chatwithketch

Want to lose weight? Want to know what habits to adopt? You should read this! https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/5-habits-that-foster-weight-loss

Q: Good morning Doc, I had my baby in January and started menstruation in August. To my surprise I didn’t see it in October so I bought a pregnancy kit to see what was wrong. It was then I got to know I am pregnant. Should I stop breastfeeding my baby? She’s just 8months 2weeks

A: Hi dear, thanks for writing in.

The ideal situation would be to give some time after you’ve had a baby before having another one. It gives your body time to heal and replenish its stores of essential nutrients before taking on another pregnancy. This is the reason why new mums should ensure that they use some form of contraception after they have had their babies, even if exclusively breastfeeding. And for all of you who are dying to ask, yes, you can get pregnant even before your period ‘returns’.

Having said that, it’s generally considered safe to continue breastfeeding in pregnancy. In fact, some mothers would even breastfeed the new baby and the older one, concurrently. This is called tandem nursing. However, given the requirements of breastfeeding and of pregnancy, this mum must ensure that she is eating healthy and drinking sufficient fluids.

If your already born baby can talk, he may comment on the fact that the taste of your breast milk has changed especially towards the end of pregnancy and a few days after the birth of the new baby as colostrum is produced.

For more posts on colostrum, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/05/27/daily-health-tips-what-should-i-do-after-having-my-baby-if-my-breast-milk-doesnt-come-in-immediately/

For the mum, she may notice more breast tenderness…sorry J And also, milk production reduces as pregnancy progresses.

However, you need to check with your doctor if you have a history of pre-term or premature contractions because nipple stimulation (either during sexual intercourse or breastfeeding) may lead to pre-term contractions.

Your 81/2-month old baby can take other foods now too. You can give her freshly squeezed fruit juices (this basically means you’re buying the fruits and squeezing out the juice yourself or blending up a smoothie). Remember that your baby must not have any cow milk until the baby turns 12 months…well, unless it’s in yoghurt (unsweetened, flavor-free yoghurt). You can add some bananas to the yogurt and blend it up.

For more on weaning and preparation of yoghurt, please click on these links: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/12/29/daily-health-tips-weaning-foods/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/10/27/daily-health-tips-recipe-for-and-storage-of-yoghurt/

I hope this helps.

Have a good evening, y’all 😀

Q: Good morning Dr. Please regarding the rhesus factor issue, since I am A+ and my husband is negative, can it still affect us? Can Rhesus factor occur? Because 2 weeks ago, I lost a 6-month pregnancy. Scan said the baby had brain damage. Thanks.

A: Condolences on the loss of your baby! I can’t imagine what it must have felt like going through this experience twice.

But….don’t give up! You can still have a baby.

Unfortunately, often times, the cause of a miscarriage is not identified. You need to understand this so that you don’t blame yourself unduly. Having said that though, first trimester miscarriages are mainly due to problems with the baby/fetus. These problems could be due to problems with the placenta. This is how the baby receives its nutrients in the womb and so, if this organ cannot deliver, a miscarriage might occur. There may also be a problem with the baby’s chromosomes, such that a baby may receive too many or too few genetic materials or there may be a damaged egg/sperm. Other associated risk factors include smoking and drinking alcohol, being overweight, malnutrition, increased maternal age, trauma and drug abuse. By the way, trimester is 3 months of pregnancy. So, first trimester refers to the 1st three months, 2nd trimester, the 2nd three months and 3rd trimester, the last three months

To try for a pregnancy again, remember to ensure there is unprotected sexual intercourse at least three times a week with ejaculation of sufficient amounts of semen. You should start with folate supplements as soon as you can to prepare yourself and baby for the journey ahead.

To prevent a recurrence, focus on ensuring that you stay healthy and do not indulge in harmful habits like smoking and excessive alcohol drinking. Other helpful tips include eating healthy, keeping weight within normal parameters, avoiding trauma and not abusing drugs.

In addition, as soon as you get pregnant again, register for antenatal as soon as possible and keep to your appointments religiously. You should also contact your obstetrician, even if you’re not due for an appointment, if at any time you suspect something may be wrong with your baby.

For more on this topic, please click on the link below:
https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/06/02/daily-health-tips-what-should-i-do-to-conceive-again-after-a-miscarriage/

The good news is, since your husband is the one who is Rhesus negative, none of your babies will be affected by Rhesus incompatibility.

