Palak Vyas

Some mothers&nbsp;produce more milk than their breasts can hold, which makes the breasts feel rock hard and uncomfortably full – a condition called engorgement.This condition might last temporarily for 24 to 48 hours. However it can be painful. What do engorged breasts feel like?The breasts feel large, hard and lumpy. The skin of your breasts look shiny and feel stretched, and your nipples becomes hard and flat. Breast engorgement can cause breastfeeding difficulties – which can, in turn, worsen the problem. Your baby might struggle to latch if your nipples are flatter and your breast tissue is harder,&nbsp;causing sore nipples. Causes of breast engorgement:<ul><li>Engorgement usually occurs because the baby is not feeding frequently enough (at least eight times in 24 hours).</li><li>Those women who doesn’t feed their babies or who can’t, due to any reason for example either they are working or too busy with chores due to large families, these women can develop breast engorgement. It can also cause when the woman produces more milk than her baby can have.</li><li>Engorgement can also happen if you suddenly cut on breastfeeds, maybe, because your baby is sick,&nbsp;either (s)he keeps sleeping longer, starting solid foods and other liquids, or going into childcare, which keeps him away from you for longer time.</li></ul> Treating engorged breasts:<ul><li>Breastfeed your baby for minimum 8 times in 24 hours.</li><li>Check that your baby has a good breastfeeding latch.</li><li>Try breastfeeding in different positions.</li><li>You can also massage your breasts gently while feeding to help the milk drain effectively.</li></ul>

New mothers might worry about breast engorgement but there is nothing to worry about much.

Understanding Breast Engorgement

Dr Ajab Primuswala

The most important thing is to make sure that your child is diagnosed of autism by a psychiatrist or psychologist. You should not confuse autism with social anxiety or social awkwardness. As a parent you have to be extra loving and caring. Be very specific in what words you use with your child. This makes the child comfortable with you and develops a rapport which helps them in expressing themselves in front of you. Things to be taken care of:<ul><li>As a parent, we tend to get aggressive easily when we feel the child is not understanding or obeying us. But leave your aggression aside and be friendlier with your child. The first rule to deal with a child with autism is, be friendly and loving.</li></ul> <ul><li>Second most important thing is to know that a child with autism doesn’t understand eye movements or non verbal communication like signs and gestures. They always need verbal communication for better understanding.</li></ul> <ul><li>For example: If you want your child to sit down, rolling your eyes down won’t make any sense to him/her. It is better to tell him precisely, “Please sit down”. Or you can tell him/her that you would appreciate it if (s)he would sit down.</li></ul> <ul><li>Once you have child has been diagnosed with autism, start working with them as per your psychiatrist/psychologist’s guidance. Your child will develop a lot of coping skills if given regular therapy and constant words of encouragement from you. So when your doctor suggests therapy, go ahead with it and be regular in that.</li></ul> <ul><li>Don’t treat them as different children or disabled children. They are quite normal. It is just that their way of understanding; their way of perception is different than ours.</li></ul> <ul><li>For them, the world is what they perceive, not what we want them to perceive.&nbsp;Be very open in sharing how you are feeling. If you do not like their certain behaviour, you can verbalise and tell them , “I don’t like your behaviour and I would appreciate if you do not repeat it again.” Scolding them for everything they do, is not going to work in a progressive manner.</li></ul> <ul><li>As a parent you can tell people in your surroundings that you can be verbal and caring towards these children. Just don’t treat them differently. Don't be aggressive to them. Be loving and gentle. Convey this to you family, relatives, near and dear ones, so everyone treats him/her in a similar manner as they treat other children.</li></ul>

Children with autism, sure need extra care but they should never be treated as "misfit" children.

