Vista Health Care Florida Health Insurance Company Review

Vista Health Care is a Florida insurance company and a subsidiary of Coventry Health Inc. Vista Health Care Company provides health benefits to its over 300,000 individual members and over 10,000 large and small business group plan members. The company employs over 950 employees, all of whom assist Vista in meeting its mission to provide health coverage that offers the best overall value for their customers.

The company which has its headquarters in Hollywood boasts annual revenue of one billion dollars. Vista Health Care also has offices in Miami, Tallahassee, Lake Worth, and Sunrise. Members of Vista Health Care are presented with a large range of independent health care providers to choose from- over 6000 in fact. You can rest assured that you will be able to get prompt customer service as this department is open ten hours a day, 5 days a week. Currently Vista only offers coverage in the South and North Florida areas.

Vista Florida Health Insurance Coverage Overview

Vista Health Care Company offers a wide variety of plans to its members. Plans offered include HMO, POS, PPO, Medicare, Medicaid, and Florida Healthy Kids. Vista is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), which means that the company has undergone and passed various nationally set standards (i.e. how it communicates with members, grievance resolution, etc.) for quality and access to health care.

No matter your group or individual selection of insurance you will be pleased with the wide variety of services and coverage options these plans offer. Most plans offer a selection of over 6000 physicians and include dental and vision coverage. Your co-payments are fixed and customers have the almost unheard luxury of coverage of preventative health care such as yoga classes and massage therapy.

As an example of the innovation of this company, as part of almost all of their Florida health insurance plans, you are eligible to receive a discount at the 500 different health clubs throughout the state that participate in the discount program. Members also have access to an e-program that assist them with important health concerns such as quitting smoking, and wealth of online and personal wellness tools to ensure that you achieve the best health possible.

The Medicare plan offers benefit options that are not available under original Medicare. Participants will pay nothing for visits to the doctor or for generic prescriptions. There is also no limit to the amount of generic prescriptions that are available for purchase.

Vista's Florida Customer Service Record

Vista Health Care Company offers its individual and group members unparalleled insurance selection and customer service. Their commitment to your family's overall well being and health along with the health and well being of their surrounding community makes them a leading choice in Florida health insurance.

Caring For Pregnant Women in Our Iranian Culture

Prenatal care has an ancient history, a knowledge that hardly has been appreciated or recognized in our culture. The common practice of prenatal care is impacted by the socioeconomic and cultural factors governing each family.

We have to consider proper care for those women who do not have family support. We can not ignore a pregnant woman, why? Remember how we see a pregnant woman in our culture. Mothers considered being two people, one need to nurture the other all the time.

We Iranian do talk about viar or craving for certain type of food. There are many narratives in relation to accommodation of the food that a pregnant woman craves. Lack of that provision believes to be a sin. We believe that some fruits and nuts have direct impact on the baby's beauty, intelligence, brain capacity, length, gender, and hair quality.  Don't we say that apple makes the baby cute or grapes help the new mother to have breast milk?

We have this custom back home, when a pregnant woman walks down the street, she can many times be offered food with certain type of spices or taste. Why do we do that?  I guess not every one in those old days like today could afford good food. Pregnant women were known as needy of extra nutrition.  Elders usually believe that a pregnant woman should be around good, loving, and kind people. Baby in the womb is taught to pick up those positive traits from people around the mother.

For sure there are some superstitious believes that influence our prenatal care. Many times our culturally flourished attitudes create challenges and obstacles for pregnant women.

Today, in the Western cultures there are large scales of research that confirm most of what we know just by the old anecdotes. Now the point is not to boast our ego, we have enough of that; the point is that we should uncover the logic behind what has been passed down to us by our ancestors. What is well-known is that the psychological caring for a pregnant woman do involves many societal resources. It is believed that a pregnant woman should not be distressed because the baby will be impacted.

Another old practice in our Iranian communities is the unrecognized yet, culturally required home-care for a new mother up to forty days. Who does this home-care? Usually parents of the new mother get involved. This timing is believed to be crucial for a new mother to stay on her own feet in order to care for the baby on her own.

Forty days is a time to heal from inside out. This time period is also believed to be crucial for baby development. The postnatal care of mother is another traditionally implicit area. If there are no parents, there is always someone who would come forward and offer help for the mother and the baby.

I guess many embassies in Iran have the everyday interaction with older Iranian generation who apply for visa to go and visit a pregnant daughter living somewhere out of Iran. Being there for a pregnant daughter is absolute important for many Iranian families. Mothers are believed to be on the edge to the so called paradise. To challenge this notion, we may ask whether mothers are not being bribed with the promises of heaven for the hard work they do. Prenatal and postnatal care in our Iranian culture covers every aspect of holding, caring, protecting, connecting, and attaching to the baby.

The point again is not to say that everything we do is the best way, however since there is already existing practice for prenatal and postnatal care, why not illuminating this perception through the lens of science?  Maybe this is something for future research. I hope I am clear: I do not state that we Iranian definitely and hundred present care for our pregnant women. Numbers of abused pregnant women by abusive husbands are too many. The cruelty against Iranian women through the history, pregnant or not, is too complex.

The number of pregnant women having been hanged, raped, or executed in the prisons of our home country are also too many. With all the respect to all those pregnant women who died with their unborn children, this article tries to highlight the importance of care for our pregnant women.

I guess my point is to not to generalize at all. Why not embrace the positive and dismiss the rest?

Warning Signs for Premature Labor-Pregnancy

When to Call Your Physician or Midwife

Painful menstrual-like cramps.

Dull ache in the lower back(If you have had a dull backache throughout the pregnancy, then this symptom is only a danger sign if it is different from the backache you've had before.)

Pain or pressure above the pubic bone(in the area of the pubic hair.)

Sensation of pressure or heaviness in the pelvic region.

Increase in vaginal secretions, including loss of the mucous plug.

Change in the type of vaginal secretion(for example, from thick to thin or watery.)

Bloody discharge from the vagina.

Diarrhea.

Uterine contractions occurring 10 minutes apart or more frequently for more than 1 hour; even if they are not painful(a contraction is palpated when the top of your uterus-the fundus-gets hard, softens, and hardens again). If these disappear when you lie down, they are probably not labor:

Symptoms of urinary tract infection-pain or burning on urination, especially at the end of urination; urgency-an unusually strong feel of the need to urinate, especially if you actually urinate very small amounts; frequency-needing to urinate very often(although this may be difficult for pregnant women to differentiate from the usual increased frequency of late pregnancy).

Any leakage of fluid from the vagina.This can be a big gush or a continuous dripping of watery fluid. This may indicate rupture of the membranes.

If your work involves heavy physical labor, rotating or night shifts, long periods of standing, or makes you excessively tired, consider changing or reducing your workload. Unfortunately, women in the United States are not uniformly guaranteed paid maternity leave.

As sexually transmitted infections may be implicated in premature rupture of the membranes and preterm labor, you should use a condom if you are at risk for such an infection. Being at risk means that either you or your partner has more than one sexual partner. If you have any doubt about whether this is the case for your partner, or you have had a pre term birth, you should use condoms. In fact, because semen contains prostaglandins-body chemicals that cause uterine contractions-use of a condom from midpregnancy to 37 weeks gestation is a good idea for any woman who has had a previous preterm birth. The condoms provide a barrier between your body and your partner's semen.

If you have a history of pre term labor or signs of preterm labor, avoid nipple or breast stimulation in the third trimester, before 37 weeks gestation, as this initiates uterine contractions. Abstain from orgasm if there is any question of threatened preterm labor, as it can lead to contractions.
There is some evidence, although not conclusive, that calcium supplementation may help prevent preterm labor. Routine calcium supplementation is not currently advised in pregnancy, but you should certainly maintain an adequate dietary intake of calcium sources. Except for sometimes causing constipation, a calcium supplement is not dangerous in pregnancy. If you have had a preterm birth, discuss with your physician or midwife whether or not they advise calcium supplementation as a possible preventive measure.

In the 1980s, some promising studies showed that preterm birth might be prevented with frequent prenatal visits and vaginal examinations for women at risk for preterm labor. A number of "Prevention of Preterm" birth programs were funded by various governmental and private agencies. Unfortunately, these did not demonstrate that such measures were uniformly valuable in preventing preterm birth. Whether or not to do weekly or biweekly vaginal examinations or ultrasounds to check the cervix in the third trimester for women with a previous preterm birth remains controversial.

How Can Hypnotherapy Help With Pregnancy and Childbirth

Pregnancy and childbirth are an essential period for any mother. Experiencing a difficult birth can really put both, the mother and the child at risk. However there are actually methods to deal with this situation and to ensure that you and your child will remain safe. An antenatal class is one such program that is used to help the mothers to undergo healthy pregnancy and a trouble-free childbirth. But with the removal of this service, the NHS has put the mothers and children lives at risk. Now only people who are able to afford them can get this benefit from this program. But there is one alternative which is not going to cost you anything and will assist in an anxiety free pregnancy and a deeply relaxed childbirth.

Hypnotherapy is usually used for a stree-free and sometimes pain free labour. The pain connected with the childbirth and pregnancy sometimes become unbearable and consequently have to be taken care off. Hypnotherapy for pregnancy or as regarded by experts "HypnoBirthing" has been recognized as an easy technique to deal with the difficulties associated with childbirth. Self hypnosis can also be learned by professional hypnotherapists. Hypnotherapy has been recognized as a very effective way to reduce pain and there have been a number of cases of completely pain free delivery.

