chatwithketch

Q: Hello doctor, how are you today? Please doctor, I have a question I want to ask you but before, let me take this time out to appreciate your wonderful advice you have been giving us. Doctor, my baby is only 2months old and sometimes he does not defecate all d time. Sometimes this can go on for 2 days, sometimes 3,4 or even 5days! This is not affecting him emotionally as he is always happy, smiling and playing. Please Doctor, is he alright or is there anything I can do? Your advice will be duly appreciated doctor. God bless you real good!

A: Thank you for all your kind words 😀

You didn’t note whether your baby is being exclusively breastfed or not. If your baby is exclusively breast fed (as he should be from birth to 6 months of age), the baby can sometimes go days without defaecation and is due to the fact that practically all the nutrients in breast milk are completely absorbed during each feed, such that there is little or nothing to excrete. However, it is expected that when baby does poop, the faeces should still be soft in consistency as opposed to hard, dry, pellet-like stool as occurs in constipation. If the stool is hard with exclusive breast feeding (?), please visit your baby’s paediatrician.

Formula fed babies, on the other hand, suffer from constipation because it is more difficult for a baby to digest formula than breast milk.

If your baby is dehydrated, perhaps from not taking enough fluids as may occur if she has a cold and is refusing feeds due to difficulty with breathing when feeding, ‘constipation’ may also occur. Other causes include food allergies and/or introduction of complementary fees as the body learns to handle these foods.

If your baby is on exclusive breast feeding, passing out dry, hard stools is unlikely. For formula feeds, try to give your baby more water and be sure that you are adding the right amount of formula to make the baby’s meals. If this continues, please see your baby’s doctor.

For more on this subject, please click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/05/20/daily-health-tips-can-my-diet-cause-my-baby-to-have-diarrhea-while-breastfeeding/

Have a great night, y’all 😀

Tomorrow is Global Hand washing Day!

Usually, when I would talk about hand washing, it would sound like stating the obvious. However, the outbreak of Ebola has made all of us sit up and appreciate the importance of hygiene. The ease with which Ebola is spreading in countries speaks volumes.

So, here’s my question to you. What’s the most important hygiene lesson that the outbreak of Ebola has taught you and/or your family?

Post a comment here and share your thoughts with us.

For more on hand washing, please click on the link below:

Daily Health Tips (video): Hand Washing

Daily Health Tips: Why You Must Never Leave The Toilet Without Washing Your Hands!

Daily Health Tips: When Should I Wash My Hands?

Save lives: clean your hands!

Have a fab day, people 🙂

Q: Good morning Dr. Ketch.
Hope you are good. May Allah continue to bless you and family and may He continue to increase you in your good works. . . Aameen.

Doc, please I need your help on something that is seriously disturbing. What might be the cause of my 54year-old brother In- Law’s foot being swollen? For something now his feet are swollen, to the extent that if he touches any part of it, it sinks though he feels little or no pain at all and after sometime the sunk in part comes back on its own.

So Doctor what can be done to remedy this, if there’s any? Thanks while I await your response
A: Swelling of the feet and ankles is known as peripheral oedema. This can happen normally towards the end of the day if one has been standing or sitting for long periods of time. And also when one is pregnant and/or has an ankle or foot injury.

There are many causes of foot swelling and they can broadly be divided into those that have to do with kidney problems, those as a result of problems with/blockage of the lymphatic drainage or problems with the circulatory system. Eg

• Kidney failure
• Hormone therapy
• Liver disease
• Clots in the leg (Deep Venous Thrombosis)
• Infection of the legs etc

So, advice him to go to a hospital and see a doctor who will run tests to determuine what is wrong woth him.

Have a great night, y’all 😀

Q: Good job Dr. Please, keep it up.
Dr. is it possible for one to be pregnant and still see her monthly period?

A: People do not menstruate when pregnant. Remember that menstruation happens when fertilization of eggs released during ovulation by sperm does not occur. And so, if fertilization and pregnancy occur, menstruation is ruled out.

Bleeding can occur in early pregnancy though, close to or about the same time as the menstruation would and thus be mistaken for a period. This bleeding could be due to implantation as the fertilized egg implants itself in the uterus (womb). Other causes of bleeding in early pregnancy include ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage and infections.