Raising a Child with Autism

Samiksha Choithani

Cleft is a split in the lip that can be immediately identified during the birth of a baby. A cleft lip is a split in the lip. Cleft lip and cleft palate can affect one or both sides of the mouth. Cleft lip and cleft palate can occur independently of each other or can occur together. A cleft lip is caused due to many reasons - it can be hereditary, exposure to substances like cigarettes, alcohol or medications, diabetes or obesity during pregnancy. Babies having cleft lip can breastfeed comfortably, however babies with a cleft palate may have difficulty in sucking.&nbsp;Consider this while feeding a baby with cleft lip (Without cleft palate):<ul><li>The baby may find it difficult to seal nipple with the mouth. If there is a hissing sound, it indicates that air is entering in the mouth.</li><li>Try to reposition the breast and baby’s mouth to form a vacuum.</li><li>The nipple should be behind the tongue; this will help the baby to hold the nipple in its mouth.</li><li>You can adjust and change positions to identify the one that works the best for your baby</li></ul> A cleft palate is a split or opening in the roof of the mouth. A cleft palate can involve the hard palate (the bony front portion of the roof of the mouth), and/or the soft palate. Consider this while breastfeeding a baby with cleft palate:<ul><li>Hold your breast in such a way that baby can get a good grip and latch properly.</li><li>The cleft can be repaired with surgery after 6-12 months but before that do not stop breastfeeding your child.</li><li>Breast milk is very helpful as it does not cause irritation on delicate tissues of the nose and throat and can help to reduce ear problems. Try to avoid formula milk.</li><li>Take help from nurses or specialists to feed the baby with a cleft palate. There are alternate methods like bowl and spoon-feeding, use a breast pump to get the milk in a bowl and feed the child with a spoon.</li></ul>

A cleft occurs because the tissues of the baby’s face and mouth don’t fuse (link) properly.

Breastfeeding a child with cleft lip/palate

Begin brushing your baby’s teeth from the time they start appearing. Even in the absence of teeth you can wipe their gums with soft clean cotton cloth carefully. Brush their teeth with clean small soft bristled toothbrush using small circular movements. Change their brush every 3 months. Cause of bad breath could vary:<ul><li>Sometimes, infections can cause bad breath. If your toddler has an infection at the back of his throat, such as tonsillitis, this can make his breath smell foul. Other symptoms of tonsillitis include a sore throat and coughing. Your toddler’s bad breath will disappear when the infection clears up.</li><li>It’s also possible that the smelly breath is because your little one has a blockage in his nose. That could be because he has a cold or sinus infection.</li><li>If your toddler sucks or chews on a blanket, or sucks thumb, it could lead to developing bad breath.</li><li>If your toddler has persistent bad breath, take him for a check-up at the dentist.</li></ul>

It is important to maintain proper oral hygiene since day 1. Bad breath is an indication of poor oral hygiene.

Taking care of Bad breath

<ul><li>When a grownup child of 4 or 5 years does not eat food on their own, it is a matter of concern. Actually, the training of a child eating on their own should begin in early years. When a child in of 6th or 7th month, (s)he tries to put everything in the mouth and that is the age when the child is eager to eat on his/her own.</li><li>At this time, the parent doesn’t allow thinking that the child is too young to eat on his/her own and will create mess like making their clothes dirty or floor and because the child will take longer time. So the child is being spoon fed and later when they get habituated to be fed by the parent, the parent starts complaining.</li><li>So the whole approach towards feeding needs to be changed. Child should be allowed to eat on his/her own even when (s)he creates mess or takes time.</li><li>Finger food which can be put on their fingers like fryums, cucumber or toast sticks, fruits are the kinds of food children like to eat on their own. Make food interesting for them and gradually they will develop the habit.</li><li>Of course developing a new habit is going to take time and you will need to be patient with your child.</li></ul>

When a child is ready to eat food on its own, (s)he will give you signals. Look for the signals and you will know how to help your baby.