Hypnotherapy for pregnancy is absolutely not a new therapy; in fact people are using this for over centuries. It's a completely natural therapy with no negative effects at all. Some of the benefits that hypnotherapy offers in pregnancy and childbirth include:

* Reduced the severity of morning sickness
* Improved sleeping patterns
* Shorter, pain-free and more controlled labour process
* Reduced anxiety
* Reduction of tension and discomfort
* Positive thinkings regarding pregnancy and Childbirth
* Stronger bond between the mother and her baby
* Less likelihood of further medication
* Quicker and better recovery
* Happier and calmer babies with better sleeping patterns.

Hypnotherapy is a fantastic choice when getting rid of pregnancy related problems. It's a very popular and useful technique of managing pregnancy. Especially with the removal of free service of antenatal provided by the NHS, hypnotherapy has turned into even more popular than before. It is an inexpensive choice and for some women it is completely free of cost.

With the arrival of "Health in Pregnancy Grant" pregnant women in the UK are eligible to a 190 tax free payment. This payment can be used for the pregnancy and childbirth related issues. You are eligible for this grant if you have reached your 25th week of pregnancy before the 1st of January, 2011 and are still pregnant. This 190 grant is enough for you to see a highly experienced hypnotherapist. What better to spend on than on your own and your child's health. Using the grant will cost you nothing to have hypnotherapy treatments from a specialist. With hypnotherapy, mothers can be learnt to self-control their bodies and minds, with which they can effectively have a fast, relaxed and safe childbirth.

Belly Bands for Pregnancy - The Pre-Maternity Belly Band

Expectant moms normally opt to wear their typical clothes before shifting to maternity dresses. But the most common problem is that these pre-pregnancy clothes don't pretty much fit as they used toand they become too painful to button. If you have a favourite jean, skirt or a dress that is already uncomfortable to use because you are conceiving, belly bands for pregnancy is the right one for you.

These bands are made of soft and flexible material which stretches and grows with your tummy. Belly bands for pregnancy are specifically designed to offer back and lower belly support and to reinforce your pre-pregnant pants or skirt. If the pants you are wearing become too difficult to wear around your waist, apparently you'll wear them just around your hips or below. But you can't go out and show your unzipped and unbuttoned pants around.

Depriving yourself of wearing the pre-pregnancy clothes is absolutely not the solution, the bands will take care of hiding the bulky unfastened closures that you have in wearing skirts or jeans while pregnant. You will also have no problem about unhooking or the other way around because they have an elastic band closure. And if you are wearing too-loose maternity jeans these bands will hold as a belt, keeping your belly from pushing your pants down.

Being pregnant necessarily means being substantially heavy and bulky. Most often, you struggle to move easily without experiencing all sorts of pain.These bands are more importantly designed to make it easier for pregnant people to deal with or handle their pregnancy. These bands lift your abdomen and relieve your abdomen and lower back. These bands also take care of redistributing the weight of the baby making it easier for the wearer to carry the baby and her body balancely.

These belly bands are comfortable to use in any moment of the day. They are made of high quality materials, very safe and do not results to any inconvenience like irritation or discomfort. They are likewise intended to be worn from the early stages and throughout the whole duration of pregnancy and even after giving birth.

Belly bands for pregnancy are very economical. You don't have to buy a bunch of maternity dresses because you can actually use you pre-pregnancy clothes without discomfort the help of belly bands for pregnancy. Just give them a try and you won't regret it.

About 30 Discounts You'll Receive On Momentum's Wellness Programme

As one of South Africa's leading medical aid schemes Momentum Health's primary wellness programme, Multiply, will not only guarantee South Africans optimal health as its sole benefit, but will also let them receive more than 30 other benefits. This is apart from the massive HealthReturns (up to R5 400) that they may earn as an incentive for signing up.

Multiply, understands the importance of providing the best health benefits at an affordable price to each and every client in South Africa. Hence, they only work with the best providers to give you the best in fitness and overall wellness.

Of course, when Momentum says optimal health benefits, they mean that they only partner with the best in travel, leisure, shopping and health. More than 30 providers in these categories can offer you great discounts upon becoming a member of Momentum's wellness programme, Multiply. Here's a closer look at some of the great benefits that these affiliates may offer you.

Activity

Planet Fitness: This fitness club offers edgy fitness equipment and tailored programs to help you achieve the body and mindset that you would love to have. Be a member of Multiply and get discounted membership rates here. Depending on the type of membership, you might even get to use the gym for free!

Virgin Active: After paying a minimal activation fee, you can enjoy discounted membership rates at this fitness center with state of the art fitness equipment and facilities.

Wellness Coaching Network: Of course, how can you possibly know what will work best for your health without knowing your overall health condition first? Being in the wellness industry for 15 years, the Wellness Coaching Network can give you discounted assessment fees once you sign up for Multiply.

Travel

Mango: Depending on your Multiply membership type, you can enjoy 20-50% discount on domestic flights with Mango which covers trips from Johannesburg and Durban, Durban and Cape Town, Johannesburg and Cape Town, and Bloemfontein and Cape Town.

Low Cost Domestic Airline: Should you have any travel destinations not covered by Mango, you can also enjoy the same discount benefits with Low Cost Domestic Airline.

Virgin Atlantic: If you're up for international travels to Europe or the North Atlantic, then you can enjoy a 15-40% discount on international flight airfare at Virgin Atlantic upon signing up for Multiply.

Protea Hotels: Multiply members can maximize their stay in their destination through enjoying 25-45% discount rates at 3-5 star hotels, lodges and country houses from Protea.

Shopping

Canon: Capturing and sharing moments has never been this affordable! Be a multiply member and enjoy 10-40% discounts on selected Canon products.

Bushnell Sports Optics: Noted for its tagline - "A Better Way of Seeing the World", Bushnell has been in the Optics industry for more than 50 years. With its continuous innovation and established credentials, who's to say that you won't enjoy its 10-40% discount rate on selected products like binoculars, range finders and sports eyewear?

NuMetro: If you are quite the movie buff, then you will enjoy the discounted rates at Nu Metro simply by showing their Multiply membership card at the ticket counter.

These are simply some of the wonderful benefits that you can enjoy upon choosing to work with Multiply. Among other affiliates include Virgin Life Care, Health 24 and Money Sense for your assessment needs, as well as Momentous Baby and Preggi Bellies Training for Two for those who have maternity needs.

Maximize your medical aid health benefits and enjoy these great discounts at the same time; sign up for your membership and take a step closer to attaining your optimal health condition.

When to Call For Medical Help - Pregnancy Nausea

The first trimester of the pregnancy is usually the hardest for it is when the phenomenon of morning sickness haunts the expectants; albeit not all of them experience it. Morning sickness is not a life threatening problem, but it is not considered a small problem either. For one thing, it can lead to dehydration due to too much vomiting. It's important that you recognize the warning signs of morning sickness so you can better prepare yourself for it and know when to call the doctor.

Morning sickness begins as early as four weeks into pregnancy and lasts for about three months. If your nausea and vomiting continues past this point, you're all green to call the doctor. Take note that morning sickness can increase in severity at anytime. Simply inform your doctor if the symptoms are worsening - and if the medications given to you do not work. After a full day that you keep vomiting everything that you're trying to take in, call the doctor as soon as you can.

Rarer cases of morning sickness are so severe that the pregnant woman is unable to be nourished at all. This can become, if not already is, hyperemesis gravidarum. The name means over (hyper), vomiting (emesis), and pregnant (gravidarum). This happens to about 0.3% of pregnant women. It is characterized by frequently occurring vomiting. The mother's health is at risk should it go untreated. The fetus' health and life is at risk if it is left untreated any longer. The fetus' health and life is at risk if it is left untreated any longer. Inform your doctor if your morning sickness has gotten worse, and on how many times you've vomited during the day. If you've vomited over three times in one day, that's a sign that your condition is getting worse, so you have to call your doctor immediately.

Vomiting can lead to dehydration. Dehydration happens when your body loses more fluids than you can replace. When you vomit excessively, you lose fluids faster than you gain them by drinking water. The human body displays signs that you're dehydrating. Feeling dizzy or about to faint is one of those signs, and you should call your doctor immediately. What makes you dizzy is the fact that your blood pressure is lowered due to the dehydration process. Also, if your urine is darker in color, or if you're urinating in small quantities, a phone call to the doctor would be appropriate.

Another instance that you should be calling the doctor is when you feel your eyes, skin, and mouth too dry. Headaches are common symptoms of dehydration. You'll also feel too tired, weak, and absent minded. When you're dehydrated, you won't have the strength to hang in there. The fact that you are noticing the symptoms makes you already dehydrated. This is a serious problem for expectant moms. It can lead to premature labor or other complications with your pregnancy. When dehydrated, try drinking plenty of water, say ten pints if possible.

Cesarean on Demand

My mothers-to-be are astonishingly different from one another as they arrive ready to give birth in all possible shapes, sizes, and stages of delivery. Yet, in another way, they are mostly of one mind... determined to do anything medically necessary for the well-being of their baby.

Fortunately, the majority of births are pleasantly routine and everyone goes home a bit sore, but happy, healthy and determined to be a successful family. Once in a while, a delivery that may seem quite routine at first, can suddenly become complicated for any number of reasons. If the problems become overwhelming, the OB/GYN will strongly suggest that the parents give their consent for delivery via cesarean section, commonly known as a C-section.

This decision should not be suggested lightly because, after all, it's surgery! Only after the OB/GYN deems that the risks of a C-section are lower than the risks of a vaginal delivery should the C-Section option be chosen. Safety for the mother and baby always come first and only the physician is trained to know when this procedure is medically necessary. In rare cases, parents may be told ahead of labor that a C-section will be medically necessary, (i.e. if the child did not turn around in the womb). This is not considered elective because the need for surgery is decided in advance.

