My mother always wondered how female celebs postpone their childbirth till their 40’s. I have heard medical professionals over the years stating that 30 years is the ideal for a woman to give birth to healthy children. Down’s syndrome and congenital abnormalities are on the list of possibilities if one has to bear a child post 35. But medical technology has been touching new heights with new research and concept being adapted for the wellbeing of humankind. It has made the impossible, possible and women who have not had the chance to have children in their early 30’s can now think of having kids in their 40’s too. Lifestyle choices too have to be taken into consideration as one may have to rely on assisted instruments to conceive in their 40’s.

Let us understand what can make pregnancy possible after the ’40s:

Although pregnancy is possible to post 40’s, it is obvious that it has complications over a pregnancy before 40’s and 30’s. It is always suggested that one should have it as early as possible.

Take a Pre-consultation Before Pregnancy

Consider all the possibilities for a healthy conception. Discuss with the caregiver the probable complications and the ways to get rid of them. Get an action plan for conception or be aware of the fertility options that are available. One thing has to be kept in mind that childbearing after 40 has to be given special attention and is not as ordinary as it is before 40’s. The doctor may ask for necessary investigations to make sure you are capable of giving birth to a child. Get your possibilities of being pregnant evaluated by the healthcare professional. Understand the risk of chromosomal birth defects in infants if the pregnancy is after 40.

Be Aware of Gestation Induced Hypertension and Diabetes

Hypertension is likely during pregnancy and the risk intensifies with the increasing age. The blood pressure has to be continually monitored and the doctor may prescribe some medications and a special diet to keep the pressure under control. If not treated, this may lead to preeclampsia.

Gestational hypertension is a pregnancy induced condition and is more likely with increasing age. If left untreated, it can be fatal leading to a bigger baby. Hence, it is essential that the blood sugar level be in control with an exercise regime and a healthy diet. You may even have medication to keep diabetes under control.

Get Into a Healthy Lifestyle Even Before Conception

Living a healthy life even before pregnancy increases your chances of getting pregnant. A healthy diet with whole grains, fruits and vegetables and higher amounts of protein along with a good exercise regime will keep you fit for the imminent conception. Quit alcohol, smoking and substance abuse if you are into them as they considerably lessen the chances of getting pregnant.

Know About the Conditions After Conception

According to March of Dines, older women have more chances of premature deliveries, miscarriage, stillbirths, placenta previa etc. They may also have a tendency to bleed more post childbirth in comparison to younger women. Women in their 40’s do not produce fresh eggs and the number of eggs in them are decided genetically when she is born. So, the older she gets, the older the eggs are. However, at times, women after 40 might also have a complication free delivery and it can be easy too.

Older women are likely to be comparatively more inactive than younger women in raising infants, babies, and toddlers. If you are mentally and physically prepared to face all these conditions, you can go ahead and plan for a pregnancy with the help of your doctor. It has to be remembered that close monitoring is essential to have a safe pregnancy and risk-free delivery to be a mother. Keeping all these aspects under control will surely prevent a mishap and you can have a healthy baby despite your age.

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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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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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The world showers its attention on mums-to-be. This totally makes sense as she’s the one who does all the hard work to bring that bundle of joy into this world. But have you ever thought about what the dad-to-be is going through? Just like expectant moms, dads too go through a new experience during pregnancy. This is true, especially for first-time fathers who are yet to come to acknowledge this role transition and the added responsibility in their lives. Sometimes, they are not even able to come to terms with their own feelings of apprehension, anticipation, and nervousness.

Listening during pregnancy comes naturally to women. However, dads too need to do their groundwork, be supportive and constantly interact with their partners. This preparedness and knowledge helps dads to be able to adequately encourage their partners during labour and the birthing process.

So this is what you can do as an expectant dad:

Do the Groundwork

Now is the time to work on knowledge during the childbirth education classes. Get to know how your partner’s body is changing and the circumstances in which she may need a C-section. Being aware of this will make the labour and delivery experience less frightening. Being composed will allow you to focus on your partner’s needs during this time.

Labour is Time-consuming

It may be several hours before your partner is ready to be rolled into the delivery room. Until such time, she may be asked to walk around and you should be able to assist her in moving around as much as possible. Bring along the iPod or even a deck of cards that will help distract her.

Worrying Is Not Your Best Friend

You may see tons of action in the delivery and believe you me; you will not understand half of what’s happening around you. Ask the nurse, if there’s something that you don’t understand. If your partner is given an epidural, you may be asked to step outside the room. Don’t be afraid, as this is standard procedure in most birthing centres.

Understand Your Partner’s Needs

Once your partner is almost on the verge, the breathing exercises and massage techniques may just fly out of the window. Try and understand what your partner requires at this time; for some, it could just be a back rub, or possibly help to breathe and relax. Some partners may be downright hostile. Judge the situation as best as you can and act accordingly.

Be Prepared: Things Can Get a Wee Bit Messy!

