The wait is over! According to a source close to the reality TV star, earlier this morning Kim Kardashian and her beau, Kanye West, became parents, welcoming a baby girl into the world! No word yet on baby’s name, but the starlet did drop a few baby name hints throughout her pregnancy.

Baby girl West arrived slightly ahead of schedule (fashionably early?!) — Kim reportedly wasn’t due until July. Unlike all the other reports, People confirmed that proud new daddy Kanye was by his doting girlfriend’s side throughout delivery and was there to meet his little princess as soon as she arrived.

Baby girl, whose name has yet to be revealed, was reportedly born at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood and made her debut just in time for daddy to celebrate his first Father’s Day. In true Kardashian fashion, baby’s birth wasn’t without drama. According to Us Weekly, a hospital source revealed that baby was “five weeks early. Kim got sick last night and had the baby early.” Thankfully, the source added, “They’re all doing great and amazing!” Reports made by TMZ say that Kim delivered baby girl naturally. Her contractions began Friday night.

Chances are that due to baby’s early birth, she’ll be in the NICU so that doctors can ensure her health and keep a close eye on Kardashian’s precious new cargo. While preemie babies do face some health and developmental risks, it’s way too early to jump to any conclusions. From the looks of it, though, it sounds like baby KimYe is doing just fine in the real world!

And while the gossip sites work to hammer out the details on just how Kim delivered, we’re floored to hear that both mom and baby are doing well! Congratulations to the new parents, the entire Kardashian-West clan — we can’t wait to meet your little diva!

What do you think Kim and Kanye named their little girl?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Healing After Birth

Crotch Care 101: The Truth About Postpartum Recovery

Baby Girl Names: Which Name Did Kim Kardashian Choose?

From the outside looking in, it was easy to assume that Camila Alves McConaughey had another carefree pregnancy when she delivered her third child with husband Matthew McConaughey. But months after little Livingston made his debut, his mama is finally telling what really happened.

She told The View, “I had a really tough pregnancy — I had all kinds of things happen throughout the whole [nine months]. I had strong pains and kept telling the doctors… no one could figure it out. We ended up having to do a C-section.”

Though mama is mum on what exactly went wrong during her pregnancy and leading up to her son’s delivery, she does go on to say, “I told the doctor right before I went in, ‘Once I’m there just take a look, because I know something is wrong.’ They ended up finding all kinds of things in there that we had to take care of.” Proof that there is nothing like a mother’s intuition!

And even since Liv’s birth, mom has been taking it super — super easy, even though it’s taken a toll on her little ones. “This recovery has been extremely hard because I had a C-section and all these extra procedures. I’m not able to exercise… I can’t even pick up my kids, really. I have to be careful — I have another four weeks to go.”

Our hearts break for Camila and her family while she’s still recovering from her prenatal and postnatal issues, but we’re glad that her husband is back on the healthy side of things (he famously lost a serious amount of weight for a movie role) and can help her take care of their three growing kids — Levi, Vida and Livingston.

Sending all our blessing to Camila, Matthew, Levi, Vida and Livingston! Hope your family time together is calm and comfortable and you’re all nursing your beautiful mama back to health!

Plus, more from The Bump:

10+ Things No One Tells You About C-Sections

Care and Recovery After a C-Section

Why You Hate Your Husband (After Baby Arrives)

Before I got pregnant, you could say I was pretty undereducated about the birth options. I just figured I’d have an epidural and have a baby. I didn’t even realize that my own mother had had two natural (drug-free) births before my youngest sister was born via C-section.  But once I saw that positive pregnancy test, I started reading up on what my options were and psyched myself up for a non-medicated, vaginal birth.

Then, at 13 weeks, I found out I was having twins.  After the initial shock wore off, I was left with so many questions. One of the most pressing: What about my natural delivery? My OB-GYN, a mother of twins herself, said it was up to me, but that if Baby A (the baby closest to the “exit”) was presenting breech, it would have to be a C-section. I would also have to deliver in an OR regardless of my choice, and I would have to have an epidural (because of the chance of an emergency C-section or in case the doctor would have to manually flip one of the babies.)