After delivering more than 3,000 babies, I thought I had heard it all

A case history

B.P. is a 40 year old professor of obstetrics from a major university hospital who is admitted to labor and delivery at term contracting every 5 minutes for the last hour. This is her first child-having been conceived through in-vitro fertilization. She is a healthy woman with no medical problems, has had a completely uneventful pregnancy with all routine prenatal testing showing normal results, appropriate fetal growth, adequate amniotic fluid, baby in a perfect head down position, and a recent ultrasound estimating the baby to weigh approximately 7 pounds. On admission to the delivery floor she requests an elective cesarean section.

It has been established that an individual has the right to refuse medical procedures, but does it also follow that a person has the right to demand a medically unnecessary treatment?

C-section Trends

Obstetrical care throughout the world is undergoing dramatic changes. Cesarean deliveries are increasing to the extent that in some countries, such as China and parts of Latin America it is well over 50%. There have always been certain traditional reasons for performing a cesarean section but recently "maternal request" has been added as a new indication. The rate of elective cesareans in the United States is now estimated to be between 4 % and 18%.

Reasons for elective C-sections

Fear of labor-(tocophobia)

Some women have a fear of pain, fear of an emergency and/or having to undergo a traumatic experience involving higher morbidity and mortality associated with complications.

Maternal convenience

Scheduling takes into account childcare, work concerns, support systems, choice of surgeon.

Prevention of maternal floor damage

Concerns about urinary or bowel injury or future sexual functioning resulting from traumatic vaginal delivery.

"Designer Baby"

Expensive reproductive technology needed for conception and the need to deliver in the least traumatic way to avoid any risk to the child.

Neonatal benefits

Elective cesarean is associated with lower newborn infection rates, lower risk of intracranial hemorrhage, neonatal asphyxia, and encephalopathy.

Prevention of any birth asphyxia or potential birth trauma

Avoidance of injury such as bone fracture, nerve injury.

Prevention of stillbirth

The need for preventing a stillbirth or overdue pregnancy with the inherent associated risks.

Sterilization

Doing a cesarean can allow for a subsequent sterilization procedure in some countries where reproductive rights are not available to women on request.

As obstetricians, we are faced with a difficult situation. Should a mentally competent patient have the right to choose, ethically, how they would like their baby delivered? While patients have the ability to make personal choices in many other areas of medicine, clearly this can not apply to obstetrics. Why? Because the lives of not one, but two humans, are at stake.

Are there viable disadvantages to an elective C-section?

Surgery always poses additional risk factors. Elective cesarean section has a 2.84 fold greater risk of a woman's death than a vaginal birth.

Added risks include:

1. Maternal morbidity
   This includes surgical injury such as damage to other organs, risk of hemorrhage, hysterectomy, infection, fever due to other causes, hematoma, anesthetic complications, and blood clots.


2. Respiratory issues in the newborn
   Transient tachypnea (rapid breathing) of the newborn occurs more frequently after elective cesarean and respiratory distress more likely if the surgery is booked prior to 39 weeks.


3. Potential complications with future pregnancies
   This includes increased risk of uterine rupture if laboring during a subsequent pregnancy if you have a uterine scar from a previous cesarean, increased risk of placenta previa (low lying placenta adhering to the scar), placenta accreta (placenta growing into a previous uterine scar), and placental abruption (separation of the placenta from the uterine wall).


4. Complications from adhesions
   Surgery can lead to abdominal adhesions which might effect future fertility, causing chronic pelvic pain, increase risk to bowel and bladder in future abdominal surgeries,and higher risk of ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages.


5. Injury to the baby
   There is a 1.9% chance that a surgeons knife can accidentally lacerate the fetus when doing a cesarean. However, emergency cesarean sections after labor has a greater incidence of lacerations compared to elective cesareans.

What is the answer?

In today's day and age, is it acceptable practice to allow the patient to determine the medical decision, assuming she is competent and well informed of any additional risks she is placing on herself? (i.e. informed consent) Could a physician be at risk for denying a patient's request for a cesarean if, postpartum, the procedure results in injury to herself, or her child, immediately or several years down the road?

It behooves the obstetrician, or midwife, to weigh all the risks and benefits of providing this option after exploring the reasons for the request. The ethics committee of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) states "Only the woman can decide if the benefits to her of a procedure are worth the risks and discomfort she may undergo." We must respect the rights and autonomy of a mother. However, "performing cesarean section for non-medical reasons is not ethically justified."

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, however, feels that after exploring the request and proper counseling with informed consent, the physician can comply with the patients request if it is felt that cesarean will promote the overall health of the patient and the fetus more than a vaginal delivery.

This ethical controversy will continue to plague us, especially with health care costs spiraling. Having patients elect to have more expensive procedures, can threaten the solvency of the larger community. Why? Because a C-section requires not only a surgeon and an assistant, but an anesthesiologist, additional nursing, added supplies, equipment, an operating room, possibly blood for transfusion and longer hospitalization stays for both mom and baby.

We must ask ourselves if it makes sense to utilize the valuable time of medical professionals, as well as the financial resources of a community, in order to accommodate a woman's desire to have the more expensive, and luxurious, C-section delivery?

Does respect for the rights of an individual outweigh the allocation of resources within a community? Right now, I personally don't have the answer. I just want all my babies and mothers to leave happy and healthy.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer represents about 25% of all female genital tract malignancies. However, there are more deaths from this form of cancer each year in the United States than from endometrial cancer and cervical cancer combined. The lifetime risk of developing spontaneous ovarian cancer is about 1.7%. Epithelial ovarian cancer was expected cause 15,520 deaths in 2008. Mean age at diagnosis is 60. There has been a significant improvement in the five year survival rate for patients with ovarian cancer. This is likely a combination of better tumor debulking surgeries and better chemotherapeutic options.

Most patients with this type of ovarian cancer do not have signs or symptoms until disease spreads to the upper abdomen. 70% of patients present with advanced disease. Symptoms for early stage ovarian cancer can include nonspecific pelvic discomfort, urinary frequency and constipation which are caused by an enlarging pelvic mass. With advanced disease, patients experience abdominal pain, bloating, anorexia, nausea and constipation.

The best tumor marker for ovarian cancer is CA 125. Minor elevations in CA 125 can also be seen in endometriosis, benign tumors, fibroids and in pregnant and postpartum women. In addition, moderate elevation of CA 125 can be seen in other adnocarcinoma such as breast and endometrial cancer. The sensitivity of CA 125 is 70% to 80% and the specificity is 98.6% to 99.4%. However, in the average risk population with low prevalence of ovarian cancer, the false positive can be unacceptably high.

The National Cancer Institute recommends screening for ovarian female cancer with known genetic syndromes associated with this disease and for women with strong family history. Routine screening of women without family history of ovarian cancer is not recommended. The known genetic syndromes include hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome associated with BRCA 1, BRCA 2 and Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer Syndrome (HNPCC). The absolute risk of ovarian cancer in the presence of either BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutation ranges from 16% to 60%. For patients with HNPCC syndrome, the lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 9% to 12%.

Epithelial cancer accounts for about 90% of ovarian cancers. Common histologies include serous, mucinous, endometroid, transitiona and clear cell types. Germ cell tumors include dysgerminoma, endodermal sinus tumor, malignant teratoma embryonal carcinoma or primary choriocarcinoma. Stromal tumors include granulose tumor or Sertoli-Leydig tumor.

Upon initial presentation, surgery is used for confirmation and staging the cancer. Stage I disease is confined to one or both ovaries. Stage II involves one or both ovaries with extension to the pelvic viscera. Stage III is associated with implants on the abdominopelvic wall or the serosal surface of the liver or involves small bowel or omentum. Stage IV disease involves distant metastasis. The 5 year survival for stage IA disease and grade 1 or 2 histology is greater than 90%. For high risk stage I disease and stage II disease, 5 year survival is 80%. For patients with stage III disease after optimal debulking, 5 year survival is 20% to 30%. This reduces to be less than 10% for stage III patients with suboptimal debulking and stage IV disease.

Stage I ovarian cancer with favorable prognostic features can be treated with surgery alone. For women with high risk, early stage cancer (Stage I grade 3 or stage II disease), adjuvant chemotherapy with platinum based agents show an 11% improvement in progression free survival and 8% improvement in overall survival. For stage III and IV disease, the current standard of care include maximal attempt at surgical cytoreduction followed by chemotherapy with platinum based agents.

Optimal debulking is an important part in the treatment of cancer in the ovaries. Retrospective data have shown that survival is better for women who receive chemotherapy in the presence of low volume disease. In the setting where optimal surgical cytoreduction cannot be achieved, an alternative approach is for the patient to receive chemotherapy up front. For patients who have a partial response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it may be appropriate to attempt surgical removal of macroscopic disease at that time.

As for the standard of care in chemotherapy for advanced ovarian-type cancer, studies have shown that paclitaxel/cisplatin combination is superior to cyclophosphamide/cisplatin combination. Later studies showed that carboplatin/paclitaxel is at least as effective as cisplatin/paclitaxel.

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is an appealing approach for treating a disease that is largely confined in the peritoneal space. GOG 172 which was a phase III clinical trials demonstrated that this regional approach resulted in superior progression free survival and overall survival when compared with the intravenous approach alone. The disadvantage of this approach includes local toxicity, and requirement for intraperitoneal catheter placement.

Because of the high recurrence rate in patients with advanced ovarian cancer, the issue of whether consolidation chemotherapy may improve time to progression and overall survival was examined in a phase III trial comparing 3 and 12 cycles of taxol. Progression free survival favored the 12 cycle arm. However, overall survival was not different between the two arms. Therefore, the oncologist needs to discuss with the patient and allow them to decide whether the improved progression free survival justifies toxicities including peripheral neuropathy and alopecia.

