 Oral health matters if you're trying to conceive! Trying to conceive is an exciting and scary time for any couple. There is so much information about the right and wrong way to do things; it can be a bit overwhelming. One thing many couples don’t consider is how their oral health might affect their ability to conceive. That’s right- poor oral health can make it more difficult to conceive, and that goes for both partners. In particular gum disease, a common oral issue, has been linked to a multitude of fertility and pregnancy issues by the CDC and other organizations. For advanced cases look for Emergency Dentists USA to find a dentist that can help Gum Disease and Pregnancy.
What Is Gum Disease? Gum disease is a bacterial infection of the gums and surrounding tissues. At first it symptoms include red and bleeding gums and general discomfort. Left untreated though, and it can lead to serious issues such as tooth loss. It’s most often caused by poor oral hygiene, but that’s not the only cause. Medications, changes in hormones, genetics, and more can also play a role in the disease. That means that even people with good oral habits could potentially develop gum disease depending on the other factors. While it’s a fairly common infection, it is still important to get treatment as soon as possible if you suspect you or your partner has it. The longer you wait the worse it will become, and the more likely it is to affect your fertility. That’s why time is of the essence for couples looking to conceive. How Does Gum Disease Affect Fertility?What many couples don’t realize is just how much of an effect gum disease can have on their ability to get pregnant. Keep in mind that this extends to both partners, so it’s important for each one to keep up with their oral health. In cases where couples were suffering from gum disease, it took them up to seven months on average to conceive. This is in contrast to those without this disease that averaged 5 months. This is also true for men, where it was found had a harder time conceiving when suffering from gum disease. If you’re looking to conceive, it never hurts to pay a visit to your dentist. They can help determine if you have gum disease, and give you the care you need to beat it. Ultimately, this can help you conceive easier and faster. Gum Disease and Pregnancy: How is Gum Disease Prevented?
 RN Rachelle and baby boy Becoming a parent is an unbelievable experience, however once the baby arrives it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Guest Blogger Dr. Katie Friedman, Pediatrician at Forever Freckled shared the most common fears and obstacles she sees below, in Pediatrician's Tips for Parents of Newborns.
1. Breastfeeding May Not Be Easy For some women, breastfeeding comes very easily but for others it can be an overwhelming task and a source of major stress. I highly suggest educating yourself about breastfeeding before the baby is born. Make a point to attend a class to learn what to expect and how to overcome the early obstacles of nursing. I can’t stress enough how important it is to utilize the lactation consultants while you are in the hospital. After the birth of both of my children, I had the hospital’s lactation consultant come for every feed to educate and guide me. It is not only a great resource to help with any difficulties you might experience during the first few days but also as a contact once you are discharged from the hospital. Most importantly, it is okay if you have tried your best and it doesn't work out. The most important thing is the ability to bond with your new baby. If breastfeeding is causing a level of stress that is interfering with you ability to bond, please seek out your local resources. 2. Feed on Demand (kind of) As mothers, we never want to hear our baby cry. When we do hear them cry, our first instinct is that they are hungry and of course we want to sooth them. However, it is important to realize that every time your baby cries it is not necessarily because of hunger. On average, a newborn drinks about 1.5-3 ounces every 2-3 hours. As your baby grows, they will be able to eat more at each feeding. By 2 months of age, they should be taking 3-4 ounces every 3 to 4 hours. There are many other reasons your newborn might be crying. Sometimes babies just need to be changed or cuddled. If your baby cries only an hour after a good feeding, there is a good chance they are not crying from hunger but rather something else. They could be hot, cold, wet, uncomfortable, or bored. If you soothe every cry with a feeding, they are going to learn and expect it. This can lead to over-feeding, reflux, and extreme fatigue for the mother, especially if you are breastfeeding. It is important the know how often an infant should eat, write down their feeding habits, and know the signs of hunger. If you have just fed your baby and they begin to cry, investigate the situation before feeding them again. 