Poor Milk Supply
Almost all women don't have a problem with producing enough milk to breast feed. The ideal way to make sure that your baby is getting enough milk is to be sure that he's well positioned, attached to the breast, and feed him as often as he gets hungry. Some mom's that are breast feeding will stop before they want to, simply because they don't think they have enough breast milk.
There are signs that might make you believe your baby isn't getting enough milk. If your baby seems hungry or unsettled after feeding, or if he wants to feed often with short pauses between feedings, you may think he isn't getting enough milk - which are often times not the case.
There are however, two reliable signs that let you know your baby isn't getting enough milk. If your baby has poor or really slow weight gain, or is passing small amounts of concentrated urine, he's not getting enough milk.
All babies will lose weight within the first few days after birth. Babies are born with supplies of fat and fluids, which will help them keep going for the first several days.
Once your baby regains birth weight, he should begin putting on around 200g for the first four months or so. To get back to their birth weight, it normally takes a few weeks. If the weight gain for your baby seems to be slow, don't hesitate to ask your doctor or nurse to observe you breast feeding. This way, they can make sure that your technique is right and if they think your baby is breast feeding often enough.
To help you with your breast feeding, here are some ways that you can increase your supply of milk:
1. Be sure that your baby is positioned correctly and attached to your breast.
2. Let your baby feed for as long and often as he wants.
3. If you feel that your baby isn't breast feeding enough, offer him more breast feeds.
4. During each breast feed, make sure you feed from both breasts.
5. If your baby has been using a dummy, make sure you stop him.
6. Some babies may be sleepy and reluctant to feed, which may be the cause of problems with milk supply.
By following the above tips, you'll do your part in making sure you have enough milk when it comes time to breast feed. If you are uncertain or have other questions, be sure to ask your doctor, as he can answer any type of question you may have.
Bed Wetting is for Adults Also
Yes, you read it right. You may never know it, but adults are prone to wet nights—not those associated with male discharges. What is being referred here is the type of condition that is more common to children, which is bed wetting or enuresis. This condition occurs when a person, young or adult, urinates during sleep. Studies have shown that roughly 2 percent of adults within the age range of 16 and 60 wet the bed a couple of night every week.
Of course, adult enuresis is very embarrassing.
It is enough reason to get teased by friends and colleagues and to shun friendships, relationships, and enjoyable activities in life. However, adult bed wetter must recognize the fact that they have the condition and need to seek medical help.
The first step in properly dealing with adult enuresis is determining its possible causes.
* Stress. Stressful situations and emotional struggles may cause a person to pee during his sleep. There are ways to manage stress and control enuresis. These include listening to music, performing relaxation and breathing techniques, or engaging in sports and physically challenging activities.
* Natural aging process. As people age, their body deteriorates. This leads to slower movements and reflexes. Thus, the older an adult gets, his urinary control decreases.
* Fluid intake. Drinking excessive amounts of liquid just before hitting the sack may cause a person to wet his bed.
* Coffee, tea, and alcohol. Coffee, tea, soda, and other beverages with caffeine content trigger production of more urine in the body. Alcohol, for its part, makes the control in the bladder muscle weaker. Avoid these drinks especially at night to keep yourself from wetting the bed.
* Diuretic medications. There are drugs that can trigger enuresis. For example diuretics are taken to prevent heart failure caused by kidney problems. However, taking the drug can take its toll on your urination control at night.
* Anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) imbalance. ADH controls the release of urine by the urinary system. If the body lacks this hormone, chances are the person will experience wet nights.
* Urinary tract infection (UTI). UTI can cause problems in releasing urine from the body especially during sleep. A tumor or swelling in the lower urinary tract can also cause involuntary wetting at night.
So what’s the best thing to do if you are prone to wetting the bed? First, you can train your bladder to empty urine at particular time intervals.
Pelvic muscle exercises are a good way to be able to control urination at nighttime. This workout, which makes the bladder muscles stronger, must be done two to three times every day for at least four weeks.
If you are taking diuretic drugs, take them during the day or at least eight hours before bedtime. Visit your doctor to find out the medication options you have to be able to cure enuresis.
Controlling adult bed wetting is no different from that of children. The only difference is that you are in charge of your own body (not your parent), so be careful when considering the different treatment options available for your condition.
