Advertisement
Home Page 4870

Virgin father of 16 reveals fertility secrets

Virgin father of 16 reveals fertility secrets

A 36-year-old US man has labelled himself the world’s first ‘donorsexual’ after he revealed he has devoted his life to being a sperm donor.

Trent Arsenault, who has never kissed a woman but is the father of 16 children, says the term ‘donorsexual’ means 100 per cent of his sexual energy is put towards producing sperm for childless couples and he takes the role very seriously.

He has even overhauled his lifestyle in order to deliver his clients optimum sperm.

He recently moved to California’s San Joaquin Valley because it is “one of the most fertile places in America” and has created a strict diet and exercise regime to ensure he delivers healthy sperm.

This involves drinking “fertility smoothies” that consist of berries, natural sugars and nuts, doing “fertility exercises”, including jogging and weights, wearing non–restrictive clothing to keep his testicles cool, avoiding the sun and wearing protective clothing when he does go outside. He also limits donations to one per day, avoids car fumes and electrical equipment near his genitals and has vowed to remain celibate to avoid STDs.

“I used to long to have a wife and children of my own. But the more I donate, the less I feel that need. So I decided not to fall in love or have children as that would restrict my ability to be a donor,” Arsenault told UK newspaper The Sun.

“I still refuse to have sex because I don’t want to risk catching a sexually transmitted disease. If I caught an STD that would be the end of my days as a donor.”

Arsenault, who works in IT, has committed to offering sperm to more than 100 families and says his healthy diet will ultimately affect the health of the child he helps to conceive.

“I want to keep doing this for as long as I am healthy. I have never been in better shape and my sperm count is about 125 million per millilitre, around four times the national average,” he said.

“I don’t think I’m taking this too seriously. The ultimate reason for all this is to ensure the health of a mother and her baby. And I would argue it’s difficult not to be overly concerned about the health of a person you are helping.”

Arsenault, who doesn’t charge for his services, says he has helped all types of couples. And although he has met some of his children, he has no intention to help raise them. Each of his clients must sign a contract waiving his paternal responsibilities.

“It was amazing to see my children — up there with some of the most unforgettable experiences in my life. Tears came into my eyes,” he said.

“Some of the mothers were crying too. I’ll never forget meeting them.

“But I cannot have children of my own as that would lower my fertility. And giving other people children is the most important thing to me in the world.”

Related stories


Advertisement
Home Page 4870

Elizabeth the Queen of hats!

Queen Elizabeth II has worn some outstanding headpieces throughout her 60 years on the throne. In fact, she has worn more than 5000 hats during her reign.

One of the queen’s milliners, Freddy Fox, says he has made hundreds of her hats.

“She wears what she feels comfortable in and she looks good in. It’s, after all, a working uniform for a very, very energetic, working lady,” Fox told ABC News in the US.

And despite having so many hats, she often wears her favourites up to 20 or 30 times.

Flick through our favourite hats worn by the Queen here!

In 1981 the Queen rugged up in a mink coat and a beret style hat.

It’s hard to miss the Queen in this green patterned number!

In a simple styled coat, the Queen’s hat is the stand out piece of her outfit.

In one of her brighter styled hats, the Queen wears this yellow and blue combination.

The Queen in 1973 wearing a green and white hat by milliner Simone Mirman.

The Queen wearing a turban style hat during a visit to New Zealand in 1977.

The Queen wears a colourful headpiece during a trip to Fiji in 1977.

The Queen at the opening of the third session of the Scottish Parliament in 2007.

During a two day visit to Wales the Queen wore this matching hat and jacket.

The Queen wears at blue and black number in 2009.

The Queen arrives to unveil a memorial to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2009.

In one of her slightly unusual hats in 2011.

The Queen in Barbados during the Silver Jubilee year in 1977.

Sticking to a more neutral tone, the queen wears a soft pink hat in 1980.

She is all smiles in this royal blue and black hat.

The Queen arrives in an open-top carriage in this simple pink hat.

On her most recent trip to Australia the Queen wore this matching hat and dress.

In a blue and red number in 2011.

Related stories


Advertisement
Home Page 4870

Queen’s home movies revealed

Queen's home movies revealed

Buried up to their necks in sand while the family dog looks on, Charles and Anne look like any other children on holiday — but the dog is a royal corgi and they are second and third in line to the throne.

Some 50 years later, Prince Charles has released clips from his favourite home movies to celebrate his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

The videos, all shot by the queen and Prince Philip in the summer of 1957, show Prince Charles, aged eight, and a six-year-old Princess Anne enjoying their annual holidays at Sandringham in Norfolk.

