Although it is surprising, it is a proven fact that parents encourage the habit of crying in infants by attending to them when they “cry”. Being the most intelligent species on earth, human babies take no time to understand that they are being attended to when they cry out for any reason. Parents try to answer every call, and their attempts would be always positive to satisfy the baby with a “Yes”. However, it is essentially not possible for all parents under the sky to satisfy the baby every time. No matter how resourceful the parents are, there are certain phases where they have to restrict their children with a “no” for the best interest of their child.

It may be easier for a toddler to understand a restriction from the parents but how does an infant understand a ‘no’ in the initial days. Like every other milestone, the time to understand a refusal from the parents is also unique for every infant. It should be somewhere in between six months to eighteen months. Infants discover it all by themselves or the parents have to teach it to their wards slowly. When the baby does something unacceptable, it is necessary to channelize the kid’s energy to some other element for diversion. If required, quietly tell her ‘no’. Handover something different to them and they are sure to forget the old one in the excitement of the new toy or thing. Or keep them away from the element to avoid them getting in touch with the same thing.

Undoubtedly, there are many incidents where the parents may have to restrict a child and if you feel that the ‘no’ is being used more than often, you can try being creative by using different words to explain the kids why it is a no-no. If the kid wants to enter a dark room, it is essential to explain to them that they may fall, or hit something, due to dark environment of the room. It is not suggested by child psychologists to threaten kids by saying that there is a devil in the dark room to avoid them from going in there.  Rather, it is important to make them understand that the room is still the same even in the darkness; however, darkness creates the opportunity for anyone to unknowingly hurt themselves. Saying ‘no’ with a stern voice when they attempt to go the wrong route may help alerting the child. To communicate better, use words such as hot, cold, spicy, etc. in a stern voice to make them understand the impending cause of danger.

Approaching hot irons or ovens, getting into cold water tubs, attempting to eat peppers or chilies, fingering electrical sockets, swallowing poisonous repellents, playing with fragile items, etc. are all a cause of concern and are strictly on the range of a ‘no’. It is on the parent’s part to keep the home as child safe as possible rather than having to say a ‘no’ constantly. The lesser the ‘no’s’ the better the positivity in the child and higher the spirits are. Although ‘no’ is a negative word, try to inculcate this concept in the child’s mind with more positivity.

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The confirmation of pregnancy for women can arouse mixed responses in them as it is the most awaited news for some and a threatening one for others. Both categories of women anxiously wait before the result appears on the pregnancy test kit. Mayo clinic states that results from the home pregnancy kits are 99% accurate. However, the lower percentile of the results is inaccurate and can disappoint or overwhelm the anxious women with happiness with their incorrect results. What makes these kits go wrong when they are claimed to be extremely accurate in ruling out pregnancy?

Early Miscarriage

You may have tested with a positive pregnancy result. However, you get your period following the test. This may be an early miscarriage. According to health experts, the majority of 70% of the conceptions are miscarriages. Most of the women do not even realize that they are pregnant and the period they got is nothing but the debris of a miscarriage. However, for those who await pregnancy, this can be devastating.

Fertility Medications Can Be Blamed

To understand this, one may need to understand the simple concept behind the test kit. The placenta releases a hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) once the egg is implanted in the uterus. The amount of this hormone released multiplies within days and results are more accurate once the HCG is found in the urine.

If you are too enthusiastic about taking a pregnancy test quickly after taking the fertility pills containing the pregnancy hormone HCG, it may lead to an incorrect positive. Those who are on fertility drugs are often suggested by medical professionals to wait for a while before checking it on a strip.

Residual HCG Post a Miscarriage or a Delivery

Four to six weeks is normally the threshold before which the HCG still exists in the body after delivery or a miscarriage. Seldom, it happens that a placenta is left in the body to produce the HCG. Till the placenta cells grow in the uterus, the test can lead to a positive result.

Test Sits Too Long

If you follow the instructions of a standard pregnancy test, it will seek your attention in the stipulated time frame. If you make the test sit for a long time before going through the results, the urine on the strip evaporates to appear as two lines instead of one. But it is actually one and the result is negative. In such cases, go for another test immediately and look out for the result in the stipulated time frame.

