1. Child must realize that you love him\her more than just saying “I love you, my little angle !”. Loving fathers should demonstrate love by spending quality time with the children and caring them enough.
2. Kids regardless of gender children need positive role models (male or female) in life to get inspire for professional growth. Active fathers can promote positive behaviors by setting a proper example for their children.
3. Active fathers listen, pays enough attention and support emotionally their children when they experience joy, sadness, anger, fear, and frustration.
4. Financial as well as material (along with emotional support) resources are also very important for every child, and efficient fathers are most likely avail all the necessary resources (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, quality medical care) required by their children.
5. Being fully involved and through strong emotional bondage active fathers enrich self-esteem of their kids.
6. Active involvement of fathers helps to enhance the child’s intellectual development.
7. Father can educate as well as prevent children against early sexual activity.
8. True involvement of father lowers child’s chances of school failure, or early dropout, active father’s involvement rather supports their children’s academic success.
9. From infancy, children need proper guidance and discipline provided by parents. Active fathers play an important role in teaching their children proper behavior by setting and enforcing healthy limits.
10. Research found more suicide case among children with uninvolved fathers.
11. Children with active fathers are less likely to commit any juvenile delinquency than children with inactive fathers.
12. Through love, affection as well as alerting (warning i.e.) against wrong deeds, fathers can lower children tend towards criminal activities in future (in their adult age).
13. Active father’s involvement develops sense of security (emotional and physical) through a trustful relationship, and thus the child doesn’t feel abandoned.
14. By playing regularly (mean whenever find time) fathers develop healthy relationship with the children thus they enhance cognitive ability along with the physical development.
15. Active fathers try to answer all the questions (considered to be life’s important questions as well) of their children, by this way children learn with skills and grow naturally.
16. Both parents active involvement promotes healthy gender identity in the child. Fathers can help to promote positive behaviors by setting proper example among children (specially boys).
17. Direct involvement of both parents facilitates child’s moral development and sound character thereafter.
18. Men and women usually differ in their parenting styles. So father’s involvement also provides the child with an alternative perspective on life.
19. Principals (ethics, manner, approaches etc.) are very important in life, specially for the boys. So fathers can guide and assist kids to establish essential principals which are very important and essential throughout the life.
20. Essential life skills that children need to survive are learned at home. Every father has a duty to teach their children valuable skills that will definitely help them to grow up to be healthy and productive adults.

Complicacy caused by lupus during pregnancy

The problems (risks as well) created out of SLE includes:

• PIH(pregnancy-induced hypertension) which causes sudden increase in blood pressure, fluid retention and access protein in the urine.
• Blood clots that blocks oxygen and nutrition supply for the baby in the placenta.
• Can make early delivery, premature birth (with symptoms of premature labor like backache, pelvic pressure, abdominal cramps etc.) – about one out of every three.

Mainly two categories of pregnancy complications were observed: the health of the mother and of the fetus. For the mothers mild, moderate or severe increases of lupus activity, or flares were found. For the fetus, the research examined the worst outcome — death — or situations in which the well-being of the infant would require extended hospitalization in a critical care unit.However, do not panic much. Research found favorable outcome among 80% of lupus patients and around 10% of miscarriage. To avoid any risk pregnant women having lupus require additional monitoring like medical checkup for kidneys, heart and lungs, blood pressure, certain protein test in the blood etc.

Preparing (plan i.e.) for Pregnancy

It’s recommended that plan your pregnancy simply after feeling enough healthy and having full control over SLE. Or, mat be, consult with your physician about planning of pregnancy after through close monitoring and testing of blood and urine so that problems can be identified and treated early (specially kidney related disease – caused by lupus).

Pregnant women are also suggested to consult obstetrician who has experience with high-risk pregnancies. Check also your health insurance plans, check the entire coverage of the plan carefully.

After delivery problems

Lupus may create following problems after delivery:

• Mothers who have premature delivery (or taking certain medications) may face trouble producing breast milk for the newborns. Most of such problems can be resolved through special consultation with the doctor.
• About 30% of babies born to women having lupus may have neonatal lupus (transient from mother).