Related: Queen Elizabeth’s shoe secret

The above clip shows the queen, Prince Philip, Charles and Anne lolling about on the lawn at Sandringham, while another shows the family messing around at nearby Holkham Beach.

Philip has buried his two young children up to their necks in sand, leaving them giggling and shouting with joy.

Charles personally chose the clips for a BBC documentary, A Jubilee Tribute to The Queen by The Prince of Wales, which is due to air in the UK tonight.

Charles offers many personal memories from his mother’s 60-year reign in the TV special.

Related: We want King Charles, not King William

Speaking about the queen’s coronation in 1953, he reveals she practised wearing her crown every waking moment before the big day, even at bath time.

“I remember my mama coming up, when we were being bathed as children, wearing the crown,” he says. “It was quite funny — practising.”

Related stories


Advertisement
Home Page 4870

Can I eat carbs?

Can I eat carbs?

The quickest way to lose weight is to cut out starchy carbs, right? Maybe not, says dietitian Susie Burrell.

Carbohydrate-based foods, such as pasta, bread and even starchy vegetables, have been deemed taboo on many a weight-loss diet.

The theory is that if you cut out carbs (the primary energy source used by the body), you’ll burn fat instead and weight will literally fall off you. Unfortunately, like so many things in life, it’s not that simple.

Related: Why obesity is not your fault

Let me explain. Plant-based foods, including bread, rice, grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, as well as sugars, are primarily made up of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate, one of the four energy-giving nutrients along with protein, fat and alcohol, provides 17kJ or 4 calories per gram.

Once one of these foods is eaten, it is broken down into glucose. This glucose is then used as fuel. Any glucose that is not used as fuel will be stored for later use.

Put simply, if you eat less carbohydrates, you’ll store less. However, over time, the body will simply reduce its metabolic rate in order to ensure the glucose that is available is used more efficiently.

Bottom line — you’ll need to eat less in order to burn the same number of calories.

The problem with low-carb diets

Have a chat to anyone who has ever gone on a low-carb diet and see how they fared.

Chances are they lost large amounts of weight, only to put it back on again when they allowed carbs back into their lives.

Since most people enjoy their carbs, cutting them out is generally not sustainable.

What would make more sense is to be smart about the type of carbohydrates you choose to tuck into, exactly how much you knock back and at what time you do so.

White bread, rice, processed cakes, biscuits, lollies, fruit juices, soft drinks and potato chips tend to be the type of carbohydrate foods most commonly chosen, but these types of processed carbohydrate are also digested rapidly and offer little nutritionally.

All in all, not such great choices. You see, rapidly digested carbohydrates or high GI carbs result in a relatively large amount of the hormone insulin being secreted.

Over time, this large amount of insulin will cause weight gain. And here’s where it gets really ugly.

Your body will then store fat, which will further reduce the ability of insulin to do its job and, suddenly, you’re looking at a cycle of weight gain and more insulin being released to compensate for it.

So, what to do?

First, let’s look at where we are today. The average Australian consumes a predominately high GI, carbohydrate-based diet.

Processed breakfast cereal and white bread toast are common breakfast choices, along with fruit and yogurt.

We then snack on fruit, crackers and muesli bars, followed by a lunch based around bread or rice.

Follow this with a pasta, rice or potato-based meal at night and your dietary intake sits at 50 to 60 percent total carbohydrate.

Now, these choices may be “healthy” and even “low fat”, but are proportionally too high in carbohydrate to support glucose and weight control long term.

The solution? Ensure the carbohydrate- rich foods you enjoy are the best quality, low GI carbohydrates available.

Everyone’s different, but teaming a carbohydrate-rich food with a protein-rich food at each meal is a good start.

Related: You’re not getting enough vitamin D

It’s also a good idea to keep your intake of heavier carbohydrate foods, such as pasta and rice, lower at night when you tend to be less active.

A one-off treat or carbohydrate-based meal is not what makes us gain weight. It is our choice of breads, grains and snacks on a daily basis that determines our weight and health long term.

Read more of this story in the June issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

Subscribe to 12 issues of The Australian Women’s Weekly for only $69.95 and receive 12 issues of Woman’s Day for free.

Video: Why you need more good carbs

Related stories


Advertisement
Home Page 4870

Should military mums be allowed to breastfeed in uniform?

Should military mums be able to breastfeed in uniform?

Terran Echegoyen-McCabe and Christina Luna breastfeeding their children while in uniform.

A photo of two military servicewomen breastfeeding their babies while in uniform has sparked outrage in the US because it is “disrespectful” to the armed forces.