There are other doctors who have different rules, and I could have looked for one who would attempt a breech extraction with twins, but I felt a rapport with this doctor who was easy going and laid back, someone to ease all my worries and who had actually been there herself.

One concern with twins is the possibility of the “double whammy” or mixed delivery — that is you deliver the first baby vaginally and the second one goes into distress, resulting in an emergency C-section.  The chances of this happening are very low, but I personally know a set of twins who’d been delivered this way, and when I brought this up with my doctor, who I expected to alleviate my worries, she acknowledged that it was a valid concern.

Because I didn’t want to end up in an emergency situation, and because I wanted to plan as much as I could ahead of time, I chose a C-section well before the time the babies were born. I didn’t want to wait and see, and then have my dreams of the ideal birth be shattered. I ignored my mother’s stories of how awful her recovery was,  and instead looked to online forums whose posters called their recoveries “NBD” (no big deal).

My recovery was not NBD, but I had a lot of help from my husband and my family. I couldn’t have done it without them. I was at peace with my decision for a C-section because I really believed I didn’t have another safe option (and Baby A was breech, anyway).

I recently read that studies are saying C-sections aren’t any safer for twin births than a vaginal delivery, and I’ve started to second guess myself. I wonder, if I had sought out more information specifically for twin mothers, and not just hearsay, would I have changed my mind and/or changed doctors?  I wish my doctor would have urged me to do more research, or suggested some reading, or something, anything, rather than just “leave it up to me.” Making this decision can be so scary, and I needed more support — not horror stories, and not someone brushing it off as NBD.

In the end, though, my babies were born healthy and continue to thrive, and I’ve recovered just fine after a few initial hiccups. If I do get pregnant again (someday in the faraway future!) I will have this experience to inform my choices as I navigate yet another decision-making process: VBAC or repeat c-section?

Did you have a C-section? Share your story with us!

Plus, more from The Bump:

Care and Recovery After a C-Section

10+ Things No One Tells You About C-Sections

Do You Always Have to Have a C-Section With Multiples?

Exercising while pregnant may be another way to avoid a C-section birth.

A new study conducted by Spanish researchers at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid finds reduced medical intervention during delivery among the many benefits of regular exercise throughout pregnancy.

The study followed nearly 300 women from the first trimester through delivery. Participants performed a routine of exercises designed by perinatal fitness experts specific to the various stages of pregnancy. Participants started the routine between 10-12 weeks gestation and continued until 38-39 weeks under the supervision of prenatal fitness experts. The routine lasted 50-55 minutes and was performed 3 times per week. Exercises included aerobic resistance, strength training for the muscles most affected by pregnancy, and pelvic floor muscle training. The control group did not perform any regular exercise routine.

While the study measured many factors, the most notable results according to researchers was a marked difference in the rate of instrumental and Cesarean births in the exercising group, leading them to conclude that regular exercise reduces the rate for medical interventions during childbirth. When publicizing their findings, researches stated the belief that a number of difficulties during pregnancy result from poor lifestyle choices: sedentary with poor nutrition and poor posture. The hope is that the study’s findings will encourage women to engage in safe and appropriate exercise throughout pregnancy to improve overall health and quality of life.

Remember these important factors when considering prenatal exercise:

1. Get your doctors approval before beginning any exercise program to be sure you do not unknowingly have a condition that would contraindicate exercise.

2. Look for credentials when starting a class or program. Only do exercise designed by experts for the prenatal population. Consider this: a personal trainer is not a medical professional. Ask for special training or credentials to be sure the recommended exercises are safe for the various stages of pregnancy.

3. Be sure to exercise regularly, a minimum of 3 times per week, in order to reap the cumulative benefits of exercise and to keep your body accustomed to activity, helping to avoid strain or injury.

4. Listen to your body. Your abilities will change throughout pregnancy as your body changes drastically over time. Scaling back activity to accommodate for normal body changes is not a sign of set-back or weakness, it is rather a sign of the progression of your pregnancy. Always stop any activity that causes pain or discomfort.

Did you feel your prenatal routine prepared you for a vaginal birth?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Best Pregnancy Workout DVDs

Your Guide to Pregnancy Nutrition and Exercise

What are the Exercise Dos and Don’ts During Pregnancy?

