The Health Blog

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Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to stop breastfeeding your child. Long ago doctors believed it actually took nutrients away from the baby inside you, however that is not the case. Even today we have people that believe this and they will argue with you the entire time.  Only you can decide if you should stop breastfeeding your toddler or not. Don’t let someone else make that decision for you.

Reasons to Stop
A few reasons you might want to stop breastfeeding may be if you are feeling constantly drained of energy. Or maybe your child has started to bite. Sometimes your milk will just dry up, this is your body’s way of telling you that it has had enough and to take a break.  Mastitis could play a big role in making you stop immediately as well. Mastitis is an infection in the breast when it isn’t expressed enough and gets engorged.

Stopping or Weaning
If you do plan on stopping because you are pregnant, make sure it is for the right reasons. If your child has reached a certain age, it might be best. But never just yank it away from them.  Your child could wonder why it is being taken away. Wonder if they had done something or become discouraged about the new baby coming. Some children decide to wean themselves, which is a big help to you and you won’t feel so guilty about it. You can choose to do it cold turkey, or slowly wean him/her off. Cold turkey can have some bad results.  Try limiting his/her feeding times to certain hours and gradually as time passes take away more. Your child will quickly stop on his/her own and it won’t be a traumatic event.

WebMD reports about the recent food poisoning incident at this year’s Tase of Chicago Food Festival held from June 29 to July 2, which sent at least 10 people to the hospital and sickened more than 100 others. At least nine festival-goers were infected with salmonella, presenting as fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which may be bloody.

Most people recover from salmonella infection within a week. But some cases may be severe and even life-threatening. Babies, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems are more likely to experience severe illness from salmonella infection.

Food poisoning incidents can happen everywhere, at a family reunion, at a festival, at a restaurant or even at home. The good news is, it can be avoided if people were cautious enough. Experts suggested ways to prevent food poising:

So you have just given birth and are currently nursing your newborn child when suddenly an old familiar feeling starts to creep in. It might start as a fleeting, barely noticeable craving that slowly or suddenly turns into a gnawing desire. Before you know it, your sex drive is in high gear once again. You might feel that your body is not up to it yet, but your libido surely is. So what does one hot mama do when she starts to long for some loving?

Mothers need to let their body heal after giving birth before engaging in sex whether they have given birth normally or by C-section. Medical experts suggest that new moms wait for six weeks from giving birth before having sexual intercourse again. Ultimately though, it is up to the woman to decide whether she is already ready to sex or not. If you have just given birth but feel ready to get into some bedroom action, there are smart and safe ways to have sex again.

Eatingwell.com lists the 11 essential nutrients and how are they needed in the body.

1. Beta Carotene

What it does:

In the body, beta carotene is converted to vitamin A, a nutrient essential for healthy vision, immune function and cell growth. It also acts as an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals.

How much you need:

There’s no RDA for beta carotene.

Food Sources of Beta Carotene:

Eat plenty of dark green vegetables and orange vegetables and fruits (papaya, mango) weekly to meet your vitamin A needs and reap beta carotene’s potential antioxidant benefits.

Breastfeeding is the best gift a mother can offer her newborn baby. The benefits of breastfeeding are numerous. Among others, breastfeeding have the advantages of: contributing to baby’s brain development, is easier to digest, provides powerful antibodies and stimulates the baby’s own immune system, favors bonding with the mother, etc

Breastmilk is also very economical, always ready and has the perfect composition for the developing baby. Breastfeeding is also environmentally friendly as it does not require bottles and does not create wastes of any kind.

Breastfeeding does require a more important involvement from the mother as she is the only one who can provide the baby’s milk. New mothers are often discouraged by the amount of time breastfeeding requires from them and tend to abandon breastfeeding in the first week after birth.

The benefits of good health cannot be overemphasized for those who wish to lead a happy lifestyle. While good health does not guarantee happiness it is certainly a key building block for a future of well being, contentment and serenity.

What are the basics of good health?

Like most events in nature, development and maintenance of good health and a healthy lifestyle are simple in concept but take some work and dedication to achieve.
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• Healthy diet

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• Exercise
• Minimize stress on a daily basis

Almost all of the common diseases that threaten us today can be avoided to a great degree by eating right, adopting a program of regular exercise, and stress reduction through techniques like meditation.

A German study found out that natural family planning method is as effective as the contraceptive pill provided it was taught properly and carried out correctly. The symptothermal method (STM) assesses fertility levels during the monthly cycle by measuring body temperature, and observing cervical secretions.

Oftentimes, the major reason for not having family planning, especially in developing countries, is financial constraints. The efficacy of natural methods is oftentimes questioned, even by health professionals, so many mothers wouldn’t resort to it.

Saying “I love you” to your kids as often as you can can help develop the confidence and personality of your children. But the meaning should be depicted to this phrase as well. eDiets.com lists 9 ways to say “I love you” to your kids.

1. Use Eye Contact. It is said that souls touch when meaningful eye contact is made during moments of intimacy.

2. Touch. This adds a tactile meaning to the verbal expression of love. A plain “I love you” is incomparable with one with a hug or a pat on the back.

3. Use names. The sweetest sound in any language is the sound of your own name.

4. Use the words son and daughter. This creates an emotion-filled statement that will invite an equally emotional response.