feed. It usually begins in their first few weeks after birth and can continue up to around the age of 7 months when most reflux will have decreased. 

Reflux is caused when abdominal pressure overcomes the baby’s weak oesophageal sphincter (this is the muscle valve between the oesophagus and the stomach). Milk can easily bypass this muscle when they are lying down. 

To try to reduce the problems of reflux there are a few things you can do 

• Try feeding your baby smaller amounts. If the stomach is filled to capacity regurgitation is more likely to happen.
• Don’t put any pressure on their tummy, even a tight nappy can add pressure!
• Wait between feeds at least around 2 hours to ensure Reflux is the repeated, effortless regurgitation of small amounts of milk after each the stomach can empty itself.
• Winding your baby during feeds can help. Try not to interrupt their feeds but if they pause to look around, stop and wind them.
• Don’t jig them about after meals but try holding them in an upright position and when you put your baby in an infant seat put something under their bottom so they are more stretched out.

Reflux can only be a problem if you find your baby is not gaining weight due to regurgitating large amounts or is choking. If you are concerned in any way speak to your health visitor or doctor who will be able to assess your baby, the problem shouldn’t last forever. If you are out and about take plenty of spare clothing and cloths you can drape over yourself and remember by 7 months it should be resolved.

by: Rony Pollock

Associating fun and play with learning is a fundamental aspect of every child’s growth. It All Starts at Home. The home front is crucial to a child’s development. This is where a child learns about colours, shapes, and sounds, what Yes and No mean, and that asking “why” can almost always generate an explanation. Playing is every child’s first priority. Playtime may only seem to provide pure entertainment, but it is also an integral part of your child’s mental and emotional growth and it provides the provide the following benefits

·         Personality development

·         Awareness of their potentials

·         Promote independent thinking

·         An avenue for creative thinking and problem solving

 ·         Improvement their motor skills

·         Enhance their ability to think and communicate

Toys that Fit Infants – The keywords are soft, safe, and colourful. Vividly colures rattles and squeaky toys will stimulate their sense of touch, sight, and hearing.

1 to 2 years – This is a stage where children start learning how to manoeuvre the things in their hands. They are also beginning to discover that some things are paired together. Toddlers will enjoy building blocks and toys that will allow them to identify and match shapes.

2 to 3 years – Children are beginning to get more creative at this age. They like role playing with other kids or by themselves. Puzzles, Play Cubes, and educational toys that stir their imagination are the best options.

4 to 5 years – Kids are into creative thinking and decision-making by this age. Educational toys that can help enhance these developments include puzzle games and constructions toys.

As children grow older, they become more independent in their choices of what toys to play with. They usually forego free play for games that involve rules and friends. They learn to be competitive. This is the time where parents’ guidance is most crucial. But if you’ve established the foundation by providing your child with educational toys early on, then you may have a child who’s well-developed emotionally and smart to boot.

We are all probably aware of environmentally ‘good’ products and trying our best to eat organic and look after ourselves, this includes our skin. We know our skin is affected by the amount of water we drink, the food we eat and the creams and potions we use but how should we look after our baby’s skin?

Babies have thinner skin which is much more delicate than ours, so therefore it is not really in need of beautiful baby smelling soaps, shampoos, bubble baths and scented wipes. Although the packing and clever marketing strategies will have us thinking that we should be buying the entire range.

Is it healthy to overload their fresh new and delicate skin with a mixture of chemicals even if they are organic and claim to contain raw and natural ingredients?

Some experts are now claiming that all a new born baby needs to keep their skin clean is simply water, cotton wool and a baby comb. They advise using fragrance free detergents and fabric conditioners for washing their clothes.

Every year there is an increase in the amount of babies, children and adults suffering from conditions such as

·         Skin allergies

·         Eczema

AsthmaThe experts now think that it is time to get back to basics to allow your baby to develop their own natural barrier without any chemical intervention.

