Video: The Little Couple Talk About Their Family's New Addition

04/30/2013

For Dr. Jen Arnold and Bill Klein, the road to parenthood has been more harrowing than most. After dealing with infertility, surrogacy and miscarriage, the couple found a baby with dwarfism to adopt -- in China. Last month, the couple traveled to China to take home their son Will.

The Little Couple's Bill Klein and Jennifer Arnold

 

"It brought us together. It strengthened our relationship," said Bill, of their journey to parenthood.

"It can be stressful, it can be long. But it's not only worth it, it can be pretty easy." said Arnold of the adoption process. "We went through the process a little differently because we found a child with special needs. We really wanted to adopt another little person. It just made sense."

Watch the whole interview and don't miss the next episode of the The Little Couple, Tuesday, 10/9 c.

 

An Upset Stomach Turns Into The Surprise Birth Of A 10-Pound Baby Girl

03/06/2013

Thinkstock/istockphoto

There's surprises -- like an impromptu birthday party, or a run-in with a long lost friend at a coffee shop around the corner. And then there are surprises. Take the completely unexpected surprise Jackson, Michigan, resident Linda Ackley experienced last week. The 44-year-old unexpectedly gave birth to a health 10-pound baby girl named Kimberly Kay. She had just 15 hours to prep for the birth -- an especially remarkable thing considering she'd previously been told she couldn't have children. 

As any fan of I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant can tell you, diagnoses of infertility often mean nothing. Ackley had been told she had a hernia, and when she went to the doctor for abdominal pain, it was revealed the the hernia was actually a pregnancy. Kimberly Kay, Ackley told the Jackson Citizen Patriot, "is our miracle baby." 

In fact, the time span between the discovery of the pregnancy and Kimberly's birth was so swift that Ackley's husband Mike wasn't able to be there, and was told the news of his daughter's birth over the phone. “Some people have nine months to prepare. I had [15] hours,” he said. “I wish someone would have taken a picture of my face.”

The couple is thrilled with their new, unexpected daughter, and her birth couldn't have come at a more opportune time. Just two months ago, Ackley's mother succumbed to cancer. And in February 2011, Ackley came down with an acute case of necrotizing fasciitis, a bacterial infection that put her in a week-long coma.

For Ackley and her husband, the surprise birth of their daughter is nothing short of a miracle. “I got to get used to saying mommy,” said Ackley.

[ABC News]

The "DC Cupcakes" Family Is Growing!

02/28/2013

There's a new baby in town!

In the upcoming DC Cupcakes special on March 12, the busy sisters are opening a new bakery on the West Coast, building a giant globe for the grand opening of a children's museum on the East Coast, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of Katherine's baby. This is Mommy's first grandchild, so while she's incredibly excited, she also wants to make sure Katherine is prepared. You won't believe how she schools Katherine in the art of motherhood! Let's just say this is the first time we've seen a robot in the bakery. (No, the temperamental fondant sheeter doesn't count.)

As Katherine struggles to do her bakery work with a baby bump slowing her down, Sophie is tasked with double-duty! What's more, she's also trying to surprise Katherine with the best baby shower ever. Katherine has a surprise of her own, though. She wants to bake gender-reveal cupcakes to announce the gender to all her friends and family. But how can she pull off a surprise like that without discovering the gender herself?

Warmest congratulations to Katherine! See all the fun when the special airs Tuesday, March 12 10|9c.

Photo courtesy DCL

The World's Most Famous Baby

12/10/2012

The world's most famous baby hasn't even been born yet!

Now that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (affectionately known to us as Will and Kate) have announced that they're expecting their first child, we're watching for a baby bump, listening for a hint about the name, and wondering what life will be like for a royal baby in our contemporary times.

In William and Kate: A Royal Baby Story, royal experts, historians and insiders tackle that very topic. We'll be treated to a look back at the childhoods of Queen Elizabeth II, her children and grandchildren to see how royal child-rearing has changed through the years.

With Kate's reputation firmly established as a down-to-earth, girl-next-door type, experts debate how much of Princess Diana's parenting techniques will be seen in this new generation. The royals are more accessible than ever, and that makes this baby one hot topic of conversation!

Get the scoop as TLC and DFH simulcast William and Kate: A Royal Baby Story on Dec. 16 8|7c.

Take a look back at the royal wedding and the couple's first year of marriage in these can't-miss photo slideshows!

Will and Kate photo credit Lawrence Lustig/Express Pictures

The Michelle Duggar Of The Surrogate World: Woman Gives Birth To 13th Surrogate Child

09/11/2012

 

Internet

Just like Michelle Duggar and Kelly Jo Bates, British woman Carole Horlock has experienced the miracle of birth multiple times. But unlike Michelle and Kelly Jo, she's not raising the kids she gives birth to. That's because Carole, 45, of Hertfordshire, England, is a surrogate mother. She's given birth to 14 kids in total -- two of her own and 12 surrogate children -- has another on the way. 

 

Carole's given birth to eight girls and 5 boys. And she's given birth all over the world -- her last three babies were triplets she gave birth to in Athens, Greece (their names are Panagiotis, Paraskevi and Helen). This latest baby is for a couple in Italy.

Carole began working as a surrogate in 1995, and says its the thrill of giving parents a special gift that keeps her motivated.

"They tell me I give them a precious gift and you can see the joy in their faces when they hold their baby for the first time. 'It's a highly charged, emotional moment. That's the reason I do it."

That, and the money. Carole typically makes between $20,000 and $30,000 per surrogacy. But it comes at a price: Carole's father no longer speaks to her because he feels that she's giving away his grandchildren. [Daily Mail]

--Julie Gerstein

Double the Diapers (and Drama)

08/01/2012

Ask any woman, and you'll hear that pregnancy is the best of times -- and the worst of times. There's the excitement and anticipation of baby, but that's accompanied by morning sickness, hormonal changes and a wide range of uncomfortable symptoms. So, what's a family to do when there are TWO pregnant women living under one roof?

In TLC's upcoming special My Teen Is Pregnant...and So Am I, two families grapple with this very issue. In addition to the challenge of pregnancy, there are tensions as moms mother their daughters/moms-to-be. Follow that?

Over the course of nine months, the Phillips and Forbes families come to terms with their changing families and bring double the bundles of joy into the world.

Watch My Teen Is Pregnant...and So Am I Wednesday @ 10|9c.

Babies Hudson and Noah from My Teen Is Pregnant...and So Am I. Image: DCL

Update: Watch this sneak peek of the show!