Top of the Morning: Acoustic Singer Juris Fernandez Gives Birth to First Child

1. Juris welcomes first child

Last Sunday, August 16, singer Juris Fernandez welcomed her first child, a son, with her husband IT executive Gavin Lim. The new mom took to Instagram to announce the baby’s arrival, and posted the first photos of her baby boy. In the caption, she wrote, “Yesterday (8/16/15), we welcomed God’s precious miracle. Gav & I fondly call him Giddy while growing inside me for months. Praise God! Thank you Lord for our son, Thank you guys for your prayers!” Congratulations! (facebook.com)


2. Fertility clinic lets you select your baby’s gender
At HRC Fertility, a network of fertility clinics in California, couples who already have one, two, or three kids are availing of their services not just to get pregnant again, but to be able to choose the sex of their next baby. They call it family balancing or nonmedical sex selection. This is done via in vitro fertilization (IVF) to create embryos and genetically test these to identify the sex of the baby before being implanted. Medical organizations and fertility experts are split on the issue of gender selection. However, it’s a growing demand particularly for foreign couples. (wsj.com)


3. Why a couple decided not to get a 4D ultrasound
A Reddit user (handle _ItsAllRelative) and his wife went to get an ultrasound and decided against having it in 4D after seeing a 4D ultrasound photo of a baby that looks similar to a demon. Yes, you read that right. Needless to say, the couple freaked out —- and they aren’t alone. Other couples who decided against a 4D ultrasound also thinks the technology makes a baby in the mothers’ womb look like an alien. Some parents-to-be, though, get cute images of their babies in utero, and they love it. (buzzfeed.com)


4. Pinoy kids win again in math contests
We’re on a roll! Just a few weeks ago, young Filipino math whiz kids won in a math contest. Now, we won medals at the China Girls mathematical Olympian (CGMO), one of the toughest math contests today, held in Guangdong, China, from August 10 to 13. The five young delegates from the country all won silver and bronze medals. The Philippine team, on the other hand, won three gold medals and 19 bronze medals, plus 30 merit awards at the 2015 World Mathematics Invitational (WMI) held in Guilin, China form August 8 to 12. (rappler.com)
 

5. Four-year-old with Down syndrome featured in ad
Cora Slocum is featured in the footwear brand Livie & Luca’s Fall 2015 collection advertising materials. The California-based company partnered with the nonprofit Changing the Face of Beauty to promote equal representation of people with disabilities in the media. The four-year-old girl with Down syndrome was recruited, along with other children. Cora’s mom said in an interview with ABC News, “if by having her picture out there kind of changes people’s minds and perceptions and stereotypes, then I think it’s a good move in the right direction.” (mashable.com)