Benefits of Hypnosis for Children
Hypnosis for children are starting to get attention nowadays since it is giving and showing results in helping children deal with problems, illnesses and other conditions. Hypnosis is getting recognized as a treatment. It is getting attention from pediatricians who are not even using this practice or method
Some benefits of hypnotherapy would include treatment of anxiety, fears and phobias, reducing pain and stress, self confidence building, alleviating depression, addressing loss of weight, putting stop into smoking and even enhance performance whether in athletics or academics.
Hypnosis makes use of the deep relaxation as its element. Deep relaxation enables the mind to be more receptive of changes since the mind opens up during this time. This period of deep relaxation is not a sleeping nor an awake period of time. This is induced by a person skilful in therapy and hypnosis. The mind is awake during this time, unlike what myths say, that the mind during this period is completely unconscious.
Unlike what most people and doubters say that a hypnotized person is unable to control their own actions, children have the command on their own action. Receptivity is important. You cannot hypnotize a person who does not want to be hypnotized.
This is the same for hypnotism for children. Even if the parents like to have the children undergo hypnotherapy, it is important to make sure that the children understand this process and able to get their full attention and cooperation. Although the mind is open during the period of hypnosis, the subconscious would still not accept the suggestion if it conflicts with the person’s values and beliefs.
Since hypnotherapy invokes deep relaxation, it is said to reduce blood pressure, stress, anxiety, and pain. It could even change habits like smoking, alcohol consumption and eating too much.
Hypnosis can even be used in eliminating phobias. It can even help in reducing predetermined nausea and vomiting brought by treatment for cancer or pregnancy. It is important to remember that children or people who have mental illnesses should not undergo hypnotism
Hypnotherapy for children can resolve problems like bedwetting in children or teenagers. It can also reduce nightmares and night terrors. It also addresses fear or phobia of animals or even school. It also helps children who are having difficulties at school and with behavioural problems.
Results showed that children who took hypnotherapy are more confident, they have an increased self-esteem, reduced stress, tension and anxiety. Children are also able to get rid any of their negative emotions which affect their school performance or social interaction.
Being a good parent does not only mean that we should provide the physical and material needs of our children. Giving them emotional and mental support and be able to provide the best possible future to our children is our responsibility.
Hypnotherapy is an alternative medication. And alternative medicine is being used by almost 40 percent of Americans nowadays. Alternative medication can render very successful results, sometimes much better than taking prescribed drugs and medicines.
Hypnotherapy or hypnosis for children is an option which you can try to help your children face their problems. There are people testifying on its phenomenal results, but also there are critics saying that there are not enough evidences showing significant results. But surely, something drug-free, calming and enjoyable is something worthwhile to be used for the children.
Diagnosis For Kidney Stones
If not diagnosed as early as possible, kidney stones can cause a person a great deal of pain and discomfort. Aside from that, it can also cause people to develop many complications as time go by. To avoid the pain brought by the development of kidney stones and its risks to your health, it is a must that you undergo immediate diagnosis once you suspect that there’s something wrong.
Checking for kidney stones
A kidney specialist should administer diagnosis for kidney stones. Usually, the doctor will make a diagnosis of kidney stones using an assessment of the person’s clinical history. Here, he or she will ask a couple of questions that involve the person’s lifestyle, diet, fluid intake, past experience with kidney stones, and if there is possible family history of kidney stones. This is very effective in the initial assessment of kidney stones in a person because it provides the doctor with information on what caused the stone formation. From here, the specialist can make a hypothesis or and “educated guess” and will refer you to undergo the needed medical procedures.
Another effective means of diagnosing kidney stones is a thorough physical examination. Here, the specialist will run a series of physical tests that can help him or her determines conditions, which can put an individual at higher risk for kidney stone formation. Through a thorough physical examination, the doctor can discovers risks such as specific diseases and medical conditions, certain injuries, recent immobilization, and abdominal scars that might be effects of any previous medical procedure or surgery.
A laboratory study of the person’s blood and urine is also another effective means of diagnosing kidney stones. During a laboratory evaluation, the person’s blood and urine samples will undergo thorough observation and studies. Collecting a sample of urine to be analyzed is called “urinalysis”. Urinalysis is one of the simplest tests to detect the presence of blood and bacteria present in the urine. This is also done by the specialist or the attending assistant to accurately measure the levels and amount calcium—which is the primary component of common kidney stones—electrolytes, and uric acid as well as the other components in the samples.
