According to doctors, the average weight of a healthy baby is approximately 7 ½ pounds at birth. On Tuesday, June 17^th, a set of well-above-average-weight babies entered the world at a hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina weighing a total of 23 pounds, 1 ounce combined! The boy, Sean William, was born first and was the smaller of the two- tipping the scales at 10 pounds, 14 ounces. His sister, Abigail Rose, weighed a whopping 12 pounds, 3 ounces. They are said to be healthy and in excellent condition. According to their mom, “They’re big and healthy and quiet- except when they’re hungry, which is often.” She also said, “We weren’t ready for how big she [Abigail] was at all.” The hospital staff had to bring in special nursery clothes for baby Abigail because the ones on hand simply were too small.

The babies were born at 38 ½ weeks via C-section only two minutes apart to proud parents Joey and Erin Maynard of Winston-Salem. The twins’ big brother, Aiden Joseph (2 ½) wasn’t a small baby at birth either- weighing in at 10 pounds, 7 ounces. The 36-year-old mom said she was a “little tired, but hanging in there“, just a few days after the delivery. Rightly so, being only 5 ft, 10 inches tall and carrying over 23 pounds not that long ago! In fact, Erin was likely carrying much more than that. When you add in the extra 1-2 pounds for the placenta (or 1-2 for each placenta, if they didn’t share one), the 2+ pounds for amniotic fluid and the weight of the enlarged uterus, she was carrying nearly 30 extra pounds! And this isn’t counting the extra maternal breast tissue, increased maternal blood and fluid in the maternal tissue or the maternal fat stores.

Remarkably, as heavy as twins Sean and Abigail were, they didn’t break the record. They are said to be only the second-heaviest set of twins ever born in the US. According to the hospital, they were about 4 whole pounds shy of the combined weight of a set of Arkansas twins delivered back in 1927. They weighed a hefty 27 pounds, 12 ounces total. But, there was no public records found for any heavier twins born since 1900. According to a doctor from the hospital where the twins were born, the biggest of the Maynard twins, Abigail, was already the size of the average 6-week-old baby only three days after her birth. Now, that’s a big newborn!

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According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, since April at least 383 people in 30 states have been infected with a rare form of salmonella. The largest number of cases being in Texas, New Mexico and Illinois. Salmonella infection causes fever, diarrhea and vomiting, but it is usually not fatal, although it is most dangerous for infants, toddlers and the elderly. The nationwide outbreak has been linked to certain types of raw tomatoes, including red round, plum and Roma tomatoes. Health experts say the outbreak has not been linked to one single restaurant, grocery or retail chain.

Does this mean no more tomatoes on our BLTs to reduce the risk of becoming sick from salmonella? Well, not necessarily. The Food and Drug Administration is advising tomato-eaters to stick with cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes. Tomatoes sold still attached to the vine appear to be the safest option. If you have the specific types of tomatoes associated with the outbreak, avoid handling them and throw them out or take them back to the place you bought them, including products containing these types of raw tomatoes (such as fresh guacamole and salsa). Processed canned tomatoes such as in spaghetti sauce are thought to be safe. Always wash all raw tomatoes thoroughly and also cut away the area attached to the plant, as well as the bottom on the other side. As for cooked tomatoes, 145 degrees is said to kill salmonella. On the other hand, if the cooked tomatoes were contaminated, the bacterium can easily spread to hands, utensils and even other foods.

Tomato seed and tomato plant sales have made quite the jump this year, with more and more people choosing to grow their own. To protect yourself and your family, the safest of all options is growing tomatoes in your own garden (and that can be fun, too!) This way, you can be certain where the tomatoes came from. For more information, go to: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html

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Tori Spelling Gives Birth

Actress Tori Spelling, 35, and her husband Dean McDermott, 41, have welcomed a baby girl to their family via scheduled c-section. According to their official MySpace site, “We’re so happy to finally welcome our little girl! Welcome STELLA DOREEN MCDERMOTT! She was born June 9th at 3:13pm. She weighs 6lbs, 8oz. Thanks for all the love and support!” Tori and Dean chose “Doreen” as her middle name in honor of Dean’s late mother. Baby Stella is the couple’s first daughter and their second child together. Their son, Liam Aaron, celebrated his first birthday March 13^th. Dean also has two children from his previous marriage: Jack who is 9 and Lola who is almost 3, although Lola was never legally adopted by Dean. The couple has been married since they eloped to Fiji in May 2006. The third season of Tori and Dean’s reality show Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood premiered June 17^th. According to their MySpace, “I’m so excited. So much has happened since last season. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”

Jessica Alba a New Mom

Actress Jessica Alba, 27, and her husband of less than a month Cash Warren, 29, delivered a healthy baby girl on June 7th. Rumors were correct, the couple named their new daughter “Honor”. Baby Honor Marie is the first child for Jessica and Cash. According to Jessica’s brother, Josh, “She is gorgeous. She looks just like my sister.” He went on to say, “She definitely looks like an Alba to me.” According to Cash’s long-time friend NBA star Baron Davis, “They are the picture-perfect happy family.” He added, “Cash is over the moon and I couldn’t be happier for them both. They deserve every happiness. I know they are going to be wonderful parents.” The proud new parents were married last month during an intimate ceremony at the courthouse in Beverly Hills with no friends or family present.

It appears that the two famous couples delivered at the same hospital: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Congratulations to both families!

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