 8.8kms on my 7 day training in 10 months after having my baby 4 weeks ago, now come on my peeps let's get the fat off.' But while she may have been getting fit she also wanted to start eating much more sensibly. Talking of why she joined the Jenny Craig programme Mel said 'I have already been exercising but what I need is a little push to help me start eating sensibly.'

Miranda Kerr

She may be a model but Miranda Kerr has been looking in fantastic shape since giving birth to her son Flynn earlier this year. And she puts it down to healthy eating and practising yoga.

Health and fitness consultant James King says: 'Yoga is not as effective as cardiovascular or resistance training for weight loss. However, it is a great way to detox and combat stress, which will certainly aid your weight loss programme - your body will resist burning fat when your mind is stressed; get your head right and your body will follow.'

Miranda follows a 'metabolic typing' diet, which proposes we each have a unique metabolic type and that the nutrients appropriate for one may be inappropriate for another. A number of different metabolic typing diet plans are currently marketed despite the lack of scientific rigour behind the claims. Jame King suggests following principles to get your diet on track: eat within thirty minutes of waking, include protein with each meal, eat at least three meals a day, avoid eating carbohydrate with your evening meal and avoid any liquid calories.

Kelly Preston

Don't hate on them because they're famous. And rich. Hate on them because they look so darn good so soon after having kids ... Kelly Preston may have gotten pregnant at age 48, but she didn't let that stop her from dropping the baby weight - and more! 'I lost 39 lbs., have more energy than I had 20 years ago - and I feel amazing!' the actress, who gave birth to son Benjamin Travolta in fall 2010, tells People. Check out these other star mamas who made losing their post-baby weight look like no sweat ...

Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Connelly's shed the baby weight for the third time and she's wearing the sheer to prove it. Connelly stepped out on Sept. 20 looking fabulous just 3 months after giving birth to Agnes Lark. The 40-year-old mother of three welcomed her baby girl into the world on May 31.

Tina Fey

Tina Fey's post-baby body is no laughing matter! Back in April, Fey was stopping by the 'Late Show' sporting a baby bump. On August 10, Fey gave birth to baby girl, Penelope Athena. In true star-studded form, Fey stepped out at the Emmy's just 5 weeks later looking fit and fabulous.

Danica McKellar

The Wonder Years' star, Danica McKellar may have gained 40 pounds while pregnant, but she's since lost nearly all of it, thanks to her healthy diet, breastfeeding, and doing yoga as well as other exercises.

Doutzen Kroes

Just eight weeks after giving birth, Dutch beauty Doutzen Kroes hit the beach to show off her amazing bikini body. Kroes gave birth to Phyllon Gorre on January 21 and was back to work with her incredible post-baby bod on March 22.

Alicia Keys

All in a matter of 4 months, a very pregnant Alicia Keys hit the red carpet in September, gave birth to son Egypt Daoude in October, and was back to flaunting her bod by December 1, 2010.

Amy Adams

Amy Adams looked just about ready to pop at the 2010 Vanity Fair Oscar party in March 2010. On May 15, Adams and Darren Legallo welcomed their first child, Aviana Olea Legallo, to the world. The next time she walked the red carpet at the 2011 SAG Awards, Amy Adams was looking white-hot in a form-fitting gown.

Claudia Schiffer

Claudia Schiffer's nothing short of a model mother. At 39-years-old Schiffer gave birth to her third child in May 2010. By October, Schiffer was slimmed back down to model material.

Bethenny Frankel

Back in March 2010, Bethenny Frankel was sporting her bump. She gave birth on May 8 to baby girl, Bryn Hoppy. While she opted for a modest one-piece, Frankel's bod was beach ready by the time June 8 rolled around.

Jenna Elfman

Jenna Elfman gave birth on March 2, 2010 to baby boy Easton Quinn Monroe Elfman. We think it's less 'Accidentally' and more on 'Purpose' that Elfman dropped all the baby weight in less than half a year.

Amanda Peet

Amanda Peet gave birth to her second daughter, Molly June Benioff on April 19, 2010. Within 8 days she was walking the red carpet to promote her upcoming film at the time.