But do not panic much. Research indicates babies born to mothers having SLE are not at higher risk. After delivery it’s recommended to consult physician for regular checkup for mother and baby together.

Cloth diapers have evolved lately over the last ten years, having many features with endless styles and materials, made of different fabrics such as cotton, wool, and even hemp. Organic versions (made of 100% natural materials) are also available nowadays. In present days, cloth diapers are getting popular over disposals specially among the incontinence sufferers for many reasons among which major five environmental, financial and health reasons are as follows:

Economical choice

Comfort

Whether cotton, flannel, terry, or gauze, cloth diapers are soft enough and non-abrasive at the same time. Many cloth diapers are also made with special padding or removable pads which is very essential for the people with sensitive skin. Cloth diapers help to prevent rashes, chafing, and other skin problems caused by wetness. Soft cotton for baby’s tender skin is much more comfortable than paper and plastic.

Flexibility

Diapers made of cotton are easy to custom-tailor as per needs. Reusables are available in an extensive variety of shapes, materials, forms, and sizes, ranging from traditional or folded to the contoured diapers. Cloths just look better on infants according to children fashion experts. With many colors and styles your kid really looks adorable in cloth.

Hygiene Factor

Disposal diapers contain chemicals, poisons, dioxins which are very harmful for skin. The cloth diapers are more breathable and have no harmful chemicals or bleaches like in disposables. Study says disposal diapers cause many toxic shock syndromes – direct link to childhood asthma, even increase in infertility rate among boys. So why take such risk!

Environment Friendly

In today’s highly polluted environment, all communities are imitating the voice “go green” to save our little planet. Where 80 % of diapers in US are disposables, each baby could save thousands through using cloth (or organic) diapers.

So attention parents ! remember, it’s never too late to try or convert totally to the cloth diapers irrespective of what brand or type of diaper you plan to use, or are already using.

Every infant needs to be very healthy as well as neat & clean – probably the most prime concern of basic baby care related matters like bathing, and cleanness, hygiene. Parents often face challenging questions like when, how many times kids should take bath, how hot should be the water, what type of soap and shampoo should be used etc. Initially it becomes little scary but following these guidelines you can safely clean your little one from head to toe.

How Often and When

Most of the new born babies have silky-smooth skin which protects against bacteria and environmental irritants. They need not to be cleaned regularly apart from the diaper area. Overuse of strong cleansers and even tap water may damage the skin of newborns. Daily bath is not necessary, a bath (better sponge bath in light warm water) twice or thrice in a week is quite sufficient. Sometimes nighttime bath can be very useful for bedtime ritual.

Useful Accessories

Before placing your newborn in the tub, make sure you have following things on hand:

• Washcloth – one for soaping and another might be for rinsing.
• Cotton balls or wool – for cleaning around the eyes, under arms etc.
• Mild soap – specially for maintaining baby hygiene)
• Mild, no-tears baby shampoo – only once or twice per week)
• Clean Towels, changing mat
• Clean diaper
• Blanket (for warmth and cuddling after bath)
• Clean flannel — for rinse off your baby thoroughly.

Baby Bathing, Washing

Once the new born starts crawling or toddling, it is important that his/her body, hands, feet are kept clean. That means bathing baby more frequently – maybe every other day initially, and afterwards more frequently and then on daily basis. Generally parents give two types of bath for their own babies, which are as follows:

A. Sponge Bath

For the first couple of weeks, you should give proper sponge-bath – your baby only needs to be cleaned 3-4 times a week. Room should be warm enough, wash your baby’s face, eyes can be cleaned with a cotton ball; after that move to the neck, chest and entire body slowly. Sometimes gentle shampoo can be used to wash out the scalp.

B. Bathing in Tubs and Sinks

Bring your baby into the bath area and undress him completely. Gradually slip the baby into the bath tub, holding neck & head with one hand. Water should be warm, but not hot. Wash your baby well, may be using baby soap, after taking bath rinse your baby thoroughly with a clean flannel.

And lastly, relax and enjoy this special time with your little one, just be careful about the safety of your little angel while bathing her, specially in the winter times.

