At only 27-years old, pop princess Britney Spears has lived a lifetime and then some. The young mother of two has been married and divorced twice. She has won many awards for her music, but she has also been belittled and chastised over her parenting skills.

Thankfully, the downward spiral which Spears was on is taking a turn for the better in many ways. She has lost the weight that made her a hot topic of discussion and derision. She is also making a comeback with her music.

Most importantly for Spears is no doubt the ability to once again spend quality time with her children, 4-year old Sean Preston and 3-year old Jayden James. During the time of her divorce, Spears was going through obvious emotional and mental problems. Ultimately, the boys’ father, Spears ex, Kevin Federline was awarded custody in 2008 much to her distress. Thankfully, she took control of her life and was eventually given shared custody of the boys.

Spears must be thrilled to be named the Best Celebrity Mom based on the result of a recently released poll. The poll conducted by UK-based company, Park Christmas Saving saw 74% 0f the votes going to Spears. The poll surveyed approximately 7, 000 people who were asked to name the best mothers in show business.

The Top 10 Moms Are:

• Britney Spears

• Christina Aguilera

• Angelina Jolie

• Jade Goody

• Katie Holmes

• Madonna

• Jessica Alba

• Jennifer Garner

• Nicole Richie

• Victoria Beckham

While some readers may not agree with the list, there is no doubt that Spears has cleaned up her act. She is clearly bouncing back in all areas of her life and this poll must be a welcomed boost to the singer.

Actress Nicole Sullivan is now a happy mom to two boys. Thirty-nine year old Sullivan gave birth to her second son on Monday, August 31 in Los Angeles. The newest member of the Packham family weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces.

Sullivan and her husband, actor Jason Packham named the latest addition to their family Beckett Edward Packham. Their first child is two-year old Dashel Pierce. During her pregnancy she was quoted by People magazine as saying, “Dash is thrilled to have a partner in crime…”  Sullivan and Packham has been married since 2006.

Sullivan is no doubt remembered for her stints on Mad TV and the sitcom The King of Queens. Most recently she has been seen in the Lifetime series Rita Rocks. She plays a working mom who started a garage band with her neighbor. In a case of art imitating life, her pregnancy was written into the show. Interestingly, during her stint on The King of Queens, her co-star Leah Remini became pregnant and the crew had to come up with creative ways to hide that fact.

The new season of Rita Rocks will premiere in October. My guess is that writers will probably draw on some of her life experience to add more essence to her character. The idea of the working mom trying to hold things together never gets old.

Coincidentally, her Rita Rocks co-star Tisha Campbell-Martin is expecting her second child later this year. Aside from saying that she is certain that this baby will be her last, 40 year old Campbell-Martin also said, “Every moment, every nauseous moment, everything that is good and not so good about being pregnant, I’m enjoying.”

Sullivan certainly seemed to have taken advantage of her pregnancy to indulge a bit. She was quoted as saying during her pregnancy, “…and I am enjoying all the eating that comes along with being pregnant.” She had a baby shower on Saturday August 8 that was sponsored by Happy Heinys, the makers of reusable diapers. Sullivan also got gifts from Orbit Baby and Skip Hop among others.

Congratulations to Nicole Sullivan and Jason Packham on the birth of their second child. Hopefully her stressed out mom from her TV show won’t be in any way similar to her real life. Good luck to her with her future projects.

Actress and reality TV star Tori Selling has become the latest celebrity to launch a children’s clothing line. According to reports published online she recently revealed the new line, Little Maven at Bloomingdale’s in Century City. The new brand will offer clothes for children up to the age of four. The prices range from $26 to $88. At the launch, Spelling with her daughter Stella in tow, signed autographs and chatted with fans.

Spelling has said that with Little Maven she wants to incorporate style and comfort, as well as the bright colors that usually appeal to children. As the daughter of the late TV mogul Aaron Spelling, she had to endure suggestions of nepotism when he helped her early in her career. Now she seems to be forging ahead on her own in the wake of his passing. Nicole Richie, the daughter of Lionel Richie has also come out of her father’s shadow to star in a reality series and launch her own line of maternity clothes for A Pea in a Pod.