For many patients with advanced ovarian cancer who have an initial treatment response, disease relapses at a later time. The treatment of patients with recurrent disease or resistant disease needs to be individualized. For people with long treatment free interval, similar drugs many be reused. There are also a number of single agent drugs with activity in ovarian cancer. These include altretamine, bevacizumab, docetaxel, etoposide, gemcitabine, liposomal doxorubicin, paclitaxel, tamoxifen, topotecan and vinorelbine.

Radiation can also play a role in the palliation of some patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Symptoms such as pain from growing pelvic mass or bone metastasis can be palliated. Very rarely cerebral metastasis can develop which can also be treated with radiation.

The best treatment of ovarian cancer needs a team approach between the primary care physician, gynecological oncology surgeon, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists. As more chemotherapeutic agents become available and as we further understand the biology of epithelial ovarian cancer, we hope to further improve the overall survival and quality of life of our patients.

Causes of Thyroid Nodules

The thyroid gland consists of two lobes that look similar to the wings of a butterfly. The thyroid is able to absorb iodine from food you consume. It is the only gland in your body that can do this. Your thyroid takes the iodine and uses it to produce two main hormones, triiodothyronine also known as T3 and thyroxine known as T4. These are the hormones that regulate the rate that your body uses carbohydrates and lipids or fats. The thyroid also helps control body temperature, heart rate, as well as the creation of proteins. Calcitonin, yet another hormone the thyroid manufactures, is a hormone that regulates calcium level in the blood.

Though we have no definitive knowledge as to the cause of most nodules and their onset, it has been found that there a certain factor that are associated with the onset. The list includes:

- Low amount of iodine in the diet

- Hashimoto's disease, associated with hypothyroidism

- Genetic defect in the receptors responsible for releasing TSH or thyroid-stimulating hormone

- Radiation treatments that were undergone at an early age such as in child hood to the head or neck area

Various Nodule Types

There are different types of nodules that may develop in the thyroid gland:

Colloid nodule - The type of nodule is noncancerous or benign. It manifests itself as an overgrowth of normal thyroid tissue. It is possible to have one colloid nodule or several. Though it is possible for these nodules to become larger in size, they do not spread to other parts of the body and are contained only in they thyroid gland.

Follicular adenoma - This nodule type is also noncancerous or benign.

Thyroid cyst - These can be benign or malignant depending. These are fluid-filled areas of the thyroid glands that can differ in size. They can measure from less than 1/3 of an inch in diameter to over one 1 inch. Thyroid cysts are usually filled with fluid. Some thyroid cysts have solid components. These are called complex cysts. Fluid-filled cysts are generally benign. Complex cysts can at times be malignant.

Inflammatory nodule - This nodule type may at times develop resulting from chronic inflammation of the thyroid. This condition is called thyroiditis. There is a rare form of thyroiditis called subacute thyroiditis, which is accompanied by severe pain within the thyroid gland. There are other types of thyroiditis that are painless and sometimes happen after pregnancy. This is called postpartum thyroiditis.

Thyroid cancer - There is only a small chance that nodules are cancerous if a physician determines that you have any. If you have a family history of thyroid cancer or any endocrine cancer, you will be at higher risk. Also, if you are a man younger than 30 years of age or older than 60 years of age, with a history of head or neck radiation, you would also be at risk. Cancerous nodules are generally large in size and firm to the touch often causing neck discomfort and/or pain.

Multinodular goiter - "Goiter" refers to any enlargement in the thyroid gland. The appearance of several nodules can lead to a goiter. This is referred to as multinodular goiter. This condition causes tightness in the throat accompanied by difficulty in swallowing and breathing.

Hyperfunctioning thyroid nodule (toxic adenoma, toxic multinodular goiter, Plummer's disease) - TSH is released by the pituitary gland, which regulates the production of thyroid hormones. Hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules that become larger and actually produce thyroid hormones separate from the influence of TSH or thyroid-stimulating hormone. Hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules create a situation where there are high blood levels of thyroxine accompanied by low or even nonexistent levels of TSH. A genetic defect of TSH receptors may be a reason for overactivity of nodules.

The Risk Factors

Thyroid nodules are quite common. In fact, up to 50% of people may have one. The exact cause of thyroid nodules is still unknown although there are some factors that seem to increase the risk of having one. This includes:

Heredity - Family history such as the existence of nodules in parents or in siblings tends to put an individual at a higher risk of developing nodules.

Age - The chances of developing thyroid nodules grow higher as you increase in age. Changes may happen in your thyroid as part of the aging process.

Gender - Statistically, women are more likely to develop thyroid nodules when compared to men.

Exposure to radiation - In the 1940s and 50s, many persons were often treated with radiation for conditions that were noncancerous such as in the case of acne or enlarged tonsils. If you, as a child, experience this type of treatment or experienced any therapy employing the use of radiation to your neck or head for the conditions mentioned above, then you have a higher risk of developing thyroid nodules. You would also be at a higher risk if you were exposed to radioactive particles that became airborne during any atomic weapons testing or if you were exposed to radiation resulting from a nuclear power plant accident.

Specific thyroid conditions - If you've had thyroiditis or a chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland, this would also put you at higher risk.

What Are The Complications?

In general, thyroid nodules are non-cancerous or benign, but at times, they can lead to serious problems. Larger nodules or a number of nodules appearing together can lead to multinodular goiter. This condition can interfere with swallowing or breathing. In can become even more of a serious problem when these nodules or goiter produces thyroid hormone, which can lead to hyperthyroidism.

Along with assorted symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, muscle fatigue, intolerance to heat, and high anxiety, hyperthyroidism can lead to other complications:

Heart-related complications - This type of complication includes a rapid heartbeat, heart rhythm disorder and even congestive heart failure. Congestive heart failure is the condition of the heart being no longer strong enough to circulate blood throughout the body.

Osteoporosis - This is when your bones become weak and brittle due to a lack of calcium. The overall health of bones depends to a certain extent on the amount of calcium and minerals found in them. An excess of thyroid hormone or hyperthyroidism, can disrupt the incorporation of calcium into the bones. In the situation where a patient develops hyperthyroidism, the bones are the first to display the sign or symptoms of the disorder before anything else. This is the case with postmenopausal women who are in the group of individuals with a high risk of developing osteoporosis.

Thyrotoxic crisis - This is the term used to describe the sudden and possibly life threatening intensify of the above signs and symptoms. This requires immediate medical care should this occur.

Overcome Infertility - Fertility and Fruit and Vegetables

As we mentioned in previous articles, infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U. S. and many times more in the world. Because of an unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist.We have spent most of the time in this series discussing the conventional and Chinese medicine in treating fertility. I believe, it is the best time to change the subject by discussing how fruit and vegetables effects fertility

I. Definition
While fruit is defined as any fleshy material covering a seed or seeds and vegetable is defined as a herbaceous (green and leaf like in appearance or texture) plant cultivated for an edible part, as roots, stems, leaves or flowers, but in in daily language, the words "fruit" and "vegetable" are interchangeable.

II. How fruit and vegetables effects fertility
1. Load of vitamins and minerals
As we mentioned in some other articles, fruit and vegetable contain high amount of vitamins and minerals that is vital for over all health, including the reproductive organs. People eat less of above may cause nutrients deficiency, distorting the normal process of conception.

2. Low GI index
Most fruit and vegetable are low GI foods that helps to release glucose slowly into the blood stream, thereby decreasing the risks of blood sugars fluctuation, causing low sperm quality in men and distorting the menstrual cycle process in women.

3. Anti inflammation
Some food such as garlic, ginger and pepper contains high amount of antioxidants, that not only help to improve immune function in fighting against forming of irregular cells growth, but also prevent the inflammation of the pelvic region.

4. Blood flow
Garlic, ginger, onion, etc also help to improve the blood flow to the reproductive organs. By making the blood thinner, they increase the blood in transportation of nutrients and oxygen for our body cell need, including the reproductive organ, leading to decreasng the risk of low quality sperm in men and poor quality eggs in women.

5. Nervous symptoms
Some fruit and vegetable help to increase the body in fat and protein metabolism, thereby increasing the nervous cells in transmitting information between themselves and glands, thus decreasing the risk of nervous symptoms such as fatigue, stress, depression, anxiety, etc.

There are many other benefits of fruit and vegetable that we can not mention them all, but if you believe in transitional Chinese medicine, then you must choose your foods carefully without distorting the yin and yang qi in your body.

Overcome Infertility - Anti-Nuclear Antibody (ANA) In Conventional Perspective

As we mentioned in previous article, conventional medicine plays an important role in treating all kinds of disease and most of the time is the first treatment for a couple who for what ever reason cam not conceive after 1 year of unprotected sexual intercourse or can not carry the pregnancy to full term. Immune system plays an important role in protect our body against forming of free radicals and bacteria and virus, but for what ever reasons, sometime the immune system attack sperm in the women reproductive organs or sperm in the testes in men, leading to infertility In this article, we will discuss how anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) affects fertility in conventional perspective.

1. Definition
Antinuclear antibody is defined as specific class of auto antibodies that have the ability to attack structures in the nucleus of cells instead of performing the normal antibody function. It can be detected through blood sample withdrawn from the patient's vein.

