chatwithketch

Q: Good evening Dr. My daughter is 10 month and she don’t like eating food only breast milk. What can I use for her to boast her appetite for Food. Thanks

A: Thanks for writing in. Exclusively breastfed babies usually have a challenge moving on to other foods. The breast milk is that good! 😀

I reproduce below, a post I had made on this subject:
Just like adults, a good number of babies are resistant to change. They are comfortable eating what they had been eating? Life was good…why do you want to change it???? 😀 Okay, that’s some babies. Others are more than happy to move on to the next stage!

When to start? At 6 months. From birth to 6 months, please focus on exclusive breastfeeding with not even a drop of water. From six months, baby is ready to be introduced to some other food.

For a long time, the standard teaching had been to go for rice cereal as the first add-on meal because it is bland and babies tolerate this well. Other studies question this wisdom now and suggest that foods like meats with lots of essential nutrients like iron may be a good place to start. What should you do? You can boil beef/chicken very soft and blend it up for baby. If baby tolerates this, then by the next week, you could try adding some rice cereal. Try not to introduce more than one food per week so that you have time to study how your baby adapts to it and of course, look out for/isolate food allergy. And, to start off, only one meal of the complementary feed should be given daily. The rest should be the usual…breast milk 😀 This will, of course, as baby tolerates.

Generally, foods to start off weaning should be just slightly thicker than milk and so, if it retains its shape on a spoon, it may be too thick.

From 9 months, baby can be allowed to start experimenting with regular family meals…minus the spices, of course 😀

From one year of age, you can add the cereals mentioned in the question and it’s also okay to introduce cow milk at this time. Full cream cow milk is advocated at this time for proper brain development. Thereafter, please switch to skimmed/1%/2% milk as full cream milk has a lot of saturated fat which may contribute to poor heart health. Grains, green leafy vegetables, cow milk, honey, whole eggs can generally be introduced after the baby turns 1 year old.

Generally, other weaning foods that can be introduced include:
Boiled egg yolk (egg whites contain substances that baby may react to), sweet potatoes, fish, chicken, beef, fruits like banana, avocados, boiled beans (with skin removed if possible etc
Simple recipes include, blend some chicken or beef with the stock or mash a banana and add to baby’s cereal.

Our local cereals can also be used and fortified with some breast milk or formula.

As baby tolerates these meals, you can get a little more adventurous.

Boiled carrots mashed with some coconut oil or a little yoghurt with mashed banana may not go amiss too.

An example of a recipe I make for my children is boil potatoes in a pot and place a stainless plate on top of the pot. Add your egg yolk and a drop Olive oil and when the yolk is cooked and potatoes soft, mash all together and feed baby.

Now I know we are all very busy, but weaning is no easy task and so we must commit to trying as much as to prepare these meals ourselves. Packaged meals usually contain additives that may trigger problems/allergies etc in the baby. Hygiene is also critical!

I hope y’all are having a great day?

The book, Just For The Health Of It, is now available in more places.

For those in Abuja and environs, please call 07030739403 or pick it up at No 5 Bricks Market, Dawaki 11 Market, Dawaki extension.

For those in Awka, please call 08189944090.

Remember that this book is a great gift for anyone who wishes to live and eat healthy, lose weight, get ready for pregnancy and parenting. Buy copies for bridal showers, baby showers, Christmas gifts etc. It’s a gift that keeps on giving 😀

Our former channels still remain:

1) Jumia.com. Just click on this link http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-just-for-the-health-of-it-with-dr-ketch-179486.html and get a copy. You have the option of paying when the book is delivered to you or paying online. This service is available all over Nigeria.

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,. Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi

Q: Good morning chief. Please can fondling and sucking of breast lead to pre-term labour especially in third trimester.