Bleeding in pregnancy may not necessarily be an emergency but because there are other causes of these episodes of bleeding, which are potentially life threatening like ectopic pregnancy, bleeding in pregnancy should always be checked out in the hospital. Better safe than sorry 😉

Have a great week ahead, y’all 😀

Today is World Egg Day! Did I hear you snigger?! Seriously??? World Egg Day? Well, yes. I meant that absolutely seriously! 😀

I have been told that when I was younger, I would sneak into the kitchen at night to crack open an egg and drink it…raw!!! That’s absolutely disgusting! 😀 And vile, too…who does that?!Now, I can’t even stand the smell of raw eggs. I scrub anything that has touched it, until I can’t smell the egg even the tiniest bit! But, I digress… This is not about me or my love/hate relationship with eggs.

When was the last time you had an egg? You’ve probably heard that eggs are bad for your heart and don’t indulge, right? Or when you do indulge, you feel you’re really committing a serious sin? Well, here’s news for you!

Eggs were traditionally thought to be bad because of the high cholesterol content in the yolks. However, recent studies have shown that the cholesterol in diet does not play as much a role in increasing blood cholesterol as does the saturated fat in foods like pastries, cakes etc. Eggs are full of protein (they contain all the essential amino acids), contain loads of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants which help fight diseases to boot. However, diabetics and people with a genetic disorder, hypercholesterolaemia (too much cholesterol in the blood), may want to check with their doctors. Generally, one egg a day works for most people.

For more on eggs, please click on the link below:

Daily Health Tips: Egg-celent News!

Have a great weekend, y’all 🙂

Q: Good afternoon Dr. Ketch, I stumbled on your health talks on DSTV today and I also searched the internet to read more about you and your programmes and I was very impressed. May Almighty God continue to be with you in all ramifications (Amen).

Dr. Ketch, my wife and I got married in 2012 and she could not conceive until February this year. But she had miscarriage at 11th week of the pregnancy. The scan showed that the foetus had stop breathing since when it was 7th week. When I asked the doctor what could have led to it, he said stress or her body chemistry might have caused it but I wasn’t convinced because my wife didn’t undergo any stress during the period of the pregnancy and she had undergone series of test at UCH, Ibadan and some private hospitals ever before her conception.

I want to know what could have actually caused the miscarriage and the death of foetus at 7th week before the miscarriage actually happened at 11th week despite that she was feeling ok before the miscarriage; what to do to easily help get pregnant and what to do if she conceives to avoid the same occurrence?
A: Amen to all those wonderful prayers! 😉
Condolences on the loss of your baby. It is never an easy experience for anyone to go through. I’m really happy that you want to find out what happened and what to do to prevent this in future. I trust that ou and your wife have found ways of openly discussing this with each other so that you both can air your hurts and heal together.
Unfortunately, oftentimes, the cause of a miscarriage is not identified. Your wife needs to understand this so that she doesn’t blame herself 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. Your wife should start of folate supplements as soon as she can to prepare her and baby for the journey ahead.
To prevent a recurrence, focus on ensuring that your wife stays healthy and does 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 she gets pregnant again, she should register or antenatal as soon as possible and keep to her appointments religiously. She should also contact her obstetrician, even if she’s not due for an appointment, something may be wrong with her baby.

For more on this topic, please click on the link below:

Daily Health Tips: What Should I Do To Conceive Again After A Miscarriage?

Good night everyone! 😀

I’ve received a lot of questions on infertility in the past coiple of days. I guess because one of our 5 minute shows which aired on DSTV earlier in the week was on low sperm count and infertility. So, I’ve reproduced two of these questions and provided answers.

Q: My wife and I have been trusting God for the fruit of the womb. How can we go about it medically?

Q: Good morning doc, I want to thank you so much for your assistance through this page. Please what kind of food do I need to take to increase my fertility? I will be trying to get pregnant by the end of October. Thanks.
A: First, trying to have a baby is only recognized as an issue after one full year of trying, for most people. So, mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and all other concerned citizens who start looking at the ‘bride’s’ tummy a few weeks after a wedding, please back off 😀 Now, this one full year means that give or take, there is regular (on at least 3 days of a week), unprotected (without condoms or any barrier method of contraception) sexual intercourse and that this intercourse ends with the ejaculation of a sufficient amount of semen. So, if your husband stays in Kaduna and you live in Lagos and perhaps only see once a month, you may not qualify to be classified under infertility.