Spelling was previously married to Charlie Shanian, but the marriage ended in April 2006. She has been married to actor Dean McDermott since May 2006. Aside from the aforementioned Stella who is one, they have two-year old son, Liam. Spelling’s reality show was originally titled, Tori & Dean: Inn Love for its first two seasons. This was changed to Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood for its third season. The first episode premiered in March 2007 on the Oxygen Network. Recently Spelling’s mother Candy Spelling, with whom she has a strained relationship, accused her and her husband Dean of using the children as “props’ in their show in an open letter to Tori which was posted on TMZ.

I wish Tori Spelling luck with her children’s clothing line, as well as her future career plans. Here’s hoping too that she and her mother will be able to reconcile. After all, the grandparent – grandchild relationship is important too.

Celebrities can be quite secretive about certain aspects of their lives, and rightfully so. Ever so often though, one of them opens up about a personal issue that many people can relate to. Such was the case with Lisa Rinna recently when she talked about her struggle with postpartum depression.

According to reports online, Rinna’s new book, Rinnivation: Getting Your Best Life Ever, reveals secrets she has held close to her chest for a long time. Originally the tome was supposed to deal with fitness and healthy diets, but it evolved into so much more.

Fans of the star may be shocked to learn she had thoughts about killing her husband, actor Harry Hamlin and their two daughters Delilah, who is 10, and Amelia, 7. A quote attributed to Rinna states, “I set out to write a diet and fitness book period and that was about it. That isn’t exactly who I am, I’m much more than that. I just started to open up and it became this cathartic event…”

She went on to say “I made Harry hide all the sharp knives and take the gun out of the house because I had visions of killing everybody. Now how horrific is that?…” I must admit that I am surprised that she would reveal as much as she did about this personal struggle. To admit to postpartum depression is one thing, to say that you thought about killing your husband and children is another matter entirely.

Of course I am sure there are skeptics out there who will accuse Rinna of simply courting publicity, or maybe exaggerating the facts. Let’s face it, you can never be too sure with celebrities. I do think that unburdening herself in this way could be of some help to women who may struggle with similar thoughts.

We have all heard horrific stories about what can happen when this condition is left unchecked. Rinna says in the interview that she got help but I guess you will have to read the book to find out how she went about it. I hope that any woman who finds herself in a similar situation has supportive and understanding people around her. I think there might still be people out there who may be inclined to dismiss these feelings as something that will pass eventually.

But postpartum depression is real and in many cases is much more than ‘baby blues’. The debilitating depression of postpartum doesn’t go away after a few days or weeks as it does with ‘baby blues’. Treatment is needed for postpartum.

I certainly wish her the best going forward. Hopefully her book will keep the spotlight on the often debilitating condition that affects so many new moms around the world.

One of the challenges facing moms after giving birth is getting rid of the excess weight gained during pregnancy. Everybody loses weight at a different pace, and for women who had to have c-sections, there is the other issue of waiting for the incision to heal properly before embarking on a weight loss regimen.

Actress and former model Rebecca Romijn seems to be one of the lucky ones where losing baby weight is concerned. According to reports online, she lost a whopping 60 pounds in just four months. Even more surprising, she claims to have done this mostly through breastfeeding.

She was quoted on the TV show Extra, “I haven’t been able to work out that much because I have twins. It’s impossible to get back into a regular schedule. Breastfeeding is the very best diet I’ve been on. It’s amazing. It’s like you have to eat 5,000 extra calories a day or you can’t produce enough food for them. So, that’s been fun as well.” The most obvious question here is, will this work for most women?

There is conflicting information out there about breastfeeding as a legitimate weight loss tool. It is reasonable to assume however that breastfeeding does not work as well for all women. In fact, according to WebMD, while it is advantageous for both mom and baby, it does not help the mom to lose the weight faster. The study looked at the weight loss of 326 new moms. Most moms who breastfeed would disagree with this, myself included. Breastfeeding can help with weight loss if the mom eats sensibly and breastfeeds exclusively or almost exclusively.

One breastfeeding website claims that breastfeeding can burn over 600 calories per day if it is done exclusively. The study was published in the Journal of American Dietician Association. It was appropriately titled Breastfeeding reduces maternal lower body fat.