2. Causes
a) Infection and inflammation
Infection and inflammation caused by bacteria or virus speeding up the body immune system function, but in some cases, bacteria and virus induce the immune system to produce antibodies which directed against the tissues of the body.
b) Medication

i) Phenytoin
Pheytoin may increase the risk of production of antinuclear antibody, leading to increasing the risk of malformations and birth defects.
ii) Antibotics
Long term uses of antibody may increase the rick of the production of antinuclear antibody as the medication causes abnormal reaction to the immune system.
iii) Methyldopa
The medication is used to dilate blood vessels for treating high blood pressure, but long term use of this type of medication may decrease the risk of immune disorder in production of antinuclear antibody.

c) Aging
As we age, the levels of antinuclear antibody increases and in some older adults (5% to 40%) may have mildly elevated levels caused by weakening immune function.
d) Diseases
Some diseases such as lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis may also increase the rick of the production of antinuclear antibody.

3. How antinuclear antibody effects infertility
Under normal conditions, when a woman becomes pregnant, the white blood cells in her uterus produce protective, blocking antibodies. In case of antinuclear antibody, the white blood cells recognize the fetus as a foreign invasion and attack it, leading to miscarriage.

4. Treatment
a) Heparin
Heparin is a member of anticoagulants,it is a purified preparation derived from animal tissue. It helps to increase the blood in transportation of nutrients to the reproductive organs leading to high chance of fertility and lessening the risk of pregnancy loss.
b) Aspirin
Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory and blood thinner agent, it helps to increase the blood circulating to the reproductive organs, thereby reducing the risk of antinuclear antibody attacking the fetus or the women reproductive tissues. It is recommendation to take 80 mg per day, which is equivalent to a baby aspirin. if necessary.

10 Simple Coping Strategies When a Family Member Has Clinical Depression

1.Remember that it is an illness:

Clinical depression often requires medical supervision as well as professional treatment. Clinical depression is treatable and requires commitment, understanding and patience from all those involved.

2.It is not your fault:

Clinical depression is usually a combination of chemical imbalance and learned behaviors. There may be times when the depressed individual is extremely sensitive, argumentative and/or blaming towards you, the children, the in-laws, the boss and even the world. All the above mentioned are not the cause. What you are responsible for is how you choose to take on the outward symptoms and how they affect you, your home and your relationships.

3.Be well informed:

Educate yourself on what type of depression is present and if there is a dual diagnosis
IE: chemical dependency and depression or personality disorders and depression. Know what the symptoms, treatments and follow-ups are. There are suggested guidelines for communication and setting boundaries. Though the illness is not your fault; it benefits you and your family to remain open minded and willing to learn new ways of doing things.

4.Make sure to have a support network:

Depression and dual diagnosis affects the whole family. There are many ranges of emotions from anger and fear to hopefulness and hopelessness. Having others that have experienced it before can help eliminate unhealthy coping mechanisms such as isolation, shame, control and low self-esteem. There are many national and local support groups available on line. For more information check with your favorite search engines or call a local and/or national mental health hotline.

5.Make time for yourself and your children:

Don't fall into the trap of not taking care of yourselves. Misery and fear love company. Living with and loving someone who is clinically depressed can be incredibly draining. Do not become a hostage or enabler. Remember your flight instructions: "For those traveling with small children; place the oxygen mask on yourself first and then assist the children."

6.Be a victor not a victim:

Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional:
We are all going to feel pain in life never mind a home with mental illness. Surround yourselves with knowledge, self-care, experienced support and nurturing. There are no such things as victims only volunteers.

7.Recognize that clinical depression is episodic
Clinical depression comes in waves. People with clinical depression do get better!

8.Understand that medication takes time to work:

In most cases, improvement takes as long as 6-8 weeks. Even early responders require about 3-4 weeks before they notice mood improvement. Even after a person with clinical depression feels better, she or he needs to stay on medication at least six months. People should never stop taking medication on their own; medical supervision is a must. There can be serious physical and emotional complications from sudden withdrawal such as increased depression and suicidal tendencies.

9.Medication alone is fairly ineffective:

Research shows that medication in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective than medication alone. Combined with therapy, the person who is clinically depressed may need to make lifestyle changes, including dietary and exercise changes. The family needs to find ways to reduce stressors by simplifying their lives.

10.Get a written relapse prevention plan:

Make a list of early symptoms such as sleep, appetite and mood changes. Early intervention is the key to stopping a downward spiral. Determine what worked in the past to get the person with clinical depression back on track and do the things that worked before.

Five Best Sexual Positions to Get Pregnant Fast

Before we get to discussing the best position to get pregnant, let's get one important thing straight first: you can get pregnant in any position-man on top, woman on top, standing, sitting, lying down or on all fours. Pregnancy happens when the male sperm enters the woman's vagina and meets up with an egg on its way to the uterus up the fallopian tube. Ideally, this is possible with any sexual position that you assume.

Unfortunately, however, some couples do find it hard to conceive for several reasons, including weak or insufficient sperm count. In some cases, as when nature needs a boost, a little push from you and your partner can go a long way in getting pregnant. When it comes to the best position to get pregnant, the general rule is that the male sperm must be deposited as near to the female cervix as possible.

This has something to do with the life spans of the female egg and the male sperm. Once an egg is released from the ovary-a stage also known as ovulation-it begins its path down the fallopian tube to the uterus. A released egg typically survives for only 24 hours, while a sperm can last anywhere from three to five days in the female body. As such, the egg has to be as close to the egg as possible so they can meet and join before the egg dies.

While not a lot of people will agree that the sexual positions have anything to do with getting pregnant, the logical inference is that it makes sense to assume the position that can help the sperm meet the egg in the shortest possible time.

This is especially true when for couples who have problems or difficulty conceiving. Having said this, the first "best position to get pregnant" tip is to avoid positions that least expose the cervix to the male sperm, and that generally defy gravity such as sex while standing up, sitting down, or with the woman on top. When trying to conceive, it is best to limit the amount of sperm that flows back out of the vagina.

The woman's hips should also be positioned in such a way that the sperm released is kept inside, giving it enough time to swim up to the female cervix.

Consider the following positions instead:

1. The missionary position, or man-on-top, is said to be the position that's best for getting pregnant. This is because this particular position allows for the deepest possible penetration, making it possible for the sperm to get deposited closest to the cervix.

2. Elevating the hips, which can be done by placing a pillow behind her, can also be helpful because this exposes the female cervix to as much semen as the male can release.

3. The rear-entry position where the man enters the woman from behind is also a recommended position. In this position, sperm is also deposited closest to the cervix, thereby helping increase the chances of conception.

4. You can also try having intercourse while lying side by side. This position likewise causes the most exposure of the cervix to the male sperm.

5. Finally, while this has nothing to do with sexual positions, there are also researches that suggest the importance of the female orgasm in conceiving. According to studies, female orgasm leads to contractions that could push sperm up into the cervix. The lesson: have fun while trying to conceive.

Infertility - Things to Help You Increase Your Pregnancy Chances

Most people talk about things you should be doing to increase your fertility. What about the things you should be avoiding?

Such as stress. Most health professionals will agree that  there is deep mind body connection within every human being. If you are always under a lot of stress then this may be lowering your chances of becoming pregnant.Dealing with the struggle of infertility is stressful enough. Add on the worry and work of everyday life and you could be an emotional wreck.

You need to be doing all that you can to avoid it or at least find a release. Something as simple as sitting quietly on a chair and practicing deep breathing can a have a tremendous effect helping you to relax.

Enrolling in a yoga class at your local community center may also be helpful. Everyone is different. Whatever relaxes you, do it!

Alcohol has also been shown to have an effect. In a Harvard study published in 1994 by The Journal of Public Health states that if a person has at least one alcoholic per day, they decrease their fertility by 50 percent. If you are having difficulty conceiving, you may want to lay off the alcohol for awhile.

Prescription medicines are another way that a couple can reduce their fertility and not realize it. Let your physician know that you are trying to conceive a child. They can make sure your medicines aren't an issue. As well as make any necessary changes.

Street drugs we all know are never good under any circumstances. Marijuana has been shown to disrupt the reproductive cycle. While cocaine has been shown to raise blood pressure which can cause several health problems.

You and your partner should make it a point to avoid all of these things. Hopefully increasing your fertility.

Can Calcium Increase Your Chances of Getting Pregnant? Find Out the Answer Here

Do you know that calcium nutrient can aid in increasing your chances of getting pregnant and maintaining you pregnancy from premature births and neonatal deaths? Are you aware that most prenatal vitamins have not more than 20% of the RDA of calcium?

Studies have shown that most women both aspiring and pregnant ones, don't get enough calcium daily. Calcium nutrient in needed for strong bones and good teeth and also for muscle growth in the baby. The risk of not having enough calcium by non pregnant and pregnant women is one of the major factors that causes osteoporosis; a disease which speeds up loss of calcium and causes the bones to become weak and fragile, curved spines, loss of height and increases the incidence of bone fracture especially among women.

Calcium plays a vital role in preparing a woman for conception. It increases the chances of a woman getting pregnant and maintaining her pregnancy by providing the much needed strong bones and muscle growth which are needed for a healthy conception. Calcium also helps in maintaining the heart rhythm in mom and baby, lowers neonatal deaths and prevents premature births.

Taking the recommended amount of 1000-1200mg of calcium daily before and during pregnancy helps the body to store up the required amount needed to make milk for your baby when he or she is eventually born.

Calcium can be sourced from dairy foods like milk, yogurt, ice cream and cheese. Women who can't eat dairy products due to lactose intolerance or vegan diets can source their calcium nutrients from some good plant based sources like tofu, black eyed peas, baked beans collard greens and oranges. It is very important to note that while food and other supplements can be useful in getting enough calcium, it is important not to overdo it. Getting 2000mg/day or more can produce adverse effects such as kidney stones. which are dangerous to the overall health reproductive couples.

