Health advice for a breastfeeding mom

Breastfeeding mothers need to be conscious and aware of their diets. How the mother eats is how the child gets its nutrition. While they do not need any major changes from what they were eating during the pregnancy, a few adjustments are advised. A few basic adjustments in daily routine are enough. They are:

1. Eat very well - Eat a balanced diet to suit your health. Remember, first it is important to meet your nutritional needs. Only when you are eating well would the quality and quantity of your milk be ideal for your baby. Do not diet under any circumstance. We understand you wish to lose all the pregnancy weight soon, but remember, you child is your priority now. When you diet, your body will start drawing on its reserves. This will affect milk production. By dieting, you will also lack the amount of stamina you need to take care of your baby. Be aware that feeling extra hungry during breastfeeding is normal. Your body is working around the clock. Eat small meals at regular intervals to keep your hunger satisfied, your weight concern at bay and your body strong.

2. Don't count your calories - Not until you are breastfeeding. You need at least 500 calories more than you did when you were not breastfeeding. Don't let this shock you, your child will be feeding off you. There are other ways to regulate your weight and lose the extra pounds gained during pregnancy, do not compromise on food at all.

3. Do not rush to exercise - Consult your doctor and ask for suitable exercises for your body. You might have stitches which are yet to dry, so don't be hasty. Get your workout regime planned professionally and under guidance.

4. Do not avoid fats - Eat healthy foods and opt for good fats. Foods that are good for you and for milk production are a big yes. Foods which do not contribute in any positive way can be done without. They will only harm you in the long run.

5. Avoid alcohol - Stay away, and if you do want to indulge consult your doctor. An occasional drink is usually okay, still it is better you abstain altogether until you stop breastfeeding. And if you do have a drink, feed at least after two hours.

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Advice For A Breastfeeding Mom

There are a number of conditions that may come to affect the delicate skin of newborn and growing babies. Some of them may be simple to diagnose and treat, while others may be slightly more serious. Intertrigo is an exceptionally normal inflammatory condition influencing those areas of skin that are naturally in contact with each other. For example, the groin, armpits and other skin overlays. These territories of skin that are in contact with each other are in contact to the intertriginous zones.

Infants and babies with intertrigo have red and sore skin in the folds of skin, under the neck, under the arm and in the nappy area. Dissimilar to nappy rash, the rash is most dangerous, if it is found inside the folds of the skin. In a nappy rash, the skin inside a fold is usually protected, but the rash is exceedingly bad in areas touched by the nappy.

In case you or your child has intertrigo, your doctor may propose just keeping the affected range dry and exposed to the air. You may control oozing of certain liquids with moist packs of an astringent called Burow's solution. Then air dry it and let it heal on its own.

The surface of the affected skin is exceptionally sensitive and hard. It should be dealt with delicately. Washing it with water can be difficult. Utilizing sorbolene to clean the skin might be a gentler option. Be careful so as not to rub the skin. Pat it dry softly and regularly. Keeping the skin fold as dry as possible is very helpful.

Creams or balms that shield the skin from dampness such as the ones that are utilized for nappy rash might be useful. Zinc creams, zinc and cod-liver oil creams can be helpful. Check with your doctor (drug specialist) for other valuable creams or salves. In case the rash is not improving or it is spreading, see your specialist as the contamination may require treatment. Thrush infections are normal. Utilizing a defensive cream like the ones used to counteract nappy rash are beneficial and effective.

Top Five Remedies For Intertrigo In Babies

The word colic directly refers to the colon. Colic pain is a sharp abdominal pain followed by bouts of crying usually occurring in infants below the age of one year. The pain only last for a short period of time ranging from a few weeks to a couple of months. Very few number of babies will cry endlessly indicating towards an underlying condition.

It is mainly characterized by sharp crying for supposedly no apparent reason, irregular sleep patterns, and restlessness or owing to deviation from normal postures. The apparent causes of colic pain include indigestion and negative reaction of the sensitive gut to the breast or formula milk, although no concrete cause of the state has been discovered.

Doctors often suggest home remedies such as swaddling, pacifiers, holding and comforting the baby and more frequent feedings to reduce the condition. Since it is so common among infants and relatively less harmful, no proper medication is usually given. Physicians suggest mothers to reduce the content of caffeine, alcohol or spice in their diet. Sometimes a warm bath, burping the baby or going on more frequent walks is useful. Background music draws the attention of the baby and hence drives their focus, away from the abdominal pains.

Colic pains are mainly treated by care rather than medicine. The baby is made to feel comfortable and the distress is reduced just by being around the infant. The primary care giver plays an important role in consoling the child and helping them get through the sudden pain which further plays a significant role in personality development. Colic pains are extremely short lived and probably one of the first few challenges of parenthood. They are primarily dealt with care and feeding except in extreme cases where medicinal cures such as lactase drops and simethicone drops are used to treat the abdominal pain.

Colic Pain - How To Treat It

Tonsillitis, in the easiest terms, is the swelling of tonsils in our throat that is accompanied by symptoms like throat pain, difficulty in swallowing/ drinking, altered voice and fever etc.

As in the case of most infections, the occurrence of tonsillitis is more common in children due to relatively lower immunity and habits that invite infections. Let's take a look at the first line of defence when you have a cranky child with swollen tonsils.