3. What you need to know about poop The unfamiliarity of the frequency and consistency of newborn poop can be great source of stress for many first time parents. The reality is that no two babies have the same pooping pattern. Some babies will poop after every feed while others will only have a bowel movement two to three times a week. Babies that are breastfed will poop more frequently than a formula fed baby. Breastfed newborns have an average of 6-10 bowel movements a day. It is not necessarily important how often a baby poops but rather what the poop looks like. If it is soft and pasty, it is a good sign that your infant’s digestive tract is working well. If their stool is hard balls, there is a good chance that they are experiencing some constipation. If your baby is happy then their stool patterns should be less of a concern. However, if he or she seems uncomfortable or unhappy, it is important to consult your physician. 4. Not every fever is created equal It is extremely important to understand that illness and fever in the first two months of life can be very dangerous. A fever for a one month old is very different than a fever for a 2 year old. One of the most important jobs as a mother of a newborn is to protect your baby against germs. Make sure that every guest washes their hands before holding your newborn and try to limit the amount of exposure to highly congested areas. If you want to take your baby out, please try to find areas that are open, preferably outside. If your newborn feels warm or there is a change in their feeding or sleeping pattern, it is important to take their temperature immediately. The most accurate way to take a temperature is using a rectal thermometer. Anything above 100.4 is a fever and must be addressed immediately. You should contact your pediatrician and take your baby straight to the nearest Emergency Room. By, Kathleen Hager, RN, BSN There are many companies out there bombarding parents with umbilical cord blood & tissue storage options. Cord blood/tissue storage means that the blood from baby’s umbilical cord is stored in case its properties are needed for future use. Cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells, which are potentially useful for treating diseases that require stem cell transplants. Below are the facts about each type of banking. Cord Blood Banking In the pre-natal marketing machine, cord donation centers usually do not mention a very important option and free option ---public cord banking. The fact is that banking cord blood privately may not be as useful for 2 reasons:
Many believe it is better to contribute healthy cord blood to public banks because the chances of a match from this very large pool are much greater. Therefore the more blood contributed to the public bank, the more children who are helped, so the chances of a match for your child are great anytime. Cord Tissue Banking While to storage process and reasoning is similar to blood banking, cord tissue banking is a very different scenario: According to an article from Oxford Journals, umbilical tissue stem cells were used to generate cardiovascular tissue in just 28 days. Another article states, “In vitro fabrication of tissue-engineered human pulmonary conduits was feasible utilizing human umbilical cord cells and a biomimetic culture environment”. Clearly, saving baby’s umbilical cord can produce some life-saving tissues! Should parents consider public banking for their baby’s umbilical cord tissue? Many parents wish to donate their child’s cord tissue to help save another child from leukemia and other types of cancers. Unfortunately, there are so few public blood banks that collect cord blood and tissue, that it is nearly impossible to donate cord tissue, according to WebMD.com. This was confirmed when I found only 3 possible hospital facilities that collect and donate in my area in Virginia at bethematch.org. Private banking for your own family’s use seems to be the only option out there for families who choose to have cord tissue stored, which defeats the whole purpose of donating and helping other children. The price of building public banks is so high – between $1 and $2 million to get started, so few banks are able to make it. Private banking of both cord blood + tissue is expensive – about $2,790 per sample and $260 annually, and should be encouraged in families who have a transplantable disease, such as sickle-cell anemia or leukemia because the risk is higher in these families. Do note that, in cases like this cord tissue banking is not for the child who has the tissue stored, it is for siblings.  Photo by Aditya Romansa on Unsplash  Sleep deprivation and stress can wreak havoc on new parents’ immune systems, so who better to ask for wellness tips than the nurses and night nannies who work in close contact with newborns?