So who do you believe? It is hard to say, but since breastfeeding has so many proven benefits for the baby, think of any potential weight loss as an added bonus. Post pregnancy weight loss can be a touchy subject for some women, especially if they don’t seem to be losing the pounds as fast as other moms seem to.

We may not all lose the weight as fast as Rebecca Romijn, but when you have a healthy baby to think about such considerations can seem pretty mundane. The most important thing is to stick to a sensible diet, and get some exercise when you are able to. At any rate, when they hit the terrible twos, you are bound to shed a few pounds running after them.

No matter what some people may think, motherhood, or should I say parenthood, is universal. For celebrity parents, however, there are some pitfalls that come with fame. One of these is the paparazzi who constantly hound celebs for that perfect picture. Recently two celeb moms, Jennifer Garner and Tori Spelling, gave an insight into raising their children and dealing with the ever present shutterbugs.

For Tori Spelling, her two children, two-year-old Liam, and ten-month-old Stella have gotten used to the paparazzi. “They’re definitely very socialized,” the actress said. “They’re friendly with everyone. It is strange sometimes to think that people know my 2-year-old by name, but that’s the world we live in.” I can’t help but feel that so many of these people knowing her child by name poses at least some sort of risk. It is a tough call though, her job pretty much dictates that she will be followed constantly by people she doesn’t know who may know a lot about her.

Spelling is currently doing the rounds promoting her book, Mommywood. So for anyone who wants to see how a celeb mom does it I guess they can pick up a copy. I do admit to being mystified by the support that such books tend to get from the public. Is it simply a matter of their celebrity status? Or does it have to do with moms out there genuinely looking for shared experiences?

Jennifer Garner uses a different method for dealing with the ever present shutterbugs. She relies on making her daughter feel as comfortable as possible. In an interview for the May issue of In Style magazine, Garner was quoted as saying, “I try not to look, but when I see these pictures of Violet and me, I’m always smiling like a monkey, trying not to let her feel my anxiety.”

It seems however that little Violet has already grown tired of the presence of the photographers. In fact, according to her mom, she will ask them politely to stop, but of course her pleas fall on deaf ears. Many people might not support this idea, but I think that paparazzi should be prevented from taking pictures of the children of celebrities without permission. The parents may be stars but surely the children still have a right to privacy.

Garner also talked about hubby Ben Affleck’s attempts to fixing up Violet’s hair. She said, “He dresses her and does her hair. It’s pretty funny. You can always tell when he has been at it, just two random barrettes hanging in there. It’s so sweet.” Well now that the couple has another daughter, three-month-old Seraphina, Affleck may l be able to brush up on his styling skills.

Country singer Jo Dee Messina is singing an even happier tune than usual today. According to recent internet reports, she and her husband welcomed the first addition to their family. It was recently announced by the couple that Messina gave birth to a baby boy on Monday, January 19^th. The statement was made through Messina’s spokesperson.

The baby was named Noah, Roger Deffenbaugh. He was born at a hospital in Nashville and weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces. Messina and Deffenbaugh married in late 2007 in Nashville, after announcing their engagement in June of that year. Country singer Danielle Peck was one of the bridesmaids. According to reports online, each year Deffenbaugh gives Messina flowers to celebrate the anniversary of the day they met.

Messina was born in August, 1970 and her birth name was Jo Dee Marie Messina. She has had a successful music career, having had nine singles reach number one on the Billboard country music charts. She is the first female country singer to have three songs from an album reach number one. Two of her albums have been certified Platinum, while she has had three albums which reached Gold status.

She received the award for Top New Female Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 1998. She was honored by Billboard magazine in 1999 as the most played female country artist for that year. In 1999 she received the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award. She has also been recognized with a Grammy nomination.

Messina battled alcohol addiction in April 2004, being successfully treated at a center in Utah. Thankfully that all seems to be behind her now, and she can keep doing what she does best. Of course she can now add ‘mom’ to her list of titles.

Congratulations to the happy couple on the birth of their first child.

