Monday, January 18, 2010

Toksoplasma/toxoplasma continued

What are the symptoms that you might have toksoplasma/toxoplasma?
  • Flulike symptoms
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Muscle aches and pains for weeks
For those who missed out, toxo is an infection caused by a single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. The infection is most commonly acquired from contact with cats and their feces or with raw or undercooked meat.
 
Once diagnosed, for those who are pregnant or with weakened immune system, doctors will discuss with you what treatment is necessary. For those who are healthy and not pregnant, you do not need treatment as the symptoms will go away on its own within a few weeks.

Yeast Infection

Another common thing between us women. And another thing that could trigger worst than ever during pregnancy.
  • Why is it that yeast infection is more common during pregnancy?Your body goes through under a lot of things during pregnancy, which of course has a great deal to do you with your hormones.There is more sugar secretion on which the yeast can feed, causing imbalance resulting in too much fungus.
  • How are yeast infection treated during pregnancy? Only with vaginal creams and suppositories only.It may take 10-14 days for your infection to clear up during pregnancy.It may be helpful to use starch-free powder  or Nystatin to keep them from recurring.
  • They can be avoided by:  wearing loose fitting clothes,use cool temperature on your blow dryer to dry your genitals,shower after swim, don't use douche,sanitary pads, feminine spray,bubble bath,any kind or fancy toilet paper.Cut sugar intake, rest a lot and eat yoghurt:)


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Why breast milk is good for your child

Through my reading, I found out that children who are breast fed are smarter when they get older.They say:
  • Children who are breast fed have IQ scores about 7-10 points than those who are on formula based.Numbers are based on hundreds of children...so breast feed is the way to go to have smarter kids!
  • Better school grades.Even after other school influences is taken into count.
  • Intellectual advantage gains the longer the child is breast fed.
Nutrients in breastmilk:
Smarty fats-One key ingredient in breastmilk is a brain-boosting fat called DHA (docasahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid. DHA is a vital nutrient for growth, development, and maintenance of brain tissue. Autopsy analysis of brain tissue from breastfed and formula-fed infants shows that the brains of breastfed babies have a higher concentration of DHA, and DHA levels are highest in babies who are breastfed the longest.
Nutritip - To ensure that babies have a healthy brain growth,breast feeding mommies must be on a good DHA diet.Rich sources are from salmon and tuna.
Cholesterol -provides basic component for babies brain growth. None in formula milk but there is in moms milk. Bad for adults but good for kids...DHA, cholesterol, and other breastmilk fats provide the right substances for manufacturing myelin, the fatty sheath that surrounds nerve fibers. Myelin acts as insulation, making it possible for nerves to carry information from one part of the brain or body to another. So important are these brain-building fats, that if mother's diet doesn't provide enough of them for her milk, the breasts can make them on the spot.
Smart sugars - Lactose is main sugar component in breast milk.The body breaks it down into two simpler sugars - glucose and galactose. Galactose is a valuable nutrient for brain tissue development. more intelligent species of mammals have greater amounts of lactose in their milk, and human milk contains one of the highest concentrations of lactose of any mammal milk. Cow milk and some cow milk formulas contain lactose, but not as much as human milk. Soy-based and other lactose-free formulas contain no lactose at all, only table sugar and corn syrup.
Smarter connection - During the 1st 2 years of the baby's life, their brain is grows rapidly. Every experience contributes to their brain growth.Because breastmilk is digested faster, breastfed babies feed more often and therefore probably interact with their caregivers more often. Breastfeeding itself, with its skin-to-skin contact, the variations in milk flow, and the closeness between mother and baby, is usually a more interesting, more interactive experience than bottle-feeding.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

How breast feeding benefit moms




  1. Reducing breast cancer risk.Women who breastfeed reduce their risk of developing breast cancer by as much as 25 percent. The reduction in cancer risk comes in proportion to the cumulative lifetime duration of breastfeeding. That is, the more months or years a mother breastfeeds, the lower her risk of breast cancer.
  2. Benefit child spacing. Breast feeding causes us to ovulate later.
  3. Promotes good emotional health and bond with child.Some mothers get very emotional when they are unable to breastfeed. If you are able to,you are very lucky. (Remember to use the right techniques!)
  4. Lessen osteoperosis.Women who don't breastfeed are 4times likely to have hip fracture after menopause.
  5. Help you to loose pregnancy weight.Mothers who breastfeed tend to return to their pre-pregnancy size faster than moms who feed their child on formula.They also have more fat lost and large hip circumference within one month compared to those who don't.
  6. Easy on the money. Baby milk/formula can cost you. Breast feeding definitely would reduce cost and...you don't have to constantly prepare milk for your child.