Real life Night Nannies and Newborn Care Nurses share their best tips here: Stay Hydrated: Water, water, water! says BJ Edmunds, a newborn care provider for over 5 years. Keeping properly hydrated allows the body to fight infection, maintain proper digestion and remove unhealthy toxins efficiently. It's unfair but the coffee and sugary drinks we use to keep energy up actually dehydrate the body, so if you enjoy these drinks, be sure to counter the dehydrating effects with –you guessed it- more water. Saline and Vaseline: Saline solution, which is simply warm water with salt dissolved in it, can be used to flush out nasal passages and fight off colds and flu. There’s a second step though that can be even more effective. Joy Becker, LPN, and infant caregiver for over 15 years says: Use Saline in nose daily, but then apply petroleum jelly at the opening of your nostril. The saline flushes out germs and then the petroleum jelly makes a protective barrier to keep bacteria from going into your nasal passages, which can then help prevent colds or sinus infections. Sauna: If social distancing allows, going into a sauna for 15 minutes can help ward off sickness. Recent studies show that sauna use does help keep us healthy and as the Mayo Clinic says, is "linked to an array of health benefits". You can actually buy your own sauna on Amazon and install it yourself if you really want to get into it! Sleep – Sleep when the baby sleeps sounds good in theory but often doesn’t work in practice. Compounding the lack of opportunities for sleep, our constant “alert state” caring for baby can make it very difficult to wind-down and sleep when the opportunity actually does present itself. Meditation can help cross this bridge from awake to sleepy. One easy method is the “4-7-8” breathing technique popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil. The basics of this technique are below, but we highly encourage watching this video demonstration: - Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four. - Hold your breath for a count of seven. - Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight. Vitamin D and Vitamin C- In looking at over 82 studies, Vitamin D is the one supplement shown to protect against the common cold in all age groups. You can find vitamin d in dairy and cereals but a free way to get Vitamin D is to go out in the sun for 10-30 minutes a day. The trick is to take Vitamins C and D consistently for 3-4 months to make a difference in the severity and length of a cold. Get Your Flu Shot and COVID vaccine - Receiving the flu vaccine before flu season is a pre-emptive strike against the flu. An added benefit is the protection the flu vaccine gives your infant. According to the CDC, one study showed that giving flu vaccine to pregnant women was 92% effective in preventing hospitalization of infants for flu. COVID vaccines are all our best prevention against coronavirus for adults and therefore offer protection to our babies. There is also no evidence that the vaccine is harmful to pregnant or nursing moms. As always, continue to hand wash and keep socially distant to keep germs away too!  Choking is a common cause of injury and death in children, but it doesn't have to be. Parents and caregivers can prevent situations that may cause choking in infants by ensuring that: 1. bottle fed babies are monitored and using proper flow on the nipple 2. only developmentally appropriate foods are offered 3. small items that can fit in the mouth are never in baby's reach Bottle Feeding Whether from the breast or bottle, it's important to continually keep an eye on baby to be sure s/he's feeding well and comfortably. When baby is bottle feeding however, we need to be sure the correct size nipple is being used. There are many brands of bottles but the nipples on each bottle are typically standard with a flow rate of 1, 2, 3 or 4. Level 1 indicates the smallest hole in the nipple, making it the slowest and most appropriate for newborns and very young babies. Level's 2, 3 and 4 are used as baby gets older. There is no specific date when bottle levels should be increased; this is one of those things baby will show you as they become more efficient at each level. The other crucial thing to remember when bottle feeding is not to prop the bottle up to feed baby; don't use a rolled up towel or other device to feed baby. When a bottle is propped it can slip, or continue to drip or pour fluid into baby's mouth causing fluid to pool in the back of he mouth and throat. Not only can this quickly lead to choking but it can also lead to tooth decay, ear infections and decreased bonding. Starting Solids When baby begins eating solid foods, purees and smooth foods should be the only things offered. As more foods and textures are introduced, it's important not to offer foods considered high risk. Even when solid-food feeding is established, babies' airways may become constricted when they take in foods that are too big, not easy to chew or easily swallowed. The following foods are not recommended for children age 4 and under (AAP):
Everyday No matter your baby's age, these items should always be kept out of baby's reach (from the AAP). It can be challenging especially when there are toddlers and older children around but these are all choking hazards:
Like most things in newborn and infant care, prevention and knowledge are the key to health and safety. To learn what to do if baby is actually choking, visit and print this .pdf.  A tip-over injury or fatality means that a child has been injured or killed by pulling over dressers, televisions, bookshelves or other furniture. About 70 percent of tip-over fatalities involve children ages 1 1/2 to 3 years old, but these accidents are preventable.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Anchor It! Campaign shows parents and caregivers that anchoring is simple, inexpensive and important. Here are their tips: - Anchor all furniture to the wall. These videos show how to properly anchor to drywall and to brick walls.
Refer to the Anchor It poster here for correct installation of anchors, and for more babyproofing info please visit How to Create a Safe Nursery.  Image: IG =@mccutcheonphoto Thank you for this image via unsplash. According to SafeKids.org 3 out of 4 carseats are used incorrectly. Following the manufacturers' specific directions for usage is vital, but understanding correct carseat usage in general can help keep your child safe.
For children age 0-2 years old this means:
Automobile accidents continue to be a danger to all of us but by following the car seat manufacturers' installation directions and by remembering these tips, you can keep baby safe as best you can.  On WJLA-TV, Registered Nurse Liz Hawkes and mom Julie Stanbridge share how to know the difference between typical hormonal shifts after giving birth called "baby blues" and postpartum depression. By knowing the signs of PPD in new mothers, partners, friends and caregivers take the first step to help. |
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