Expired Kit

There is a possibility that the kit you are using to check pregnancy may be past its expiry date. The chemical that reads the HCG may fade away with time leading to an incorrect result. Check the expiry date of the kit before you purchase it to increase the accuracy level.

It is always suggested by the healthcare experts to visit a doctor as soon as you get a positive result on the home pregnancy kit to doubly confirm the same via a check-up. A blood test will be performed to investigate the HCG in your body and it cannot fool you. It may be an agreeable fact that you wait anxiously to know that you are pregnant, but a little patience can get you accurate results.

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I have seen many women celebrities from the fashion world who were reigning divas till their forties trying to maintain the same physique even in their fifties and sixties. They cannot even accept gray hair as part of their ageing process and want to be remembered by their adorers in the same frame as they used to be in their twenties. Although they maintain a slim stature, their fingers with more obvious knuckles and nails tell us the real story. We should rather accept what we are and emphasize on looking beautiful at every age with the additions that childbirth and ageing does to your body. I cannot take my eyes off when I look at petite teens below twenties, beautiful pregnant women below forties or women reaching their menopause with half gray hair on their foreheads and the older women with pleasant grays and a shook body.

Body naturally goes on adding weight after childbirth and women start to gradually feel this change. As it is apparent that childbirth transforms a woman, we need to understand the fact that women and men to that matter have to undergo the nature’s ordeal and accept every role. We need not stick ourselves to when we were in ours 20’s and 30’s as if it is the golden age of beauty. Many other women delay pregnancies to look younger for a longer duration of time but their children may be affected with Down’s syndrome and many congenital diseases due to delayed child bearing. Nature has perfection in it and has set every ordeal with extreme perfection. Let us start appreciating nature’s build and flaunt ourselves in every phase.

Many presume pregnancy to be a weight gaining task. It is also a myth that pregnant women need ample rest and should consume loads of food. Women in pregnancy need only an extra 300 to 500 calories towards the third trimester. The tiny soul in your fetus needs very little food but nutritious one. Exercise is recommended throughout the pregnancy. Apart from some heavy tasks not recommended by your caregiver, women are expected to be active as a normal woman does even in pregnancy. Nature has equipped our bodies and birth canal with an amazing elastic property where they go back to normalcy within months post childbirth. Abdominal binders help your belly to get tightened again providing you indulge in sufficient physical activity.

Do not get afraid of gaining in weight in pregnancy as it is very necessary for you and your baby to be safe. Feel that you are entering into another phase of beauty where you look different from what you are now. However, both of the looks are equally adorable as you are with extreme grace mentally. Flaunt every new pound that adds to your body and every new curve that joins your stature to promote you to the life’s crucial role of being a mother. Remember, you may need to continue eating extra calories even after the child birth to accommodate your baby’s feeding needs. Every inch growing on your body would be sure to add that motherly bliss and grace to your personality and you will be loved even more for what you are irrespective of your shape. However, staying healthy and mentally elevated is very essential which is the real beauty to every woman.

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Are you going to be a new parent? Have you thought about cord blood banking?

Cord blood banking is a process to store and preserve your newborn’s umbilical cord blood right after the birth. The cord blood, in turn, is processed to get stem cells that have the ability to save your baby and your family from a number of diseases and conditions. For this reason, cord blood banking is now very common among by new parents. Even doctors, these days, are recommending cord bloods banking to utilize the infant stem cells to their utmost potential. But when it comes to cord blood banking, there are a number of notions you will hear as an expectant parent. Let’s see what doctors have actually recommended and what you should know about the process:

Critical for life threatening diseases and conditions

Doctors recommend cord blood banking because it can save you and your family from a number of critical diseases including cancer. Apart from that it can be used to treat the symptoms of various conditions including cerebral palsy and autism. In all these cases, transplants are dependent on suitable and unrelated matching donor. But cord blood banking ensures a closer match, as it’s taken from a family member. So, once you preserve a cord blood unit, it can offer you a lifetime of security.
Dr. Tiffany Werbin-Silver, MD said, “One of the things I bring up at the 20 Week mark is cord blood banking. Cord blood is the blood flowing through the placenta to the baby, and once delivery occurs, you capture it at that moment, and you have it for a potential lifetime, not only for the baby who is born, who serves as its own perfect match, but for family members.”