A new study led by Anita Kozyrskyj, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that babies born by C-section had a different set of microbes in their digestive tracts than babies who were born vaginally. Additionally, the study also determined that breastfed babies had a different makeup of bacteria in their bodies than other babies who were fed via formula.

The study author, Kozyrskyj, said that her team of researchers goal was to show that a “decision about elective C-sections may cause changes that parents can’t see but nevertheless affect development.” That is to say — these ‘bugs’ that live in babies help digest food are different, depending on whether or not baby was born vaginally or via C-section, was nursed or fed via formula.

Researchers studied 24 babies and compared the bacteria found in baby poop samples collected when each infant was just 3 months old. They knew, prior to the study, that C-section deliveries could result in a higher risk of asthma, diabetes, cancer and even obesity, but they didn’t know how. Their recent work suggests that at least part of that risk may be due to the microbes forming inside baby.

Here’s how they did it:

Through vaginal delivery, babies are welcomed to the world of bacteria and viruses because they pass through the birth canal — their birth serves at their first informal immunization. As they pass through, the pick up the microbial content of their mothers and as they continue to develop (and age), they distinguish between bacterial friend and foe. Alternatively, babies born through Cesarean section, skip the “immunization,” leaving them more susceptible  to bacteria. During the course of the study, researchers found that babies born by C-section had fewer forms of the bacteria known as Escherichia and Shigella. Kozyrskyj (the study author) says that these two forms are known as “seeding species” and they lay the building blocks for the next groups of microbes.  They are also critical species that help a baby’s immune system decipher between good and bad bacteria. Though she says that they are still learning about the order of the microbes, Kozyrskyj believes that “if there is an order, then timing is important.”

The study concluded similar findings for breastfeeding. Formula-fed babies, the research shows, have more Peptostreptococcaceae bacteria and Clostridium difficile (which causes diarrhea and other unpleasant side effects in adults), while breastfed babies do not.

And though these findings are critical for researchers, their work is far from finished. Kozyrskyj plans to connect these changes in bacteria abundance to childhood conditions — searching for more answers as to what causes these afflictions. She said, “The next step is to link these changes to childhood conditions and assess whether these children have different risks for diseases, how severe their conditions are and what the patterns of these diseases are.”

Were these findings shocking for you?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Top 10 Health Benefits of Breastfeeding

What’s Mormal Baby Poop?

All Your New Mom Questions — and Answers!

Tell us about the day we were born, I often imagine my children saying to me one day. Before my babies were born, I romanticized about the delivery and I saw myself sharing my glory story with family and friends, even writing blog posts about my birth story and speedy recovery. The truth is, it was all very different than the story I had daydreamed.

I still want to share the story of how my babies came into this world, but when I finally sat down to write my story, I realized how few details I actually remember through the fog of narcotics and sleep deprivation. I’m thankful for the pictures we have, proof that I was actually there and witnessed these things, and for my husband, whose retelling will be much more accurate and coherent when our children want to know about their grand entrance.

So here are some of the things I do remember about the experience.

First, I remember the feeing of anticipation the day before my c-section. Everything we did have a sense of finality about it — this is the last time I will eat a cheeseburger without kids. This is the last episode of Dexter I’ll watch without kids. I was ready in the sense that I had reached my goal of 37 weeks, and I was ready to not be pregnant any more, but I was really apprehensive about the surgery and about meeting the people I would spend the rest of my life loving. I remember saying good-bye to my sisters and parents as my husband and I left for the hospital after only a few hours of sleep and thinking, this is the last time my mom will just be a mom and not a Grandma, my sisters will be aunts in just a few hours.

What I remember most about the surgery are those feelings; I had had only one surgery prior, to remove my wisdom teeth in 2007. I’d had a panic attack in the waiting room and cried until they put me to sleep.  I even woke up crying.  The idea of major abdominal surgery was finally sinking in and I tried my best to suppress the nerves. My husband even told me later that he was impressed with my behavior leading up to the surgery. The actual surgery deserves its own blog post — today I just want to talk about the babies!