The professionally shot photo shows Air Force employees Terran Echegoyen-McCabe and Christina Luna breastfeeding their children on a military base.

The image was used in a promotional campaign for Breastfeeding Awareness Month and quickly went viral, attracting a hailstorm of criticism.

Related: I breastfed my son until he was three

The image has been widely condemned as an attack on the “respectability and professionalism” of the armed forces.

“As a former Marine, Active Duty, I am appalled by the notion that any service woman would feel it is appropriate to breastfeed a child while in uniform,” reads one comment.

“I believe it is an utter disgrace to all women before us who made many sacrifices for the roles we have today. I believe those who chose to breastfeed in uniform are only making a joke of the hard work and dedication of service women in the past.

“You wanted to participate in a career that is slightly more demanding than that of say a receptionist, housewife, lawyer, doctor, writer, so you should adhere to a more professional standard and take your job more seriously.”

Another comment reads: “I feel very strongly that respect for both the uniform and for women would be compromised should women breastfeed in uniform in public. Professional women do not breastfeed in public, and female soldiers, who are professionals, should not either.”

Echegoyen McCabe has defended her decision to breastfeed in uniform. She says she feeds her 10-month-old twin daughters everywhere and doesn’t think her uniform should stop her.

“I have breastfed in our lobby, in my car, in the park,” she told US TV show Today. “I’m proud to be wearing a uniform while breastfeeding.

“I’m proud of the photo and I hope it encourages other women to know they can breastfeed whether they’re active duty, guard or civilian.

“If you don’t want to breastfeed in your uniform, you don’t have to. But you should have respect for those who do.”

Related: Mother’s tribute to baby born without eyes

There are 11 things US military personnel are not allowed to do in uniform, including eating, talking on a mobile phone while walking, chewing gum, putting their hands in the their pockets, holding hands, kissing or hugging. Breastfeeding is not on the list.

Your say: Have you ever been asked to stop breastfeeding in public? Email your story to [email protected]

Video:Time magazine’s breastfeeding scandal

Related stories


Advertisement
Home Page 4870

Six-year-old Toddlers and Tiaras star gets her own show

Six-year-old Toddlers and Tiaras star gets her own TV show

Image: Getty

She is famous for guzzling her go go juice and sprouting such lines as “a dollar makes me holler” on the controversial TLC series Toddlers & Tiaras. Now, Honey Boo Boo Child has landed her own reality TV show.

The six-year-old, whose real name is Alana, will star in the show called Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which will move away from the beauty pageant stage and detail her life at home with her family.

Alana and her mother, June, became famous in an episode of Toddlers & Tiaras after June revealed that when 15 bags of the candy Pixy Stix didn’t boost Alana’s energy levels, she created her daughter her own “go go juice”, which contains a mixture of Mountain Dew and Red Bull.

The results of the juice certainly made Alana stand out with her instantly odd behavior, including swinging her arms in the air and rolling around on the floor, after taking “two big gulps” of juice.

The new show, which will include six episodes, has been described by the network as showing the family “doing what they do best” and includes “four-wheeling through mud pits and picking up road kill for the family cookout” at their home in rural McIntyre, Georgia.

The show, due to premiere in August, will star June, better known as the coupon queen after she revealed she purchases grocery items in bulk through coupons to pay for her daughter’s beauty pageant outfits and fees; Alana’s dad Sugar Bear; and sisters Lauryn, 12, known as “Pumpkin”; Jessica, 15, nicknamed “Chubbs”; and pregnant Anna, 17, known as “Chickadee”.

Your say: Would you watch Honey Boo Boo’s reality show?

Related stories


Advertisement
Home Page 4870

Prince Charles releases tacky jubilee souvenirs

Prince Charles has released a range of tacky souvenirs to celebrate his mother’s Diamond Jubilee, including a stuffed corgi which costs almost $100.

Charles is selling the items through the website of his family estate Highgrove House.

Souvenirs on offer include a $280 teddy bear, a $150 cushion, a $35 pair of baby booties and the special Diamond Jubilee Vintage Corgi, which is reportedly made from a 1950s pattern approved by the queen.

But before you accuse Charles of cashing in on his mother’s special day, all profits from sales of souvenirs will go to charity.

Prince Charles and the stuffed toy corgi he is selling.

The toy corgi sells for $95.

The Union Jack baby shoes cost $35.

A limited edition mohair teddy bear costs $280.

This blue velvet cushion sells for $150.

The playing cards cost $40.

A more modern cushion will set you back $100.

This hinged clock costs $100.

A baby blanket sells for $135.