Alyson Hannigan

Alyson Hannigan gave birth on March 24, 2009 to baby girl, Satyana Denisof - the same day as her 35th birthday. Not only does Hannigan look ageless, she also looks flawless dropping her baby weight in less than half a year.

Victoria's Secret Angel

Most women couldn't pull off a Herve Leger bandage dress normally, let alone a mere 4 months after giving birth! Not only did she lose the weight after having son Benjamin in record time, but the Victoria's Secret Angel, 29, seen above, left, at 7-month-pregnant, didn't even pack on the pounds like regular folks. Gisele, it's okay to indulge in a hot fudge sundae when you're preggers -- it's the perfect excuse.

Kendra Wilkinson

Reality TV star Kendra Wilkinson seen above, left, at 7-months pregnant, may be stressing about losing the baby weight on her E! show, 'Kendra,' but the new mama was looking as fit as ever on March 16 -- just 3 months after welcoming son Hank Baskett IV on Dec. 11, 2009.

Jennifer Hudson

'Dreamgirls' star Jennifer Hudson showed off her bump at Michael Jackson's memorial service in Los Angeles in June. The Grammy Award-winning singer, who was 8-months pregnant at the time, gave birth to son David Daniel Otunga less than 2 months later on Aug. 10. But Jennifer, who's engaged to pro-wrestler David Otunga, brought her trademark curves back at the Whitney Museum Gala on Oct. 19. In fact, these days the songstress is looking better than ever these days with her newly svelte frame.

Padma Lakshmi

Top Chef' host Padma Lakshmi may have had a bun in the oven, but you'd never be able to tell by looking at her! The beauty, seen above, left in November, 2009, gave birth 3 months after this photo was taken to daughter Krishna Thea Lakshmi. But in less than a month the TV personality was back to her slim self, leaving onlookers stunned.

Rebecca Gayheart

Actress Rebecca Gayheart seen here at 8-months-pregnant on Feb. 8, gave birth to daughter Billie Beatrice on March 3, but was spotted looking super-svelte just a month later on April 6.

Kourtney Kardashian

Keeping Up with the Kardashian' star Kourtney Kardashian looked ready to pop at 7-months-pregnant on Oct. 9, 2009. But after giving birth to son Mason Dash Disick on Dec. 14, the eldest Kardashian sister got her bikini bod back in no time, gracing the cover of People magazine's April 2 issue.

Victoria's Secret model Karolina Kurkova

Victoria's Secret model Karolina Kurkova gave birth at the end of October, but you'd never guess based on the stunning figure she flaunted at the amfAR NY Gala on Feb. 10. The model and 'G.I. Joe' star, seen above left on Sept. 21 at eight months pregnant, and her fiance Archie Drury, welcomed Tobin Jack Drury on Oct. 29

Camila Alves

Camila Alves didn't just lose her baby weight in record time, she started hosting her own reality show, Bravo's 'Shear Genius,' in what seems like seconds after giving birth. Matthew McConaughey's sexy girlfriend, pictured above left on Sept. 7, welcomed daughter Vida Alves McConaughey on Jan. 3.

Leelee Sobieski

How did she do it?! Actress Leelee Sobieski gave birth on Dec. 16, but is already as trim as ever at the screening of HBO's 'How to Make it in America' on Feb. 9. This is the first child for Sobieski, 26, and her fashion designer fiance, Adam Kimmel.

Ellen Pompeo

Grey's Anatomy' star Ellen Pompeo is known for her slight frame -- and, despite giving birth to daughter Stella Luna on Sept. 15, the actress is spotted back in her slim-fitting jeans on Feb.4.

Julie Chen

Julie Chen spent all summer hosting 'Big Brother' while her baby bump grew and grew. But after giving birth to son Charlie Moonves on Sept. 24, the CBS morning show host didn't waste any time losing the baby weight. The TV personality, nicknamed 'The Chenbot' by fans because she never appears to age, showed off her slim figure at the Los Angeles premiere of 'Extraordinary Measures' on Jan. 19, 2010.

Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum's done it again! Just five weeks after giving birth to daughter Lou Samuel, the supermodel is back to her bangin' bod just in time to host the Victoria's Secret Fashion show on Nov. 19. While Klum claims she still has 20 lbs. to lose, she looked as fit as ever in a body-hugging leather dress she donned for the after party.

Klum set the precedent for model post-baby weight loss when she hit the 2005 Victoria’s Secret runway show (above, center) less than two months after giving birth to son Henry in Sept. 2005. The 'Project Runway' host’s trainer, David Kirsch, told the Daily News in December 2008, that Klum lost the weight through intense cardio workouts, circuit training and a strict diet.

Nicole Richie

Reality show star Nicole Richie showed off her baby bump in August at the launch of her new maternity clothing line in Beverly Hills. But after giving birth to son Sparrow James, her second child with rocker beau Joel Madden, on Sept. 9, Richie was back to her usual pin-thin self in just two weeks. Above, right, the starlet looks slender on Oct. 18.

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Buffy the Vampire Slayer' is now one sexy mom! Sarah Michelle Gellar couldn't hide her pregnancy forever, and gave paps a peek at her burgeoning bump on Aug. 19. Gellar, 32, who's been married to actor Freddie Prinze Jr. since 2002, gave birth a month later on Sept. 19, and had her pre-baby body back in the blink of an eye. The actress dropped the lbs. in record time, debuting her post-baby bod while out in Los Angeles on Oct. 16.

Kelly Rutherford

Gossip Girl' actress Kelly Rutherford could hardly contain her belly on May 2, and gave birth less than a month later to daughter Helena Grace. Despite a nasty custody battle over son Hermes, 2, with her estranged husband Daniel Giersch, the actress still found time to get back into shape, showing off her svelte self at an event on Oct. 19.

Ana Ortiz

'Ugly Betty' actress Ana Ortiz showed off her burgeoning bump at her baby shower in NYC on June 16. She and her musician hubby, Noah Lebenzon, welcomed their first child, Paloma Louise Lebenzon, on June 28. The actress was back in her 'Betty' character's sexy little outfits just two months later, and showed off her stunning figure at an event on Aug. 25.

Gwen Stefani

Rocker Gwen Stefani said ‘Hey Baby!’ to son Zuma Nesta Rock, her second child with fellow musician hubby Gavin Rossdale. (The rock royalty couple also have a son, Kingston.) While there's no doubt Gwen embraced her pregnancy curves, above, she made an awe-inspiring transformation, taking the stage with her band No Doubt in July to flaunt a stomach of steel. Her tummy's so tight she could wash the kids' clothes on her washboard abs!

Model Alessandra Ambrosio

Model Alessandra Ambrosio showed off her killer body at the 2008 Victoria Secret Fashion Show in Miami Beach, Fla. - only three months after giving birth to daughter Anja. According to her personal trainer, Leandro Carvalho, Ambrosio 'had to pay the price' for indulging in rich Brazilian food and ice cream during her pregnancy, working it off by sweating through Carvalho’s special Brazilian Buttlift workout – a combination of ballet, squats, lunges and capoeira – for two hours a day.

Nicole Richie

Nicole Richie went from late-night partying to early-morning diaper changing when she and rocker boyfriend Joel Madden welcomed their daughter Harlow in Jan. 2008. Her barely-there baby weight, which she flaunted (above, left) one month earlier, was gone within no time when she stepped out in Nov. 2008 with no flab in sight.

Grammy Award-winner Christina Aguilera

Grammy Award-winner Christina Aguilera left her 'dirrty' days behind her in 2008, welcoming a baby boy named Max Liron. The Staten Island-born songstress and her husband Jordan Bratman tried to keep her pregnancy under wraps, but after being outed by Paris Hilton on MTV, Aguilera went really public and posed nude on the cover of Marie Claire. The singer (pictured, right) showed off her newly toned bod in August of 2008, seven months after giving birth.