Additional weight gain is a common phenomenon for any pregnant woman after giving birth of a new baby – especially during the last few months. Gynecologists advise to lose weight through light postpartum exercise like practice in Gym (consulting with experts), regular walking, light yoga etc. Here are simple (5) ways to finally combat your baby weight safely without doing any exercise.

Through breastfeeding

Through breastfeedingReport says that breastfed women typically experience weight loss at a rate of about one or two pounds per month; so instead of working on shedding baby weight through dieting or exercise, just focus on the extra calories you’re burning simply by nourishing and bonding with your little angle.

Drink plenty of water

Water is considered to be the cheapest medicine, drink plenty of water to feel healthier and fitter. Best thing in water is that it doesn’t have any calorie at all. A glass of water helps to let out all the digestive juices and sort of lubricates the insides of the stomach shrinking enough. Drink minimum eight glass of water per day. Avoid soft and sweet drinks like cola, soda, as sugar contains a lot of calorie. Apart from water, tea and coffee are harmless by themselves.

Give up unhealthy fast foods

High calorie fast food like red meat, burgers, foods containing additives and chemicals build up your body overnight, beefing up to store fat in the body. Consume nature friendly food, green vegetables which not only will help you weight loss, but also protect you against deadly diseases, and keeps you healthy. Just stay away from fried stuff, heavy meal, eat fresh fruits a lot, specially those that contains water such as tomatoes, watermelons.

Do not skip meals. Skipping meals have just the opposite effect of what you want. You need to have at least four regular meals on daily basis.

Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises too helps to lose weight a lot. When you are doing the breathing exercises properly (good have instruction from experienced Yoga teacher), you actually apply pressure on the muscles (around the mid-section); you can even feel a tightening of these muscles each time you breathe in or breathe out. This eventually leads to weight loss.

POSTURE PERFECT

And the last suggestion is related to some simple activities into toning exercises and postures. Little walking, light physical work (simple activities) may help to keep your body fit and fresh. Hold your baby in the front with your two arms instead of holding on your side. Try to keep shoulders down and back straight while pulling belly towards your spine.

Focus on losing excess water weight by light exercise regularly, eating as per healthy diet chart and drinking plenty of water. Always it is recommended to consult physician after delivery.

For every household, arrival of a new baby into the family is a most joyous event. But along with the thrill of new parenthood comes essential responsibilities; such as baby safety, well care of the angel, child proofing environment at home, to name a few.

Actually the term ‘baby proofing’ refers to creating safe environment for the infant, whereas ‘baby friendly’ means making the home environment friendly to the child allowing him/her to play, explore and discover freely.

Making Safe Environment at home for the newcomer

There are numerous ways to keep your baby out of accidents. Follow these precautions to child proof your home, from the living room to the bathroom:

Living Areas (open spaces for roaming inside the house)

Be aware of the floor free from small (solid) objects like pins, nails, niddles, coins etc. that a baby could swallow. You also need to be conscious of not leaving sharp (like knife, casers etc.) or hot things (like iron, cup of hot tea i.e.) on the floor or in any place easily accessible to the child.

Fire Safety
Burner, stove or mini oven must be guarded with fire safety protection.

Windows & Glass
Windows stand another matter of concern. They should not be easy to open. Try to avoid leaving objects under windows, as babies often try to climb on to get.

Kitchen
Cooking utensils, cleaning supplies must be kept in the upper-level rack rather than under the sink. It’s better to keep the kitchen door always close.

Bathroom
Always keep cleaning supplies, medication, cosmetics away from the child’s reach. Like the kitchen room, door should be always locked.

Making Baby friendly Environment at home

After baby proofing home, now you can concentrate over making the environment friendly where the child can play safely and participate in other family activities with happily. An infant-safe and well decorated colorful interior inside the home is always comfortable for your child. Other elements are:

• Keep the basket with favorite toys within the child’s reach.
• Colorful books and other learning materials always encourage the child.
• Child friendly furnitures like chair(specially for kids), little almirah etc. always give extra comfort to the child.
• Color items, posters, teddy bears etc. (not harmful for the baby’s health) are entertaining items for the little angel.