Cord blood may have other uses you don’t know

There are a number of researches going on involving cord blood stem cells and even doctors don’t know about its full potential. A few years back, people did not know that stem cells had the ability to treat some of the symptoms of autism. Now several trails are under to find out effectiveness of stem cell therapy in such nervous system disorders.
Dr. Preete Bhanot, MD said, “Right now clinical trials are going on to use these cells for children with autism, with hearing loss. In five years, we may have so many more things that we can use these cells for. It is a great investment. You have to do it. I can’t stress that enough.”

What should the expectant parents know

Doctors recommend that new parents should be aware of the high potential of cord blood banking from the first day. They also should know about the diseases and conditions that stem cell therapy can treat. All the information helps them make an informed decision for their baby.

Dr. Shetal Mansuria, MD said, “What I explain to patients is that the uses are incredible. Treatments of things like lymphomas, leukemias. I know that it can save lives and I have seen it save a life, and I always tell patients that. In that case, it made the difference for this child. The uses are incredible. I think everybody should bank.”

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The common topics women share at a kitty party or post a gym session mostly are related contraception, pregnancy, labour stories, feeding patterns etc. Being a senior mother of 3 child births, I am usually the center point for many questions related to these topics. One such a question in the post gym session was, “Is it OK to exercise while breastfeeding?” If we have a rational thought process with a reality check, we have more than half of the answers in front of us. If we have to understand about the merits and demerits of exercising, let us think rationally!!

For this, we need to think how nature has incorporated a woman’s life post childbirth? After a brief initial rest if you deliver normally, doctors make you walk around. Once you are home, you have the additional responsibility at home towards the newborn child and the possibility is higher that you move around. The extra activity may be implicitly termed as an exercise but may be a little unsystematic one. This makes us understand the basics that women can exercise post childbirth or while breastfeeding to that matter.

In fact, the exercise adds to your health and works positively for breast feeding women. You may be surprised to know that even rigorous workouts keep the volumes of milk produced in your body unaffected. There is a social stigma that the baby will reject your milk if you exercise while breastfeeding and it is absolutely incorrect. You can even breastfeed the baby shortly after an exercise session. However, this may be different in a cesarean section case as they are not permitted to exercise immediately post childbirth and the duration is little longer.

There is an article in 1992 after a study that mother’s milk is found to have lactic acid in higher proportions immediately after an exercise and babies turn repellent as the milk is not as tasty as it used to be. These studies based on the 1992 findings are now highly in debate as the current researchers are skeptical with them for multiple reasons. As the babies were fed milk using a dropper although they are not habituated to drink milk this way, the studies are not being considered.

Let us keep the findings apart as the debate is still on. As long as the baby seems satisfied with your milk, you can absolutely go ahead and nurse them after an exercise session. However, you may feel more comfortable to nurse before you exercise as you have a sense of relieving after you feed and exercising with milk on may be little heavy. But if you can carry a workout session before feeding a baby as long as your baby is happy with the milk, go ahead and have a supportive bra to get into the exercise routine.

If you gave birth through a cesarean section, your healthcare provider would be able to recommend the right workout regime for you as it may not be correct for you to get into the normal routine. Be wary while making a decision and it is your health which is important than staying fit.

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If we had to choose between the natural and the artificial, undisputed, we lean towards the natural product unless the artificial one has undeniable properties. Nature has equipped womankind with ready made milk when they give birth to their child. Probably, this was nothing but the only option early humans. Since there was no rearing of cattle or no scope to feed the infant with formula milk, the breast milk was nothing but necessary and so was it rewarded to women. But with the generations passing by, humans became more civilized and discovered and invented many things to make their lives comfortable. Alternative sources of milk thus became extensively popular and a source of debate while attracting criticism.

There had been extensive distribution of literature on the benefits of breastfeeding for ages and it is an apparent fact that all the women want to feed their child with this exclusive food source meant only for their offspring. However, due to work commitments, health reasons or time clashes, many of them are unable to feed their younger ones.
It has been considered for years that mothers and babies enter into a special bond while the baby is being fed. However, mothers who feed their infants with formula milk can build a stronger bond too with their care giving and affection. Keeping the debate aside, many pediatric academics globally suggest feeding the baby for at least 6 months with breast milk exclusively and for one year with top foods.

