26, September 2014

Sharing bed with your baby can be fatal for the newborn

While it is a good idea to keep a watch over your baby when she sleeps it might not be a good idea to share the same bed with her. However, this simple act of parenting has its set of proponents and opponents. Many believe that sharing a bed with a newborn increases bonding between the parents and the baby, ensures better sleep and gives the baby a sense of security and comfort.

Emotional and psychological reasoning apart one should know that bed-sharing with infants has its perils, a study noted. The study also concluded that bed-sharing with parents can lead to infections and other health risks. Bed sharing constitutes to be the biggest risk sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS, the third leading cause of infant mortality in the US.

However, the study says that co-sleeping would still be a better practice than bed-sharing. Though both these terms are interchangeable, but they do not mean the same.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

26.09.2014

Why drinking water during pregnancy is crucial

The importance of drinking adequate water cannot be stated enough, more so if you are pregnant or are a nursing mother. It is important for a woman to stay sufficiently hydrated during pregnancy and post-partum to ensure proper health and well-being. When pregnant or breastfeeding, a woman’s water requirements are higher than usual and that is why water is needed to form amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby, supports the increase in blood plasma volume and produces breast milk, reports femalefirst.co.uk.Hence being well-hydrated may help alleviate some pregnancy related conditions.

To help understand the importance of hydration for pregnancy health, Emma Derbyshire, author of ‘Nutrition in the Childbearing Years,’ has provided essential tips for hydration in pregnancy.

·         Water is an excellent beverage choice for mums-to-be. It is natural and helps women to rehydrate without consuming calories and sugars. 

·         Women should increase their total water intake by an extra 300 ml/day during pregnancy and 700 ml/day during breastfeeding, make water the first choice when it comes to hydration. 

·         Water-rich foods such as soups, stews, yoghurts, fruits and vegetables can help top up total water intake.

·         Pregnant women should take frequent small drinks, particularly after the birth of their child when they are busy looking after their new baby.Women breastfeeding should make sure that they are getting enough fluids – try to remember to keep a glass of water on hand when you sit down to feed your baby.

·         Women should reduce their intake of caffeinated and alcoholic beverages during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

26.09.2014

We might not be able to be the best, but we can always be better than the rest