Further more, avoid calcium supplement that contains bone meal and dolomite as they may also contain toxic substances like lead, mercury and arsenic. Steer clear of chelated calcium as they cost more but offers no advantage compared with other calcium supplements.

Get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body absorb and use calcium. Your body naturally produces vitamin D from sunlight and this is another good reason to go out for a walk! Food sources of vitamin D include milk fortified with vitamin D, egg yolks, and dark-meat fish (such as salmon or herring.

Try and exercise regularly. Weight-bearing exercise, which can be as simple as walking, can help to build strong bones. Talk to your health care provider about exercise options that are safe and helpful during pregnancy.

While most multivitamins may not satisfy the body's calcium needs, they do supply the daily recommended amount of vitamin D.

How To Prepare For Pregnancy: 5 Tips To Get Pregnant Faster

Becoming pregnant and having a baby can cause a whirlwind of upheaval in any woman's life, and a lack of preparedness is the root of many young mother's problems. At the worst end of the scale, being totally unprepared for the birth of your child and the changes it will bring can actually result in postnatal depression - although, of course, there are many factors involved in this. The best idea is to be as prepared as you can be, so here are some helpful tips to get you started on how to prepare for pregnancy.

1. Start saving now. The costs of having a baby can be astronomical, and many of these costs come right before you give birth and in the first year of his or her life. It is estimated that the annual cost of having a baby is currently around 瞿9000 and unfortunately this is only set to rise! You don't want to find yourself completely swamped with things to buy just as your baby approaches, so it's best to begin saving as soon as possible.

2. Detoxify your body. Once you become pregnant, you are going to have to stop drinking alcohol and smoking anyway, so you may as well do it now. Some women believe that it's also necessary to give up caffeine, and if you are a regular coffee drinker you may find this more difficult than you think! It's best to get the biggest hurdles out of the way before you even become pregnant. This gives you a better chance of conceiving quickly, and it also means that you don't have to suffer the painful withdrawal symptoms when you are also struggling with the fluctuating hormones of pregnancy.

3. Find ways to deal with stress. For many women, falling pregnant is a little like having constant PMT. Your hormones are, for a time, in a bit of a maelstrom, and it is likely that you will feel more than a little stressed. Bearing this in mind, you should try to eliminate the stress you have in your life now. This will make you more likely to conceive, and will also minimise the effect of the extra stress of pregnancy. It is also helpful to develop tried and tested ways of dealing with stress so you won't need to blow a fuse when you're pregnant. If a long bath works for you, remember that, and use it every time you feel stressed. Soon you'll develop a cognitive stress off button that you can use whenever you want.

4. Read up on the science of pregnancy. It helps with how to prepare for pregnancy by having all the information about fertility at hand and to know it off by heart. There are many small facts that you may like to know - such as, for example, why expectant mothers should avoid cheese - and reading about the process of human reproduction can be very exciting and fascinating. It also helps you to feel calm throughout as you will understand all those technical terms your doctor will use, and you will know exactly what is happening to your body.

5. Take fertility supplements. Herbal supplements are scientifically proven to work, and supplements such as Chasteberry (Vitex Agnus Castus), Wild Yam, False Unicorn Root and Evening Primrose Oil can be invaluable in balancing your hormone levels and in making sure you get pregnant quickly and easily. They also help with the negative effects of PMT, so are very useful for women at all stages of life. Remember, having a hormonal imbalance can actually cause certain types of female cancer, so ensuring the health of your hormones is not just for pregnancy, but for life.

Notes on Fish Oil Dosage on Pregnancy

When pregnant, a woman has to be keen enough and be watchful on all foods, beverages, medicines, and others that she will take in. Anything that you ingest should surely affect not only your health as the mother but as well as your unborn child inside your womb. You don't want your child to be born having impaired abilities physically and cognitively, as well as the possibilities of acquiring certain diseases. No mother would want that to happen to her child.

As a mother, you should follow a balanced diet program and should observe a healthy lifestyle for your baby. Amongst the many essential nutrients needed for a pregnant mother to stay healthy as well as her child, omega 3 fatty acid plays a significant role in promoting good health during pregnancy. In fact, many researches conducted have shown that it has positive roles and effects on the child when taken properly by the mother. Recommended fish oil dosage on pregnancy is necessary.

The most recent research has been reported that adequate omega 3 fatty acid dosage on pregnancy initiated the increase of birth weight, boosted coordination, reduced the risk of diabetes, and promoted a growth surge in the brain at first three months of pregnancy.

Through an adequate intake of fish oil by the mother, surely the human infant will live healthy and develop better. It is known that a child needs ample amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for proper growth and development. Fish oil contains these fatty acids needed that are very beneficial in the child's growing brain, for his or her cardiovascular health, development of retina, and all others.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that a pregnant mother should utilize 12 ounces of fish oil per week. This recommended dosage on pregnancy will surely help the mother to less likely experience the postpartum depression, which mothers don't really want to experience after bearing her child. The dosage could as well depend on the advice of the health care provider. It could be more or less than the recommended intake of the FDA and you should strictly follow what your doctor tells you. You should be aware that consuming a high level of omega 3 fatty acid whether or not during pregnancy could harm anyone. Too much of a something is indeed harmful as what a famous cliche says.

Therefore, if you want to be successful as a mother and to have a healthy baby, the secret is to take the right quantity of omega 3 fatty acid throughout your pregnancy. You should also consult your most trusted physician and talk to him about the diet you are in.

How to Stay Fit While Pregnant and Keep Your Sexy Figure

If you are pregnant, and want to stay in shape during the pregnancy, this article will explain how to stay fit and in great shape so you can be better prepared for when your baby is delivered.

You will want to keep working out during the entire pregnancy, if you stop, starting again can be hard on your body. Work out a few times per week...you need to work out at least two times per week for it to do any good.

Note: When I say "working out" this can be as simple as regular walking, light swimming, yoga, stability ball exercises and any other such things, largely dependent on how active you were before your pregnancy. Doing strenuous sweaty workouts is gonna be a no-no for most pregnant women, particularly those in the later stages. Check with your doctor about what exercises are right for you to stay fit while pregnant, and use their help to come up with a routine based on your own situation.

They will tell you if you have any special limitations due to certain risks...so do not do anything without asking them first. Don't forget that they are there to help you through the pregnancy.

You can try lower impact activities such as water aerobics. As mentioned above, Yoga is another great idea, just make sure you know what is safe for pregnancy. You can talk to an instructor or purchase videos made specifically for pregnant women. Also do not forget to drink water while working out. This is important for your body. Do not overwork yourself. It it doesn't feel comfortable, stop what you are doing and try a different workout.

During pregnancy you want to stay in shape, but you do not necessarily want to lose weight - unless you are overweight and your doctor has said it is in your's and the baby's best interests to do so.

Pregnancy is one of the few times in your life that it is good to gain weight. You should be putting on weight every week particularly during the second and third trimesters, and so do not feel discouraged by this gain. The baby will be growing and you will lose a lot of weight easily after the baby is born. Knowing how to stay fit while pregnant also means knowing it is okay to put on weight during this time of your life.

It is important to learn how to stay fit while pregnant. Do not overwork your body and take care of yourself. Do not forget to eat healthy, but eat plenty of food at the same time. If you continue to take care of your body, you will only gain the weight needed for pregnancy and nothing extra. This will have you looking sexy again right after your baby is born. Take care of your body and it will take care of you and your baby.

IVF Loans - Save Your Credit Score With Supplemental Insurance

If you are considering taking out a loan to pay for your IVF treatments consider using a portion of your financing to purchase supplemental insurance. Not only will you protect your credit score, but you will gain peace of mind and some extra income to enjoy bonding with your baby.

Many couples find themselves in a tough spot: In Vitro Fertilization gives them the best chance of finally having that baby, but their health insurance will not cover the treatments. Many of these couples don't have a large enough nest-egg built up to cover the costs of IVF treatments - so they borrow money and hope to pay it back over time. Some couples can find financing specifically for IVF, while others use credit cards or borrow against the equity in their home.

Dangerous Gamble

Borrowing money to pay for IVF treatments is a dangerous gamble for many couples. The added expense of the IVF treatments is often just the tip of the iceberg. What many fail to consider is that finances can change dramatically when In Vitro Fertilization works: you conceive and deliver a baby.

Getting pregnant and having a baby adds extra expenses for food, clothing, furniture and more. Plus, there is mom's lost income to take into account. At minimum she may be losing six weeks of income for her normal labor and delivery.

What should be a happy time sometimes works out the opposite: mom experiences pregnancy complications, or the baby is born premature and spends weeks in the hospital. Sometimes this translates into months of lost income for mom's disability, and then an extended family leave to care for your infant at home.

When this happens the regular bills start piling up, and then the extra loan payments start to kick in - just when you are taking a big income hit. Your credit score starts to plummet making it more difficult to find additional financing.

Supplemental Insurance Protects Financing

Use some of your loan proceeds to fund the purchase of supplemental insurance before starting IVF. Your benefit for normal delivery may greatly exceed the premium you pay helping you offset your IVF costs.

Plus you are also covered in case of pregnancy complications and premature birth giving you the financial freedom to get healthy without worrying about your bills and your credit score.

7 Unique After Pregnancy Exercises

For women, having a newborn child is probably the happiest moment of their lives, but with it, it also brings certain unfortunate things such as the weight they gain during their pregnancy. For most new mothers, exercise often seems like the last thing they feel like doing, as they try getting their new routine down. However, more than ever, now is the time that new moms should become active because their metabolism will easily rise, and they will conveniently shed extra weight. In fact, exercising after pregnancy can also provide new moms with much-needed energy and will help them reduce tension and stress. All in all, it is true that new mothers should wait at least six weeks after pregnancy before they do any exercises. However, there are certain exercises that women can do within hours after giving birth, which will help them feel better and regain their strength.

