chatwithketch

Over and over again, I have had breast feeding mothers tell me that they don’t make enough breast milk to feed their babies. Or they would say, their babies get hungry too often and so it is difficult to keep up with the crazy schedule of ‘feeding on demand’ that breast feeding requires of you.

Breast milk is very important to new born babies and really no child should be deprived on the many benefits of breast feeding exclusively. There are some mothers who, by reason of specific health conditions, cannot breast feed their babies. However, the greater majority of mothers are able to make enough breast milk to keep their babies satisfied.

Here are our top five tips for breast feeding properly:
o Patience: You’ve got to have loads of it. Sometimes, your baby feeds and then stops a bit just to gaze into your eyes. Give him/her the time needed to bond with you.
o There are two types of milk in the breast milk: the fore and the hind milk. You have to be sure that your baby gets both during each feeding session.
o Give the fore milk to quench thirst. The fore milk is mainly water and low in fats. If you observe, it’s bluish in colour. Its high water content is the reason why you don’t need to give your baby extra water. It’s also rich in protein, carbohydrates and vitamins.
o Be sure to give the hind milk. Now, if you finish giving just the fore milk and stop, the baby will be hungry thereafter as she has essentially only taken water. The milk that comes after the fore milk is thicker containing fats and has a whole lot of calories. The baby needs this to be very well nourished and to satisfy the hunger pangs. The longer a mother waits between meals, the more foremilk is produced and it takes your baby that much longer to get to the more filling hind milk.
o Let your baby feed on demand and each session should last until the breast ‘feels’ empty. I say ‘feel’ because the breast never really empties out After this, change to the other breast.

Remember that breast milk is the best and cheapest food for your baby. It also helps fortify your baby against diseases…so, now you have the right tools to get this done right.

Go for it and have a great weekend, people 😀

Is your blood pressure monitor giving you correct readings? Can you count on it? You should read this!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/is-your-home-blood-pressure-monitor-accurate

Q: Good morning ma’am. Please help me. A friend of mine has been going through a lot of emotional pain.. She has been in a relationship for 3yrs and she didn’t know that her fiancé had hepatitis B. He just told her last week when he was sick that he tested positive for hepatitis B some years ago, but they told him that it wasn’t the serious one. She’s doesn’t know what to do – maybe she has contracted it. Please your advice ma’am.

A: Hepatitis B infection is caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and it can cause very serious symptoms in people or it could very well pass unnoticed and be discovered by chance. The infections that occur in adults are usually acute and the body is able to clear the infection within 6 months. However, in a small proportion of adults and in a lot of infections occurring in children, the infection remains the body for a long time (chronic) leading to complications like liver failure and cirrhosis of the liver.

The symptoms include yellowness of the skin and eyes, dark urine, fatigue, body and joint aches etc. These symptoms vary in severity and appear about 3 months after infection.

Causes of HBV infections include contact with infected sharps like needles, sexual contact with an infected person, having multiple sexual partners, sharing needles used for intravenous drug use.

If one suspects exposure to HBV infection, an immunoglobulin injection, if taken within 24 hours can prevent the infection. Treatment depends on the type of HBV infection…whether acute or chronic. To confirm whether the infection is acute or chronic, the doctor runs a couple of tests.

The Hepatitis B surface antigen. A positive test result confirms that an infection is present but does not tell us if it is acute or chronic.

The Hepatitis B surface antibody. A positive test confirms that an infection had occurred but the body had developed antibodies to fight off the infection. This person is no longer contagious.

The Hepatitis B core antibody. A positive result tells us that a past or present infection exists. This is mainly interpreted in conjunction with the other two tests.

If the core antibody is positive and the surface antibody is positive, it means that the body had encountered this infection and fought it off in the past. This is likely to be an acute infection.

If the core antibody is positive and the surface antigen positive, it is more likely to be a chronic infection.

Treatment for acute infections focus on alleviating the symptoms noted above. Treatment for chronic infections focus on use of antiviral drugs and other medications that improve liver function. If liver function Is badly affected, transplant might be an option.

So, the first focus for her is to confirm if she has been infected. If yes, then, confirm if it is an acute or a chronic infection. That will determine the way forward. Remember that you can improve liver function by staying off alcohol, exercising, eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and not self-prescribing.

Generally, to avoid this infection, reduce your risk factors: Know the Hepatitis status of partner and be faithful to that person, where necessary, use condoms, stop the use of illicit drugs, do not share needles and other sharps, be careful with tattooing et al.

Vaccines are available for this virus and is now listed on the National Program on Immunization schedule. All adults who also have risk factors as noted above should also take this vaccine.

I hope this helps

Q: Good evening doc, I had a miscarriage last year due to fibroid, I went surgery in March, now we are in July. I am not yet pregnant. What should I do?

A: Sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Take heart.

Fibroids may or may not cause inability to have a pregnancy. It depends on size and position. Big fibroids in the area of the womb where a baby is meant to implant may cause a miscarriage or indeed, failure of the fertilized embryo to implant.

Fibroids develop from the muscle tissue of the uterus (womb). These growths can range in size from seedlings to big masses. They are differentiated by the sites where they are found: inside the cavity of the womb (sub-mucosal), within the muscle of the uterus (intramural), on the surface of the womb (sub-serosal). Fibroids do not cause infertility per se, but sub-mucosal ones in the cavity of the womb, can take up the place where a baby would have implanted causing infertility. Fibroids can also distort the shape of the ovaries and fallopian tubes causing problems with conception.

Please note that fibroids can also co-exist with pregnancy in which case pregnancy may be normal or associated with breech pregnancy, pre-term delivery (delivery of pre-mature babies) etc. However, once a woman registers in a good antenatal center under a good obstetrician, these issues will be anticipated and addressed promptly.

On not getting pregnant, it depends on how long you’ve been trying. There has to be frequent (at least three times a week), unprotected intercourse for a period of at least one year (six months for women older than 35), for this to be seen as a problem.

The causes include impaired sperm production (quantity and/or quality), erectile dysfunction, or new disease conditions in males. In females the causes include tubal damage (that is damage to the tubes from infections or adhesions in which case certain body surfaces stick together following surgery), ovulation problems (menstrual abnormalities), uterine conditions (infections from complications during a prior delivery, retained placenta, or a miscarriage which wasn’t properly cared for), complications from previous pregnancy(excessive bleeding following delivery) and changes in you or your partners’ risk factors; like changes in age (increasing age), weight, smoking and use of certain medications or disease conditions.

Find a hospital with a good Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialist. The closest teaching hospital to you may be a good place to start your search. S/he will examine you properly and advice.

All the best!

Alcoholism is a disease which is chronic and often progressive and includes problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol, continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, having to drink more to get the same effect (physical dependence), or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking.

It is also possible to have a problem with alcohol, even when it has not progressed to the point of alcoholism. Problem drinking means drinking too much at times, causing repeated problems in your life, although you’re not completely dependent on alcohol.

Want some tips to help you stop? Click on the link below.

Please remember that if you are pregnant, operating heavy machinery, using certain prescribed drugs or plan to drive, DO NOT DRINK!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/11-ways-to-curb-your-drinking