Other lifestyle habits that can help a couple in their conception journey include:
Healthy choices in terms of diet (practice portion control, eat lots of fruits and veggies etc), keeping a healthy weight (try and stay within your BMI), exercising most days a week for at least 30 minutes, manage your stress etc Folic acid supplements are also great as they help protect baby from defects in their neural tubes (spinal cord)

Having sexual intercourse closer to the time of ovulation may be helpful in increasing chances of pregnancy. Does this also increase the chances of having a baby boy or girl? Despite ‘claims’ that male chromosomes swim faster, there’s no guarantee that having sexual intercourse on any particular day, ovulation or otherwise, increases the chance of pregnancy with either sex. This matter is solely in God’s domain except sex selection is done as can happen for some IVF patients.

Stay off alcohol and smoking, reduce stress and if you can, have your babies before the age of 30 years for both men and women. For women, you have a bigger population of eggs which are healthy and for men, the sperm are also healthy and swim as fast as they should.

For more on this topic, please click on the links below:

Daily Health Tips: What Drug Can Help Me Get Pregnant?

Daily Health Tips: Should I Pop Vitamins When I Am Pregnant?

Daily Health tips: Why Can’t I Have A Baby If The Doctors Have Said Nothing Is Wrong With Me?!

Daily Health Tips: Low Sperm Count

Good night, y’all 😀

Q: Dr, please can a hepatitis B patient breastfeed her baby without problem to the baby and what are the food to be taken by the patient.

A: Yes a woman with Hepatitis B can breastfeed her baby. The chances of passing the virus on through breastfeeding are minimal and the few risks that exist are counteracted by the fact that the baby is, ideally, immunized within the first 12 hours of birth. Be sure to take care of the breasts and prevent nipple cracks etc

What foods should a hepatitis patient take? A healthy balanced diet, really. Stay off alcohol though as this causes further damage to the liver. Be sure to drink sufficient amounts of water daily and discuss all drugs you’re taking with your doctor.

For more on hepatitis, please click on the links below:

Daily Health Tips: Do I Require Treatment For Hepatitis B Infection?

Daily Health Tips: Liver Disease

Have a great night, y’all 😀

Q: Dr. good afternoon, please, help me I gave coke to my 4 Months old daughter yesterday, now she just went to toilet now and I discover she has jedi-jedi. Please what drugs should I buy for her?

A: Okay, I know that different people wean their babies with different foods but there are a couple of issues here: first at 4 months, your baby should still be on exclusive breast feeding until she’s 6 months old. Then, when weaning starts, this should ideally be started with cereals. Remember that you should be modeling the right nutrition behavior for your baby now. If you introduce her to a diet of refined sugars now, it may be difficult to get her off them later. Recall that diets like this open her up to obesity and other lifestyle diseases. Caffeine found in some of these drinks can cause headaches, tummy upset, increased heart rate and increased blood pressure, amongst other effects. Having said that, what’s done is done. How to move beyond this?

If your baby is still taking breast milk, please go back to this…hoping that you will still make enough breast milk, if you have already introduced other foods to baby’s diet. As for jedi-jedi, what exactly do you mean as the term is used interchangeably to mean haemorrhoids (pile) and/or dysentery (poop with blood or mucous in it)? If you mean any of this and your baby still has this, please take her to see her paediatrician as soon as possible.

Other useful posts on weaning and caffeine are included with links below:

Daily Health Tips: Can I Start Solids For My Baby By 4 Months?

Daily Health Tips: Coffee, Energy Drinks et al

Daily Health Tips: My 7-Month Old Has Rashes And Still Gets Most Of Her Food From Breast Milk!

Daily Health Tips: I Think My Daughter Is Small For Her Age!

Daily Health Tips: Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

You’ve got one more day to nominate someone special for our spa day treat. So, nominate someone now 🙂

Have awesome night, y’all 😀