Kim Kardashian Reveals She’s Anxious About Motherhood — Us Weekly

15 Delicious (and Easy!) Baby Food Recipes to Try — POPSUGAR Moms

Morena Baccarin Expecting Her First Baby — People Moms & Babies

Does Britney Spears Want More Kids? — CelebrityBabyScoop

Tasteful and Traditional Nursery Inspiration — POPSUGAR Moms

How Billionaire Moms Balance Motherhood and Their Careers — MSN Living

Vanessa Manillo Lachey Says Nick “Broke Down” at Baby Camden’s Birth — People Moms & Babies

Penelope Cruz Shows Off Growing Baby Bump! — Us Weekly

There is nothing like the first moment you see your child: whether you’re dreaming of that day, planning for it or thinking back on it, those first moments together are indescribable, beautiful, emotional and incredibly powerful. New mama Holly Madison is letting the world in on her first meeting with her daughter, baby Rainbow, in a new video.

In between pushes, Holly looks to her nurses for support, saying she’s scared — and it’s really beautiful. I think all moms, whether they’re first-timers or seasoned veterans, can relate to Holly at that moment. There’s so much emotion, so much fear, so much excitement that it’s hard to prepare for what comes next, or how you’ll react when you first meet your daughter (or son!). I also love that Holly says she going to cry when she hears baby crying — it’s just so sweet! I’ll admit, I cried too… it was just that adorable!

Take a look for yourself:

How would you describe your first moments with baby?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Craziest Things Tired Moms Did

New Mom Confessions

Best (and Worst) Things About Having a Newborn

In a beautifully heartfelt, honest and powerful op-ed for The New York Times, actress and six-time mama Angelina Jolie reveals her decision to undergo a double mastectomy: motherhood. The star, mom to Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox, details that she carries the  “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Jolie writes that her children have often asked if they will lose her to the same illness that took away their grandmother, Jolie’s mom, Marcheline Bertrand. It was this that prompted the actress to undergo a preventative double mastectomy after genetic tests revealed that she had a heightened risk of developing breast cancer. The first of the surgeries began in February and on April 27th, Jolie finished up the last of the three months worth of medical procedures involved with the mastectomies.

Coming forward to share her story in a first-hand narrative, she stated that she wanted other women to benefit from her experience, writing that “today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.”

“I wanted to write this,” she says, “to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent.” But the proudest moment for Jolie comes in telling her children that they don’t need to fear they will lose their own mother to breast cancer. It’s similar to the feelings that new mom Kara DioGuardi shared when she revealed that she also underwent the same preventative surgery to ensure a happier, healthier life with her son, Greyson.

When discussing her scars and the impact the surgery has had on her children, Jolie writes that they see “nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can.” Which I find absolutely heartwarming and heartbreaking: how terrifying it must be for her children to wonder if their mommy will be gone too soon, before they’re ready, but also how touching that their mother has done all that she can to make sure that won’t happen.

What Jolie’s op-ed also goes on to show is just how entirely selfless motherhood can be. Of course, the decision she made was made as much for herself as for her children and her partner, Brad Pitt, but what if Jolie had not lost her mother so early on? It’s in our nature to want to keep ourselves healthy for as long as possible and to enjoy life to the fullest — but bringing children into this world is a whole ‘nother responsibility. That sense of loss that Jolie felt is something that she clearly never wants her own children to feel. And it’s not just because you’re a mother that you feel that. I believe it’s a feminine instinct. Any woman with a mother of her own, who is a mother, who has a sister or a best friend that’s a mother can see why this decision is ultimately a no-brainer.

After reading Jolie’s exclusively personal story, I found myself wondering if I would be able to take the same steps — as I’m sure all women and mothers are asking themselves. The answer for me was, without a shadow of a doubt, yes, I would; so I find Jolie’s honesty all the more important. It is said, so often, that there aren’t enough positive role models around for our growing daughters; that they need women with substance, women with honor, women who value their worth, their bodies and above all else, themselves. Say what you will about Angelina Jolie but in this moment, there is no finer role model for our daughters and frankly, no finer role model for ourselves. 

Additionally, for those who wonder how she feels as a woman after having the surgeries, Jolie adds, “On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.” Again — I 100 percent agree.

But Jolie’s note is as much written to women as it is to mothers. She pens, “For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.”

And if there is something to be taken away from Jolie’s difficult decision, it’s just as she says: Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.

Moms, weigh in: Would you be able to make this type of decision?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Remission and Getting Pregnant?

Ovarian Stimulation for IVF May Increase the Risk for Ovarian Tumors

Cervical Cancer During Pregnancy?

Rachael Leigh Cook and Her Husband, Daniel Gillies, Expecting Baby Number 1! — CelebrityBabyScoop

Meet the 50 Most Powerful Moms of 2013 — Working Mother

Moms-to-Be Get Punky at the Met Gala — People Moms & Babies

Snooki Shares Her Baby Name Advice for Kim Kardashian — CelebrityBabyScoop

16 Kid-Friendly Mother’s Day Recipes Your Kids Will Love Making! — POPSUGAR Moms

15 Things Moms Overshare on Facebook — MSN Living

Khloe Kardashian Wants Everyone to Stop Asking About Her Fertility — Us Weekly

60 Fun Ways to Feed Your Kids — POPSUGAR Moms

Fungus Found in Capri Sun: What You Need to Know — MSN Living

The Latest on Khloe Kardashian’s Journey to Get Pregnant — Us Weekly

21 Adorable Etsy Finds Perfect for Your Little One — MSN

Celebrity Moms Share Their Mother’s Day Plans — CelebrityBabyScoop

Is It Safe to Bring Your Kids to Work With You? — MSN

Kate Hudson Dishes on Life With Two Funny, Rowdy Boys — People

8 Educational Apps Your Kids Will Love (and You Won’t Feel Guilty Letting Them Play With!) — POPSUGAR Moms

Do Economics Influence Your Fertility Rate? – MU Study

Dad’s Sweet Lunchbox Illustrations Are the Perfect Afternoon Treat! — MSN

Why Amber Rose Feels Like She “Missed Out” On a Natural Birth — CelebrityBabyScoop