Let us understand the benefits of both breast milk and bottle milk to let women choose the option that they are comfortable with.

Benefits for the baby:

• As we all know that breast milk provides the necessary nutrients to the baby as it is customized according to the baby’s age and requirement.
• The natural milk protects the baby from infections and they are less likely to be hospitalized. The mother’s milk builds immunity system for the lifetime by strengthening the immune system.
• Mothers pass antibodies to the baby while feeding which help building up a protective wall against many diseases.
• It is easy to digest and lessens the chance for the baby to fall sick due to indigestion issues. Colic, constipation and diarrhea are less likely when compared to formula fed babies.

Benefits for mothers:

• Nursing is much easier when compared to feeding with formula milk. Sterilizing bottles is a pain. Preparation time is saved as mother’s milk is ready made.
• Women who breastfeed have lesser chances of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancers.
• The women who breastfeed have faster recovery post delivery and their uterus goes back to normalcy within six weeks thereby helping the mother to lose the baby weight as they lose many calories while feeding.
• Breastfeeding can be used as a natural contraception method under some stipulated guidelines which is popularly known as Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM).

Adverse elements of breastfeeding:

• Sore nipples initially trouble many women who start off breastfeeding.
• While breastfeeding, it is hard to understand whether the baby had enough milk or not as it cannot be measured unlike the formula feed.
• Breastfed babies require more frequent nursing episodes than the formula fed babies and hence this can be considered as a time consuming task and may be a hindrance to working mothers.
• Bottle feeding is more convenient when you are in public places.
• Nursing mothers need to take care of their diet as good nutrition helps them in producing healthier milk. They should avoid smoking drinking and substance intake.

With the established factors, it is upto the mothers to decide on the effective method of feeding that is in the best interest of their child after considering the entire circumstances surrounding them. Since both the methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, any method chosen should be trusted as the best source for the child.

Sources:
https://www.livescience.com/51260-breast-vs-bottle.html
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/tc/breast-feeding-as-birth-control-topic-overview

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Nature has provided every organism with extreme defense mechanisms towards their off-spring and human beings are not an exception. In turn, humans do not leave any stone unturn to safeguard their younger ones with the help of their unique property called intelligence. Mother Nature has deployed the maternal and paternal instincts in humans. These instincts motivate them to take very special care when it comes to nurturing their off-spring. A care-free young lady with a lesser sense of responsibility turns explicitly defensive while taking care of the child and this infact starts even before the child is born.

Thanks to technology which is making us plan the pregnancy and its ability to be able to analyze it for any defects the neonate may have soon after birth. There are even established facts which can suggest us about the measures to be taken in order to prevent birth defects. However, there are 4% of disorders which affect an unborn child irrespective of the care taken. Rest of them can be avoided with few habit changes. They may be a little tough to handle but when you’ve planned for a baby, your preferences automatically change and the priorities will be shifted from you to your baby. Let us find some measures to be taken during pregnancy to keep your baby free from congenital disorders.

Start on Folic Acid Supplements

Folic acid is the most essential element for a pregnant woman in shaping up her baby’s brain and spine. Folic acid is a vitamin B available from fortified foods and supplements.

Alcohol Consumption Can Be Disastrous

A developing baby in the fetus may get alcohol in the mother’s blood stream through the umbilical cord and it can be fatal for the baby. Miscarriages may be vulnerable with alcohol abuse in pregnancy. Still birth and a series of long lasting intellectual, physical and behavioral disorders are susceptible. No particular time and no specific variety of alcohol are ever suggested to pregnant women. Termed as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), they are imminent with alcohol abuse.

Stop Smoking When You Are Planning For Pregnancy

Pre-mature birth, cleft lip, cleft palette and infant death are the possible ailments smoking may cause to a pregnant woman and her neonate. Being around tobacco smoke itself is harmful for the mother and the fetus. Hence, it is good to avoid being in the vicinity where someone is smoking.

Drugs are a Threat for Pregnant Women and Their Fetuses

It is nothing but putting your baby in jeopardy with the consumption of drugs. These can lead to premature labour with low birth weight, placental abruption, intra-uterine death (IUD) and maternal death. Any kind of drugs are not safe at any particular level.

