Mom Delivers Own Baby By Watching YouTube
When you’re starting a little DIY project and need some guidance, you can count on the Internet to teach you how to tile a shower or remove wallpaper. And it turns out, you can also learn how to deliver your own baby, which came in handy for 22-year-old first-time mom Tia Freedmanlast month.
Freedman has one of the most insane birth stories ever and it started with her not knowing she was pregnant until the third trimester. And while in that final trimester, she had already planned a trip to Germany to visit a friend, so she decided to still go and figures she had plenty of time to get back home before the baby’s birth. But she was wrong.
While on the 14-hour flight, she started having cramps, but blew it off because she’s a vegetarian and she had eaten salmon on the plane. But by the time she landed in Istanbul, Turkey for her 17-hour layover, she was in so much pain she just wanted to get to her hotel room and sleep, so once she cleared customs – which took FOREVER – she thought she might be in labor, and she was right!
Freedman got to her hotel room and realized that baby was coming NOW, so “in true millennial form” she looked up how to deliver a baby on YouTube. She ran a bath and had a water birth for her son. She even delivered her placenta and looked up how to cut the umbilical cord without tools (sterilized shoelaces, BTW!)
There was a little confusion when Freedman showed back up at the airport with a fresh baby for her flight to Germany the next morning, but after they realized she wasn’t trying to smuggle a baby, Turkish Airlines sent mama and baby to the hospital to be checked out. Then the airline treated them to a two-week stay at a hotel in Turkey until they could fly home safely. So this new mom is pretty much our new hero!
Source: The Stir
Schools in the UK Are Removing Analog Clocks Because Students Can’t Tell Time
A head-teachers’ union in the UK recently reported that youths have become so accustomed to using digital devices that they are having trouble correctly reading time on analog clocks, forcing schools to replace them.
According to Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders, children and young teens aren’t as good at reading an old-fashioned clock as previous ones. Because phones, tablets and computers play such a huge role in their lives, they are constantly exposed to time in digital format, so seeing the time displayed in analog format in examination halls can be a cause of unnecessary stress for children. For this reason, some schools are removing analog clocks and replacing them with digital ones.
“The current generation aren’t as good at reading the traditional clock face as older generations,” Mr. Trobe, a former headmaster, told The Telegraph. “They are used to seeing a digital representation of time on their phone, on their computer. Nearly everything they’ve got is digital so youngsters are just exposed to time being given digitally everywhere.”
Until now, it was assumed that by the time students reach secondary school, they are able to read analog clocks, but Mr. Trobe claims that this is often not the case anymore.
All we can do is hope that modern technology never fails, otherwise we’re in big trouble.
Sweet! Studies say dark chocolate can boost mood & memory, decrease stress
Great news about dark chocolate. Turns out it doesn't just taste good. It may make you smarter, according to a pair of studies from Loma Linda University.
Researchers discovered that consuming dark chocolate that has a high concentration of cacao -- a minimum of 70% cacao with 30% organic cane sugar -- can boost your mood, immunity and memory, and reduce inflammation and stress levels.
Apparently it's the cacao that hits the sweet spot for chocolate, literally and figuratively, when it comes to its health benefits.
Dr. Lee S. Berk was the principal investigator on both studies. He said, "For years, we have looked at the influence of dark chocolate on neurological functions from the standpoint of sugar content -- the more sugar, the happier we are. This is the first time that we have looked at the impact of large amounts of cacao in doses as small as a regular-sized chocolate bar in humans over short or long periods of time, and are encouraged by the findings."
"These studies show us that the higher the concentration of cacao, the more positive the impact on cognition, memory, mood, immunity and other beneficial effects," Berk says.
ABC News' Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jen Ashton notes it was a small study -- only five people were the lucky test subjects -- and obviously eating too much chocolate isn't good for you. However, in addition to the benefits noted by the new studies, it's already known that dark chocolate is also packed with antioxidants, adding even more health benefits for chocolate lovers.
NATIONAL DAY OF SILENCE – NATIONAL TELL A STORY DAY – NATIONAL ARBOR DAY – NATIONAL HAIRBALL AWARENESS DAY – NATIONAL BABE RUTH DAY – NATIONAL PRIME RIB DAY
Fossils Show Ancient Human Faced Off With Giant Sloth
Scientists have discovered fossil footprints that may prove ancient humans faced off with a giant sloth. The sloths once stood around six-feet-tall and lived until about 11,000-years-ago. Researchers believe humans over-hunted them, resulting in their extinction. Now they’ve found fossilized footprints that may prove such attacks happened. They were found in the salt flats of White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico.
