Baby

Congratulations on your new baby. You're going to be a great parent, and we'll be right here with you so you're not alone.

 

 

First things first: Did you watch how the hospital nurses treated your new baby? If so, you noticed the way they pull and twist and stick and scrub. It makes you realize that these babies are not as delicate as you think. So don't worry about the little things. Babies are tough.
But learning about a few safety tips at each stage of your baby's development is a great way to ensure that your baby will grow up curious and active and safe.


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Mothers` Day Special: Top health care tips for moms!

  

Here are a few health care tips that mothers can follow to keep themselves fit and healthy:
Healthy diet: It`s so natural for a mom to be conscious about her family’s` health. Often she would ask her kids to eat properly – fruits and vegetables - and would not wish to see them just nibbling their food or eat junk stuff. This advice is good for moms themselves as well. This is what else you should do:
Choose a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, that provides essential vitamins and minerals, fibers and other important substances for good health. Include whole-grains, lean sources of protein like fish. Limit intake of foods and drinks high in calories, fat, sugar and salt.
Get moving: Include physical activity in your daily routine to lead a healthier life. This will help you in maintaining an ideal weight as well as lower your risk of diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, cancer, etc.
Sleep well: A good night’s rest is important for people of all ages to stay in good shape. Sleep deprivation can result in a number of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and depression. It is recommended that adults sleep for 7-8 hours every night.
Manage stress: Mild to moderate stress is considered to be a part of life. But when stress is severe, it can lead to depression and overwhelms your ability to take care of your home. Long term exposure to stress can give rise to serious health problems.
Reduce risks: Women with gestational diabetes, high blood pressure during pregnancy have higher chances of developing heart and metabolic diseases later in life. Since, pregnancy problems can cause health issues as you get older, it is important to visit a doctor before getting pregnant for guidelines like preconception health care. Also, make sure that you tell your doctor about any medical conditions you might have.
Regular check ups: Have regular health check ups to avoid the top threats to women`s health- from heart disease to breast cancer to depression. While heart disease is the top killer for both men and women, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women ( second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of death in women). Depression affects more women than men.
All these are preventable if you know how. Talk to your doctors about your concerns and what you can do to prevent these problems.
Know your family history: It is important for all the mothers to know and pass on their family health history. Because family members share genes, lifestyles, behaviours and surroundings that may influence their health and their risk of chronic diseases. Knowing your family health history can help you in managing your and your child`s health risks too.

 By Salome Phelamei

10 Tips for Healthier Living

Don't worry. I'm not just going to sit here and tell you that if you just ate right and exercised more you'd lose weight and live happily ever after.
Life just ain't that easy. What I am going to tell you is to stop worrying about your weight. That's right. Forget the scale, buy the clothes that feel comfortable, learn to love the body you have. As long as you start focusing on your health.
Confused? Don't be. It's all part of what you've been hearing and reading about all over the place. You don't have to be thin to be healthy—and you don't have to be overweight to be sick. So here are my top 10 recommendations for things you can do today to live your way to better health:

1. Limit yourself to two processed or pre-made foods a day. So, for instance, if you have a danish instead of oatmeal and a Hot Pocket instead of a sliced turkey sandwich, you're done with processed foods for the day. Processed foods are swimming in salt, sugars and unhealthy fats and are deficient in all-important fiber.
2. Have a piece of fruit or a vegetable with every meal. Having toast with melted cheese for breakfast? Slice up some strawberries. Fixed a sandwich for lunch? Dip some raw broccoli in low-fat ranch dressing to go alongside.
3. Walk wherever you can. If you're going less than six floors, take the stairs—up and down. Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk into the building; park and walk into the restaurant instead of zooming through the drivethrough; get up and go talk to your coworker down the hall instead of sending an e-mail. At the end of the day, those steps add up.
   
4. Don't buy food you know you shouldn't eat. I've never understood people who say they can't resist the chips and ice cream in their house—but keep buying it! And if you're buying it for the kids, stop. They don't need it any more than you do.
   
5. Limit eating out to once a month. Your waist and pocketbook will thank you.
   
6. Schedule at least three hours a week for yourself. This is time you're not driving the kids around, not cleaning the house, not at work, not doing anything to please anyone except yourself. This time is yours to do with as you like. Women need stressbusters like this to help reduce the dangerously high levels of stress hormones we walk around with all day, hormones that lead to numerous diseases, as well as pack on the fat around our middles.
   