Leading a healthy lifestyle by consuming nutritious diet within the norms of the pregnancy diet is very important. If you are planning your pregnancy, it is recommended that your BMI should be brought down if you are considered as ‘obese’. The risk of serious birth defects escalates with every extra pound the mother gathers. Diabetes and blood pressure to be kept under control as it has a negative impact on the fetus. Keep visiting the doctor in regular intervals to get your health condition monitored. An ideal healthcare provider would suggest you the necessary medications during pregnancy and the vaccinations which are required during pregnancy. Pregnant women with infections are at greater risk of having babies with birth defects. Your doctor should be aware of your condition if there are any infections on you. These measures and little care can get you a healthy baby in your hands as it is time to prioritize on the baby.

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Although it is a mother’s responsibility to feed a child, nature has still equipped us with an internal feeding resource with amazing properties which cater to nutrition for life time and we all know what that resource is. We have proven facts that breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for infants not only in humans but in all mammals.  Despite the experts suggestions to feed the babies breastmilk for 6 months, few enthusiastic mothers prefer to add external semi-solid diet from the fourth month onwards. Instead of getting into the debate of when to start the baby food, let us understand what a baby food should comprise of. It is also important to know the correct source between homemade baby food and store bought food.

As long as the infant has meager activities, the breastmilk or formula was sufficient. However, with a progression in the child’s activities, additional nutrition is also required especially in the first year for necessary growth and bone development. Eating capabilities also increase in a baby with the months passing by and parents should start accommodating the necessary solids in a child’s diet.

Why Is It Necessary To Make Homemade Baby Food?

Though a lot of effort is involved in making baby food at home, it has deserving benefits.

Affordable and Economic

If the food is made in various batches by preserving additional units for later, the homemade stuff undoubtedly saves money as there is a huge price difference between these two foods.

Nutritious

You are the one who decide what to include in your baby food and what not thereby having complete control on what the baby consumes. This result in feeding the infant with nutritious food free of preservatives, sodium fillers, food grade dyes etc. which are not necessary for them and are not nutritious as well. Children who are vulnerable for allergies are safe.

Too Many Options

As pediatricians suggest acquainting all the foods to a baby that adults eat by the ninth month, we get a lot of options to try habituating to the child. You don’t have to settle down with the limited options in the baby food available in the market. Instead, you can mix up multiple ingredients to make the meal wholesome and tasty.

Which Is The Better Choice Between Homemade and Store Bought Food?

Many numbers of children from ages have been dwelling on the store bought infant food and you are still a mother undoubtedly if you have decided to avoid making food from scratch. There are merits and demerits to both the foods and you are the one to decide which a better choice is for your baby. In fact, you can opt for both by preparing some fruit purees at home and getting store bought food for the days when you are really low. Either which ways, you are emphasizing on the importance of nutrition before you get some food.

Many working mothers find it extremely convincing to balance the child’s nutrition and the work pressures by opting both the foods. Potato purees, fresh fruits smoothies, vegetable juices etc. are the best ideas to make at home. Use whole ingredients while making homemade food as it can help nourish the child. The store bought cereals are ready made and are instant for mixing and consuming on busy days. However, be wary of the ingredients of the store bought food and opt for a whole meal instead of foods using fillers. These fillers make the baby put on necessary weight but contain meager nutrition.

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Pregnancy is the best time to learn about the benefits of breastfeeding so that you can give your baby a healthy start in life. Knowing what to expect will help you make the decision to breastfeed and make it easier to get through the rough patches.

Breast milk is the ideal nutrition for newborns as it contains everything your baby needs to grow. It has just the right combination of protein, vitamins, fat and is easy on the baby’s immature digestive system. It also contains antibodies that help your baby fight common illnesses like ear infections, colds, etc. No wonder breastfed babies tend to get sick much lesser. Breastfeeding is good for the mother too. The hormones released during breastfeeding help the mother’s body recover from childbirth and make the uterus contract back to its pre pregnancy size.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6months of the baby’s life after which nutritious solid foods must be introduced. Breastfeeding can be continued beyond the 6 month mark, alongside complementary foods, for as long as is desired by mother and baby.