Jenna Jameson

Adult film star Jenna Jameson may have given birth in March 2009, but that sure didn't stop her from baring it all for Playboy just four months later! Jameson, 25, and boyfriend Tito Ortiz welcomed twin boys, Jesse Jameson and Journey Jett, on March 16, 2009. The new mom credited her post-baby bod to her vegetarian diet and paddle surfing. Above, Jenna shows off her burgeoning bump in Jan. 2009, but was back to her super-skinny self in June of that same year.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez is renowned for her curves. But during her 2007 'El Cantante' tour, it was the round mound protruding from the front side of J.Lo's body that had people buzzing. Seen above just days before giving birth to twins Max and Emme in Feb. 2008, the sexy songstress debuted a perfect hour-glass figure ten months later at the premiere of 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.'

Britney Spears

An 8-months pregnant Britney Spears strutted across the stage at the 2006 Teen Choice Awards, a mere month before the pop star gave birth to her and then-hubby Kevin Federline's second son, Jayden James. While the star flaunted her pregnancy curves in a nude cover of Harper's Bazaar, the real shocker came when she showed up looking fit and fabulous at the American Music Awards just eight weeks after delivering Sean Preston's baby brother.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie looked like she was ready to pop at the Cannes Film Festival in May, 2008. And pop she did, giving birth via C-section just two months later on July 12. Twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline joined the burgeoning Pitt-Jolie brood, consisting of Papa Brad, Angie, their biological daughter Shiloh, and the A-list couple's three adopted children, Maddox, Pax, and Zahara. But the angelic beauty slimmed down and showed off her skinny frame at the premiere of her beau's flick, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' in late 2008.

Halle Berry

A seven-month-pregnant Halle Berry still managed to rock the red carpet, and in a pair of strappy heels to boot on Jan. 5, 2008. The Oscar-winning actress and longtime beau Gabriel Aubrey welcomed daughter Nahla on March 16. Berry wasted no time in getting back her Bond girl body to be named Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive for 2008, gracing the mag's cover in little more than a shirt and tie just six months after giving birth. Yowza!

Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz’s enormous baby bump turned heads at the 2008 MTV VMAs on Sept. 7, as the red-headed starlet eagerly anticipated the birth of her first child. The then-24-year-old actress/singer gave birth to son Bronx Mowgli on Nov. 20, 2008, but was back to her svelte self this past March to walk the red carpet at the MTV Australia Awards in Sydney, Aust. Now that's a quick turnaround!

Katie Price

British lingerie model Katie Price (aka Jordan) is actually a mother of three. Price and her now-estranged husband, pop singer Peter Andre, welcomed their first son, Junior Andre, on June 13, 2005. The buxom Brit also has a son Harvey, now 7, from a previous relationship. Price and Andre later had a daughter, Princess Tiaamii Crystal Esther Andre, in 2007. On April 20, 2005, the model's larger-than-life chest actually made her baby bump look comparatively small, despite the fact that she was seven months pregnant at the time. But in the blink of an eye, Price was back in her trademark skimpy attire - albeit with a new hair hue - in October 2005, despite having given birth a mere four months earlier.

Amy Poehler

For 'Baby Mama' star Amy Poehler, life imitated art when the comedienne welcomed Archie Arnett, her first child with hubby Will Arnett, on Oct. 25, 2008. Poehler worked throughout her pregnancy, and even walked the red carpet at the Emmy Awards just a month before she was due. Ever the trooper, the former 'SNL' funnywoman managed to be back in top form just in time for the L.A. premiere of new NBC show, "Parks and Recreation" on April 9, 2009

Melissa Joan Hart

She may be a former teenage witch, but it took more than magic for Melissa Joan Hart to drop the 42 pounds she gained during her pregnancy, as shown above at the Grammys in Feb. 2008. The former 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' star and mother of two got serious about dropping the extra weight, which she did with the help of a nutritionist and a personal trainer. 'I realized I didn't have to be heavy just because I have kids,' she told People. Hart's hard work certainly paid off, as she looked bewitching by May 2009.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman booted her baby bump in record time! A mere 10 days after delivering her daughter, Sunday Rose, on July 7, 2008, Kidman was snapped getting out of her car in Nashville with not even a hint that she'd ever been preggers. During her pregnancy, Kidman reportedly kept herself in tip top shape, doing weight training, yoga, power-walking, aerobic cycling, and even worked with a trainer five times a week. Nicole was back to her slim self just in time to promote her movie, 'Australia' and looked phenomenal at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards on Nov. 10.(Above, l-r) A seven-months-pregnant Kidman poses for photographers at the CMAs on May 18, 2008.

