chatwithketch

Dear family, thank you so much for your kind thoughts and wishes to me yesterday. You overwhelmed me with your love. I’m not sure how many of you got around to answering the question, ‘what are you thankful for?’ but I’m certainly thankful for the love I felt from all of you yesterday.

May your joy be full always!

And now to today’s question…

Q: How can I store expressed breast milk?

A: Expressed breast milk has to be handled in a very hygienic way. It is important that it does not form the means by which germs find their way into your baby’s body so utmost care must be taken.

What should you do? I reproduce a post I had made on this a while back;

To express milk for your baby, first, you have to be committed to be hygienic because you don’t want to introduce germs into your baby, do you? Always scrub your hands with soap and water whether you are using the breast pump or your hands.

Having expressed the milk, when stored at room temperature, be sure to use up the milk within 6 hours.

When stored in the fridge,
• Ensure that the temperature in the refrigerator is below 5 degrees centigrade.
• Do not store on the door of the fridge. Please store on the shelf towards the back of the refrigerator where it’s cooler
• At this temperature, you can store milk for up to 5 days.

When stored in the ice compartment of the refrigerator, you can store milk up to 2 weeks

When stored in the deep freezer, you can store milk up to 6 months.

To thaw frozen milk, please put it in the fridge. When it’s thawed, you may feed your baby with it but if your baby prefers it warm, you can run some warm water over the bottle until it’s just right. Do not microwave it as this may create some hot spots in the bottle which may cause scalding of your baby.

Once thawed, please don’t re-freeze the milk as this might encourage the growth of micro-organisms.

Make sure that the container used for storing milk is sterilized to prevent any potential introduction of germs into the milk. Use small containers that hold just about the amount that your baby finishes per feed.

If you express a lot of milk, be sure to label the different containers and use the oldest pack first. Please stick with the duration of storage guideline we’ve given.

Now, it goes without saying that you should not store milk close to contaminants like meat, fish or even strong smelling foods like onions 😉

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

Today as I celebrate my birthday, I’m thankful and joyful!
I’m thankful for the gift of life and family.
I’m thankful for the gift of good health
I’m thankful for unmerited favour that I have enjoyed in my life
I’m thankful for friends who have my back
I’m thankful for YOU…you all have made me better and have made me committed to this advocacy. I think about the fact that y’all are waiting to hear what I have to say in answer to your questions daily.
I’m thankful for the grace to do what I love doing.
I am just THANKFUL!

What are you thankful for? Remember that more than any medication or drug, being thankful and joyful makes all the difference 🙂

Have a great day, y’all 😀

Today is World Hand Hygiene Day!

The World Health Organization calls on health workers to ‘Wash Hands and Save Lives’ I believe the importance of hand hygiene by all, especially health workers was clearly demonstrated during the Ebola scare. Just a fleeting touch or contact with a contaminated surface was enough to cause an infection!

So, since the Ebola scare, what are the key learning points you have taken away and still practice with regards to hand hygiene? If you have children, what important lessons have you taught them? What does hand hygiene mean to you?

I’d love to hear from you all.

Helpful posts: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/07/30/daily-health-tips-when-should-i-wash-my-hands/

Hygiene is two thirds of health!

I hope you had a great day at work today?

Q: I was asking…what can someone do if he/she as been bed wetting since he was little? Now they are even 18 years old?

A: Hello. Thanks for writing in. Bed wetting is a huge challenge in childhood…how much more in adulthood!

Bedwetting is usually due to an increase in the amount of urine usually contained in the bladder, an over-reactive bladder or small bladder or it may be due to a heavy sleeper who does not get or respond to the urge to void when he/she gets that urge while asleep. In childhood, ensuring the child urinates just before he goes to bed, limiting the amount of fluid he takes in the evening (some studies have shown no significant improvement with this strategy), encouraging the child to use the bathroom regularly during the day or using bedwetting alarms may help a child get through this period. A bedwetting alarm is an under-pant with a sensor clipped in. The sensor ‘senses’ (obviously :D) urine once a drop falls on the panty and thus triggers the alarm. The alarm ‘hopefully’ wakes up the child who then goes to the bathroom. In other cases, a drug may be used for over-reactive bladders. If a child had previously stopped bedwetting and starts up again, it may be due to emotional issues like having to cope with a new sibling, changing schools, moving houses etc. You may want to have a chat and find out what’s going on.

Remember that screaming at the child and embarrassing him in front of other people is not helpful. In fact, it is counter-productive as the child becomes unco-operative. Trust me…every child who bed-wets hates it and is absolutely embarrassed by it. And by the way, as a parent, consider that bedwetting appears to run in families and so your child is only exhibiting what he’s been given 😀 So, give the young man or woman a break!

Now, other causes of bedwetting which include Diabetes Mellitus, urinary tract infections, abnormalities of the urinary tract etc can also lead to night bedwetting (known as nocturnal enuresis) and any of these may likely be the problem with the adult bed-wetter. He/she has to be checked out in the hospital so that a proper diagnosis can be made.

For more on adult bedwetting, please click on this link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/11/24/daily-health-tip-adult-bed-wetting/

Have a great night, people 😀

Do you wonder what to do with your baby’s umbilical cord stump? How many times to clean it? What to clean it with? Methylated spirit, antiseptic lotion or water? Or perhaps you should just ignore it, hoping against hope that nature does its thing and the stump falls off when it should, leaving your baby with a nice looking navel?

Well, a couple of years ago, the standard teaching was to wipe the stump with rubbing alcohol (methylated spirit) after every diaper change, but it was realized that this may have delayed the healing of the stump somewhat. The focus, really, is on keeping the stump clean and dry.

For details on how to get this going and more, get a copy of the book, Just For The Health Of It via the shop now link on our facebook page. Or you can get it through:

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

This Week on Dr Ketch Show, we explore memory loss. Have you had those moments when you just wanted to say something and then promptly forgot. Or you were just introduced to someone and the next moment, you’d completely forgotten the name! Well, we teach tou some tricks to help you recall, show you some foods that are thought to help memory and visit with a top business exec who shares her own tips for keeping her memory sharp.

If you missed the show on Thursday, catch it again on Sunday by 7pm on Africa Magic Showcase.

Here’s to a healthier you!

Have you ever heard of sensitive teeth? They can really mess up your day and make you feel like the end is near. If you’ve ever drank cold water or hot water, or even sweet or sour foods or even had air touch your teeth and then doubled over in pain? Well, you may have this condition.

Sensitive teeth are caused when the nerve endings on our teeth are exposed. Here are 5 top tips to prevent the development or recurrence of Sensitive teeth

• Scheduling regular dental visits. Your dentist is a professional who can spot problems with your teeth, perhaps even before you notice them. He can also help with requisite treatments if you already have sensitive teeth.
• Brushing teeth correctly with a soft-bristled toothbrush twice daily. You know how a lot of us think that we get our teeth squeaky clean when we scrub away at it with a hard bristled brush? Well, we are wrong. Doing this can lead to wearing away of the protective surface of the teeth.
• Flossing and rinsing appropriately to remove plaque is essential. Build up of plaque can lead to sensitive teeth and so, obviously, flossing will get rid of the plaque that could led to this.
• Using a fluorinated toothpaste. Fluoride found in toothpaste has been found to help sensitive teeth.
• Avoiding habits of clenching or grinding teeth can also help prevent tooth sensitivity.

So, go ye forth and be pain-free 😀