1. Make your child gargle with salty warm water: This treatment is most helpful in any infection in the mouth. Add half teaspoonful of salt to a glass of warm water and make the child gargle with the mixture as many times in the day as possible (to a maximum of 5 times). Continue till the condition prevails.

Make sure the child spits out the water and not drinks it.

2. Antibiotics: Consult the ent specialist and have the antibiotics if it is a bacterial cause as per the doctor. Take the alternative treatment prescribed in case of other causes. The entire course of medication should be completed even if the kid gets better sooner to eliminate all traces of bacteria.

3. Painkiller/numbing lozenges: Painkillers that are prescribed by the doctor can be given to ease the pain. Same is the case with lozenges but care should be taken that he/she should not have too many of these.

4. Allow him/her to take rest: It does help in a betterment of the condition!

5. Give warm (not hot) soothing food: Soup, ginger honey mixture, ginger tea can help soothe the inflamed tonsils in most cases. The condition, more often than not, gets better within 7-10 days.


Best Ways to Deal With Tonsillitis in Kids

Parental Depression is an aspect which affects the innocent child, right from the time it is in the mother's womb.

Maternal depression could be due to various reasons ranging from familial disharmony to poor health. Unfortunately, a depressed mother's pessimistic thoughts could pass on to the pure soul inside her. So the effect starts in utero. After birth, she may be careless and negligent towards a child whose most important requirement is love. And children of these mothers become victims of behavioral and cognitive problems and poor school performers. They may also acquire the illness of depression eventually.

A depressed father will display stress and agitation instead of engaging the young minds in interesting learning or other activities.

Hence, before stepping into parenthood, it's important to be mentally fit and not just physically healthy. Exercise and meditation is of great help and of course a happy home environment.

Supporting each other is the key to getting things on track again.

Talk to your spouse: Chat with your spouse, showing affection, doing things with them and encouraging them to get out of the house are important.
Appreciate her but respect your family: Help her see that the family needs her and appreciates that she is expecting. While doing the same ensure that you respect the feelings of your family members.
Opt for specialist care: Offer to see a therapist and encourage her to take medications. Getting the help of an expert helps get guidance to handle difficult situations.
Be emotionally present with her: Go with her to as many antenatal checkups as you can, and make sure you are there for the ultrasound scans. This encourages a woman and gives her the satisfaction that her partner is involved.
Compliment her and pay attention to her: Many women find it difficult to cope with the changes in their body during pregnancy. She may be worried about stretch marks, concerned about weight gain or just be feeling not much like her old self. Make sure to compliment her and let her know how much you love her.
Be a shoulder for her to cry on: Listen to all of her concerns, and offer her the reassurance and support she really needs.
Be there to help: After the birth, your partner will need time to recover. She will be exhausted, sore and hormonal, and will be relying on you for support. Help with the baby, and do as much as you can.

What Is Parental Depression? How to Support Each Other?

You look your best when you wear a smile on your face. Everyone prefers a smiling face over a frowned one. Since we are talking about smiles, one can never underestimate the role that teeth play in the beauty of a smile. Dental hygiene and care is mandatory if you wish to secure your beautiful smile for years to come.

However, the global statistics for dental care suggests that we do not care enough for our teeth. 60-90% of children who are in school and almost every adult suffer from dental cavities. Dental cavities are pretty common nowadays. And yellowing of teeth can now be seen in almost every other person. It spoils the smile and makes people conscious. By ensuring a few dental care habits in your daily routine lives, you can avoid yellow teeth. Let us discuss the tips and tricks to avoid yellowing of teeth.
 
1. Say no to specific foods: Yellowing of teeth is caused by food choices including coffee, red wine, sodas, juices, sports drinks, white wine, coloured candies and other artificially coloured foods. It will help if these foods are consumed in less quantity and frequency as they are the major contributors towards discoloration of teeth.

2. Water after every coloured drink: Here is a habit that you must inculcate in your routine, whenever you consume any of the above mentioned food items. Post every drink or food intake which can cause tooth-staining, top it up with a glass of water. When you swirl or gargle the water in your mouth, you remove the acids that get accumulated in your mouth. It is one of the simplest preventive measures one can implement to avoid tooth stains.
 
3. Dental Hygiene: Our parents and dentists kept reminding us all the time to brush twice a day and gargle with water post every food intake but did we listen to them as kids? No we did not. Proper brushing, flossing and going for dental checkups at regular intervals are sure shot ways to keep your teeth healthy for majority of your lifetime. One must develop these habits quite early in life to gain benefits from it.

4. Whiten those Yellow teeth:  You might be at that stage of your life where inculcating the above mentioned habits won't do much good. The damage might already have been done. Your teeth are probably yellowish already and you have a history of dental cavities. In this 21st century, there are ways to whiten your teeth artificially with the many alternatives available in the market. One can opt for a solution, which can be done at home itself or go for a laser whitening which is now possible at a dentist clinic.
 
So there is still hope for those who are unable to share that smile with the world due to the yellowing of teeth. Nothing is irreparable here and the health of your teeth lies in your hand.

How to Avoid Yellowing of Teeth

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