Actress Rachel Griffiths, who is one of the stars of the hit drama Brothers and Sisters is now pregnant with her third child according to recent internet reports. Griffiths is married to artist Andrew Taylor. The couple wed on December 31, 2002 in her hometown in Melbourne, Australia. They donated their wedding gifts, as well as income from the sale of their wedding pictures, to the Sacred Heart Mission in Australia.

They have already been blessed with two children, their son Banjo Patrick is five years old, and Adelaide, whose name is no doubt inspired by her mom’s homeland, is three. The news was recently confirmed to People.com by a representative for Griffiths.

Griffiths started her acting career in her home country, but she has appeared in a number of American productions. She is perhaps best remembered for her role in the hit HBO series Six Feet Under. She played massage therapist Brenda Chenowith. She appeared in the series for its entire run, missing only four episodes during the third season.

In Brothers & Sisters which airs on the ABC network on Sunday nights, Griffiths plays Sarah Whedon who takes over the family business after her father’s death. The series also stars Rob Lowe, Oscar winner Sally Field, and Calista Flockhart. Griffiths was recognized for her work with Emmy nominations in 2007 and 2008.

Griffiths has worked with some top Hollywood leading men including Dennis Quaid, Val Kilmer and Johnny Depp. She first got noticed starring alongside Toni Collette in the Australian hit Muriel’s Wedding. Since then she has appeared on the big screen in Step Up, The Rookie and Blow. In Blow she plays the mother of Johnny Depp’s character even though she is five years younger than he is.

The couple’s children have both Australian and US citizenship. They currently live in Los Angeles, California. We join Rachel Griffiths and Andrew Taylor in celebrating this happy news and look forward to the reports of the baby’s arrival.

Actress Anne Dudek and her husband, painter Matthew Heller recently welcomed their first child. The baby was born on December 14 and weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz. The couple named their new son Akiva. New dad Heller said by email to an online magazine, “He is happy and healthy. As for me, I now have a never ending smile!”

Dudek has been quite the busy actress, having had recurring roles in three hit series, House, Big Love and most recently Mad Men. Her fans may also remember her from guest appearances in How I Met Your Mother, Desperate Housewives, Charmed and Six Feet Under.

Like so many other performers, Dudek started out on the stage. In fact, while she was still in theater school she won the role of Iphigenia in The Iphigenia Cycle. She also won a Connecticut Critics Circle Award for her work in The Glass Menagerie.

It seems that Dudek may have given little Akiva a headstart in the business before he was even born. According to Internet reports, he made guest appearances courtesy of mom’s tummy of course, in House, Big Love and Mad Men.

In the hit series, House, Dudek played Amber Volakis, who was one of ten doctors vying for a position under Dr. House. Most recently she has been seen in the award winning Mad Men which chronicles the lives of people working at a successful ad agency.

Just in case you’re wondering about the name Akiva means, which is of Hebrew origin. It means “protect” or “shelter”. A particularly appropriate name if you’re thinking of more babies for him to protect don’t you think? It is also sometimes used for a girl’s name.

Congratulations to Anne Dudek and Matthew Heller on their newborn. We can see many more smiles in the new dad’s future.

There’s one thing you can say about the folks in Hollywood, they are never short of opinions. It’s interesting sometimes to see that celebs for all their fame and fortune go through pretty much the same trials and tribulations as the rest of us.

If you want to hear some Hollywood moms’ views on family then consider getting the book The Black Book of Hollywood Pregnancy Secrets. The celebs talk about keeping things grounded, being in the limelight and single parenthood. The book was written by Kym Douglas and Cindy Pearlman. To gather material they spoke to a number of celebs including Tina Fey, Kate Hudson, Katie Holmes and Angelina Jolie.

Kate Hudson, who spilt from her husband, The Black Crowes frontman, Chris Robinson in 2007, finds dating these days challenging. There are probably quite a few documented cases of other single parents having similar difficulties. Dating after divorce can be a pretty difficult, especially if there are kids in the picture. Hudson is mom to five-year-old, Ryder. “I’d rather be at home with my son cooking dinner than going out with a guy. My son is my man,” she said.