After one month they recommend

·         Fragrance free baby wipes

·         An emollient based moisturizer

·         No shampoo, just wash in warm water

Sounds simple, maybe it is worth a try? Although as an adult I do still love the smell of baby talc but think that if it is better for my baby, the environment and saves money then maybe it is worth getting back to basics?

A test that can detect Down’s syndrome from the blood of pregnant women has raised the prospect of routine screening for the condition for every expectant mother who wants it and should be available in around 5 years.

At the moment a test to check for Down’s syndrome is only carried out on women who are at high risk such as being over the age of forty. It is an invasive test and does carry the risk of miscarriage of one in 100 women. It involves inserting a needle into the womb to remove amniotic fluid surrounding the foetus or removing a small piece of the placenta.

Down’s syndrome affects around 1 in 900 of pregnancies and occurs when three copies of chromosome 21 are inherited instead of the usual two. Down’s syndrome causes learning difficulties and often cardiac defects.

However, if the test proved positive what would you do? It would give you more time to prepare and research about your life as a parent of a child with Down’s syndrome but equally it could increase the abortion rate.

Many parents who have a child with Down’s syndrome experience all the joys of parenthood and will tell you that they wouldn’t change anything. Their children enjoy their life and have great potential.

Would you go ahead and have the test if it became more accessible?

by: Craig Smith

Depression during pregnancy is a serious problem, affecting 10-20% of all women. With figures like that and with the added concern that depression can factor into the health of the baby, it is important to know something about how depression and pregnancy are connected.

It’s important to recognize what depression is and what the symptoms are.Depression is usually diagnosed when the patient experiences three or more of the following symptoms in the space of two weeks:

·         A sense that nothing feels enjoyable or fun anymore

·         Feeling blue, sad, or “empty” for most of the day, every day

·         Difficulty concentrating

·         Extreme irritability, agitation, or excessive crying

·         Trouble sleeping or sleeping all the time

·         Extreme or never-ending fatigue

·         A desire to eat all the time or not wanting to eat at all.

If a woman experiences three or more of these, she may be suffering from clinical depression and should report the symptoms to her doctor.

Author: Dionna Sanchez 

A mother has a lot of responsibility. We want to do our jobs right and take care of our families right. But somehow we lost our sense of laughter along the way. 

I realized this a few weeks ago.  Let’s take a little quiz…. see how you rate. 

1) Do you get upset with your children when they’ve had a massive pillow fight in their bedroom and left a huge mess?  Or do you jump in and join them? 

2) Do you send your children outside on the quest to “find someone to play with?” — or do you go in the backyard and swing with them? 

3) Do you sigh in exasperation as you find your child has not done something you’ve asked them to do for the umpteenth time instead of telling them you will tickle the stuffing’s out of them if they don’t take care of it within 5 minutes?? 

Children love when we find the time to abandon our agenda and spend time laughing and enjoying life with them. It shows that we value them above our projects and “to-do’s.” Finding the fun in life is also very good for us, it reminds us to “lighten up.” And face it - we need to do that sometimes!. 

Valuable lessons can be taught in the fun moments as well as the serious moments in life. Remind your self to look at the positive side of life.  

We need to have more fun.  Let that be your challenge for this week.

Author: Phillip Dye  It’s quite important that you drink enough water during your pregnancy and postpartum period. This will help ensure that your pregnancy is a healthy one. Water does a few things for you.

·         It helps your kidney and liver functions (and those of your baby also),

·         It flushes waste from your system cells.

·         It helps with your body’s expansion.

·         During pregnancy your blood volume will increase quite a bit. Because of this, without enough water, you could experience pre-term labor, miscarriage, constipation, or an increase in fatigue.

·         Without enough water, milk production and flow will be hindered. 

Here are some important facts every pregnant woman should know.  

1. A pregnant woman needs between eight and twelve 8-ounce glasses of water a day. She should drink even more if the weather is hot or if she’s been exercising. 2. Don’t always use thirst as an indicator to drink In fact, a lot of times, we don’t experience thirst until dehydration has already begun. It’s better to dehydrate ahead of time.