Helping Children eat food on their own

Headache is the pain or discomfort in the head. Just like stomach aches, headaches can also be of 2 types: pathological and functional.Headaches can be functional or pathological in nature. Pathological pain can be due to tumour or any other complexities, but this is rare in small children. Children usually do not get headaches. But if they do, these can be the basic reasons behind headaches in children:<ul><li>Inadequate hydration</li><li>Skipping a meal or breakfast</li><li>Not getting enough sleep. Sound sleep for a minimum of 10-12 hours is needed.</li><li>Stress due to studies pressure or any emotional conflict can also cause headaches.</li><li>Vision problems like nearsightedness or farsightedness</li><li>Constant use of screens</li><li>Family history</li></ul> Symptoms: fussiness, crankiness, problem in sleeping Types of headaches: <ul><li>Tension headaches: These are due to emotional stress or tiredness. This is the least serious of all. It can be due to family conflicts or problems in the school</li><li>Congestion headaches: These are due to cold or flu and usually stop when the illness is over.</li><li>Headaches after an injury: Headaches are followed by head injury for a while. With the doctor’s help, it can be cured. If your child has had an injury in the past, headaches might occur even after many years.</li><li>Migraine headaches: It is a more serious kind of headache and requires medication prescribed by a doctor. A child is susceptible to develop migraine headaches if they run in the family. Visit your child’s paediatrician for the same.</li></ul> Diagnosis: Your child’s doctor will look into your child’s headache history; carry out a physical exam and in some cases neurological exam. In very rare cases, your child’s doctor might suggest for a MRI or CT scan.&nbsp; Treatment: For children, doctors usually do not prescribe medications unless the situation is serious. Usually following remedies work for children quite well:<ul><li>Lay your child down on a bed with his/her head slightly raised, in a cool, calm, quiet and darkroom. Put on the curtains.</li><li>Apply a cold compress (a cold wet washcloth or ice wrapped in a washcloth) on the head or nape (backside of the neck). Or ask your child to take a cold-water bath.</li><li>Apply heat. Apply warm (not hot) wet washcloth on the head or nape or ask your child to take a warm-water bath.</li></ul>Note: See what works the best for your child – cold compress or heat.<ul><li>Place a cool, moist cloth across your child’s forehead and eyes. Ask your child to relax and take easy and deep breaths.</li><li>Make sure your child follows a regular sleeping and waking time daily.</li><li>Make sure that your eats on time. Low blood sugar may sometimes cause a headache.</li><li>Make your child drink sufficient water.</li><li>If your child is old enough, you can give over the counter medication after consulting the doctor.</li><li>For pain management without medication, you can ensure your child is stress-free. Make your child do exercises that help him/her relax.&nbsp;</li><li>Avoid any trigger that can cause headaches like extreme heat, insufficient sleep, hunger etc.</li></ul> When to visit the doctor:<ul><li>Daily headaches interfering with a child’s life</li><li>Headaches when coughing, sneezing, running or during a bowel movement.</li><li>Sudden headache for the first time with numbness and vomiting.</li><li>Headaches with a stiff neck and fever</li><li>Headaches after a head injury that keep coming back.</li><li>Headache accompanied by fits, fever or tiredness.</li><li>If the child is drops things from hands</li><li>Sudden deterioration of performance in school</li><li>Headaches along with pain in eyes and ears.</li><li>Headaches similar to any of the family members.</li></ul> Prevention:<ul><li>Make sure your child gets plenty of rest.</li><li>Fixed eating schedule</li><li>Make sure your child hydrated at all times.</li><li>Encourage your child to openly talk to keep stress at bay.</li><li>Observe if your child is allergic to certain foods. If so, visit the paediatrician or you can give those foods at a minimum.</li></ul>

Here are Headache Symptoms, Causes, Types, Treatment, Prevention, Diagnosis, and Remedies.

All about headaches

<ul><li>Generally there is a notion that a gluten free diet is healthy but it is not true for everyone. Gluten free diet is for those who have either 1) celiac disease (immune reaction against eating wheat) or 2) non celiac gluten sensitivity. Gluten present in wheat, barley, rye and other products can be troublesome for celiac patients and it can make gluten sensitive people sick.</li><li>So if the kid has any of the above conditions you can go gluten free otherwise it isn’t wise to keep your child’s diet gluten free.</li><li>Gluten free diet generally includes food like vegetables, high quality protein, healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocado), fruits and grains that do not have gluten.</li></ul> Reasons why you should not have gluten free diet for your child:<ul><li>Whole Grains that contain gluten have lots of crucial nutrients including B vitamins, antioxidants, iron, selenium, magnesium etc. Excluding whole grains will lead to nutrition deficiency in children.</li><li>Whole grains have fibre too which is good for digestion.</li><li>Gluten free diet can be too low in calories for growing children. It is hard to get healthy calories from other sources.</li><li>Gluten free diet can be high in arsenic. Those who do not eat wheat prefer rice as a staple food. Now rice and rice products are rich in arsenic which is not good for the baby’s body.</li></ul>

It is very important to maintain a balanced diet for the proper growth and development of the baby. Going gluten free or not is an individual's choice. It is better to look into the pros and cons before taking the decision.