The twins were born via c-section on September 25, 2012 at 37 weeks and 1 day. Baby Girl came out at 8:27 am, weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and Baby Boy at 8:29 am, weighing 4 pounds, 14 ounces. They each measured 18.5 inches long. When Baby Girl came out, I expected to hear screeching or wailing, but what we heard was a single, loud squawk. I started to giggle and cry at the same time as the doctor held our now screaming baby over the screen so we could see her for the first time. Then she was handed over to some nurses that I couldn’t see and it was time for brother to come out. “He’s really cute, you guys!” the doctor said as she pulled him out. I remember still laughing and asking if he was really big — the babies had been monitored via ultrasound throughout the pregnancy and were consistently measuring right on track. At my final doctor appointment at 35 weeks, each baby was estimated at six pounds, so I assumed that by 37 weeks they would have been around 7 pounds. Baby Boy’s weight took us all by surprise. “No, he’s pretty small,” my husband said, as he watched them take our son to be cleaned and weighed. By this point, everything starts to blur together and all I really remember is worrying about my son. Thankfully, although he was quite small, everything was working the way it was supposed to, and the nurses brought both of the bundled babies over to us to kiss and to take a picture  – a photo I’ll treasure forever, but of a moment I sadly don’t remember much.

My husband accompanied both babies to the nursery as my doctor continued to stitch me up and engaged me in small talk. I was transferred to the recovery room, where my mother found me. I remember various nurses and technicians talking to me, asking me questions and telling me what was going to happen as if I were a coherent person just chilling in a hospital bed. I felt like I couldn’t even keep my eyes open or form words properly. My mother had seen the babies in the nursery window as they were given their bath, and she excitedly told me how they looked just alike, and how my husband held them up to the window for my family to see. Finally, my husband and babies came to the recovery room. I held my babies on my chest and tried to nurse one, I don’t remember who, but my arms felt so heavy from the anesthesia that I couldn’t quite get the hang of it.

I don’t remember being wheeled to the post-partum suite, or the visitors that were waiting in the room when I arrived.  I was so thirsty but so sick from the anesthesia that I couldn’t hold down fluids and yet I couldn’t stop myself from gulping water, Sprite or the broth they brought me for lunch. The pictures from this time show me pale and puffy-faced, struggling to keep my eyes open and with a heavy smile.

The babies were all bundled up and wearing matching beanies. In the time since then, it’s become so clear that the babies look very different, but those first few days we were all convinced they looked the same, and it was even hard to tell them apart. It wasn’t long before we got to know them, their personalities, and their cries well enough to distinguish them from across the room. (Although, I admit, it is harder to do at 3 a.m. and bleary-eyed!) I remember wanting to inspect their naked bodies, since I had only seen them once they were swaddled in the hospital’s flannel blankets. I didn’t even change a diaper for several days. (How great is my husband!?)

I attribute much of my mental fog to the surgery. My mom, who’d had a traumatic c-section experience, had warned me about it, but I’d heard from so many people that the surgery and recovery were no big deal. Since I knew c-section was my only option (certain doctors may restrict your birthing options depending on your/babies’ health and babies’ positions), I accepted it and minimized the possible problems in my head.  I regret not being able to remember more of the first few days but there are wonderful things I do remember: how tenderly my husband handled our babies, the delicate smell of the tops of their velvety heads, and my parents cradling their grandbabies.  After having spent the last year planning, wishing, daydreaming and worrying, it’s hard to believe I’m actually somebody’s — make that two somebodies’ — mother.

Did you childbirth experience differ from what you expected?

When you gave birth, did you opt for surgical, natural, or water birth? Unfortunately, not all women are given a choice. In Brazil more than half of all babies are delivered via C-section. A statistic that the women are trying to change.

Last month, after a medical agency in Rio de Janeiro forbade doctors from performing home births and labor coaches from helping in hospital wards, the women took a stand. With painted bellies and catchy chants, Brazilian women organized 13 marches to tell the government that it’s “our baby, our decision.” During the marches, women painted their pregnant bellies and used dolls to enact natural child-birth. Their actions aided in a reversal of Rio de Janerio’s policy on July 30.

