What you Need To Know About Lassa Fever.

What you Need To Know About Lassa Fever.

As mother and child expo, most of us have heard about Lassa Fever, but many of us still have questions regarding its origin, transmission, diagnosis and treatment. Below are 5 key facts about Lassa fever that every mother and child  should be aware of:

Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. It is commonly found in West African countries.

8 Ways To Protect Yourself And Children From Lassa Fever.

 8 Ways To Protect Yourself And Children From Lassa Fever.

Firstly, it is important to know some facts about the deadly Lassa fever which is currently a major concern in Nigeria.

Below are 8 things you must know about Lassa fever and how to protect yourself from the virus.

         Breastfeeding As A Working Mother

Can i Continue To Breastfeed Once I Return To Work?

Yes, you can. If you live near work or have on-site or nearby daycare, you may be able to take nursing breaks to feed your baby. If that's not possible, you have two choices:

Option 1: You can keep up your milk supply by using a high-quality electric breast pump to express milk during the workday. Your child's caregiver can give your baby bottles of your expressed breast milk. (You can also supplement with formula if you can't produce enough milk.) You'll still be able to nurse your child whenever you're not. 

Option 2: If you can't or don't want to pump at work, you can gradually replace daytime feedings with formula while you're still at home but continue to nurse at night and in the morning. Remember, though, that if you don't nurse or pump during the day, your milk supply will diminish.

What Are The Advantages Of Pumping At Work?

Pumping at work stimulates your milk production, so you'll have plenty of milk available when you nurse. Your baby will have the health and nutritional advantages of breast milk even when you're not there. What's more, pumping can be a wonderful way to feel connected to your baby during the workday.

You'll save money by not buying formula (or not as much of it). And you may avoid missed workdays, because breastfed babies are half as likely to get sick in their first year as those on formula.

One of the best things about continuing to breastfeed is coming home to a baby who wants to nurse. You get to snuggle right away, re-establish your bond, and nurture your baby in a way no one else can.

To make sure your baby will want to nurse when you get home, ask your caregiver not to feed him during the last hour of the workday, or to feed him just enough to take the edge off any hunger. Then you and your baby can look forward to a warm reunion every day. 

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"Giving grace to yourself is never more important than when you become a mother." 

The 20 Cancer Symptoms Women Are Most Likely to Ignore

Don't rely on routine tests alone to protect you from cancer. It's just as important to listen to your body and notice anything that's different, odd, or unexplainable. Here are some signs that are commonly overlooked:

1. Wheezing or shortness of breath
One of the first signs many lung cancer patients remember noticing is the inability to catch their breath.

2. Chronic cough or chest pain
Several types of cancer, including leukemia and lung tumors, can cause symptoms that mimic a bad cough or bronchitis. Some lung cancer patients report chest pain that extends up into the shoulder or down the arm.

3. Frequent fevers or infections
These can be signs of leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells that starts in the bone marrow. Leukemia causes the marrow to produce abnormal white blood cells, sapping your body's infection-fighting capabilities.

4. Difficulty swallowing
Trouble swallowing is most commonly associated with esophageal or throat cancer, and is sometimes one of the first signs of lung cancer, too.

5. Swollen lymph nodes or lumps on the neck, underarm, or groin
Enlarged lymph nodes indicate changes in the lymphatic system, which can be a sign of cancer.

6. Excessive bruising or bleeding that doesn't stop
This symptom usually suggests something abnormal happening with the platelets and red blood cells, which can be a sign of leukemia. Over time, leukemia cells crowd out red blood cells and platelets, impairing your blood's ability to carry oxygen and clot.

7. Weakness and fatigue
Generalized fatigue and weakness is a symptom of so many different kinds of cancer that you'll need to look at it in combination with other symptoms. But any time you feel exhausted without explanation and it doesn't respond to getting more sleep, talk to your doctor.