1. Breathing

Breathing is necessary, but it is also an excellent exercise for new moms. After a woman gives birth, within the first few days, breathing can feel different as their organs go back to where they originally were. This breathing exercise is deeper than others. New moms should start by practicing slow breathing in with their hands place low on their abdomen until they start feeling their hands moving, then they should slowly exhale. This exercise should be repeated 5 to 8 times. This will help them feel better emotionally and physically.

2. Arm and Legs Circles

This is quite a simple exercise that new moms can easily do. They should lay down in bed and hang their legs over the side or lift them up a bit and rotate both feet around 8 to 10 times. Doing both sides is important, and this should be repeated with the arms as well.

3. Leg Slides

Doing this exercise can help new mothers to focus on their legs, especially after an epidural, and blood clots can also be prevented with the help of this exercise. They should sit up in bed and bend their knees. They should extend on leg by sliding it out. While sliding the leg back up, the other leg should be extended at the same time. This should be repeated 10 to 12 times for every slide. This should be done as a gentle sliding and not as a fast movement.

4. Kegels

Even if they had a cesarean birth, exercising their pelvic floor can prove to be beneficial. The blood flow is increased by it to help heal sutures, and the muscles are stored to their pre-pregnancy shape. Kegel exercises also help with bladder control as well. It has been reported by some new mothers that they cannot actually feel the muscles, but doing kegel exercise is still okay.

5. Neck Stretches

New moms often complain of having a stiff neck because of baby holding and breastfeeding. After pregnancy, new moms should relax their neck every day a few times. The neck should be dropped forward. This way, the neck will be pulled down and stretched by the weight of the head. For a good stretch, this position should be held for 5 to 10 seconds. Then the head should be lifted; the right ear should be dropped to the right shoulder, and the position should be held for 5 to 10 seconds. This should be repeated on the other side.

6. Pelvic Tilts

To do pelvic tilts, new moms should bend their legs and rest their feet on the floor while lying down on the floor. The abdominals should be slowly tightened, and the pelvis should be rolled upward. The glutes should not be squeezed too much, instead the movement should be initiated with the abs and breathing should be even. When doing pelvic tilts, the pelvic floor should not be tightened, since pressure might be placed on it, and it might get stretched further.

7. Isometric Contractions

This is a move that can be done by new moms with their baby. They should bend their knees and keep their feet flat on the floor while lying down and their baby on their belly. The abs should be squeezed and pulled in like a sponge while inhaling and lifting the baby up. Then the baby should be lowered while exhaling. This should be repeated 10 to 16 times.

After getting stronger, new moms can also progress to difficult exercises as well. Nonetheless, the 7 exercises mentioned here are easy, simple and will definitely help women who have just given birth feel better.

Thyroid Secrets Revealed

Did you know that thyroid disease can cause unexplained weight gain and fatigue? It can also cause depression, hair loss, anxiety, dry skin and poor memory. When tested randomly, at least 10% of adults are found to have thyroid disease.

The funny thing is, many with typical symptoms of a thyroid disorder are tested and found to have 'normal' thyroid function. Furthermore many being treated for thyroid disease still have many of the symptoms remain.

Why is it that so many people who have symptoms are not diagnosed? And why are many individuals who are diagnosed with thyroid disease and receiving treatment not feeling better?

Simply put, the shortcoming is in the "normal range" numbers of the thyroid tests that most doctors rely on. Laboratory ranges can be determined by consensus of experts or by simply averaging scores.

For blood sugar levels, for example, panels of researchers review glucose levels in people who have become diabetic and compared it to what their blood sugar levels were in the years preceding their diagnosis. Those whose morning fasting blood sugar levels are under 99 were found to have lower rates of becoming diabetic. Therefore 99 is considered the upper limit of the "normal range".

For thyroid disease the ranges are simply averages. What this means is that a lab will review 10,000 scores from a thyroid test and create a high and low range based on this group. The low range is the lowest 2.5% of scores and high range is the highest 2.5%.

The problem with this method is that these normal values are only reflective of whomever is being tested. Who gets a thyroid test done? Primarily two groups: those known to have thyroid disease and those suspected of having it. These two groups should not be expected to have the same thyroid blood levels as those with optimal thyroid function, yet this is the assumption inherent in the normal ranges.

So what is the solution? If you or someone you love has symptoms of thyroid disease, such as weight they can't lose or unexplained fatigue and depression, don't give up when the family doctor runs a test, then says everything is fine. Push harder and work with a doctor who will listen and understands the shortcomings of relying only on test reference ranges.

Whether you have thyroid disease or not, here are a few easy steps everyone can take to improve your thyroid function:

1. Get the Right Amount of Iodine. This is easy, you know the little girl with the umbrella on your salt? You want iodized salt for use at home. Sea salt can also be found in iodized forms. All the extra salt we get in processed foods and at restaurants has no iodine. Eat seafood, any kind helps. Have some seaweed every now and then like Nori found on sushi. Take a multi that contains about 100 mcg of iodine. Avoid very high doses of iodine found in kelp and iodine supplements. Too much is as bad or worse than too little.

2. Minimize Mercury. Seafood is great but be aware of high-mercury seafood. The biggest no-no is don't eat tuna daily. The most complete current data is from the FDA: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html Avoid mercury amalgams. Getting new fillings? Get porcelain or ceramic. Got old ones that the dentist says should go? Get them out and ask us about ways to detox.

3. Avoid Perchlorate. This is a toxic by product from rocket and jet fuels. It also forms spontaneously in the arid Southwest soil and ends up in our water. We absorb it from our skin and intestines. Once in our bodies it prevents our thyroid glands from absorbing iodine. Solutions: drink purified water only, not tap water. Ideally use a filter for your shower also.

In the case of suspected thyroid disease or any other symptom, never assume that you need to suffer. Educate yourself and take action. You deserve to feel your best!

(c) 2009 - Integrative Health Care, PC

How to Get Pregnant Fast at 45

When a couple decides to start a family, one of the immediate concerns that have to be addressed is whether the woman can get pregnant fast. A lot of women find getting pregnant seem effortless and normal. However, a good number still have trouble conceiving due to many factors.

It becomes especially harder when a woman turns 40 and above. Older women face more serious infertility issues than younger women. It is a known fact that a woman's fertility rate declines rapidly as she turns 30. Even more so, every year after that. By the time she reaches 40, it becomes even harder to get pregnant, much less get pregnant fast.

This has become a growing concern for women around the world who are in their forties and are still thinking of conceiving children. Although modern medicine has discovered innovative ways to make pregnancy possible to women with age, it's a method that is expensive and is not immediately available in many countries.

Well, worry no more. There is still hope for you and thousands of women out there who want to get pregnant fast even at 45. Here's how:

• To get pregnant fast, be prepared physically, mentally and emotionally. It can be harder to bear and raise children when you are a lot older compared to when you are in your twenties. But this shouldn't stop you from pursuing your goal. Staying healthy is key. Have a balanced diet of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat also foods that are known to boost fertility such as whole grain breads and full dairy products.


• Have a regular check-up with your doctor to keep a close monitor on your health, particularly your reproductive system. Your doctor may also be able to prescribe some fertility supplements that you can take and help increase your chances to get pregnant fast.


• Stress reduction is important to raise the possibility for you to get pregnant fast. Stress is a huge factor that causes infertility in both men and women. You need to ease you stress away by doing relaxing activities such as going to a spa.


• Timing of your sexual intercourse is important if you want to get pregnant fast. Having sexual intercourse during your ovulation period is recommendable. However, when you ovulate, it doesn't automatically means that you are fertile. Fertility period varies from one woman to another. To be certain, check with your gynecologist.


• To help you get pregnant fast, don't think that you alone needs to be tended upon. Your partner should also be checked by a doctor to guarantee that he doesn't have infertility issues himself.

What Exactly Does Health Insurance Cover?

When you have a medical emergency, you often go to the emergency room (ER), or to an urgent care clinic. As expected, they charge you for the services and treatment, with insurance covering a large portion of the bill. However, there are various medical procedures that your policy does not cover. And if you go into the operation blindly, you could wind up with a major shock later.

Medication
If you have surgery or a routine operation, chances are you will receive prescribed medication. Some of those meds are covered, while others are not. Your doctor or pharmacist should be able to answer any questions. Keep in mind, however, that over the counter medications like aspirin do not fall under insurance coverage.

Cosmetic Surgery
While policies cover many surgical procedures, one thing that it does not is cosmetic or plastic surgeries, such as a face lift, nose job, or liposuction. That is because these operations often improve one's appearance, but do not necessarily improve his or her health. The coverage simply depends on the company with which you are insured. However, if you feel that it could improve your way of life, write a letter to the insurance company to get them to reconsider.

Experimental Treatments
Depending on your diagnosis and recommended treatment, you may qualify for a clinical trial. However, insurance does not handle every single trial, at least if they define it as "experimental". Depending on the method of treatment, the product manufacturer might handle the product itself. However, you may have to pay for outside expenses like doctor's appointments or additional testing. The insurance company may allow clinical trials if you can prove the benefits of undergoing treatment.

Before you schedule any appointments, ask your insurer what is or is not covered. Your company can easily provide you with that kind of information, either on its website, or over the phone. If you find yourself having to pay completely out of pocket, call your doctor's office or hospital to work out a more reasonable solution. There are alternate treatments and lower payments that may suit your budget. A medical bill negotiation can help you reduce your bill tremendously, especially if you are already on a fixed income.