Gluten free diet for children or not

The small pieces of dead skin that are found in hair, which normally result in white flakes or even itchiness, is called dandruff. Causes:<ul><li>Improper shampooing</li><li>Malnutrition</li><li>Sensitivity to hair products</li><li>Eczema fungus</li><li>Dry skin</li><li>Stress</li></ul> Symptoms:<ul><li>Visible dry white flakes on your child’s scalp or outfits</li><li>Continuous itching of the scalp area</li><li>Red patches on the scalp</li><li>Dry scalp</li><li>Itchy scalp</li><li>Hair loss (temporary)</li><li>An oily area on the scalp</li></ul> Treatment:<ul><li>Medicated Shampoo</li><li>Keep your child hydrated</li><li>Proper nutrition</li><li>Separate combs and towels for your child</li></ul> Following are a few suggestions which might help to reduce dandruff in your child's hair:<ul><li>Avoid overusing chemical shampoos: Over use of shampoo or baby wash can lead to skin problems. It can build up on their scalps and cause dandruff.</li><li>Gentle exfoliation: Gentle exfoliation may be appropriate to help shed the scalp of excess skin. First, apply a small amount of gentle baby shampoo and massage it into the scalp and then exfoliate with the soft bristle brush once in a while when you wash their hair.</li><li>Baby oil/ Lotion: Rubbing a few drops of mineral oil or lotion into the scalp and letting it sit for a few minutes before brushing and shampooing the child's hair will be helpful. Try and keep baby’s scalp well hydrated with baby oil/lotion.</li><li>Dandruff shampoo: In some situations if the dandruff persists, talk to your baby’s paediatrician and as per his/her guidance you can use any mild dandruff shampoo for your baby.</li></ul> Home Remedies:<ul><li>Tea tree oil</li><li>Aloe Vera</li><li>Coconut Oil</li><li>Lemon juice mixed with coconut oil</li><li>Mixture of yogurt, egg yolks, and honey</li><li>Baking soda mixed with water</li><li>Oiling the scalp</li></ul>

Here are Dandruff Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Home Remedies.

All about dandruff

Ravina Sewani

Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. The disease is most common in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine. Causes:<ul><li>Common sources of contamination include:</li><li>Municipal water supplies</li><li>Ice made from municipal water</li><li>Foods and drinks sold by street vendors</li><li>Vegetables grown with water containing human wastes</li><li>Raw or under-cooked fish and seafood caught in waters polluted with sewage</li></ul> When a person consumes the contaminated food or water, the bacteria release a toxin in the intestines that produces severe diarrhoea. Symptoms:Symptoms of cholera can begin as soon as a few hours or as long as five days after infection. These include:<ul><li>Rapid heart rate</li><li>Loss of skin elasticity (the ability to return to original position quickly if pinched)</li><li>Dry mucous membranes, including the inside of the mouth, throat, nose, and eyelids</li><li>Low blood pressure</li><li>Vomiting</li><li>Thirst</li><li>Muscle cramps</li><li>If not treated, dehydration can lead to shock and death in a matter of few hours.</li></ul> Diagnosis:Doctors usually take a stool sample or vomit sample to check for signs of the cholera causing bacteria. Treatment:<ul><li>Hydration is the treatment for cholera. Depending on how severe the diarrhoea is, treatment will consist of oral or intravenous solutions to replace lost fluids. Antibiotics, which kill the bacteria, are not used for mild cases. But they can reduce the duration of diarrhoea and also reduce the excretion of the bacteria, thus helping to prevent the spread of the disease.</li><li>Cholera vaccines are also available but whether your child needs one or not will be decided by your child’s doctor.&nbsp;</li></ul> Prevention:Use water that is boiled, chemically disinfected, or bottled water for the following purposes:<ul><li>Drinking</li><li>Preparing food or drinks</li><li>Making ice</li><li>Brushing your teeth</li><li>Washing your face and hands</li><li>Washing dishes and utensils that you use to eat or prepare food</li><li>Washing fruits and vegetables</li></ul> Avoid raw foods like:<ul><li>Unpeeled fruits and vegetables</li><li>Unpasteurised milk and milk products</li><li>Raw or under-cooked meat or shellfish</li><li>Fish caught in tropical reefs, which may be contaminated.</li></ul>

pooping problems health concerns

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