8. Bloating or abdominal weight gain
 Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer overwhelmingly report unexplained abdominal bloating that came on fairly suddenly and continued on and off over a long period of time.

9. Feeling full and unable to eat
This is another tip-off to ovarian cancer; women say they have no appetite and can't eat, even when they haven't eaten for some time.

10. Pelvic or abdominal pain
Pain and cramping in the pelvis and abdomen can go hand in hand with the bloating that often signals ovarian cancer. Leukemia can also cause abdominal pain resulting from an enlarged spleen.

11. Rectal bleeding or blood in stool
This is a common result of diagnosing colorectal cancer. Blood in the toilet alone is reason to call your doctor and schedule a colonoscopy.

12. Unexplained weight loss
Weight loss is an early sign of colon and other digestive cancers; it's also a sign of cancer that's spread to the liver, affecting your appetite and the ability of your body to rid itself of wastes.

13. Upset stomach or stomachache
 Stomach cramps or frequent upset stomachs may indicate colorectal cancer.

14. A red, sore, or swollen breast
These symptoms can indicate inflammatory breast cancer. Call your doctor about any unexplained changes to your breasts.

15. Nipple changes
One of the most common changes women remember noticing before being diagnosed with breast cancer is a nipple that began to appear flattened, inverted, or turned sideways.

16. Unusually heavy or painful periods or bleeding between periods
Many women report this as the tip-off to endometrial or uterine cancer. Ask for a transvaginal ultrasound if you suspect something more than routine heavy periods.

17. Swelling of facial features
Some patients with lung cancer report noticing puffiness, swelling, or redness in the face. Small cell lung tumors commonly block blood vessels in the chest, preventing blood from flowing freely from your head and face.

18. A sore or skin lump that doesn't heal, becomes crusty, or bleeds easily
Familiarize yourself with the different types of skin cancer -- melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma -- and be vigilant about checking skin all over your body for odd-looking growths or spots.

19. Changes in nails
Unexplained changes to the fingernails can be a sign of several types of cancer. A brown or black streak or dot under the nail can indicate skin cancer, while newly discovered "clubbing"-- enlargement of the ends of the fingers with nails that curve down over the tips -- can be a sign of lung cancer. Pale or white nails can sometimes be a sign of liver cancer.

20. Pain in the back or lower right side
Many cancer patients say this was the first sign of liver cancer. Breast cancer is also often diagnosed via back pain, which can occur when a breast tumor presses backward into the chest, or when the cancer spreads to the spine or ribs.

How Can I Tell If My Baby's Getting Enough Breastmilk.

How Can I Tell If My Baby's Getting Enough Breastmilk.

If your baby is healthy, gaining weight, and seems contented after most breastfeeds, be reassured that he's getting all the milk that he needs. 

Keep an eye on your baby's nappis, though. In the firsst couple of days after birth, your baby should wet several nappies a day. He'll also pass one or more poos (meconium) a day. 

Over the next few days, your baby poos will turn from dark and sticky to yellow and soft. He should have at least six wet nappies every 24 hours, once he's more than five days old. 

If your baby has dry-ish nappies, and doesn't poo often, it can be a sign that he's not getting enough fluid. Take a look at our baby poo photo gallery for a visual guide to what’s normal and what’s not. 

Your  midwife vwill weigh your baby regularly in his first two weeks. Most babies lose weight to begin with, but then start to put on weight when they're between three days and five days old. Babies usually go back to their birth weight by the time they are 14 days old. 

If you're at all worried that your baby isn't getting enough milk, here's what you can do:

• Feed more often, holding your baby close to you, so he gets the chance to tell you when he would like to feed.
• Watch for cues that your baby is hungry. He'll tell you by smacking his lips, making sucking noises, opening his eyes, or turning his head towards you with an open mouth (rooting). Keeping your baby near you, skin to skin,lets you respond to him easily and quickly.
• Let your baby stay on one breast for as long as he seems to want to, before switching to the other breast. This allows him to get the creamier milk that comes in the longer he feeds on the breast, and the fat-rich milk that comes at the end of the feed.
• Check the way your baby latches on to your breast. If he's latching on well, he'll open his mouth wide and take in a big mouthful of breast. A good latch will help him to breastfeed rather than nipple-feed, so that he can milk the breast as he sucks.