20 Creative and Cool Summer Crafts for Your Kids — POPSUGAR Moms

NICU Treatments Linked to Intellectual Disabilities — Reuters

Proud parents Kara DioGuardi and her husband, Mike McCuddy, welcomed a son Greyson James Carroll via a gestational surrogate in early January of this year. The new family-of-three even took off on a cross-country road trip from California (where baby boy Greyson was delivered) to the family’s home in Maine to settle down and enjoy baby’s firsts at home. At the time, Kara was open about her four year struggle with fertility, admitting that after undergoing three separate rounds of IVF treatments, the couple decided to look into surrogacy. On the first try, it worked!

But now, mom is coming forward and sharing how even more of her personal story. Two years ago, Kara learned that she was a carrier for the BRCA2 gene mutation, a mutation that is linked to hereditary ovarian and breast cancer.

In December of last year, Kara underwent surgery to remove her uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes, a move which, according to her doctors, greatly reduces the risk of developing these cancers in the future. Kara says she opted for the surgery because her grandmother had breast cancer and her mother passed away from ovarian cancer.

In an exclusive, heartfelt and brave interview with People, Kara opens up about how her cancer gene changed her path to parenting.

Kara shares that  it was by chance while she was in New York that she heard a journalist talking about people in her own family who had been diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer. The journalist, Stacey Sager, shared that she had a genetic test done. It was the testing that got Kara listening. After returning to L.A. and undergoing her won genetic testing, Kara realized just how lucky she was to have answers — before it was too late. She says that the finding she had the BRCA2 gene mutation made her “think about my own mortality a lot earlier. It stopped me dead in my tracks and made me prioritize my health. I had to think about it in conjunction with the fact that I was trying to have a baby. I knew I was at an increased risk for cancer and it’s bringing me back to seeing what my mother went through and how hard that was on me at a young age and how I don’t want to put my child in the same predicament if there’s some way I can stop that from happening. It made me approach it like it was something I had to deal with right away so I could figure out what my options were.”

After realizing she was carrying the genetic mutation, Kara said, “I started trying to get pregnant at 38. I did a lot of things: I had surgery for endometriosis. I had polyps removed. When I was on Idol I actually got pregnant, then miscarried. We tried IVF.”  Her doctor told her that the surgery could reduce her chances of getting cancer by a significant amount. At first, Kara wasn’t going to have the surgery right away. She recalls that she and her husband wanted to do one more round of IVF to see if she could get pregnant. When she didn’t, she realized that to go on like this — to keep trying and trying and trying — was only pushing her luck. She admits knowing she had the BRCA2 gene and putting chemicals into her body was only prolonging what would eventually need to happen. She said the choice to have the surgery was a “calculated risk.”

Kara recalls hiring an adoption attorney before ever considering a surrogate. “Then… I knew this woman, a friend and on a whim I asked somebody to bring [gestational surrogacy] up and get her thoughts on it and she seemed open to it. She came over with her husband, talked it through and we negotiated it together,” she said of opening the door to gestational surrogacy. She went on to say, “Over the course of three years, [my husband and I] had done seven embryo transfers. The eighth one was transferred into our surrogate and it took!”

Of her decision to have the surgery and use a surrogate, Kara says she has “absolutely no regrets! I felt it was my obligation to do something about it, kind of to honor my mother in that way. What would a mother want for her daughter?” she said, “To take the test and take it seriously. And live — live the life she couldn’t live.”

Were you touched by Kara’s journey to conception?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Remission and Getting Pregnant?

Ovarian Stimulation for IVF May Increase the Risk for Ovarian Tumors

Cervical Cancer During Pregnancy?

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Giuliana Rancic Is Excited to Celebrate Mother’s Day for the First Time Ever! — CelebrityBabyScoop

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Tom Arnold Dishing on Being a Dad — CelebrityBabyScoop

27 Gender Reveal Baby Shower Ideas — POPSUGAR Moms

Today, People announced that Gwyneth Paltrow is their pick for People’s World’s Most Beautiful 2013. Mom to Moses and Apple credits her kids and husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, for making her feel beautiful year round — inside and out.

While we’re floored that a mama topped the list this year — because really, who better to inspire young girls than a mother? — she wasn’t the only mother on the list! Check out 12 other mamas People honored with their Most Beautiful:

Are you proud People picked tons of moms this year?

Plus, more from The Bump:

10 Things to Do for You in 10 Minutes

New Mom Confessions

8 Things No One Tells You About Motherhood

We’ve got news, y’all! Check it out:

Jessica Simpson Reveals Her Favorite Baby Shower Gifts — and Why She Can’t Wait to Meet Her Little Guy! — People Moms & Babies

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Bright and Summery Aqua Baby Shower Theme You’ll Love — POPSUGAR Moms