It takes about 3 to 4 days for breast milk to come in and most new moms have similar questions when they start their breastfeeding journey. How much milk does my baby need? Am I making enough? The good news is that babies do not need much during the first couple of days.  As days go by your baby’s demand will go up and so will your supply.  You can tell if your baby is getting enough and feeding well if,

• Your baby wets 6 to 8 diapers a day
• He seems settled after a feed
• Your breasts get soft after the baby feeds
• Your baby unlatches on his own
• Your baby is putting on weight

It is essential that both mother and baby are comfortable during the feed. Poor latching and incorrect positions can make it uncomfortable and difficult to continue breastfeeding for 6 long months. Sore nipples, excessive back pain and general discomfort during feeds can discourage a new mother. Work on establishing a good latch with the help of experienced moms or a lactation consultation. There are many positions and holds like the cradle hold, football hold and reclining position. Finding a position that works for both you and your baby will go a long way in making your breastfeeding journey comfortable.

Priya, first time mother of a healthy 9month old says, “I almost gave up on breastfeeding when I had to go back to work 3 months after my little one was born. That’s when I turned to the breast pump.” Pumping breast milk has become a common practice amongst mothers. Mothers need not have to stop breastfeeding when direct breastfeeding becomes infeasible.

However, if for any reason you are not able to breastfeed in spite of your best efforts, fret not as there are alternatives.  Speak to your healthcare provider about it.

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It was almost one and a half month that we found that we were pregnant. Both of us are equally excited about our first-born. But along with the joyride that pregnancy brings in, there are a number of perennial hazards too that an expectant couple face. While the mom actually goes through the pain and all body changes, the dad is the one who deals with all the mood swings and at the same time ensures enough treatment and care for the mom.

Here, I am talking about morning sickness, which is the most common phenomenon during pregnancy.

As we woke up one morning, my wife started complaining about certain restlessness that she was going through. During our last visit to the clinic, our doctor warned us about morning sickness during the initial phase of pregnancy. So, I was a little prepared for the situation. So, I asked her what was wrong. When she ensured me that it was just a little nausea and nothing else, I started planning my day. As soon as I was about the leave the home for work, she told me that she was staying home, as she was really not feeling well.

I tried to understand how she was actually feeling. She said that initially it was only nausea but later she threw up twice during and after bath. As suggested by our doctor, we both agreed that she should stay home and take rest, because morning sickness also occurs due to lack of sleep.  Second thing I did was, I opened all the windows of the home to allow some fresh air to come in. But my wife was still feeling unwell. So, I tried to make her feel better by spraying some of her favorite perfume onto her palm. Well, thank God, I tried that! She started feeling much better.

I made sure to keep enough drinking water close to her, because she needs to be well-hydrated during the stage. My wife does not want to eat a full plate of food since she has gotten pregnant. So I kept sufficient portion of her favorite food items into the refrigerator. And I left for work. When I came back later that day, my wife was completely okay. I thought it was over, but little did I know what were there in store for me in the next couple of mornings.

Next morning, after I came out of the washroom after having a bath, my wife started feeling unwell, just like the previous day. I repeated what I did last day. She again felt sick in the next morning, same time. At that moment, something occurred to me! Our doctor once mentioned that morning sickness is mainly smell-associated and is often random. It’s difficult to draw a pattern. But if you can find a pattern, maybe you can treat it too. Yes, I found out that the main reason for my wife’s morning sickness was the fragrance of my shaving cream, which I used to apply every morning.

As I found out the reason, I immediately got rid of it. Now my wife’s morning sickness is very random, as expected.

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Blood sugar is a relatively serious condition wherein your body is unable to regulate the required sugar levels in your blood as it does not possess the essential amounts of insulin. More or less a common disease that grasps pregnant women, diabetes or more specifically gestational diabetes represents almost 3.3% of all live births. Regardless of the type of diabetes that you may have, one must ensure that the necessary measures are taken in order to have a safe and healthy pregnancy.

So you must be wondering about the connection between diabetes and pregnancy?

The baby in the womb receives a constant supply of nutrients and water through the placenta which also manufactures a number of hormones in order to maintain the pregnancy.  Dr. Devon says, “Hormones in early pregnancy can possibly affect the insulin secretion to increase resulting in a drop in the glucose manufactured by the liver. This may lead to hypoglycaemia, i.e., low blood glucose levels. Some of these hormones like estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen at the advanced pregnancy stage can actually create a blocking effect on insulin thus creating a condition known as insulin resistance.”

