How to Track the Success of Breastfeeding?

The desire to breastfeed is instinctive as the baby seeking to be breastfed; however, breastfeeding itself is not instinctive, it only needs patience and resilience. The good thing is, there are a lot of ways that can aid you in maintaining a sufficient breastfeeding routine, and there are a various signs that can help you in track the success of your breastfeeding journey, such as:

  1. Baby’s Weight:

Weight gain:

  • Weight loss 5% – 7% of birth weight
  • Return to birth weight by 10th day
  • Increase 150 – 200 gm per week

Wet diapers:

  • One wet diaper for each day of life (1 on day one, 2 on day two…).
  • Once mother’s milk comes in, expect 5 – 6+ wet diapers every 24 hours.
  • To feel what a sufficiently wet diaper is like, pour 3 tablespoons (45 mL) of water into a clean diaper and check using a piece of tissue in a disposable diaper.

Dirty diaper:

  • One dirty diaper for each day of life (1 on day one, 2 on day two…).
  • After day 4, stools at least 3-4 yellow stools daily.
  • Some babies stool after each feed or even more often–this is normal too.
  • Stool of a breastfed baby is loose (soft to runny) and may be seedy or curdy.
  1. Number of How often should the baby breastfeed?

Frequent breastfeeding is recommended to establish a good milk supply (8 – 12+ times per 24 hours). Breastfeed should be at the first signs of hunger (stirring, rooting and hands in mouth) as crying is the last sign of hunger. Allow baby unlimited time at the breast when sucking actively and then offer the second breast. Some newborns are excessively sleepy; so baby should be waked to nurse if 2 hours (during the day) or 4 hours (at night) have passed without nursing. Once baby has established a good weight gain pattern, mother can stop waking baby and nurse on baby’s cues alone.

  1. Maintain sufficient milk supply
  • Breastfeeding on demand, frequent breastfeeding with longer duration of feeds will boost your supply
  • Normal food and fluids intake that satisfy your hunger and thirst.
  • Cluster feedings? Follow baby demand
  • Growth spurts? Stimulate your body to produce more milk that satisfies the baby’s increased needs.

But, what if we need to give something?

  • First choice: mother’s own expressed milk.
  • Second choice: banked or properly screened donor breastmilk.
  • Third choice: mother’s breastmilk given with 5% glucose or water (to increase volume or decrease viscosity of the colostrum).
  • Fourth choice: 5% glucose.
  • Fifth choice: formula.

One Last Tip Breastfeeding is expected to be a time of joy, if it isn’t, it means you have an issue. Do not hesitate to ask for help, we are always there to support you up to success.

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10 Tips to cope easily with Food Allergies

Yes, there is no cure found yet for food allergies, however, there are specific measures and precautions that can be taken to lower the risks of food allergy attacks; like avoiding certain types of foods and ingredients and recognizing early symptoms of an allergic reaction.

And to make your life easier, there are lots of things you can do to stay safe and manage your food allergy like a pro. Here are 10 tips that you can easily follow:

  1. Always read food labels. Make sure you read food labels and ingredients each and every time you purchase a product, even if you have tried the food before, ingredients might change, and an allergen may be part of a new formulation.
  2. Hand sanitizers do not remove allergens, make sure you always wash your hands with warm and soapy water.
  3. Take care when cooking and remember that even a trace amount of an allergen may be enough to cause a reaction in some people. It’s a good idea to keep the special designated clean area for food preparation and a set of cooking and eating utensils exclusively for the food allergic person. Remember to wash hands and watch out for cross-contact.
  4. Cross-contact is when safe food comes in touch with unsafe food or an allergen, making it unsafe for a person with food allergy.
  5. Always carry your medication and most importantly your epinephrine auto-injectors – if you were prescribed for one along with your antihistamine, inhalers and others medication
  6. Make sure to always carry safe snacks wherever you go, you never know when you will need a bite and you are never sure you will find a safe one.
  7. Teach your food allergic children not to share food and to always ask their caregivers if the food was safe to eat before eating it.
  8. If you have one member of the family, who has a food allergy. Then you have to be careful and avoid cross-contamination. It’s a good idea to have two sets of cooking and eating utensils — one exclusively for the allergic person — so that a knife used to prepare a peanut butter sandwich isn’t used later to spread butter on the toast of someone who’s allergic to peanuts. You should wash all the utensils and cookware used with soapy water between uses.
  9. Plan your dining out thoroughly; let the chef know what are your allergic to and it won’t hurt if you give him/her a list/card of the ingredients you are allergic to. This is a common practice and you can customize a template of such a card on the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network Web site, www.foodallergy.org. Fast food restaurants and coffee shops are no exception. Read labels and ask questions before deciding what to eat and drink.
  10. Make a list of steps to take should you accidentally eat the food you are allergic to and carry a printed copy of the plan with you.