Aside from the acidity of the person’s urine, other components in the blood is also paid attention to ensure that there will be not further complications. Other significant laboratory tests include blood tests for “creatinine” which evaluates the proper function of the kidney, the “BUN” and “electrolytes” which is used to detect levels of dehydration, “calcium” which is done to detect hyperparathyroidism, and a complete “blood count” which is primarily done to detect any infection in the person’s system.
During the laboratory evaluation, the kidney stone sample is also collected to analyze and determine what type of is it stone. Knowing the type of kidney stone is important so the physician can plot the appropriate treatment for it as soon as possible.
Lastly, kidney stones can also be diagnosed through a possible follow-up with an X-ray evaluation. Here, the specialist or the assistant will use x-rays to identify the location of the kidney stone. Through x-ray, the size of stones and its number can be seen. It may also help the doctor to identify which type of kidney stones is present in the person’s kidney.
Depending on the number and the severity, most kidney stones could be treated without using medical intervention. Although some kidney stones can pass without medical treatments, it is always best to have them diagnosed and treated the earliest possible time.
Useful Tips On How To Avoid Kidney Stones
Kidney is a very important organ in the body that is why it is a must that people take care of it to avoid having complications such as kidney stones. Experts agree that the primary way of avoiding kidney stones is having a major lifestyle modification. By doing this, you can eliminate bad and unhealthy practices that affect your kidney.
Aside from considering a major change in your lifestyle, here are some tips that could ensure that you are safe from developing kidney stones:
1. Drink lots of water. Being a universal solvent, drink sizeable amounts of water can definitely help you avoid kidney stones. When there is enough water on your body, you can eliminate wastes from the body—especially in the kidney. Experts say that two liters of urine will keep people away from kidney stones. Since this is the case, you need to drink at least eight glasses to ensure that you will have enough liquid to wash away impurities in your body.
2. Do diet modification. This diet modification should involve fiber, protein, calcium and sodium. Experts say that by increasing fiber intake and decreasing protein intake during your meals, there are greater chances of being spared from kidney stones. This is because when you eat a meal that is high fiber, you lessen the risks of developing kidney stones because it aids good digestion and other functions of the kidney. On the other hand, if you continue to have high intake of protein, chances are, you will develop “uric acid stones” which are caused by having too much protein in meals servings. People who are prone to kidney stones should also decrease the amounts of calcium in their diets. In fact, having moderate intake of calcium is very a simple yet very effective means of staying safe from kidney stones because it reduces the chances of developing the most common type of kidney stones, the calcium oxalate. Cutting down is sodium intake is also a must because you lessen the risks of developing kidney stones easily. Experts advise that people who are prone to kidney stones should only consume less than 1,500mg everyday.
3. Stay fit and active. Like in all illnesses, having a fit body can keep you safe from the pangs of kidney stones. When people have sedentary lives, they are more prone to kidney stone due to lack of physical movements. Being active—through regular physical exercise—will not only help you achieve a sexy body but can also prevent development of kidney stones. How? When people are into regular exercise or physical routine, they develop a good sense of discipline, which can lead them to healthy habits. Once this discipline is achieved through exercise, nothing will serve as a hindrance in maintaining healthy lifestyle.
4. Listen to what your body says. This is probably the most sensible tip that people who are prone to having kidney stones can do. They must understand that as they bodies grow older, there are some functions that tend to go slower such as those of the kidney. To avoid developing kidney stones and suffer from it, people must know when to listen to what their body says. It means that if they feel something bad, they should always be open to the possibility that they might be suffering from something. Indeed, the best way to listen to what the body says is by scheduling a check up with a physician to do an overall checking.
Eating to Beat Pregnancy Fatigue
Ask any pregnant woman who is in her first or third trimester how they are feeling and the answer will almost always be "tired". One of the first clues that many women have that they may be expecting a visit from the stork is the fact that they find themselves droopy eyed in the middle of the day for no reason.
You may find that doing a simply task as walking around the block leaves your desperate for an afternoon nap. The energy you use to have is now faced with the challenge of growing a baby and your body is hard at work. You are also producing more blood, using more water and nutrients and have a higher heart rate and metabolism when you are pregnant. While the best defensive against the tiredness you will face is to get more sleep. There are also some healthy foods choices you can make that will help you get through your day if you do not have the opportunities to take naps.
