Smiley Baby

Dealing with the dreaded colic

Alan — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:07:23 +0000

For babies, crying is very normal, but some parents may be overwhelmed with a large amount of crying. When a healthy baby cries or screams excessively, it is referred to as colic. Researchers have been unable to figure out why this condition occurs, but several theories do exist.

One theory states that the baby may ingest air when breastfed, while other theories speculate that they may be drinking too fast, which can lead to stomach pains. Whatever the cause, physicians do agree that the condition is normal and will go away over time. There are several ways that parents can best look after a colic baby.
They can try and prompt the child to burp following breastfeeding. This can also help them to stay asleep for longer. They can also try holding the baby if it is inside its crib. If the baby is hungry, breastfeeding the child can often help with the crying.

Parents can also try to give the baby a dummy. This will help the baby when the mother is unable to breastfeed. The baby might possibly be feeling sensitive to noise, which can cause it to wake up. If the baby is exposed to sounds regularly, it will become less sensitive so parents can try playing a classical music CD.

Parents can also give the baby a warm bath, this can soothe the baby and keep it from crying. However, the bath should be at an appropriate temperature to not hurt the baby’s skin. The baby may react well to Simethicone drops, which can help the baby to cry less. Finally, the baby may need a change in diet, if you follow this advice, you will likely see improvement in your baby’s crying.

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The Incubator – New Channel 4 Series on premature babies, starts Friday

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:59:30 +0000

As part of the First Cut strand, showcasing, bold, bright and original documentaries by up-and-coming film-makers, Lucy Morgan directs The Incubator a film that sensitively considers the story of children born too early to survive outside an incubator. For the 50,000 children who are born prematurely each year, the incubator provides them with a chance of survival. With unique access to a neonatal intensive care ward, this film follows the journey of four different families. In a world of high emotions The Incubator shares personal family moments as parents hold their babies for the first time, see their children through life saving surgery and, after many months of sitting beside an incubator, get to take their children home.

The Incubator is being shown on Friday 24th August at 7.30pm on Channel 4. More information available here – http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-incubator/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1.

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Cold winter causes summer baby boom

Alan — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:22:35 +0000

With the global recession and the chilly winter which kept people inside their homes this year, many people speculate that a baby boom has resulted from these events. It has been almost a year since harsh blizzards brought some areas to a halt. Many midwives expect a large increase in births in the next few weeks. It is expected that over 600 babies will be born just in Portsmouth, Hampshire, a large increase from the normal rate.

The cold weather that occurred throughout last winter could be behind this baby boom. Couples kept at home may have enjoyed more comfy nights than usual. The freezing conditions, beginning in around late December and early January, as well as the rough economic climate could have both contributed to a spike in births while many couples were stuck together at home.

In the UK, the birth-rate has risen from 12.5% to 12.7% over the past year. Some experts claim that the lack of opportunities in the job market may have encouraged women to have babies. Some clothing retailers have also reported a large increase in sales of maternity and baby clothes over the last year. The NHS says the greater number of babies born will be an “obvious challenge”.

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Soft drinks with artificial sweeteners may cause premature birth

Alan — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:16:20 +0000

Research in Denmark carried out on 60,000 pregnant women discovered that pregnant women that consumed soft drinks with artificial sweeteners had an increased chance of premature birth.

The study found that those who consumed at least one serving daily had a 38% increased chance of giving birth 37 weeks prior to gestation while those that had more than four drinks per day had a 78% increased chance of premature birth.

The effect was lower on those who drank soft drinks and no link was observed between sugar sweetened drinks and premature birth.

Researchers proposed that artificial sweeteners may break down into chemicals once in the body that alter in the womb.

Spokesperson for the American Society of Nutrition, Dr. Shelly McGuire, stated that the findings may be a step towards preventing babies from premature birth in particularly those that are induced.

McGuire continued to say that more studies will need to be performed, but at this time the study clearly suggests that those who are pregnant should abstain from consuming any drinks with artificial sweeteners. She added that those who are pregnant should be consuming more nutrient rich drinks as a general rule of thumb such as fruit juices, milk, and plenty of water.