Creating the home environment that is safe as well as enjoyable for your baby is the prime responsibility for every parent. A home that is decorated orderly and appealing to the child’s innate sense always is helpful for development of child’s health and confidence.

Mom and I work very well together now. I am sixteen weeks old and well accustomed to her little oddities, as if muscle twitches. When she is totally relaxed, her breathing is softer, slower. I can feel it pressing on my sac every now and again through the uterus, when it is deep, maybe she is sighing. I hope she is not unhappy, but I do not think so. I am bathed in a wonderful warm feeling, like a loving breath, so different from the fluid that I float in.

I can pull faces. Sometimes they turn into something that I did not want, because some part is still forming, but mostly it turns out like I think I want. With this coming of feeling of my face, I can taste. Not well, but I can taste the amniotic fluid. Doesn’t taste of anything really, but sometimes what comes from Mom is really nice. I do not know what it is, but I like it immensely. I shall try to remember it on the outside.

My innards are moving into their final positions. It feels funny, but somehow I know they have to be in certain places. It can tickle me, and I stretch my mouth to feel amusement. One part of me is working very hard already. I do not know why it is working so hard, but I vaguely understand it is insulin it is making, for what, I do not know.

My arms and legs can get in my own way, and I can get impatient with them. They are so long, and my hands and feet seem so far away by feel. The bones in them are becoming solid, and my joints work fine. I can kick quite well by now, and I do, when Mom eats or drinks something I do not like. I can already sense the tastes of simple sweet and sour things. She likes sweet things, though, so we agree on food usually. I would like to have more of the sweet things and less of the sour.

The woman is really enjoying her pregnancy now, although there are some things that concern her a little. Her heartbeat has increased, to provide more blood to the baby, but it needs to, to carry the extra blood. This volume will increase with the pregnancy’s growth, and will eventually be thirty to fifty per cent extra; by the time, she is ready for birth.

About now, neural tube defects can be picked up by a Alpha-fetoprotein Test (AFP) which can be offered. This is a maternal blood screening, and usually works best when taken during the fifteenth-seventeenth weeks of pregnancy. The test can often be a Quad or Triple Screen.

Do not try to squeeze into clothes that are too tight. The baby will resent it, and one will feel very uncomfortable. Look around for some maternity clothes that look good on one, and suit the body. There are many now, which are very suitable. In a pinch, a shirt of one’s partner may do, but is really better to wear around the house.

For Dads, suddenly finding ones best shirt decorating ones partner may not be so endearing. One has a choice, to grow accustomed to it, or go buy some more for yourself. One forgets, one’s shirt is very comfortable, if the partner is packing on the weight, and does not want to buy new dresses every week, which can easily happen.

Teething TimingAs mentioned, timing and pattern of teething among babies are totally variable. 6 months is the ideal age for the babies to get first tooth, however for some babies teething may occur as prematurely as during birth or as late as the age of 15 months. Three months can be considered as the absolute earliest time for teeth are known to sprout (but very rare). Most infants start getting their first teeth around 6-9 months old (although some babies still wait for the first two teeth till their first birthday).

Normally, the bottom two middle teeth, or central incisors, are the first to erupt, accompanied by the top central incisors (at around 6-7 months), and thereafter followed by the other two central top teeth, then the additional two bottom teeth (at around 8 months), molars (chewing teeth) and finally the “canine” teeth (pointed teeth) between the molars and the central four at around 16-20 months.

Teething Process & Pattern

There is no set of pattern for baby teething, when it will begin, how long it will take, and how painful will be for the baby etc. For some babies teething is absolutely not a painful even, whereas for others it can be very much painful experience with many uncomfortable syndromes such as bleeding, mild fever, inflamed red gums, excessive drooling etc. Entire process of teething often follows hereditary patterns, means if mother or father had teething early or late, baby also may follow the same pattern.