The birthing experience can be unpleasant. You may hear noises from your partner that you’ve probably never imagined in your wildest dreams. It’s your responsibility to remain calm and keep encouraging her to do her best. Whilst she may not even pay attention to what you are saying, your familiar voice will keep reassuring her to push.

Enjoy Your First Meeting

The first sight of your very own baby makes all the other stuff worth it. You’d even do it again.

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Mobile phones, tabs, PSPs and laptops – the average toddler has most likely logged in hundreds of hours on digital technologies before they are even admitted into playschools. The presence of these accessible digital technologies in turn has transformed traditional parenting methodologies.

Digital technologies today do provide parents with certain advantages like entertainment on the go or simply to keep track of their toddlers. However, the downside is parents are making more decisions, having to research a lot more, make new rules with their children because of this.

When Sunita first became pregnant 14 years ago, there weren’t so many online forums or websites to refer to. To Sunita, her pregnancy meant, delving into an entirely new world of motherhood. Traditional mediums of information like buying a copy of “What to Expect When You Are Expecting” or notching it up with reading articles on Baby Centre online was the furthest she went. Best advice and suggestions always came from family and friends.

Sunita had no idea that there were this many facets to a pregnancy, or raising kids and so many people debating possibilities on so many multiple parenting ways. She says, “If I screwed up, there wasn’t a stranger with an iPhone nearby to snap a picture and write “An Open Letter to the Mom Who (Insert Screw-Up Here)” and post it on Facebook to go viral. I couldn’t go online and discover that a large number of moms or doctors felt that whatever method of sleep-training I used (or didn’t) was going to leave my children socially isolated and unable to love for the rest of their lives.”

Today, many parents are using digital platforms as a babysitter. Alexis Lauricella, a researcher at the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University in Illinois says, “We felt like we kept seeing iPads at every restaurant we went out to with every young child. We wondered: Was that really the case? Are parents just forking over an iPad to keep kids quiet?”

This helped Alexis Lauricella and colleagues to launch a research in which they survey approximately 2,300 parents on both traditional and digital parenting.

According to the survey, almost 70% of the parents reported that digital aides like smartphones and tablets did not make the job of parenting any simpler. What most parents tend to do is to use the gadgets towards creating a temporary distraction or even to appease an upset child. More often than not, access to these devices and digital platforms could be a reward for good behaviour too.

However, with constant access, parents are making many more decisions than one would have made even 10 years ago during traditional parenting days.

Lauricella says, “There really are a lot more options, which means parents have to dig into them a little bit more. Growing up, we had a PBS station — and that’s basically what my parents considered good television, and that’s what we were allowed to watch. It’s not that easy anymore.”

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The first few months of parenthood, especially for first time parents is a learning experience. Sharing a home and room with their baby is a process that new parents slowly have to adapt to. Additionally, normal workload like doing laundry, reading books, doctor visits also multiplies. Your baby in the midst of this lifestyle transformation also seeks constant attention. Night-times are occupied with multiple feedings and mornings start very early indeed.

So a common question that finds its way forward is, how couples adjust to these new demands whilst still trying to find time to nurture their personal romantic bond with a baby around?

Here are some tips to rekindle that romantic light into the relationship.

Make a date and stick to it

You were probably on tremendously demanding schedules prior to the baby’s arrival. With the new addition to the family, most couples tend to take turns towards napping, cleaning and looking after the little one. This basically implies that any personal bonding time is sacrificed to meet the needs of your baby.

Hence, you need to actively work towards spending some quality time with your partner. This positive habit will have great paybacks for you, your partner and your child. Begin with a straightforward coffee date at a local café, not far from home, on weekends when you can find a grandparent, a close relative or a nanny to look after your little one. Your date can progress into dinner or a movie in due course of time, when you’re able to leave your child for a couple of hours. If there’s no one to fill in for you at home, plan a special dinner at home once a week. Take turns to cook and set a beautiful table. The thought is to make private time with your partner a consistent occasion, one that is prioritized and doesn’t get bumped aside.

Show your affection

Do you remember those meaningless phones calls to each other, just to say, “hi?” Just because you have a baby in the picture, does not mean any of these previous loving touches in the relationship has to stop.

Why not do something unexpected and loving for your partner? Leave a love note on the bathroom mirror or hide a favourite treat in her handbag. Whilst these small things may not need a lot of time, it definitely shows your partner that you still love and care.

Communication is key

“One thing that needs to be stressed here is the importance of working on your relationship. Physical intimacy is very important, but an emotional connection is just as important. It takes work to keep your relationship together before the baby arrives, but it takes even more work after the baby arrives. I think people forget that. As mothers, it’s easy for us to get wrapped up in all things having to do with the new baby. It’s also easy for your partner (especially if he’s not had any experience in this area) to be disillusioned about pregnancy and the postpartum stages. Communication is key.”