Have a great night, people 😀

With 24 hours entertainment, it is becoming very tough for parents with young children to get them to bed on time. Do you know how many hours your child(ren) should sleep daily? You should read this!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/four-ways-to-help-your-child-get-enough-sleep-2017092612472

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZp_FYblBo8/?taken-by=ddrketch

As you end a hectic week and make plans for all those parties this weekend, be sure to plan for a catch-up session with your bed! Don’t work all week and party all weekend. Give your body time to rest. A positive outlook on life helps. Read!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/positive-outlook-may-mean-better-sleep

Q: Dr. Good evening, please I want to know if blood group can affect pregnancy or the baby, like husband 0- negative and wife in another group and if so what is the remedy? thanks.

A: Thanks for writing in.

The difference (O+ and O-) leads to a situation called Rhesus incompatibility. As a result of the difference in the Rhesus factors of the hubby and wifey, if the wife gives birth to a baby that is Rhesus Positive, her body will recognize the baby as a foreign body and thus mobilize antibodies to fight the baby. However, in a first pregnancy, this may not be a problem as this can only happen when there is mixing of mum’s and baby’s blood. This would usually happen at the time of separation of the placenta during birth. So, before the wife’s body can mount an effective response to the ‘threat’, the baby has been delivered. However, these antibodies are now ready to, more efficiently, deal with another threat as soon as it presents itself, perhaps through another pregnancy.

During a second pregnancy, these antibodies mount an attack on the cells of the baby leading to anaemia, jaundice, brain damage etc in a new baby.

However, this can be prevented by ensuring that you get an injection, Rhogam after 28 weeks of pregnancy and within 72 hours of birth. This injection deceives the woman’s body into thinking it has already produced antibodies against the baby and thus, the body technically understand, it doesn’t have to do same. The particles of Rhogam cannot cross the placenta and so baby is safe. Since you did not take this injection the first time, you need to see your doctor to advise on options.

For More on this topic please click on this:

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/09/07/daily-health-tips-my-hubby-is-rhesus-positive-and-i-am-rhesus-negative-is-my-baby-at-risk/

Have a good night, everyone 😀

‘Many people with hearing loss also have tinnitus, commonly known as ringing in the ear. This phrase is misleading, however, because some people hear ringing while others hear whistles, chirping, or a combination of sounds.‘

For more on this, please click on the link: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/ringing-in-the-ear-tinnitus-and-hearing-loss

Q: Hello Dr. Ketch, I am your follower. I have a sensitive question to ask. Is there any food or natural thing I can eat to increase lubrication during intercourse? What can I use. Thanks so much for your help.

A: Vaginal dryness can occur due to variety of reasons and at any age. Usually the vagina has a thin film of fluid that coats it. This fluid helps lubrication during sexual intercourse, maintains the normal environment of the vagina preventing the overgrowth of organisms like fungi, flushing out dead cells and menstrual blood. The level of this fluid/moisture varies with the level of estrogen released in the body. During sexual intercourse, there is increased blood flow to the vaginal area leading to an increase in the volume of moisture. During menopause, however, the level of estrogen is very low leading to vaginal dryness, loss of elasticity and thinning.

The main consequence of vaginal dryness is the fact that it affects sex life such that these women experience significant pain and sometimes, bleeding. Other problems that vaginal dryness could cause include soreness, itching and burning around the vaginal area, recurrent urinary tract infections and frequency of urinating etc.

There are other conditions, other than menopause that can lead to low estrogen and consequent vaginal dryness. They include childbirth, breast feeding, cigarette smoking, some medications (like anti-estrogen drugs used to treat cancer) and douching. Douching refers to the practice of cleaning the vagina with a ‘cleansing’ fluid. For more on this topic, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/…/daily-health-tips-what-is-dou…/

Other very common causes of vaginal dryness include a lack of foreplay during sexual intercourse, feelings of guilt, relationship issues, allergy etc

Treatment depends on cause. If it’s due to low estrogen, the focus would be on replacing this either through Hormone Replacement therapy or through the insertion of estrogen pessaries (tablets, cream or ring) into the vagina) should help. If due to rushed foreplay, there should be a conscious effort to slow down allow enough time for foreplay and sometimes, discussion with the partner may be helpful. Avoid heavily perfumed products like sanitary towels, tissues etc which may lead to irritation of the vagina and subsequent dryness etc.

I hope this helps.

Have a good night, y’all 😀