A British Soft Drinks Association spokesman however countered the study recommendations by stating that the findings should not be overly considered to be truth, and that any woman that is worried about proper diet during pregnancy should simply talk to her doctor about her concerns.

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70 per cent of women unhappy with birth experience

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:04:20 +0000

It’s supposed to be the happiest day of a new mother’s – and father’s life. But a new survey of more than 600 women from the Birth Trauma Association has revealed that for many new parents, it’s the worst. A new survey from the Birth Trauma Association reveals that almost 70 per cent of women do not get the birth experience they want, despite government policy to promote choice.

One-third said they were not treated with dignity and respect, and were not given proper information and/or explanations during their labour.

Many cited ‘loss of control’ and ‘lack of communication’ as key factors in how they felt about their births afterwards. Some respondents said they felt ‘bullied’ or ‘harrassed’ by overstretched staff. Many felt ignored on the post-natal ward and said attempts to get an explanation for what went wrong were dismissed.

All these factors are known to contribute towards both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following birth and post-natal depression (PND). It is estimated that, in the UK alone, 10,000 women develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As many as 200,000 more women may feel traumatised by childbirth and develop some of the symptoms of PTSD.

Comments from survey respondents included:

“My daughter’s birth and subsequent days were some of the worst of my life and I still have nightmares about them. I had a complete loss of control and no one ever really communicated what was going on or why at any point.”

“The worst day of my life, was over three years ago, still have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), not taken seriously by GP, tried to complain to hospital, no explanation given. I still think about it every day. It has ruined my life, I feel it will be the end of me.”

“Having my daughter was the most traumatic experience of my life – because the decision to deliver my baby was made so suddenly, there was no time to fully comprehend the information that was being given to me at the time.”

“Worst experience of my life, with the best outcome, I have my boy.”

“It was the worst day of my life and I’m still trying to come to terms with it.”

Maureen Treadwell, co-founder of the Birth Trauma Association, commented: “It is a tragedy that so many women are left traumatised by their experience of childbirth. Poor maternity care impacts on women, children and their families and has huge social and ultimately financial costs. The same issues arise again and again – we know the problems, let us hope that this new government will find solutions.”

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Women who have a miscarriage should try again quickly

Alan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 02:58:33 +0000

After a miscarriage many women need a break to recover from the trauma before they start to try for a new baby.

However, while it may seem wise to wait, waiting for an extended period of time to get pregnant again can actually increase the risk of having an additionally complicated pregnancy the next time around.

A new British study outlines that women that get pregnant within six months of having a miscarriage have a better chance of their second pregnancy progressing in a healthy fashion with a low risk of a second miscarriage.

The NHS advises women to wait for three months before they once again attempt to get pregnant while the World Health Organization on the other hand recommends that a woman wait for six months.

However, researchers now believe that waiting could be harmful, especially for women that are over the age of 35, who are even more likely to have troubles getting pregnant and an equally high risk of birth defects.

The research team was from Aberdeen University and took a look at the data from about 31,000 women that got pregnant after a miscarriage.

Those that conceived six months or less after the miscarriage were about 44% less likely to have a second miscarriage than those that waited between six to twelve months to try to get pregnant again.

Those that got pregnant within six months were also less likely to suffer from an ectopic pregnancy which usually results in a forced termination. In addition, they were ten percent less likely to give birth to a premature baby or require a Caesarean.

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Gisele Bundchen wants international law on breastfeeding

Alan — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 02:24:17 +0000

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen seems to be joining the pro-breastfeeding movement after she made a statement that she believes there should be an international law that requires all mothers to breastfeed during the first six months of their baby’s lives.

The hottie from Brazil gave birth to a child seven months ago and compared feeding a baby formula to feeding it chemical food. She also said that breastfeeding helped her regain her figure. Bundchen also stated that breastfeeding is the best way to avoid giving a child any chemicals at a young age.

It is from here that she went on to say that there should be a law to make sure that mothers breastfeed. Of course, Bundchen is not your typical mother given that she practiced kung fu in the two months before she delivered and used mediation to deal with the pain of the labour.