However, timing, process or pattern of baby teething is not a matter of serious concern, should be considered as an important milestone in baby’s development. In case of discomfort during teething, you should take care of your little angel and shower love with affection on your baby that they need. Although it can be stressful time for the child as well as the parent, it carries a lot of excitement for both too, a memorable experience for the rest of your life.

1. Cervicitis

It is a condition when delicate cells at the mouth of the womb (or the cervix) bleed due to the mechanical action of intercourse, acidity in the vagina (pH), or any infection on these cells.

2. Implantation Bleeding

This is probably the most benign type of bleeding during pregnancy. A very small amount of bleeding (spotting) occurs with the normal implantation of the embryo into the uterine wall, in the implantation bleeding. Normally It is very minimal and painless, but if it frequently occurs then women get confused with the period. But the risk is very minimum and no cause for concern

3. Decidual Bleeding

It’s actually a certain type of light spotting occurring at intervals in early pregnancy during menstrual period. Sometimes a small piece of tissue gets disintegrated, may be hormonally stimulated through any unknown reason, and thus causing spotting confuses with the miscarriage.

4. Infections

Any of vaginal infections (or bacterial) can be worrisome enough, since some infections such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomonas, and Gardnerella may increase the risk of second-trimester miscarriage or preterm birth. Proper microscopic evaluation is the best approach rather than any simple assumption.

5. Ectopic Pregnancy

It’s considered to be very dangerous cause of first trimester bleeding. It occurs if the fertilized eggs implants mostly in the fallopian tube instead of inside of the uterus. It is sometimes very painful posing life threatening to the mother. However, this syndrome occurs in about 3% of all pregnancies. Ectopic pregnancy causes 6 percent of all U.S. maternal deaths

6. Cervical Sensitivity

Small spotting (harmless) can be resulted from the hormonal changes of pregnancy or intercourse.

7. Vanishing Twin

Bleeding is even more common with twins. In case of twins, when one of the two twins is miscarried (other one is viable), bleeding occurs, and this refers to ‘vanishing twin’.

Bleeding affects 20-30% of all pregnancies. If you notice bleeding (even very minor) it’s highly advisable to consult immediately to consult your health care provider to rule out any serious consequences.

Vitamin D is very important for child growth, specially for development of health bones in the body. As deficiency of Vitamin D causes many health problems, excessive dose of this vitamin for a long period of time also creates wide range of health problems such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite etc. Among some children excessive thirst may even lead to excessive urination. Symptoms like abdominal pain and constipation may develop, as well as muscle and joint soreness and muscle weakness, fatigue or confusion also may develop. Long-term overdosing on Vitamin D can cause some other serious consequences like kidney damage and kidney stones.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning of the high risk of overdosing children with liquid vitamin D. Some droppers of Vitamin D supplement (that prevail in the market) could allow parents or caregivers to give accidentally greater amount of liquid to an infant than an infant should receive.

FDA recommendations are as follows:

• The FDA has set 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin D (as a maximum dose of recommendation) per day for infants being breast fed. However, it also should be kept in mind that some droppers may hold much greater amounts causing a medication mistake.
• Parents and caregivers are advised to follow the instructions carefully for the usage of dropper correctly and giving the right dose.
• The dropper must be properly marked and the units of measure must be clear and understandable easily. These units of measurements must correspond to those mentioned in the Instructions section.
• Parents and caregivers should consult with any professional health care professional in case of any confusion to determine over the dose of the dropper.
• If the child is partially (or fully) fed with the infant formula, you should take proper advice from the pediatrician or health care professional before giving the child Vitamin D supplement.

The FDA is somehow forcing manufacturers of liquid vitamin D supplements that droppers should be clearly and accurately marked for 400 IU (not more than 400IU).

In the month of June, Health Canada has issued publicly information regarding this matter. The regulatory body recommends that all breastfed infants aged less than 12 months should receive a daily vitamin D supplement of 400IU (equivalent to 10 micrograms).

From the practical perspective, death from taking large doses of vitamin D is not an issue, but overdose of Vitamin D leads to vitamin toxicity, also known as hypervitaminosis. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for human being. Used in optimal doses, it has incredible potential for improving health.