Maternity
Different policies cover different aspects of a woman's pregnancy, including when a woman goes into labor. However, some may exclude a woman if she does not have maternity coverage before contraception. Since that is virtually impossible to predict, if you are considering having children, you may want to look into coverage well in advance.

Getting Pregnant? Gender Selection Tips to Help You Chose Your Baby's Sex

I have a few blogs that support couples in choosing their baby's sex.  Most times, people find me because they are thinking about or trying to get pregnant and they know, without a doubt, that they want one to have one gender over another.  The reasons for this vary.  Sometimes, they may already have a boy and want a girl. Perhaps they want a son to carry on the family name.  Maybe one gender runs in their family and they want to change this trend.  Whatever the reason, there are universal tips that will help you chose your baby's sex.  This article will discuss them, and will tell you why, and how, they work.

What Determines Your Baby's Sex: There are a lot of old wives tales that explain why couples have one gender over another.  Whether you believe these or not, the bottom line is, if a sperm with female chromosomes (X) reaches and fertilizes your egg first, you'll have a daughter. If a boy containing sperm fertilizes the egg, you'll have a son. 

The chances are pretty equal (about 50 / 50) for each baby gender if you do nothing to change this. That doesn't mean, however, that you don't have any control over which one ultimately wins the race.  There are quite a few things that you can do to influence this.  You can control your timing, your diet, your acidity, and the way that that you send the sperm to the egg.  I'll discuss all of these things in more detail below.

Controlling Conception Timing To Chose Your Baby's Gender:  As stated before, the sperm chromosomes are extremely important, but you should also understand that the X and Y sperm behave very differently.  The girl chromosomes are very strong and will live much longer, but the boy sperm are much faster.  Choosing your baby's sex then requires you to take advantage of these things. 

There is a "fertility window" in your cycle, which are the days that give you your best chance of getting pregnant.  If you want a girl, you should shoot for the beginning of this window, which is about three days (or as many as 4) before you ovulate. If you want a boy, shoot for the end of the window, which is the day of, or one day after, ovulation.

Speaking more of old wives tales, there are many ways you're told to gauge or predict,  your ovulation (basal temperature, rhythm method, cervical mucus), but modern technology works much better and is much more accurate.  Ovulation predictors, in my experience, work much better. Using cervical mucus, I thought I wasn't ovulating and was having trouble getting pregnant.  Once I started using a saliva ovulation predictor, I was happily pregnant within two months - because I could literally see when I was getting ready to ovulate.

Sending The Sperm To The Egg: Sexual Positioning And Gender Selection: Remembering that the girl sperm can live for several days, if you're trying to conceive a baby girl, you should use sexual or intercourse positions that are shallow, because this places the sperm far away from where it needs to go.  This makes it more difficult for boy sperm.  If you want to conceive a baby boy, use deeper penetration, as you need to give the Y chromosomes the shortest, fastest trip possible for a son.   

Getting The Right Acidity To Get The Gender You Want:  Remembering that the boy sperm are weak, you'll need likely need to lower or alkaline your vaginal PH if you want a son.  Boy sperm just can not survive an environment that is too acidic.  But, if you want a girl, you'll want to raise or exploit your acidity.  This is where many people give up, and it frustrates me. This process is not as hard as you think. Get a PH tester at a health food store or online.  This will tell you where you are starting.  Then, you can change your diet or douche appropriately until you are in the correct range.

The biggest mistake that I see people making is just using just one technique.  Maybe they're really good about timing their conception only to leave everything else to chance.  Or, maybe they use the correct sexual position on the wrong day.  Or, maybe they just bypass their acidity all together.  To really be sure that you'll get the gender you want, you need to address all of these.  And, with a little patience and the right tools, this doesn't have to be as difficult as you think, even if one gender ones in your family. It's said that if you correctly address all of the variables, you can raise your odds to well over 90%, which in my experience is very much worth the effort.

Benefits of Nettle Leaf Infusions For Women's Health

Did you know that an herb called Stinging Nettles is very beneficial for women's health? It is so nourishing for women of all ages that they can drink and use the infusion on a daily basis. For the young teenage woman, the young pregnant woman, the woman working outside the home in the hectic world and the working woman inside the hectic home, as well as the menopausal woman, nettles have been used by all of us for thousands of years.

Nettle infusion taken daily or at least several times a week restores health and re-energizes us. It builds our blood, expands our cells to metabolize nutrients more effectively and nourishes our reproductive and hormonal systems. It nourishes us from the inside out, and the outside in. You can even use the infusions on your skin and hair! A hair rinse and skin wash tones the hair, gets rid of fungal and bacterial infections and acne.

For teenagers, nettle can ease the pre-menstrual symptoms and provide nourishment to all the glands and organs. There's plenty of calcium, magnesium, trace minerals and other nutrients for the whole body. And they can make their own hair rinses, skin washes and herbal baths for health, beauty and self-confidence.

For pregnancy, nettle is rich in vitamin K and iron, exactly what a pregnant woman needs, especially during her last trimester. This plant has a reputation for reducing the hemorrhage and serious effects from postpartum hemorrhage. Nettle improves quality and quantity of breast milk. It provides calcium and other minerals essential to you and your body to make your milk nutrient-dense!

For the working women nettle nourishes your adrenals. Adrenal exhaustion creeps in during this stage because we take care of everyone around us instead of ourselves. Now is the time to take care of ourselves, nourish the adrenal glands back to health and check any conditions that are becoming chronic.

For menopause nettle can help stabilize our hormones and our energy. It helps ease those night sweats and soothe our nerves when we become irritable. Nettles nourish us as we settle into a new stage of our life.

Nettle is a safe and gentle herb. Our ancestors relied on nettle and we can bring it back into our lives today for our health and beauty.

©2009 Shanna Ohmes

Choosing the Domino Scheme

The Domino scheme means, in theory, that one midwife looks after you throughout your pregnancy, goes into hospital with you for the delivery, and accompanies you home again a few hours afterwards. Although the scheme isn't available everywhere and in practice you may not have the same midwife with you in labour who looked after you during pregnancy, research suggests that it's a very popular scheme with women. It gives them the satisfaction of developing an excellent relationship with one midwife whom they can confide in and whom they can trust to help them achieve the kind of birth they want. You may, however, have to be persistent if you want to choose a Domino delivery.

Schemes very similar to Domino are likely to be available to more women in the future. This is because a recent government report, called Changing Childbirth, recommends that women should see just a few midwives for their maternity care. At present, it's quite likely that the midwife whom you see at your GP's surgery will not be the mid¬wife who helps you give birth, or that, if you are going to the hospital for your antenatal checks, you see a different midwife and doctor every time you have an appointment. This makes it very difficult for the health professionals to get to know you and for you to get to know them. All over the country, the way in which midwives work is now being changed and soon, pregnant women should find them¬selves being looked after by a small team of midwives who will take responsibility for them from when they find out they are pregnant until after the birth of their babies. This will make it much easier for women to get information about their choices for birth, to ask questions and to feel relaxed with their carers. Perhaps it's never been such a good time to be pregnant!

5 Helpful Tips For New Parents

When becoming a new parent, there are just some things that baby books and family advice cannot prepare you for. Whether it is paying attention to the signs that a newborn's health is failing or learning how to properly clean her ears, there is always something new that draws a question mark and sends parents into a frenzy. While you may receive numerous tips on how to care for your baby, dealing with the emotional and mental stress of being a new mother or father is often overlooked. Below, you will find a few tips regarding both the concern and care for baby and parent:

Take Time For Yourself

When a baby enters your life, chaos may develop because your normal behavior, sleep, and lifestyle patterns are disrupted to adjust for a newborn. If you don't find time for yourself to release built-up tension and stress, then you won't be in any good shape to take care of your little one. Plus, children have a way of sensing when their parents are stressed, which in turn may cause them to react accordingly.

Reduce Stress By Saving Money

For some parents, a new financial strain is created with the addition of a new member to the family. Sometimes any penny saved can go a long way in the future. When you get into the habit of clipping coupons and requesting free samples, you can save money that can go towards other aspects of the household. If you call baby food and other baby product companies, you can ask for coupons and other discounts. Sometimes you can accomplish the same goals by visiting their website.

It's OK To Accept Help

When parents take the attitude that they can do it all (baby, house, and work) on their own without any help from family and friends, burnout is inevitable. The daily tasks that come with changing diapers, warming bottles, and burping baby reach overwhelming proportions in a short amount of time. With new mothers, the risk of postpartum depression will increase. When family, friends, and even neighbors extend a helping hand, it is highly suggested to accept it.

Be On the Lookout For Jaundice

More and more newborns are seen developing jaundice, meaning a yellow pigment appears in the skin of the baby. When certain chemicals build up in the body, the baby's liver has to work overtime to break it down and release it. The condition often goes away on its own, but if not diagnosed in time, brain damage may occur. It is important to know that around 60% of newborns will develop jaundice.

Get Enough Sleep

If you do not get enough sleep, how will you ever be able to keep up with the erratic patterns of a baby, especially if he or she suffers from a medical condition, such as colic? Parents who are deprived of their sleep become exhausted and suffer from lapses in memory, mood, concentration, as well as the ability to deal with the new parent responsibilities.

Less sleep also means the body can break down and illness may settle in. The worst thing to deal with is a cold that threatens the health of your child. Taking turns with another with the baby or dividing your time between shifts is a good way to make sure you get the sleep that you need. Single parents might have to call upon the help of their siblings or parents during the first six weeks, which can be rather difficult without assistance.