Although the women managed to stop this law, they still have others to tackle. For starters, doctors charge more for a C-section than they do for natural births. According to the Associated Press, doctors in public hospitals are paid $74 for a C-section compared to $86 for a natural birth. The AP also reports that doctors require episiotomies (cutting the vaginal opening to prevent tearing) and forbid anyone to enter the room during the baby’s birth.

The issue is not solely about the women’s right; it is also about their health. Because C-sections require abdominal surgery, women risk developing infections, hemorrhaging, and blood clots.

But change is coming. In response to the protests, the Brazil’s federal government is investing over $3 billion into The Stork Networks, a program aimed at educating mothers and health care practitioners on the benefits of natural childbirth. According to the AP, the program will involve a revision of medical school curriculum, an education campaign, and discussion with private health care plans that, as of now, do not cover natural child-birth.

Which birthing method did you (or do you plan to) choose?

Plus more from The Bump:

Moms Unite in Support of Breastfeeding in Public

Care and Recovery After C-Section

10 + Things No One Tells You About C-Sections

Check out what buzzing around the Internet this week:

Do kids with older dads live longer? – Lil Sugar

C-section babies may be more likely to fail first hearing test – U.S. News and World Report

Jessica Simpson’s post-baby body — US Weekly

Tamera Mowry-Howsley is expecting a boy! — PEOPLE

Food Allergies are more common in city kids — msnbc

Pregnant women spend a lot more time in the delivery room than their counterparts did 50 years ago. According to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology by the National Institutes of Health, researchers believe that changes in delivery room practice may be the cause of the increase in birth time, but are unsure about the other factors that contribute to it. In the study, researchers looked at data on deliveries in the early 1960s to the early 2000s. They looked at 40,000 deliveries between 1959 and 1966 and 100,000 deliveries in 2002 to 2008. They found that the first stage of labor increased by 2.6 hours for first-time mothers and for women who had given birth before, it took two hours longer than for women in the 1960s.

There were other differences too. The babies who were born in the early 2000s were normally born five days earlier and tended to weigh more than the babies of 50 years ago did. The moms in the early 2000s were older (by about four years) and weighed more — the average body mass index before pregnancy for the contemporary women was 24.9, while for women in the 1960s, it was 23. Also, in more than half of the deliveries in the early 2000s, women received epidurals, while 4 percent of women received them in the 1960s. Epidurals can increase labor time by about 40 to 90 minutes. To combat long delivery times, more doctors are administering the hormone oxytocin more frequently to speed up labor. They find that if oxytocin isn’t used in some cases, labor might take even longer. And in other cases, doctors are performing cesareans if labor doesn’t progress. C-sections are more common than they were 50 years ago too (12 percent in the early 2000s and 3 percent in the 1960s).

Other delivery practices that could be a factor in the change of delivery time are episiotomies and the use of forceps. In the 1960s, more doctors were more likely to perform these interventions.

How long did your labor take? Or if you haven’t given birth yet, are you nervous about spending a lot of time in labor?

Researchers from Ohio State University and University of Colorado Denver have created a new labor-tracking tool, called a partograph that may help reduce the use of unnecessary intervention during labor and lower the number of c-sections performed on moms who have low-risk pregnancies. Recent findings have found that labor is not a linear process, as previously thought, but starts slow and accelerates gradually as labor advances. According to medical experts, the diagnosis of “slow labor” (called dystocia) may be made too often — and first-time moms (whose labor typically progresses more slowly that more experienced moms’ does) — may be getting needless c-sections because of an inaccurate diagnosis.

With a partograph, the doctor can plot on a printed graph the cervical dilation and the baby’s descent to see if labor is progressing normally. This tool is for in-hospital use on first-time moms whose labor started naturally. Researchers hope that the graph can be used on a computer or as a smartphone application and believe that using it could mean a more accurate measure of mom’s labor progress, which means fewer incorrect dystocia diagnoses. Typically, women with dystocia are treated with oxytocin (aka Pitocin) to speed up the labor, or a c-section to deliver the baby quickly. Fewer diagnoses could mean fewer of those interventions. With the new tool, the research authors believe oxytocin interventions will drop more than 50 percent and c-sections performed because of dystocia would decrease by 50 percent.

What do you think of this new tool? Did you have a c-section or are you going to have a c-section?