Scientists say the human footprints suggest they had been walking in the exact footprints of the sloth, and confronting it.
“The story that we can read from the tracks is that the humans were stalking; following in the footsteps, precisely in the footsteps of the sloth,” says team member Matthew Bennett. “While it was being distracted and turning, somebody else would come across and try and deliver the killer blow. It’s an interesting story and it’s all written in the footprints.”
Scientists believe these new findings are important to understanding how routine these type of things were for the ancients.
- Scientists note the “flailing circles,” which indicate the sloth had been standing on its hind legs to swing its forelegs in defense. They also found additional human footprints farther from the site, which imply the humans sort of "ganged up" on the animal.
- Researchers believe that where there are flailing circles, the sloths were most likely evading humans. They’d otherwise walk in straight lines.
Source: Reuters
This Underachiever’s Race Is Only 0.5K
When your friends post photos of themselves after running a marathon, or even a 5K, do you think you wish you could do that too? For all of us who sit on the couch and think about getting up and training for a race, we’ve finally found the one worth trying.
On May 5th in Boerne, Texas, they’re having The Inaugural Boerne 0.5K- yep, you heard that right. It’s basically a third of a mile or just a few city blocks and that makes it much more likely we could actually finish it.
But it’s not only a manageable fitness feat, the race also gives runners a free pint of beer at the starting line. Then halfway through, runners can fuel up at the coffee and donut station, and to finish it off, runners get another free pint at a local brewery. And for a $25 donation, you don’t even have to run, they’ll shuttle you to the finish line! So who’s ready to start training?
Source: PopSugar
You Could Be Flirting With A Paid Impersonator
If you thought you were desperate when it comes to dating, get this – there are actually people who PAY other people with mad Tinder skills to beef up their profiles, get them matches, and “close the deal.” You heard me – there are actual paid impersonators out there that will find your matches for you using your own profile.
All it takes is a little swiping grease, and suddenly, you’re on your way to making matches on the apps. There’s a whole process, too. If you’re a Closer (someone who gets the numbers of potential suitors), you actually have to go through a several weeks of training to get your title. They’re looking to make sure you’re creative, flirty, and can get matches interested in the client.
It’s all pretty insane, and there are actual companies that enlist Closers and Profile Writers to help out the poor, lonely Tinder users that can’t seem to get matches on their own. Online dating takes a lot of effort, and getting a Closer to do it for you takes off some of the pressure for sure.
Source: Quartz
Want To Pass Less Gas? Here Are A Few Tips
As embarrassing and smelly as it can be, we all fart, and often we can’t control those smells and noises that come out of our body. But it’s one thing if you live alone, another if you share a bedroom with a partner, and are forced to inhale their toxic fumes.
Farting is a fact of life, and according to experts it can happen anywhere between five and 15 times a day. While living with someone who’s a farter can be difficult, there are things that can be done to cut back on all the gas they pass, so listen up, because it just may be the thing that saves your relationship.
Ways to get your partner to stop farting include:
- Ban chewing gum – When you chew gum, you are constantly swallowing air, which builds up in your digestive system and makes you fart more.
- Eat slowly – When you eat too fast you inhale more air as you swallow, which will result in more gas.
- Ditch your skinny jeans – If you’re someone who suffers from bloating, skinny jeans will leave you uncomfortable. Baggier clothes will allow air to leave your body easily.
- Know your allergies – Certain food allergies can cause you to suffer from gas, so keep away from those that may affect you.
- No carbs – The fructose, lactose, insoluble fiber and starch in carbs all ferment in the intestine and cause gas, so as much as you love that bread, say no.
- Ditch the cigarettes – Air you swallow when you smoke can cause you to fart.
- Stay hydrated – When you’re well hydrated you’re less likely to build up air because waste products pass through your body more freely.
- Exercise – People who are fit have healthier digestive systems.
- Forget the beer – Beer, as well as sparkling drinks and soda, can cause air to build up in your digestive system causing you to pass more wind.
- Manage constipation – Constipation can cause excess gas so if you’re having a problem, drink a lot of water and increase your fiber intake.
- Take a supplement – Probiotics and enzyme supplements can help in digestion, which could make you less likely to suffer from too much gas.
Source: New York Post