Last advice is to always refer to your physician or a food allergy coach if you are not sure of the precautions you have to take to stay safe and to cope well with your food allergy.

Your health and wellbeing come first!

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Weight Loss Workshop In Jordan

Do you find difficulty losing weight? do you dream about being healthier and leaner? this workshop will help you change health habits for you and your family, to lose weight, become happier, and healthier. Learn the truth about cold cuts, Cooking cubes, and more. And yes, your healthy choices can still be yummy and tasty! Nutritionist Dima Kilani will show you many examples of products that are bad for your kids, and will show you replacements.

– Conducted by: Nutritionist Dima Kilani

– Venue: The Landmark Hotel

Ticket price: 15 JD

Register now: https://goo.gl/UxgVz6

*Book your ticket without any additional fees through Sajilni office in King Hussein business park, please call: 079716974

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6 Worst Foods for your Children and their Healthy Alternatives

Sometimes it can be very difficult to make our children healthy food and prevent them from having unhealthy snacks.

It is only normal for our kids to have some unhealthy foods, especially when they are surrounded by other kids. However, eating too much of these foods can cause more harm than good. Here is a list of some of those unhealthy foods and their healthy alternatives:

  1. Chips and French fries

Although children love chips and French fries a lot, they are full of saturated and trans fats and salt. These types of fat can cause obesity, heart disease, strokes and type-2 diabetes.

What you can offer them instead: Popcorn is a healthy alternative (with less or no butter and salt). You can also cut sweet potatoes, carrots or kale into thin layers, roast them in the oven for about 7 to 10 min and season them.

  1. Candy

Children love candy which is full of sugar and has no health benefits for their growing bodies.

What you can offer them instead: You can cut fruit into small pieces and freeze it. This way children will enjoy eating them more.

  1. Juice

Many parents try to prevent their children from consuming sodas by giving them juice. Even though juice has vitamins which are extracted from the fruits themselves, it contains lots of sugar. This sugar can be either added or extracted from the juicing of fruits. Juice can contain more sugar than sodas.

What you can offer them instead: You can start diluting the juice with water little by little until your children stop drinking it all together. You can also make them vegetable smoothie and add some fruits to make the taste more tolerable for children.

  1. Colorful and sugary breakfast cereals

Breakfast cereals are full of sugar and have no mention health benefits. When you serve a bowl of cereal, children are actually eating a bowl full of sugar.

What you can offer them instead: Try making oatmeal instead and add fruits and cinnamon to it to add flavor.

  1. Instant noodles

Some parents offer their children instant noodles because they can be prepared fast. However, they contain lots of salt. They are also rich in fats and carbohydrates and low in protein and fibers. Moreover, some types we buy in the market may contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) added to it. There are many conflicting opinions about the health hazards of MSG. Some researchers concluded that MSG causes obesity, headache, and nausea and that it has an adverse effect on the nervous system whereas other research proclaims that there is no effect of MSG on the body.

What you can offer them instead: You need to read the ingredients of instant noodles to ensure that they don’t contain MSG. And in that case, you can add vegetables and meat to them, and that way you are creating a complete meal which contains fibers and protein. But remember that noodles contain lots of salt, so don’t serve it regularly.

  1. Ketchup and mayonnaise

Your children might like adding ketchup to all or any of the foods they eat; however, ketchup contains high levels of sugar and very low nutritional value. Mayonnaise is also not very healthy as it contains high amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol, and salt.

What you can offer them instead: You can get your children to use mustard or hummus to dip their food in.

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8 Reasons Why your Child Misbehaves in Public or at Home

Not one parent I know has not suffered from a child’s naughtiness at one point, or even on a daily basis.  As a mother of twins, I know I have!  And while your child’s naughtiness may make you feel helpless, frustrated, annoyed, tired, or even frightened.  There are tactics that you can use to handle this problem and be able to deal with it effectively when it happens again and believe me it will.

There are many reasons why children misbehave.  The first step to dealing with a child’s misbehavior is to understand the reason behind it.  And while each child is different below are some common reasons for children’s’ misbehavior:

  1. Inability to control impulses. The regions in the brain involved in self-control are immature at birth and do not fully mature until the end of adolescence, which explains why children are unable to control themselves and act irrationally. When we understand that our children cannot always manage impulses our reaction to their misbehavior will be gentler.
  2. Physical conditions.  Children are affected much more than adults by physical conditions of being tired, hungry, thirsty, or sick. We have to be realistic, taking a child to the mall when they are tired or sleepy is a tantrum waiting to happen.  In addition, too many activities, choices, and toys can lead to overstimulation in children. Children need lots of downtimes to balance their up-time, that’s why it is important to give our children lots of quiet time, free play, and rest to avoid misbehavior.
  3. Need to move and play.  Children have a developmental need to move and to spend time outdoors. To avoid misbehavior, it is really important to organize free play time where can run around and release some energy.
  4. Need for independence. Even though it is annoying when a child resists or insists on doing something, but he is are doing exactly what he is supposed to be doing to become an independent person.  Recognizing that a child’s unwelcome behaviors are what create his personality and strengths is what can help us react with more understanding.
  5. Wanting your attention. You need to be aware that a child might see a tantrum as a way of getting attention, even if it’s bad attention. Try to provide your child with positive attention regularly even if you are busy take 1 minute to positively enforce their positive behavior.
  6. Life changes. Life changes such as a new sibling or changing schools have a huge impact on a child and this will impact their behavior as well.  In this situation try to schedule on-one-on time with your child to listen to their worries non-judgmentally.
  7. Reaction to our mood.  Children pick up our moods. If we are distracted, angry, sad or always stressed, kids take on these moods. When we are peaceful and grounded, kids model off that instead.
  8. Response to inconsistent limits.  When we are inconsistent with setting limits – one day we say yes and another day we say no – our child will protest with whining, crying, or yelling. Just like adults, children need to know what to expect.

Understanding the reasons behind their misbehavior is key and as I mentioned earlier the first step to resolving an unpleasant situation.

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7 Ways to Deal with an Overactive Child

My story started when I became pregnant with my now two-and-a-half-year-old son. Even when he started moving inside my womb, he was extremely active; he kicked, he flipped and rolled, kicking both my ribs and pelvis at the same time. I even felt like he was stretching his arms and legs. While trying to do the ultrasound exam, the doctor once exclaimed that he couldn’t have him stay still for a second! True enough, after he was born, he turned out to be a spirited, energetic child, with a full battery that never dies. By the way, I will be using the word spirited rather than overactive, as I feel it is more positive and more appealing.

Whenever we go out, people will reach out to me and ask: “How can you handle his activity?” or “Is he always like this?” or “Oh, God bless him, the world can’t seem to be enough for him”. Whatever it is, I have never known any other way for children to act, but luckily, I was aware of many methods and techniques due to my specialization as a certified Kids and Parenting Coach. If you happen to have a high-spirited child, and he is not diagnosed with ADHD, isn’t causing himself or others any trouble, research shows that there are many activities to keep highly spirited children busy, with minimum frustration to the child as well as the parents. I have tried these with my wonderful, spirited child and I am sure you can use some of these techniques yourself:

  • Routine: from day one, children love routines. It is easier for them to have a sense of what is happening next, than living haphazardly in this big world. From meal times to naps, to playtime etc. just try to stick to a form of routine through the week, and even during holidays and trips. Life is much easier and more enjoyable with routines. Ever since my son was born, we have traveled no less than five times a year, and all our trips run smooth; we have never had a crying baby on the plane!
  • Nutrition: there are many opinions regarding this, but some children get more energy from eating a certain food, so keep an eye out for what is causing your child to become overactive. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something that made him more active, it could be something that upset him and he had no other way to communicate it.
  • Nature and the outdoors: we spend a lot of our time outside, whether going to a nearby farm to feed the animals, or just walking in the fields and up the mountains to pick flowers, stones, and tree leaves. Kids become very creative when they are outside. If you haven’t tried such a thing, then it should be at the top of your list of activities.
  • Sensorial play: yes, I bring sand and snow into my house, I am not KIDDING! My child gets a turn to wash vegetables and do the dishes. (Of course, I have to go over what he does, but still…). I find that kids spend a lot of their excess energy and stress by playing with sand and water.
  • Exercise: We jump and dance around the house and while doing chores. He laughs and sings and shouts happily. When we can’t go outside for a run around the garage since we don’t have a garden, we do it at home, and we play loud music and just enjoy ourselves.
  • Include your child in your schedule: I try to give my child some tasks to include him in whatever I am doing. If I am cooking, then I ask him to hand me some ingredients, or give him his safe knife and have him cut vegetables and put them in his own pan. If I am cleaning then he has his own cloth to clean a certain area, or he can use the broom or the vacuum cleaner, etc. With time, you will stop seeing the mess that you are dreading right now. I know what is going on in your minds as you’re reading this, but believe me, it becomes part of your routine to have your child around to help!
  • Finally, accept your child for who he/ she is. No labels, no criticism, guide him/ her to new adventures and stay by their side. You will be surprised.

You don’t have to do all the activities every day and not all day long, choose what fits within your schedule and lifestyle, and what is acceptable to you at first, and explore further each time.

Keep it simple and stay calm. Connect with yourself and your child. Our children never have the intention to make us angry, we choose how we react.

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Pregnancy and Pets

Many families keep animals close by for company, protection, and entertainment. When the couple thinking about adding a child to their family, they begin to wonder about the effects of pets on pregnancy.