A: Chief????Hmmm! 😀

Great question! The answer is not straight forward though…it’s a yes and no! Theoretically, sucking on the breast can cause the release of the hormone, oxytocin, which can cause uterine (womb) contractions. Towards the end of pregnancy too, a woman becomes more sensitive to the effects of this hormone and would observe a good number of Braxton-Hicks contractions (these are ‘fake’ contractions preparing the womb for the main even :D)

However, in practice the amount of oxytocin released is really not enough to induce labour. If, you have had issues with pre-term pregnancy in the past, you may want to have a chat with your doctor about this.

For related posts, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/02/16/daily-health-tips-can-i-breastfeed-while-pregnant/

Have a great night y’all 😀

Q: Morning Doc, my daughter of 1 month 3 weeks releases a lot of gas. What could be the problem or is it normal? Thanks Doc…

A: 😀 Is this your first baby? I can imagine your embarrassment the first time this happened! 😉

If you’re breastfeeding your baby, your diet could affect your baby making her gassy. Foods that contain milk, peanuts, corn or wheat are easy culprits. If you suspect any of them are causing your baby to be gassy, you may consider stopping the particular food for about a week to see if symptoms improve.

Other tips to help you deal with this and indeed reduce your baby’s flatulence include:

Ensure the baby is latched on properly to your breast while feeding. This ensures that baby does not suck in loads of air while getting her meal. If you’re bottle feeding, ensure you tilt the bottle such that the milk fills the nipple too.

Try holding your baby upright for a while after breastfeeding and if bottle feeding try to feed in as upright a position as possible.

Be sure to burp your baby after each meal to ease out all of that gas J

Rub your baby’s tummy…like a tummy massage and play the bicycle leg game with her. This involves moving her legs up and down as if she were riding a bicycle.

Feed your baby on demand to prevent getting her worked up J When she’s worked up, she cries while eating, getting equal doses of food and air which ultimately leads to all that gas in her tummy.

Constipated babies also pass out a lot of gas. If you’re exclusively breastfeeding, this should not be a problem.

For a related post, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/08/19/daily-health-tips-can-i-use-gripe-water-for-my-babys-tummy-ache/

Have a good night y’all 😀

Consistently feeling tired and stressed out?

Easy culprits could be lifestyle factors like inactivity or too much activity, poor eating habits, poor sleep, alcohol or caffeine use. Psychologically, stress, grief, anxiety can also make one feel tired and fatigued continually.

As the year comes to an end, a lot of people find themselves feeling this way as they struggle to complete tasks, that, maybe, they should have started at the beginning of the year 😀

Should you be on supplements? If you know for a fact that you’re not getting enough nourishment generally or enough of the right nutrients, then you most definitely need to supplement. Supplements are a great way to provide those nutrients that your body is missing because you’re not eating much or to plug the nutrient hole if you’re eating but missing out on essential nutrients. Most people, however, do not like popping pills and so taking the supplements is also not the easiest option for them. But here’s some good news! There are supplements that are available as easy-to-mix drinks. A great example is Complan which is a complete meal in a drink.

What else should you be doing? Here are quick tips for you!

• If you’ve not been exercising, make a plan to include 30 minutes of activity daily. Yes, you can do it! Use the stairs, use the gym, park your car farther from your office and walk etc And you know what? Exercise helps boost your appetite! One more reason for you to get moving 😀
• Try and catch at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily
• Reduce your intake of caffeine and alcohol
• Manage your stress better. Use the 4 A’s: avoid or alter the stressor, adapt to or accept the situation.

Finally, diet is critical. Remember that stress can make you lose appetite and when your body is being starved of nutrients, you end up feeling tired! If your appetite has taken a vacation, supplements can help to ensure that you are not being starved of essential nutrients which your body needs. The fact that Complan is packed full of proteins, carbs, vitamins, minerals and  it has all the nutrition of a complete meal in a drink which can be readily mixed as a drink, makes it a great choice at times like these.

As you start to feel better, ensure that you eat healthy. More fruits and veggies should be added to your diet; don’t skip breakfast, watch your portions.

So, there you go! All the tips you need to fight fatigue and tiredness! So, next time I see you in serious ‘go-slow’ traffic, be sure to have a big smile on ….and maybe, even a cup of Complan! 😀