7. Wear a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day. The evidence on these little batteryoperated machines is amazing. One major study found that couch potatoes who met a daily goal of 10,000 steps improved their fitness level, blood pressure and body fat just as much as a group that followed a traditional gymbased aerobic program. Overall, studies find that getting 8,000 to 10,000 steps (about five miles) helps you lose weight, while adding 2,000 steps to your current level, or about one mile a day, helps maintain your current weight and stop gaining weight.
8. Keep a food diary. Not so much to track what you eat, but to track why you eat. Too many people eat as a way to smother emotions or relieve boredom. If you find you're doing this, you need to talk to someone about finding a healthier way to cope.
9. Stop drinking soda and fruit juice. They are huge sources of extra calories not to mention unhealthy sugars that don't pack much nutritional benefit. Instead, stick to low-fat or skim dairy, water or unsweetened iced tea.
10. Find a physical activity you enjoy. It could be gardening, kayaking, golf (but walk the course), tennis, hiking, biking or rock climbing. You'll meet new people, become more physically active and reduce stress—all at the same time.
    
    
    
    
    
    by Pamela M. Peeke, MD, MPH
     

Healing After Childbirth - Part 2

The "baby blues" are not a myth. After the giddiness of the birth wears off and the reality of motherhood—complete with little sleep—sets in (helped along by plummeting hormone levels), you may feel down, weepy, depressed. This is completely normal and usually disappears within about 10 days. If those "blue" feelings persist, however, or become more intense, you may have a condition called postpartum depression. Other symptoms include:

• Feeling restless, irritable or anxious
• Loss of interest or pleasure in life
• Loss of appetite
• Less energy and motivation (not related to lack of sleep)
• Problems falling asleep or staying asleep or waking up too early in the morning.
• Feeling worthless, hopeless or guilty
• Feeling like life isn't worth living
• Showing little interest in the baby
• Unexplained weight loss or gain

If you have several of these symptoms for more than a week or two, call your health care professional or ask someone to call for you to make an appointment. Support, therapy and, if necessary, medication can restore you to your old self. Postpartum depression is not a normal phase. Please get help, if you need it.

 Source by - healthywomen.org

Healing After Childbirth - Part 1

You probably had a long list of projects you planned to get done during your maternity leave. However, you now realize that you forgot one thing: This is not a vacation. Instead, it is a time to heal, to get to know your new baby and to learn how to be a mother. So forget everything except these three things.
The healing part is very important. Your body has been through a massive change over the past nine months; don't expect to return to normal for a while. While our society considers women "healed" at six weeks—when many women get the green light to have sex and return to work—it will really take the next nine months to return to normal. So relax. And follow this advice:

• Sleep when Baby sleeps. You will probably never be as tired again as during the first few months of motherhood. Forget about "getting things done" while the baby sleeps. As soon as she starts snoring, you need to hit the sack, too. Gradually, as you regain your strength, you'll be able to stay awake longer.
• Do your chores with Baby. Babies love to watch you. They don't think that laundry, cooking or shopping is boring, especially if you talk to them.
• Get out of the house every day. Even if it's only for a walk around the block. The sunshine and fresh air will do you a world of good.
• Give in to take-out. Now is not the time to become a gourmet cook. If your partner can't take over the cooking during the week, show him how to make large batches of food like pasta sauce, chicken casseroles, lasagna, etc., and freeze for during the week.
• Lower your standards. Your house doesn't have to be spotless. If you can afford it, hire a cleaning service. If not, just focus on the clutter control. And make your bed in the morning—at least one room will look neat.
• Take care of your perineal area. If you tore during delivery or had an episiotomy, sitting in a few inches of water several times a day not only keeps the area clean, but can soothe any pain. You can reduce swelling with ice packs or chilled witch hazel pads.
• Eat right. That means following the same healthy diet you followed during pregnancy and abstaining from alcohol if you're breastfeeding.
• Watch out for problem signs. If you suddenly start bleeding heavily again, develop a breast infection, or feel pain in your pelvic region, call your health care professional.
  
  
  
  Source by - healthywomen.org

Healthy Tips, Recipes, and Gift Ideas for a Happy Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. It’s that special time of year when we get to celebrate the amazing women in our lives. Moms are often so busy caring for others that they neglect their own wellbeing. This Mother’s Day, we want to help make it as easy as possible for all mothers to make healthy choices for their families so they can relax and give themselves some love.
We rounded up our favorite wellness tips and healthy recipes that are designed to make life easier for mothers all year round. When mom is healthy and happy, everybody is healthy and happy! Whether it’s cooking a delicious meal together or giving her healthy ways to spoil herself, we’ve got some ideas to show your mother just how much you care by making this Mother’s Day one to remember!

May 8, 2013

By Alexis DAlba

5 of your mother’s health tips you should ignore -Part 5

Myth: Scrapes and cuts require hydrogen peroxide

The evidence on this one seems to go back and forth over the years. Hydrogen peroxide does reduce your chance of infection.  However, it can also delay healing by killing off healthy cells. If you choose to use hydrogen peroxide, reserve it only for really dirty wounds while using water (preferably sterile) for everything else. If you are unsure, clean the cut with water and see a physician right away.

 source by, Nov 20, 2013 Courtney Manser