Some babies feed regularly and predictably, but most don't, especially in the early weeks and months. It's perfectly normal for you to lose count of the time your baby feeds, or to be unsure when one feed ends and the other begins. Babies often don't space out their feeds until they grow bigger.

An occasional long feed is fine, and it's not a sign that anything's wrong. But if your baby always feeds for hours on end, without ever seeming full or happy, he may be having problems with latching on. 

A short feed every now and again is also fine. Everyone's appetite varies from time to time. However, always feeding for just five minutes or less at a time can be a sign of a problem.
If you have any worries, talk to your midwife or health visitor. Ask them to refer you to a breastfeeding specialist, so you can get extra support. 

                                                                                                                                         Mother And Child Expo      

                            Early Signs of Pregnancy

According to conception and pregnancy research, babies are conceived around two weeks before your next period is due. This is exactly as saying conception begins two weeks after the start of your last normal period. Unfortunately there is no mechanism whereby your body can ring a bell to tell you the moment you conceive. So it is highly unlikely that you will know or feel the exact moment of conception. Conception takes place when sperms fertilize the eggs in the fallopian tube. It takes another six days for the eggs to just reach the uterus. Around this moment it is unlikely that a woman will be aware of physical changes her body goes through. Once the baby fully implants into uterus, it triggers release of hormone called human gonadotrophin hormone (HCG) into the blood stream. Initially HCG level is very low, but the concentration rapidly increase in the next few days. As the concentration increase, body starts presenting physical signs of pregnancy in the body. HCG level in the blood is also used for detecting pregnancy with pregnancy test. This is precisely the reason why early pregnancy signs do not become obvious or noticeable unless until the time reaches for the women’s next period to be due which is roughly 12 to 14 days after the moment of fertilization. In many cases early sign of pregnancy is not noticeable until one or two weeks after her period is due. Technically by this time she is already five or six weeks pregnant.

Pregnancy signs differ from women to women and even from pregnancy to pregnancy. Yet one of the most prominent symptom that all women will observe is a missed period. In addition to the missed period, the early signs of pregnancy might include:

·         Tender or swollen breast: Soreness and tingling is one of the most common symptoms that begin as early as 1 to 2 weeks after conception. Breast around this time become very tender and sensitive for next few months.

·         Spotting: Some women may observe light spotting within 5 to 10 days of conception. It happens when embryo implants in the uterus. So in case if you have observed light period this months, you may still be carrying your little bundle of joy.

·         Morning sickness: Don’t get deceived by its name, despite its name, it can occur any time of the day. It involves feeling nauseated and possibly vomiting. This is also quite well-known pregnancy symptom that shows up between 2-8 weeks after conception. Some women are fortunate enough to not to deal with morning sickness throughout most of their pregnancy.

·         Smell sensitivity: many women observe heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. This also one of the most common signs of the early symptoms of pregnancy.

·         Unusual craving: Some women develop liking for food or craving for food, they would normally not dream of eating, while many women simply feel hungry all day long.

·         Mood swings: Some women go through emotional mood swing throughout pregnancy. This is pretty natural since the hormones adjust and the body changes.

This is not the comprehensive list of early signs of pregnancy, but some of the most common ones to give you a head start. 

                                    Topic; School Age Kids

School age kids start to view the world in complex ways, develop more reflective thinking, and solve problems independently. Have questions about your child's health? Need help dealing with new challenges, such as discipline, homework help, and talking to your kids about tough topics? Let's discuss it here. ON MOTHER AND CHILD