"Lotus Birth" is a very pretty, innocent sounding name for this latest childbirth trend that has nothing to do with yoga, and even less to do with flowers. Its other name, however, sheds a little more light, and little more fear: "umbilical nonseverance", or carrying around your placenta in a bowl until the umbilical cord detaches from the baby naturally.

Carry what now?

Making the decision to give a baby up for adoption has to be one of the world's hardest choices, as it's impossible not to fall a little in love with the human you've grown inside of you. Even if you know you can't possibly provide your child with the best possible life -- and someone else can -- deciding to give him or her up has to be nothing short of gut-wrenching, and an emotional nightmare.

But it's also incredibly brave and mature. In some ways, realizing your baby is better off with someone else is the ultimate act of selflessness and love. You're doing what's best for your son or daughter.

Callie Mitchell, a 25-year-old junior at the University of Iowa, recently made the choice to give her son Leo up for adoption. And she beautifully documented the entire process, from pregnancy to right now when she talks to Leo's mom "every day." It's an unconventional set-up, even a little odd. But what Callie's doing will one day make little Leo incredibly grateful.

Let's say you're a 15-year-old boy just sitting around playing Xbox, and your mom calls out from the bathroom because she's giving birth to your baby brother two weeks early. "Call 911!" she says. Do you 1) run screaming from the house, 2) pass out in a cold faint as soon as you see the birthing process, or 3) pick up the phone, calmly interact with the emergency responders, and help deliver the child?

Most 15-year-old boys I've known would probably have gone with the first or second option, but Texas teen Dameyon Howard not only stayed present and accounted for while helping his mother with her surprise delivery -- he tied off his baby brother's umbilical cord. With a SHOELACE.

Having a baby is truly a wonderful thing. You and your spouse are creating the most precious thing you'll ever put your hands on. And while no two babies are exactly alike (not even twins), for the most part, moms have a natural instinct for taking care of the little rug rats. Dads, on the other hand, are a bit more clueless.

Oh baby! Shakira gave birth to her first child in Barcelona on January 22. Weighing in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces, the hospital said mom and newborn are doing great and are in "excellent health," reported Us Weekly. Needless to say, the singer and her soccer star boyfriend Gerard Pique are overjoyed. As for what they named the adorable little bundle -- well, it's a name befitting a kid with such cool parents.

Before I had my son, I can remember thinking to myself, "C'mon, how bad can contractions really be? There's no way they're really that painful, right?"

And of course, about twenty seconds after labor set in, I knew I was wrong. Contractions hurt. They hurt like hell. I seriously felt like someone was twisting my insides and trying to rip them out of my body. But I guess there's really no perfect way of explaining the level of physical discomfort they cause unless you've actually had them, which is why two Dutch TV hosts decided to put that theory to the test.

Dennis Storm and Valerio Zeno got hooked up to contraction simulators all in an effort to accurately experience the pain of childbirth.

Make sure you don't toke up if you're about to go into labor. At least if you're planning on going to a public hospital in New York City. Because if you test positive for marijuana after the delivery, you're likely to have a child protective services investigation before you even get the baby home. More than a dozen city maternity wards routinely test new moms for marijuana usage and turn the results over to city agencies.

These moms are almost exclusively low-income and minority women. If you're an upper class white woman in the suburbs who pops a Xanax before your delivery (not that you should, but if you do), then you're in the clear.

Matthew McConaughey & wife Camila Alves got a late Christmas present when their third child, a girl, was born yesterday morning. A holiday baby -- sweet!

The couple, who just got married in June but have been together since 2006, have two other children, Levi, 4, and Vida, 2.

McConaughey, 43, and Alves, 30, didn't find out beforehand whether the baby was a boy or girl -- showing the same penchant for surprises they had with her big brother and sister. Talk about discipline! And so cute too, right? The Magic Mike star has called doing it that way a "wonderful surprise." Couldn't agree more, and it's so rare these days that both parents agree to waiting. (Can you tell I'm a little jealous? I lost that battle.)

Now about Baby No. 3's name ...