Funny-woman, Tina Fey says of parenting, “I don’t care how many covers you’re on. When you’re chasing a three-year-old around with a pull-up hoping she won’t poop on the floor, you’re just like every other mom on the planet.” The Golden Globe winner keeps things pretty busy with her work on TV’s 30 Rock, big screen movies and her recent guest spot on Saturday Night Live. I’m sure many working moms would agree with her about certain universal truths of motherhood.

Maybe the most famous Hollywood right now is Angelina Jolie. She gives some insights into her family life, and talks about celebrating Halloween in India. I’m not sure how much more we can learn about Angelina’s family, they are in fact one of the most covered by media in the world. Her fans however can get a copy to see if she offers anything new on raising children, especially with the brood she has and whether she plans to have any more.

The book will be on shelves in March of 2009.

If the third time is a charm then actress Angie Harmon must be feeling pretty lucky right now. According to recent online reports, she has just given birth to her third child. The baby girl, named Emery Hope was born on Thursday, December 17th.

Harmon is married to former New York Giants defensive back, Jason Sehorn. The two met after Harmon attended a Giants football game. He proposed to her while she was being interviewed by Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. Even her dad showed up to give the couple his blessing.

The couple’s first child, five-year old Finley Faith was born in Dallas Texas On October 14, 2003. Three-year old Avery Grace was born in Dallas on June 22, 2005.

Harmon is best known for her role on the long running TV show, Law & Order, in which she played A.D.A. Abbie Carmichael from 1998 to 2001. She has also appeared in the series Inconceivable and Women’s Murder Club. Fans may also remember her work in Agent Cody Banks which starred Frankie Muniz.

So tough guy Sehorn is outnumbered but I have a feeling the ladies in his life will go easy on him. Matt Damon also lives in a female dominated household. Perhaps he can give the former football pro some tips on reminding everyone who’s boss. That would be the ladies of course.

That’s a little extra love for the Sehorn/Harmon household for the holidays. No doubt they could not have asked for a better gift. Congratulations to the happy couple.

Actress Marcia Cross of Desperate Housewives fame can now add another role to her resume. Depending on how you look at it, I guess you could say this one carries more panache. At the very least it’s probably closest to her heart.

According to online stories Cross recently signed a deal with apple sauce company Motts. She is going to be a spokesperson for the company, which is a shrewd move on the company’s part, given the popularity of her show.

Apparently the heads of the company were impressed by the fact that Cross has refused to hire a nanny. This in itself will probably appeal to many working moms who have to juggle many balls at once, while taking care of their children and working.

Cross and her husband, Tom Mahoney resorted to In Vitro Fertilization which led to her double blessings Savannah and Eden who were born in February 2007. The couple got married a year earlier in 2006 in San Gabriel, California.

A Motts spokesperson was quoted online discussing the deal with Cross: “…is balancing her work and her life without surrounding herself with five nannies. We wanted to say something different and new about an old brand that has been around since 1842.” I couldn’t have put it better myself. I applaud Marcia Cross, and I can’t help but wonder if this may start a new trend among celebrities. Still, moms who use nannies certainly can’t be faulted for doing so. Everybody’s situation is different.

Fans of Cross and Motts products can look for the campaign to begin in March of 2009. Her fans can also look out for her next movie Just Peck, which is currently in post production and is expected to hit screens in 2009.

I read recently that actress Angelina Jolie had made up her mind to never get pregnant. That is, until she met Brad Pitt. “I think one of the life-changing things that he did, one of many, is that I was absolutely never going to get pregnant,” she is quoted as saying. I wonder how many women can relate to this. I know I can.

People seem to find it strange when a woman says she doesn‘t plan to marry or have kids. But the truth is, women make this choice for a number of reasons. For me, I guess you could say I just didn‘t have that maternal instinct, and was so happy being an aunt, I thought that was enough.

When my husband and I were dating though, I changed my mind about all that pretty quickly. I can‘t really call it an epiphany or anything like that, but it dawned on me that I wanted to have children with him. I suspect there are women and men out there who for one reason or another, have determined that parenting just wasn‘t for them. Then suddenly the right person comes along and all that goes out the window.