The growing placenta produces more of these hormones and thus increases the insulin resistance. To overcome this resistance, the pancreas has the capability to produce additional insulin. However, if there isn’t sufficient production that can overcome the effect of the placental hormones, the results of gestational diabetes may actually worsen.

Babies may encounter greater risks and complications like birth defects, stillbirth, Macrosomia, Birth injury, Hypoglycemia, Respiratory distress, if the mother is diagnosed with blood sugar. The doctor will design the treatment depending on the severity of your condition and also taking into consideration your age, overall health, and medical history. Additional parameters include measuring your tolerance levels to medication, procedures and therapies along with expectations for the course of the disease is also studied.

Eating a healthy diet is important to keep gestational diabetes in check during pregnancy. Include a lot of fruits and green vegetables in your diet and also a good portion of healthy protein and complex carbs. Also, aim to limit your fat intake to 30 percent of your total daily calories and the best way to do it. is by avoiding sugary, processed food.

Try maintaining a normal weight and BMI. This ideally means that you aim to gain the right amount during pregnancy and lose the extra pounds post-delivery. Staying active in consultation with your doctor also helps.

Fortunately, all the potential risks associated with gestational diabetes can be eliminated if one can carefully control their blood sugar levels.  For this, you need to monitor your blood sugar level several times a day. Check the fasting sugar rate after waking up in the morning and then again an hour after each meal to ensure that your blood sugar levels are between a healthy range.

In the case of gestational diabetes, the blood sugar tends to return to normal post-delivery. However, keep in mind, that one is more likely to face gestational diabetes for subsequent pregnancies. In future, one may even develop diabetes. As Dr. Devon says, “Women with gestational diabetes have a 50% chance of developing diabetes within 10 to 20 years of delivery.”

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Expectations, anticipation and disenchanted reality of a prenatal visit. 

It was coming up to 8 weeks of pregnancy and we were both preparing for our first prenatal doctor’s appointment. I wanted to be there with my wife right from the very beginning of this journey and get to know everything first hand. I was more than happy to reshuffle my agenda for the day. Lifestyle changes had already begun; work schedules were also being tossed around.

During the past 8 weeks, my wife and I had already discussed the sort of medical guidance we wanted for us during this special journey in our lives. Someone who would be understanding and would have the patience to deal with the concerns of first-time parents like us. We asked around quite a fair bit. Whilst speaking to an old friend, he recommended a gynecologist who he’d consulted for his wife a couple of months ago. On digging a little more, I found out that the doc had a fine reputation and was very popular with young couples. I guess, we’d found the doctor we wanted!

We arrived at the birthing center well in time for the appointment. Giving our names to the Receptionist we waited for the doctor to arrive. There were so many couples and women at various stages of the pregnancy waiting along with us. I vividly remember the room. A light pink and blue combination wallpaper decorated with tons of baby photos. A standee on the side stood with a really graphical representation of all the pregnancy trimesters. My wife picked up few pamphlets and started leafing through them. This room really felt like a “happy place”. Lots of positive energy and glow filled the room.

As we waited, more and more couples arrived but there was still no sign of the doctor. I know this is India and doctors and trains rarely stick to their timetables. But I was nervous and couldn’t wait to get into that consultation room. I had tons of questions that I wanted to ask the doctor and I was eagerly waiting to hear my baby’s heartbeat for the first time. To me, that meant a great deal. It would actually seal the deal; reinforce the fact that I was going to be responsible for that little human being that I helped create.

We’d already been waiting for over an hour and I was determined to find out the reason for the delay. The clock turned another 15 minutes and I was just about gearing up to go to the Receptionist to find out what the problem was. The Receptionist came out into the Visitor’s room and announced that the doctor had an emergency normal delivery to deal with and wouldn’t be able to take the scheduled appointments for the day.

And I felt so let down. The thrill, the excitement that I was feeling throughout the day just evaporated. I know, the situation was such that I should understand. Labour pain and deliveries don’t always follow the timetable. I guess, I found some solace in the fact that I was nearly halfway there today. I’ve rescheduled and hope to go all the way into the consultation room with the doctor tomorrow. Finger’s crossed!