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts looked like she was about to pop in October 2008, but it wasn’t until two months later that she and beau Liev Shreiber welcomed their second child, son Samuel Kai Shreiber. The British-Australian actress kept her weight loss regime simple, telling People mag that breast-feeding helped her shed her extra weight. 'He’s sucking it all out of me, it seems. And when the baby comes out, it’s a lot of weight right there.'

Keri Russell

Former 'Felicity' leading lady, Keri Russell, considered herself lucky that her pregnancy experience was 'life-changing,' but her real luck was her effortless post-baby weight loss. The actress, pictured above at five-months-pregnant at the April 2007 premiere of her flick, 'Waitress,' and husband Shane Deary welcomed their first child, a son, River Russell Deary, on June 9. The actress was spotted toting baby River around New York City looking enviably fit and fabulous just two weeks after giving birth and debuted her slim figure at the Oscars in Feb. 2008.. Russell told the Daily News in a November 2007 interview, 'Normally I would say it's because I work out. But it's not even that. I just don't have the time. Breast-feeding burns off a lot of calories. I'm still doing that.'

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett strutted down the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2008 (above, r.) showing no signs that she had a baby just a month earlier. The Australian actress looked lovely in a ruffled peach Armani Prive gown in her first red carpet appearance since the delivery. Blanchett’s toned tummy was quite an accomplishment considering she gave birth to son Ignatius Martin on April 13. Ignatius is the third child for the Oscar-winning actress and her husband Andrew Upton. Even at eight months pregnant, Cate made sure to attend the Oscars, looking absolutely glowing on the Feb. 24 red carpet

Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba may look like she bounced back from baby in no time at all, but the sexy actress revealed the sneaky secret to her post-baby body success ... and it didn't include hours at the gym. 'I wore a girdle,' the 'Fantastic Four' star and wife of Cash Warren admitted in the March issue of Elle magazine. Above, left, Alba, who looked radiant at six-months-pregnant on March 4, 2008, gave birth to daughter Honor Marie on June 7, 2008. Girdle or no girdle, the actress looked stunning five months after baby on Nov. 13.

Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner didn't let being seven months pregnant stop her from cheering on hubby Ben Affleck's beloved Red Sox on Oct. 1, 2005. Jen gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Violet, exactly two months later. But the au-natural stunner, who hit it big with a starring role in 'Alias,' showed she could clean up like a pro when she walked the red carpet just three months later at the 2006 Oscars

Marcia Cross

After giving birth to fraternal twin girls, Eden and Savannah, on Feb. 20, 2007, 'Desperate Housewives' star Marcia Cross lost no time in dropping the pounds. Just three months after her delivery, the 45-year-old actress told People she had nearly reached her target weight, saying, 'I'm still working on it, but it's happening a lot faster than I expected.' Cross credits her stockbroker husband, Tom Maloney, as well as exercise DVDs and gym workouts for her post-pregnancy slim down. Above, left, a 6-month-pregnant Marcia on Nov. 30, 2006; right, Marcia's a proud mama on Oct. 16, 2007.

Melania Trump

Pregnancy obviously suits Melania Trump, whose usual pout was replaced by a beaming smile at a Nov. 17 event in NYC. And it seems the Donald is quite a lucky man! Mrs. Trump gave birth to the couple's first child, Barron William Trump, on March 20, 2006, and was already looking like a million bucks at the Oct. 26 launch of Trump Super Premium Vodka in NYC. Now that's something to toast to!

Tori

Above, left, a 6-months-pregnant Tori posed at a signing for her book 'Stori Telling' on March 14, 2008 in West Hollywood. The actress shed the excess baby weight gained during her second pregnancy, but has frequently been scrutinized as to whether she's gone too far in her dieting. Above, right, the mother of two looked scary skinny on April 13, 2009 at a party for the release of her second book, 'Mommywood' in Beverly Hills, Calif.