3. Do not try to substitute sodas or other caffeinated beverages for water. These will actually cause your body to dehydrate faster. Therefore, they do not and should not be counted as part of your daily fluid intake. The less you drink of these while pregnant, the better.

4. Increasing your water consumption will actually help with your feelings of tiredness. So the next time you feel a bout of fatigue coming on, try drinking more water.

We’ve all been told how important it is to wear a properly fitted maternity bra to prevent drooping and sagging but just how to you decide which size to buy? The easiest way is to get properly fitted but you can work out your size for yourself which can be helpful, especially if you are purchasing one from the internet or ordering from a catalogue and can’t try them on! 

• Firstly work out what your band size is. Take a tape measure and put in around your body, just under your bust. You should take the measurement in inches and simply round it up to the nearest even number, i.e if you measure 37, then round it up to 38.
• Next you need to work out your cup size. Whilst wearing a non- padded, well fitting bra, measure around the widest part of your bust. This will need to be measured in inches. You will then work out the difference between this measurement and your band size to get your cup size. Every inch of difference between the two measurements is an increase of cup size. i.e if your band size is 36 and your bust measurement is 39, the difference will be 3 inches. As you can see from below this would make you a c cup, so you would be 36C!

Buying a car seat for your baby is a must if you ever plan on taking them in a car, even on a short journey. The proper use of car safety seats helps you keep your child safe.  If you are taking your baby home by car from hospital after giving birth, the hospital will insist in you putting your baby into your car seat prior to leaving. 

It has been recommended that you always purchase a new car seat, as when purchasing a second-hand one you will need to be sure that the car seat has never been involved in an accident as this will make it unsafe for your child. 

How do you choose which car seat to buy? 

• Car seats vary with many different brands and models. Always check that the car seat you wish to purchase is suitable for your car. Many stores selling car seats will ask for the make and model of the vehicle in which the car seat will be used and will tell you which car seats would be best.
• Check that the type of seat is correct for your baby’s age and weight.
• Some companies selling car seats will actually fit them for you to ensure they are fitted correctly.
• Infants should be in a rear facing infant only seat or a convertible seat until they are 1 year old and 20 pounds. They can then move onto a forward facing seat until they are around 40 pounds or their ears have reached the top of the car seat.
• If you have an airbag in the passenger side of the car your baby will not be able to travel in the front as it is illegal unless you have the airbag de-activated as is it not only dangerous but also the law.

Shop around and talk to the people selling the car seats, they should have a good knowledge of the type most suitable for your vehicle, your life style and your baby. 

Always read the manufacture instructions to insure you have the car seat fitted correctly.

Author: David Riewe 

·         If you smoke, now is a good time to quit rather than waiting until you have that positive test. Smoking can decrease your fertility and increase your risk of a miscarriage if you are still smoking when you are pregnant. ·         Start to eat foods that have plenty of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Lay off the fat and excess sugar. You want to eat foods that have a high nutrient density. Eat at least five portions a day of fruits and vegetables along with protein and iron rich foods like dried fruit, and green vegetables. Try to steer clear of raw fish like sushi, and steer clear of undercook shellfish, meat or chicken. You also want to try to avoid fish that has high mercury content like swordfish, shark, or king mackerel. Cut out any food that has unpasteurized milk in it including cheeses such as brie, camembert, and some Mexican cheese. Also cut out foods that have raw egg in it including homemade cookie dough.

·         Water should always be your first beverage choice before, after and during your pregnancy. Water helps to flush your system of toxins. Once you’ve gotten your eight glasses in, you can drink fruit and vegetable juices also.

·         Perhaps the most important thing you can do before you get pregnant is to cut out all alcohol. Women who drink might have a harder time getting pregnant than women who do not drink. Another reason why you should give up alcohol is that most birth defects that are caused by alcohol exposure usually occur in the first few weeks of pregnancy, usually before you even know you are pregnant. 

Getting your body prepared for pregnancy is one of the best decisions you could make. Your body will be more prepared for the challenge of growing a baby and the experience will be a little easier on your body.