The post Dad Diary: Our First Doctor Visit appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.

As the science of stem cells took off in the 1970s when doctors realized that the stem cells found in the blood inside an umbilical cord could offer a much more secure substitute to bone marrow transplants that may find its way in the utilization of treating conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma, and sickle cell anemia. This is so since cord blood is power packed with multipotent, self-renewing hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which are the forerunners to blood cells.

The process of extracting this cord blood immediately after birth and storing it in state-of-art laboratories in India and overseas for future use is now a convenient and affordable reality for many Indians, thanks to health companies like Cordlife India. In fact, Cordlife is the only private Cord Blood Bank in India to offer automated cord blood processing with Sepax2, a versatile patented Swiss technology. This advanced technology enables easy handling and safety of processing and aids in highly efficient and consistent cell recoveries.

Once the umbilical cord has been clamped from the newborn, the cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord vein attached to the placenta. Cord Blood extraction is not only a painless process for both mother and baby unlike bone marrow extraction, but there is a 60% higher chance of matching cord blood unit in the family vis-a-vis bone marrow. Cord Blood cells are mature, flexible and have more usage advantages than stem cells extracted from the bone marrow or umbilical blood.

After cord blood is extracted, Stem Cell Banks preserve the stem cells via Cryopreservation. Under various such methods of Cryopreservation, any damage to the stem cells caused by any enzymatic or chemical activities is prevented by cooling to very low temperatures, without further damage being triggered by the formation of ice during freezing.

Stored Cord Blood can now be available between days or weeks of processing for treatment. There is a low risk of complications when cord blood is applied for stem cell transplants and therapy since they have the ability to regenerate in the desired way.

Globally, an estimated 35,000 transplants have taken place where cord blood stem have been utilized to treat over eighty life-threatening ailments, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, bone marrow failures, genetic disorders, blood disorders and immune disorders. Several medical professionals are also researching cord blood as a potential cure for conditions that cannot be remedied presently. Umbilical Cord Blood banking is no more an option, but a necessity to secure a healthy future for the entire family.

For more details about – Why Banking Umbilical Cord Blood should be on your “To Do” List? – visit https://www.cordlifeindia.com

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The beginning of my Dad journey…

It was just past noon and whilst my lovely wife was in the bathroom, I was furiously pacing outside the door. The bathroom door opened and there she was with the biggest smile on her face and tears rolling down her rose-blushed cheeks. She was ecstatic. She waved the test and I saw that it was positive. My first thought was of pure joy and relief. I remember telling her, “can you really believe it?”, “Are you happy?”, “Does it really say that you are pregnant?” We stood in the doorway for god knows how long, hugging and crying before finally calming down.

The “moment you find out” is quite unique and it was finally sinking in. It reminds me of that singular moment in life when you hold your breath and then heave those pleasurable gasps after a chest-achingly long time. A combination of being euphoric on finding out as well as the sweet relief of the long-endured fight of trying to, engulfed us all around.

We’d been trying to get pregnant for quite some time and our gynaecologist had told us that it wasn’t going to be an easy path for us. This challenging personal experience for us was a mirror of what was happening with many of our friends and some relatives too. The entire experience of winning the battle against childlessness seemed just imbalanced. The wrongness is amplified by the sense that the act of getting pregnant should be uncomplicated and the most enjoyable thing in the world to do.

I’ve seen the tightly-managed disappointment and setback turn out to be merely the opening act for a massive emotional ocean of antagonism, hopelessness, grief, resentment, embarrassment and remorse at being envious or not interested in others’ swift stork deliveries.

But all that is in the past.

Now that it has actually happened to us, it is such an unreal feeling; something that I’ve never lived through before and doubt I ever will again. Marriage is colossal, buying a house is massive, but making a human… is mammoth. I could not wait to scream it out of the rooftop.

I started visualising what a fantastic dad I was going to be; not that I’ve had any practice before. I would need to change a million things about myself, my lifestyle, to be able to be that great dad; but I am prepared to make all those changes. No more reckless drinking and takeout every night, no more sleeping until 8:30am on workdays.

Right now, I am just excited beyond my wildest dreams and maybe a little frightened too. But today, I only want to share this joy and pride with my beautiful wife. I have no doubt that she is feeling the same thrill. After all, we did this together!

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