Everyone is different of course, but for those who didn‘t always feel like they wanted children, can that one person really ignite that desire to raise and nurture a child? Is it fair to be critical of women or men who decide they don‘t want to have children?

Yes, in some cases there may be what seems like selfish reasons for not wanting to be a parent, but often it is a decision that individuals make after careful thought. One thing is certain, even someone who wasn‘t prepared to be a parent often finds that the natural instinct kicks in, sometimes even before the baby is born.

In a quote taken from a website, Philadelphia psychiatrist Elyse Rubenstein defines the maternal instinct as “an inborn tendency to want to protect and nurture one’s offspring.” She went on to say in the article that not wanting a baby previously will not make you a bad parent.

I have to agree. Just as we are all capable of good and bad, most human beings, regardless of what statistics say, are capable of feeling that bond after becoming a parent.

Recently, actress Nicole Kidman was quoted in an interview saying she had no intention of showing pictures of her daughter, Sunday Rose to the world. The Moulin Rouge star described herself as a “lioness” when it came to protecting her daughter’s privacy.

However, during a recent chat with talk show queen, Oprah Winfrey, the actress had a change of heart. Kidman was doing an interview alongside her Australia co-star Hugh Jackman when Winfrey reportedly insisted on seeing a picture of the baby. Let’s face it, if anyone could change someone’s mind about something like this it would be Oprah.

Kidman revealed a black and white photo that showed her and the baby sleeping. She said the photo was taken by hubby Keith Urban on his iPhone. At any rate don’t be too hard on her folks. It’s the most natural thing in the world to want to show off your precious child. I guess there were a few folks out there who scoffed at her declaration that she wouldn’t show pictures of the baby. At any rate as relentless as the paparazzi can be, maybe it’s best that she shows images of her daughter on her own terms.

It seems that Kidman would love to give Sunday Rose a brother or sister. She revealed in another interview that she would love to be a mom again. She was quoted as saying, “I would love more children – but that’s up to God!” Kidman has two adopted children with ex-husband, Tom Cruise. Kidman struggled for years to get pregnant before she was blessed with her daughter. Here’s hoping her wish for more children is fulfilled.

She paid tribute to her mother during the interview for helping to make her the mom she is. “When you’re raised by a woman who has strong beliefs and is opinionated and compassionate – you’re lucky, she said.

The busy actress has three movies coming out soon, Australia, Nine, and Need. She can expect to get a lot busier if she does indeed have another child, and I guess her admirers would have to wait a while to see her on the big screen again. In the meantime, any of her upcoming releases should satisfy her fans.

The Latest Deliveries

If you?re a fan of HBO?s Flight of the Conchords, you?re familiar with Jemaine Clement, the spectacled half of the duo. According to reports, Clement and his wife recently welcomed their first child, a boy named Sophocles Iraia Manasiadis. He was born last month in New York where Clement was filming the second season of his show. Flight of the Conchords follows two New Zealanders as they try to find success as a rock band.

Actress Michelle Monaghan also announced a recent delivery. She gave birth to a baby girl on November 5. The baby, Willow Katherine White was born in Los Angeles. Monaghan has been married to husband, Peter White since August 2005, and Willow is the couple?s first child. Since starring in the TV series Boston Public, the actress has gone on to amass an impressive big screen resume, including Gone Baby Gone, Made of Honor, and Eagle Eye.

Expecting

Actress Julie Bowden is now pregnant with her second child. Many fans may remember her from the TV show, Ed, but she currently stars in Boston Legal. Bowden and husband, Scott Phillips have a son Oliver McLanahan Phillips, who was born in April of 2007. She has also appeared in Lost on ABC, and Weeds on Showtime. She is expected to give birth in spring.

A Breakup

Jamie Pressly of My Name Is Earl has separated from fianc? Eric Cubiche. They have an 18 month old son, Dezi and had been engaged for two years. Pressly was quoted online saying, ?We are taking a break from our relationship, but we are together every day with Dezi and still love each other very much.? We can only hope that they will work out their problems.

Hollywood is never short of news, and baby news always generates a lot of interest. As usual we can expect a lot more news in the future, as the celeb folk continue to find love and start families. Best of luck to the new parents and to all expectant couples as well.