For the most parts don’t affect pregnancy and it is safe to keep them around during pregnancy, the only concern is cats and toxoplasmosis.

What is Toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that cats can carry and excrete in their feces. Humans can get infected by ingesting the parasite. The infection in healthy adults is usually asymptomatic. If a pregnant woman gets infected with this parasite during pregnancy this might cause miscarriage, damage to the baby’s brain and eyes and even stillbirth.

The chances of being infected during pregnancy are very low, particularly with indoor cats. If you had your cat for a while you are likely already immune because you’ve probably been infected with it as most cat owners have been. A simple blood test is available that will confirm your immunity.

What to do if you are not immune?

If you are not immune you need to avoid the cat’s litter box and a non- pregnant person needs to clean the litter box daily, try to keep your cat inside and keep away from stray cats.

You can also contract toxoplasmosis through gardening (the parasite can be found in the soil) or by coming into contact with raw or undercooked meats. Wash your hands often, especially after gardening or touching the cat’s stool.

What are the risks of having rodents as pets while pregnant?

Many people keep rodents as pets like Hamsters, guinea pigs, and mice. These animals may rarely carry a virus called lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (also called LCMV) that can be harmful to pregnant women and their babies. LCMV can cause severe birth defects and miscarriage.

Humans can get LCMV from a rodent bite or through contact with their bodily secretions. Pregnant women should keep rodents in a separate part and wash hands with soap after touching rodents.

We ask pregnant women and women who are planning to get pregnant to ask their physician about any other type of animals or pets that might affect pregnancy.

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10 Mood Boosting Foods for New Moms

First few months after your baby arrives are very demanding. And, most likely will leave you feeling drained and exhausted, making it near impossible to get enough rest and exercise. While both might have the effect on boosting your energy levels and relieving some of the stress you are experiencing. That is why, I am going to provide you with other sources that can refresh your brain and body without doing any extra effort.

Boosting your mood and energy levels are what you need right now, and there are a lot of food items that can help you do that, and would also provide you with the right nutrients to back you up while breastfeeding.
First of all, start with a balanced diet, and drink plenty of water. Try to make some time to sit down and have a quick healthy snack or meal. Balance is the key for a healthy breastfeeding diet and a relaxed lifestyle with your newborn

Now, let us see what are the best mood boosting foods for new moms?

  1. Water

Drinking a lot of liquids is probably the easiest thing people can do to keep their energy up. So, keep a water bottle or juice around with you to keep your milk production up but be careful when it comes to caffeinated drinks like coffee or tea. Try to limit your intake to two cups a day or switch to decaf, to avoid its effects on your baby while breastfeeding as well.

  1. Leafy green vegetables

Like spinach and broccoli. They have high levels of vitamin A, vitamin C and iron which are important for baby’s growth. In addition to that they are a good non-dairy source of calcium, and filled with heart healthy antioxidants and are low in calories.

  1. Salmon

This type of fish is loaded with a type of fat called DHA, which is crucial to the development of your baby’s nervous system. DHA may also help your mood, it may play a role in preventing postpartum depression. Eating two main servings per week will be enough for you and your baby.

  1. Dairy products.

Your diet during pregnancy must include generous amounts of dairy products, they are a rich source of vitamin B and D and they are the best sources of calcium; which is important for your baby’s bone structure development and equally for the mommy’s wellbeing. Try including at least three cups of dairy each day in your diet.

  1. Legumes

They are a rich source of iron and proteins. Beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, kidney beans and black beans are a great breastfeeding food especially for vegetarians.

  1. Fruits

Fruits are rich sources of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Apples, bananas, blueberries, oranges are great fruits to boost energy. Make sure to have three servings of fruits or juice every day.

  1. Lean meat from fish, chicken and lean beef

These meats are rich in vital nutrients. They provide DHA and essential fatty acids to you and help in developing, your baby’s nervous system and boosts overall growth. A lack of iron can drain your energy levels as well

  1. Whole grains

Like oatmeal, brown rice and barley are fortified source of essential nutrients like vitamins, iron and other minerals. Do not cut back on carbs to help lose the baby weight. Losing weight too quickly may cause you to make less milk and leave you feeling sluggish.

  1. Eggs

Eggs are a perfect source of meeting your body’s regular protein requirement and are also a vital dietary source of vitamin D. Have two eggs as scrambled, hard boiled or omelet to boost the level of essential fatty acid in your milk.

  1. Carrots

They are a vital source of beta carotene, antioxidants, potassium and carbohydrates which will help boost energy and stamina in breastfeeding moms.

Breastfeeding moms require extra 500 – 600 calories every day. Once your baby starts on solid foods you will be producing less milk and then you can reduce your calorie intake. So, resist the urge to diet, eat small meals throughout the day, drink enough liquids every day, begin your day with a better breakfast and grab a piece of fruit. After, following these guidelines you will feel more energetic and happy, for sure.