Ensuring that your romance does not fade away with the arrival of your little one is not impossible. After all, where do you think the next one is going to come from?

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As an expectant dad, I sometimes feel left out of the pregnancy experience. My wife, on the other hand, as the mum to be, is getting all the focus and attention. So, I was looking for a way to reconnect with the entire pregnancy journey. I was thrilled when our gynecologist prescribed the first sonogram in the pregnancy.

I’ve heard that fathers who are part of the first sonogram are able to bond with the unborn baby easily. Up until now, I had created an image of my baby in my mind. This would mean that I actually get to see my child for the very first time. Hear the heartbeat.

On the appointed day, I drove my wife to the local diagnostic clinic. We waited for our turn for about 20 odd minutes or so. My wife was made to lie down. I made double sure that she was comfortable. The technician arrived and exchanged a few pleasantries with the both of us. I don’t even know what my replies were. All I could think about was my baby and what he or she was going to look like.

The very first ultrasound image of my unborn child is a powerful moment for expectant fathers and I totally bear witness to that. I was staring at the monitor and there my baby was. Possibly not any bigger than the size of a pea. I cried like a baby when I first heard the heartbeat. I couldn’t believe this was real. I couldn’t believe my wife was carrying around another human life inside of her. I couldn’t believe I was going to be a dad.

This was one of the key moments for me as an expectant father that established the reality of the coming child. It also reassured me that everything in the pregnancy was going well.

One of my friends who’d recently had a baby, had once told me about how he had felt seeing that first ultrasound of his baby. “My heart started beating faster just to hear a life — boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. It just felt like — the feeling’s indescribable, I was just blown away, like my eyes filled up but it’s like I won’t cry, I just was so happy to hear it…. The heartbeat is like letting me know it’s on the way, get ready.”

Being a responsible parent meant that I needed to make sure that I have a steady job because my child’s eating depended on me. If I was going to be out of a job that would mean my child would go hungry and I’d rather my child ate before I did. While some may say that these are just drastic, random thoughts, but I did think of these things. Most dads have plans and dreams that extend beyond the immediate future of the baby and across the child’s lifespan.

As I drove home with my wife, I got some time to reflect on the role that I will be playing in my baby’s life. This was a key step in preparing towards serious parenthood.

After all, for dads, there’s nothing greater than “Seeing is believing!”

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To start with, let us first understand what is ‘delayed cord clamping’.

According to the International Childbirth Education Association, “Delayed cord clamping is a birth practice where the umbilical cord is not clamped or cut until after pulsations have ceased, or until after the placenta is delivered.”

Now you may ask why this procedure is necessary and how does it impact your baby. At the time of birth, your baby’s body contains two-thirds of the blood whilst the placenta contains about one-third of the blood. Studies have revealed that a delay in the clamping of the umbilical cord can provide newborns approximately 30% more of the foetal-placental blood volume. Thus, delaying the cord clamping will give your baby a healthy blood volume.

Let Us Look At Some More Benefits That Delayed Cord Clamping Can Offer:

• The extra blood that delayed cord clamping provides to your baby can prevent anemia. Since breast milk does not provide sufficient amounts of iron which is important not only for preventing anemia but also for your baby’s brain development, the blood received from delayed clamping can deliver the extra iron content needed by your baby’s body.
• Delayed cord clamping allows your baby to incorporate an increased amount of stem cells into their body as the production of stem cells is highest at the time of birth. Stem cells are a core part of the body’s anatomy. They have the potential to repair and cure any type of internal injuries or illnesses.
• Some studies have shown that the extra time taken to detach the umbilical cord can give your baby a neurodevelopmental boost in later life.
• As mentioned before, delayed cord clamping increases the baby’s blood volume which in turn promotes a healthy neonatal cardiopulmonary transition.
• In the cases of babies who are born prematurely, delayed cord clamping can allow them to have stabilized blood pressure in the days succeeding the birth.

Although delayed cord clamping has several benefits, the ideal time for cord clamping is a topic of much debate. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists “Several systematic reviews have suggested that clamping the umbilical cord in all births should be delayed for at least 30–60 seconds, with the infant maintained at or below the level of the placenta because of the associated neonatal benefits, including increased blood volume, reduced need for blood transfusion, decreased incidence of intracranial hemorrhage in preterm infants, and lower frequency of iron deficiency anemia in term infants. Evidence exists to support delayed umbilical cord clamping in preterm infants, when feasible. The single most important clinical benefit for preterm infants is the possibility for a nearly 50% reduction in intraventricular hemorrhage. However, currently, the evidence is insufficient to confirm or refute the potential for benefits from delayed umbilical cord clamping in term infants, especially in settings with rich resources.”

Delayed cord clamping is a common practice amongst most doctors and has no effect on the process of cord blood collection since the cord blood is collected only after the cord has completely stopped pulsating. So if you are an expecting parent and have opted for cord blood banking, you can speak to Cordlife expert today!

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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!

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