This mug is a steal at $40.

Related stories


Advertisement
Home Page 4870

A Facebook bully ruined my life

A Facebook bully ruined my life

Cyberbullies aren’t just targeting children. Adults are falling victim to online smears and the damage can be devastating, writes Amanda Bower.

Michelle, a Western Australian woman in her late 30s, was a bit bewildered the first time she got a Facebook message from herself.

She had set up her profile only a few months earlier and wasn’t exactly enamoured with the technology. So when a message appeared in her inbox, urging her to “check this out”, she did.

“This”, it turned out, was a Facebook profile page set up by a cyberbully. It used a real photo of Michelle and her real name (last names have been removed from this story, to protect victims from further invasions of their privacy).

Related: What every parent needs to know about online safety

Michelle reported the fake page to Facebook and a few days later it was removed. Then another one was created. And another.

At first, fake “Michelle” posted about liking various websites and sent friend requests, which were accepted by real Michelle’s friends. Yet things escalated rapidly.

Fake “Michelle” started to talk about the kinky sex she was into, including references to children, fruits and animals. She sent lewd messages to members of real Michelle’s high school, which had created a Facebook group for its 20-year reunion.

And, finally, fake “Michelle” posted that she was having a party and was prepared for “anything” — and gave out real Michelle’s address.

We read all the time about how horrible and how horribly common online bullying is among today’s technology-savvy children.

According to federal government statistics, one in 10 kids are victims, although in a Girlfriend magazine survey, an alarming 42 per cent of 13,300 teen readers said they’d been cyberbullied. Tragically, a number of teen suicides have been attributed to online abuse.

Although there are no reliable statistics on the prevalence of adult cyberbullying in Australia, the experience of Michelle and countless others shows that grown-ups are also victims. In almost all cases, experts say, the perpetrator knows the victim.

Under federal telecommunications laws passed in 2004, using a “carriage service” — email, text, mobile phone — to harass someone can leave you sitting behind bars for up to three years, with an automatic criminal record.

Yet, despite an increasing number of adult cyberbullying cases making headlines, there are many more victims suffering in silence, says Susan McLean, who was Victoria Police’s first cyber safety officer and is now an online safety consultant.

She says she regularly gets emails from adult victims saying, “You know, it’s not just a kid problem. I’m being harassed terribly.”

Yet many are too embarrassed or afraid to seek help. And adults, Susan says, “often feel more powerless because they don’t have confidence with the technology. They’ve never had to experience it before, it’s very confronting for them and they are often floundering.”

Even if you do try to set the record straight, some people may not get the message, says Michelle.

“I’m really a boring person and I thought people would know it wasn’t really me,” she says.

Yet, despite Michelle posting repeatedly that her identity had been stolen, some people missed those messages — and were really offended by fake “Michelle’s” communications.

“They used my real photo, they used my real name and if it walks and talks like a duck, some people are going to think it’s a duck,” Michelle says.

After numerous complaints to Facebook, the bully’s computer was finally blocked from creating another Facebook account, at least under Michelle’s name.

Although she had contacted police, she says it took many weeks for them to get back to her and when they finally did, the pages had been taken down and the police said there was no need for action.

Related: A simple guide to keeping safe

Yet Michelle has taken action in her own, important way. “As soon as it happened, I started talking with friends and family, saying, ‘You need to be really vigilant about what information you put out there, because you can be targeted’.”

Read more of this story in the June issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

Your say: Have you been bullied online? Share your story below.

Subscribe to 12 issues of The Australian Women’s Weekly for only $69.95 and receive 12 issues of Woman’s Day for free.

Video: How to use Facebook safely

Related stories


Advertisement
Home Page 4870

My baby daughter was still born

I lost my baby at 38 weeks

Georgia Strickland, her husband Ray and a sonogram of their unborn baby daughter Zoe.

When she became pregnant at 40, Georgia Strickland couldn’t believe her good fortune. Yet, the joy of parenthood was not to be.

I didn’t choose to have a baby so late; on the contrary, I had yearned for children for many years, but circumstances — let’s face it, I chose the wrong guys — had always gone against me.

I fell pregnant at 40 and though surprised, I was quietly ecstatic. My pregnancy proceeded in a textbook way and my new partner Ray and I began thinking of the baby as our little miracle.

Choosing a name was easy. We both loved Zoe; of Greek origins, it meant “life”. Over the next five months, we talked endlessly about Zoe, covering everything from who was going to get up in the middle of the night to what was a suitable age to teach her to snowboard (he thought five; I said, “No way”).

