chatwithketch

Q: I heard somewhere that it’s not safe to use powder on my baby.
Is this true?

A: Great question! For most mothers with babies, some form of
powder is a staple in the baby care pack. Powder is sprinkled all over the baby
after they have been moisturized, used on the baby’s butt to prevent nappy
rash, sprinkled on suspected rashes on the baby’s body etc. So, using powder on
babies is pretty common due to the belief that it prevents friction and absorbs
moisture

However, studies have shown that the cloud of powder ‘dust’ can be
inhaled by babies and cause respiratory problems. Babies most at risk include
premature babies, those born with heart disease, those with frequent
respiratory problems etc.

Therefore, if you must use powder on your baby, here are a couple
of tips:

Don’t shake the powder onto your baby. Move away from your baby…

Q: Hi, my baby is crying a lot, day and night. What can be the cause, and how can I cure it?

A: What’s my baby saying when he whimpers, when he cries, when he … what does it all mean. It can be pretty overwhelming trying to make sense out of it all, I knowJ

Let’s help you out: Here are some signals babies could be giving out when they cry

Hunger:

If your baby isn’t full after a feed, he would cry at the end of it and before the next one. Babies also don’t feel hungry at regular intervals and so there are days when he appears to need a feed more often and other days when he needs it infrequently.

So, offer a feed if you’re not sure what signal he is giving out.

Needing to be held:

We all worry about whether we will spoiling…

It was World Breast feeding week last week and this event got my mind racing down memory lane. A few years ago when I was pregnant for my first child, I made plans…loads of them. How great a mother I was going to be, I would make packed lunches, make her hair, teach her, school her, take her to work with me, (so I could exclusively breast feed), take her to school by myself (when it was that time), pick her up too, do her laundry by myself etc. I wanted to be super mum. All those statistics of mothers who left their children etc., was never going to be me or my child. 

And so, I birthed this child. And, I set about doing all the things I had planned to do with a vengeance! I had no help…I insisted on doing everything myself, (never mind that by the…

Q: Hello Dr. I have been to a high blood pressure routine check for 3 weeks and yesterday I was diagnosed for it. I know I take in lot of salt and fatty food. I’m not ready for the treatment because they said once I use it I won’t have to stop it. Dr. is it possible to avoid treatment and regain normal pressure if I reduce fats and salt in my diet? My last blood pressure was 180/90 and they said I might have a stroke. How can I avoid this doctor?

A: High blood pressure used to be defined as blood pressure reading of 140/90mmHg or more. Not anymore!
The new guidelines by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association state that only blood pressure readings below 120/80mmHg can now be considered normal blood pressure.
A systolic blood pressure reading between 120 and 129mmHg is…

Did you miss our show on osteoporosis? Do want to know what foods are full of calcium and how much of them you should be getting everyday? Get the full half hour episode here with Ms Taiwo Ajai-Lycett who tells us her ‘personal; secrets for being fit and agile at 73 years.
Watch the show here

Q: Thank you Dr Ketch for the wellness information you share.  It’s really helpful. Please what’s the right portion of milk to take per day?

A: Thanks for writing in. Milk is full of protein, calcium and other nutrients needed for proper development. It’s needed, not just by our children as a lot of people tend to think, but also by adults who need to build up a good stock of calcium to ensure they don’t end up with brittle bones (osteoporosis).

Here’s how much milk everyone needs from birth till old age:

Breast milk is the best milk and should be the only food for your baby until he is 6 months old, given at 2-3 hours’ interval.

From 6 months to 1 year, continue breastfeeding and then add other meals like cereals etc.

Continue breast milk till 2 years. However, if this is not feasible, cow milk can…

Q: Doc, I had a copper IUD inserted 5 months ago and after checking up on it we found out that it wasn’t in place. Does it give me a higher chance of being preggy given the position of the IUD? Please notice my concern. Thank you!

A: Hi dear, thanks for writing in.

If indeed, the IUD has shifted and it’s not the string that you feel, you need to see visit your family planning clinic as soon as possible to get that checked out. Remember that if, indeed, the IUD is not properly inserted or has been expelled, you stand the risk of a pregnancy and so you should get this checked out shortly and use some other form of contraception in the meantime.

Generally, there are warning signs to look out for when you have the IUD on. If you experience any of these under-listed symptoms, please…

Q: Hi Dr Ketch, I love your tips. Please give me a recipe for a nice milk shake for a 4 year old girl

Q: Hi Dr Ketch, can you repeat your recipe for yoghurt. I didn’t catch it all on TV

Q: When I made my yoghurt, it had water on top.

A: In response to the 5-minute shows airing on DSTV, I have received a couple of questions on some of the recipes. So, I will reproduce some of the recipes here.

You can use milk to make some super delicious milk shakes. Everybody loves a milk shake 😀 An easy one to make is a combination of milk, some fruits (eg mango) and crushed ice. Put all into a blender and whizz away. Watch while blending because if you blend for too long, it becomes runny. You want it nice and sorta thick….and utterly delicious!

Another delicious…

Q: Hello doc, I just watched your programme about how healthy milk is for children. I have a concern because when my son was about a year plus, I started noticing some irritations on his skin which made him itch. We went to his paediatrician who said it is some kind of allergic reaction that we should watch whatever aggravates the irritation especially proteins. I then noticed he becomes more irritated when he takes milk and by the way he loves milk. we were told to switch to soy milk which he tolerates well. Recently, he started having sore eyes with sticky discharge in the morning, We took him to the eye clinic and was told it is allergic conjunctivitis and he is on treatment. My concern now is how exactly do we manage it and does it mean he won’t be able to take full cream milk?

A: Interesting…