First, adjust the size of your meals. Anyone who eats a large meal is going to feel tired afterwards regardless of if they are pregnant or not. Being pregnant is going to make the effect of a big meal that much worse. Most of your energy is going to be used towards digesting the meal so of course you will feel sluggish and drained. Eat smaller meals and eat more often. Eating six small meals a day will help you combat fatigue.
Eating a good breakfast is the best way to start your day. You are refueling your body after a long foodless night with a good breakfast. A good breakfast is not a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. You want to stick to complex carbs and protein. Whole grain cereal and a banana for example. These foods will stay with you and keep your blood sugar and energy level up for quiet a while.
Do not skip lunch. There are many people who skip lunch thinking they will make up for it by having a big dinner. This is bad when you are not pregnant but it's even worse when you are pregnant. You need that midday meal to help refuel your body. As with your breakfast, you should keep it filled with whole grains and protein. Have a whole grain pita and stuff it with chicken salad and add a side of grapes or an apple.
Plan to eat most of your calories during the day. A pregnant woman needs an extra 300 calories a day throughout their second and third trimester. The first trimester those are not needed yet. You should eat these extra calories through out the day in the form of healthy snacks such as nuts, cheese, veggies and dip. Do not save your biggest meal until the end of the day. Your body needs these calories to help you get through your day. Steer clear of the quick sugar fixes like candy and soda. In the end these will only make you more tired.
Lastly, make sure you are getting enough iron. Eat iron fortified food such as spinach and lean red meat to keep your energy up. There are times when extreme fatigue could be the symptom of an iron deficiency and you might need an iron supplement also.
Besides eating well, make sure you get plenty of rest even if this means pushing your bedtime up and giving up those late night TV talk shows. As any parents of newborns will tell you, get your rest while you still can.
Breast Feeding Complications
Sore nipples
A lot of mothers complain about tender nipples that make breast feeding painful and frustrating. There is good news though, as most mothers don't suffer that long. The nipples will toughen up quickly and render breast feeding virtually painless.
Improperly positioned babies or babies that suck really hard can make the breasts extremely sore. Below, are some ways to ease your discomfort:
1. Make sure your baby is in the correct position, since a baby that isn't positioned correctly is the number one cause of sore nipples.
2. Once you have finished feeding, expose your breasts to the air and try to protect them from clothing and other irritations.
3. After breast feeding, apply some ultra purified, medical grade lanolin, making sure to avoid petroleum jelly and other products with oil.
4. Make sure to wash your nipples with water and not with soap.
5. Many women find teabags ran under cold water to provide some relief when placed on the nipples.
6. Make sure you vary your position each time with feeding to ensure that a different area of the nipple is being compressed each time.
Clogged milk ducts
Clogged milk ducts can be identified as small, red tender lumps on the tissue of the breast. Clogged ducts can cause the milk to back up and lead to infection. The best way to unclog these ducts is to ensure that you've emptied as completely as possible. You should offer the clogged breast first at feeding time, then let your baby empty it as much as possible.
If milk remains after the feeding, the remaining amount should be removed by hand or with a pump. You should also keep pressure off the duct by making sure your bra is not too tight.
Breast infection
Also known as mastititis, breast infection is normally due to empty breasts completely out of milk, germs gaining entrance to the milk ducts through cracks or fissures in the nipple, and decreased immunity in the mother due to stress or inadequate nutrition.
The symptoms of breast infection include severe pain or soreness, hardness of the breast, redness of the breast, heat coming from the area, swelling, or even chills.
The treatment of breast infection includes bed rest, antibiotics, pain relievers, increased fluid intake, and applying heat. Many women will stop breast feeding during an infection, although it's actually the wrong thing to do. By emptying the breasts, you'll actually help to prevent clogged milk ducts.
If the pain is so bad you can't feed, try using a pump while laying in a tub of warm water with your breasts floating comfortably in the water. You should
also make sure that the pump isn't electric if you plan to use it in the bath tub.
You should always make sure that breast infections are treated promptly and completely or you may risk the chance of abscess. An abscess is very painful, involving throbbing and swelling. You'll also experience swelling, tenderness, and heat in the area of the abscess. If the infection progresses this far, your doctor may prescribe medicine and even surgery.