Related: Mother’s tribute to baby born without eyes

At my 38-week appointment, the doctor said everything was going “swimmingly”. She asked casually about movement and I said I felt a bit, but not a lot. She explained that, because my placenta was in the front, the movement would feel muted.

We were happy as we left the hospital that Tuesday, if a little nervous about how it would really be when Zoe arrived.

On the Friday night, we went to the footy with friends. I started to experience more pains and fleetingly thought that Zoe was moving a bit less, but told myself she had surely moved and I just hadn’t noticed.

I had also heard that babies slow down close to their due date, so told myself not to worry. I regret that decision to this day.

By Saturday morning, the pains had increased, so I took a bath. Ray piled bubbles on top of my head and stomach and took some silly photos. I still can’t bear to delete them from my iPhone; I look deliriously happy.

Ray commented at the time that my tummy looked smaller, and says now that he was a little bit worried. We rang the hospital and decided to go in for a check-up.

We didn’t rush, taking our time to make up the cot and install the baby capsule in the car. We took my hospital bags, just in case.

The midwife listened for a heartbeat, but said there was nothing. Ray collapsed loudly into a chair, startling us all. I just thought she didn’t know what she was doing.

A doctor came in and told me that he couldn’t find a heartbeat, but not to panic just yet. I began to feel sick and clung to Ray’s hand.

A second and third doctor arrived to view the ultrasound, the third saying, in a very calm voice, “I’m sorry to tell you, but your baby has passed away”.

The medical staff in the room all just stared at me. I felt like they expected me to say something, but all I could do was shake and say, “Oh, my God, what have I done, what have I done?”

They quickly said it wasn’t anything I’d done, that it wasn’t my fault.

I finally managed to ask, “What happens now?” At this point, I was told the best and safest thing for me was to go through labour.

Zoe was born, still, at 5.10am on Sunday, June 5, 2011. The midwife told me not to look until she was wrapped up.

I thought it would be too much to hold my lifeless baby Zoe, but I did. I just kept saying to her, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” I desperately wanted her to open her eyes. I had an overwhelming feeling of love, together with more sadness than I’ve ever imagined.

Sunday passed slowly and horribly. The hospital staff took photographs of Zoe, which at the time seemed macabre, but which I now keep with other precious items, as evidence of her existence.

Related: My battle with postnatal depression

My parents came and met Zoe; it’s the first time I’ve seen my dad cry.

I spent most of the day asking myself what I did that made her not want to come into this world. Did I not love her enough? Ray and I both say we would have died for her. I guess that’s how all parents feel.

For more information about stillbirths visit the Stillbirth Foundation.

Read more of this story in the June issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

Your say: Have you experienced a stillbirth? Share your story with us below.

Subscribe to 12 issues of The Australian Women’s Weekly for only $69.95 and receive 12 issues of Woman’s Day for free.

Video: Surviving miscarriage and stillbirth

Related stories


Advertisement
Home Page 4870

Teenage bride to burn 30 kilo wedding dress after divorce

Image: Twitter

Image: Twitter

A teenage bride who married at 16 in an over-the-top wedding will now divorce her husband of just two years and plans to burn her 30kg wedding dress.

Josie McFayden, who starred in the first episode of the UK TV show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, married Swanley Smith in 2010.

During their fairytale wedding ceremony, which was watched by 6.5 million viewers, she wore a one-of-a-kind white net and diamante dress.

Gypsy wedding dresses are extravagant one-off designs, and the bigger, the better. Gypsy brides often compete with each other to have the biggest and best dress made from layers of tulle and diamantes, which can lead to them being almost unwearably heavy.

Now Josie, who has an eight-month-old daughter with Swanley has moved out of the pair’s caravan after discovering her husband gave half of their life savings to his family and spent the rest on himself.

The pair was given £105,000 ($239,150) as compensation by Surrey County Council after being forced to leave the caravan site they lived in after it became contaminated.

“I am in shock. I’m 18, with a baby and getting divorced,” she told told UK newspaper The Sun.

“I feel I can never trust another man with anything.”

She said cracks in her marriage began to show soon after the pair said ‘I do’.

“It was like a fairytale, but it was too good to be true. Swanley just changed overnight,” she said.

“I was supposed to be a lady of leisure bringing my little girl up and he was supposed to provide for his family.

“But I spent four-and-a-half hours a day cleaning and he stopped going to work. I just never felt like his wife, I felt like his maid.”

Josie, who is part of the gypsy traveller community, says it is not uncommon to get married at a young age, but said she would be advising her own daughter to wait until she is in her 20s to get married.

Related stories


Advertisement