According to Gisele, Kung Fu helped her get ready for the birth both physically and mentally and that there is a very clear reason why giving birth is called labour and not a holiday. She said that people should not head towards one of the most intense physical experiences of their lives unprepared for what was to come.

Although Gisele was sincere about her statements, the medical community laughed over them given it is unrealistic and not called for as it is up to women to decide for themselves whether they want to breastfeed or not.

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Maxi Cosi car seats for baby

Alan — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:52:42 +0000

When a new baby arrives the first thing that a parent wants to do is protect them from the world, which can be done with Maxi Cosi car seats which offer protection and comfort to a young child.

The brand name in car seats has been offering parents safety and comfort for 25 years and are able to create new products utilizing the knowledge they have gained over the last quarter of a century.

A great place to find a guide to their car seat ranges is www.maxicosi-carseats.co.uk where both the Cabriofix and Isofix versions are compared and analyzed.

The Isofix car seat system works by attached to the car base allowing it to be clipped or unclipped from the base easily and securely. There is also a version of the Isofix that comes with a support leg for further protection.

On the other hand, the Maxi COsi Carbriofix version offers protection to an infant’s head by placing it in head supports with a sun canopy overhead to protect its soft fragile skin and eyes.

The interface at the website is very user friendly making it quite easy to look over a number of car seats in a short period of time to determine which elements of a car seat are the most important for you. The photo images are also helpful in properly interpreting and understanding the descriptions so that an informative decision can be made.

Each of the Maxi Cosi car seats comes with high safety rankings leaving a parent to simply determine what the best fit for their vehicle and life will be.

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feelingbrody.com for all kinds of potential parents

Alan — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:23:27 +0000

For those who are in same sex relationships or single, or those who are simply in mixed-sex couples and are infertile, tying to have a child can be frustrating and discouraging. In order to avoid embarrassment, many people turn to fertility clinics for aid where they must face expensive private clinic fees or get on the extensive waiting list of the NHS.

As if this is not enough, many times they may not get the services they expect or face refusal of treatment. Many others are frustrated they cannot see the actual sperm donor for a glimpse of what their child may look like.

Men that wish to donate also often are put off by how clinical the entire approach and procedures are, instead choosing to donate in ways that are outside of the ‘system.’

Sevi Joseph has created a new service called feelingbrody.com after she had a negative experience attempting to have a child through donor insemination. She paid around £1200 each time she went through insemination, found that the entire experience was impersonal, and saw how the fertility industry passed judgment based on marital status, age, and race as well as sexual orientation.

Joseph continued to explain that nobody should be denied a child due to the fact they have made lifestyle choices that are not accepted or because of a lack of money.

Instead, she says that Feeling Brody is different because they offer personal care past subscription fees and it is important to her that they help their patients become parents through an easy and pleasant experience.

She also said that her company offers affordable home insemination supplies and high quality services as well without passing any judgment on any going through the process.

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Brits head to Spain for anonymous egg donation

Alan — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:02:42 +0000

Fertility treatment waiting lists that utilize egg donations have increased in the UK since laws were changed that prohibit women from donating eggs on an anonymous basis.

Research shows that the shortage in egg donation is now the major reason that couples choose to head abroad for fertility treatment with almost half of all of those who do so from Britain heading to Spain for treatment, where anonymous egg donation is allowed. Spain also compensates those who donate generously.

The study performed by the Economic and Social Research Council found that women left Britain for the IVF treatment in order to search for donor eggs after dealing with long waits within the UK for the same procedure.

De Montfort University found that the actual costs of fertility treatment were not a significant factor influencing peoples’ decision on where to seek fertility treatment.

Researchers found that in a study of women, most of whom were living with a partner or married, discovered that infertile women are not heading abroad simply because of age limits, due to the fact that most of the women in the study were only aged 38 and already had undergone treatment in the UK.

In fact, most of the people went to the UK due to fact that Spain has policies in place that pay women around 100 Euros in order to donate their eggs, without giving up their anonymity, allowing for more eggs to be available for women seeking fertility.

Next in line for organ donation is the Czech Republic which offers money in exchange for donation as well as anonymity for those who choose to donate.

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