Banana Face Mask

Bananas contain vitamins A, B, E, and tons of potassium, all of which work to naturally fight blemishes by evening out skin, moisturizing, and combatting free radicals. Bonus point for the fact that even banana peels are able to reduce dark spots from sun exposure,  whiten teeth, and can prevent and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Banana & Honey

While the banana works to clear your skin, honey ensures it won’t dry out. Just mix one mashed banana with a tablespoon of honey, rub on your face and leave for fifteen minutes, then rinse.

Banana & Lemon Juice

If you have oily skin, the boost of citric acid in lemon juice will really help to to cleanse and exfoliate skin. Mash a ripe banana with juice from half a lemon, rub on your face and leave for ten to fifteen minutes, and rinse.

Banana & Baking Soda

Combine the power of banana with baking soda, which is a natural deep cleanser  and oil remover. You only need to add about 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda to your mashed banana mask for it to work. Let the mask sit on your face for about ten minutes before rinsing.

Banana & Turmeric Powder

Turmeric is packed with antibacterial properties. Turmeric powder is a great addition to a banana mask and will knock out the bacteria causing pimples. Similar to baking soda, a little goes a long way and all you need is a 1/2 teaspoon into your face mask. Apply and leave the mask for ten to fifteen minutes before rinsing.

Banana & Coconut Oil

Combining these superfoods and slathering them on your face just makes sense. Coconut oil features lauric acid, which kills acne-causing bacteria. Melt down a tablespoon of coconut oil (you can do this on the stove or in the microwave) and stir it into a mashed room- temperature banana. Apply to your face, leave for up to half an hour, and rinse.

Freeman was informed of her pregnancy six months into her term, but she chose to believe that she had food poisoning from a meal she had eaten on the plane. It wasn’t until she went through immigration at the airport that it dawned on her that she might just be going into labour after all.

Upon realising this, Tia, who works as a computer specialist in the US Air Force, decided to search through YouTube videos for instructions for delivering her baby. She made it to her hotel room determined not to give birth in an airport. When she got to her hotel room, she filled up a bath with warm water and grabbed two towels-one to bite into during contractions, and the other to function as a baby wrap.

As her contractions seemed to get much closer together, only spread apart by a minute, she pushed 5 to 6 times and the baby was out and floated onto the top of the water. She then followed the next step, as shown on YouTube, which was to cut the umbilical cord which she did right after checking the sex of her baby- it was a boy!

Without any tools for the cutting of the umbilical cord, she armed herself with a knife from the kitchen and decided to use her shoe lace as a make-shift clamp. She sterilised the shoe lace using boiling hot water and tied it to the cord before proceeding to cut it.

Her strength would still enable her to clean up the bathroom which she admitted looked ‘like a set of a horror movie’ before breast feeding her baby and going to sleep.

The next day, Freeman headed off to the airport to find out how she could leave the country with a newborn baby. After convincing local police and Turkish Airlines staff about her self-delivery story, local media organisations were tipped off and she became the subject of headline news in the country.

She was then taken to the US Consulate in Istanbul, where she applied for a birth certificate and passport for her son, whom she named Xavier Ata Freeman. After being taken to hospital – almost 24 hours since giving birth – she was given the all clear and spent another two weeks in Istanbul, fully paid for by Turkish Airlines.

There have been mixed reactions about Tia’s story of delivering her baby by her self. While many have applauded her for her bravery, others have criticized her actions, stating that she put the life of her baby at risk. 

However, as we close off another mother’s day celebration, Tia’s story is once again a reminder of the strength of a woman when faced with the welfare of her child. She’ll stop at nothing to ensure she takes care of her child. Very few kinds of love could still be deemed as unadulterated; the love of a mother has to top that list.

Tia is currently back in her hometown with her healthy baby boy surrounded by love from family and friends.

Read her entire twitter thread here