Tatay, I may only be a few weeks old but I already feel safe in your arms. I may not even see you clearly but I know how wonderful you are. I hope you get to read this message I whispered to Nanay to tell you…

Thank you for taking my first snapshot on my birth day, I may be crying but I felt your excitement to see me and to capture that overwhelming moment

Thank you for carrying me on my first day while Nanay is still recuperating

Thank you for cooking nourishing meals for Nanay so she can feed me with nutrients I need

On sleepless moments, thank you for composing songs especially for me

I want to laugh with you and Nanay when you dance each morning when I open my eyes

Thank you for the comfort of your warm embrace

Your kisses on my forehead brings great joy to my tiny heart

My hands may be so small to even hold Electro-Harmonix Pedals but I do hope we can play instrument together in the future. Nanay tells me you love guitars. May I play with you?

Tatay, Nanay and I miss you a lot.

We pray that we can be together soon.

We love you

We are always praying for you

Smooches and hugs from your only daughter,

Caeli

Lactating mothers should get the proper nutrition they need, especially now that they are feeding their baby. One source of it is Malunggay leaves or pods. A good source of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carotenoids and carbohydrates. This helps increase your milk supply and at the same time enrich the quality of milk generated.

When I gave birth to my daughter, I was told to eat malunggay everyday for me to have enough breast milk supply. At first, the clinic gave me Moringga capsules that I should take once a day. But these previous weeks, I opted for a natural method. 

My aunt has malunggay trees in her backyard so I just have to cut a few leaves to cook. What I always do, and you can as well, is clean the leaves, then simmer it for at least a minute or two. That’s it! You can even make this as a substitute for water. This is the water I use when I prepared my chocolate drink. Believe me, it does not affect the taste.

Well, to give you the benefits of malunggay, here’s an infographic you can take a look at:

Due to separation from mother and other medical procedures, preterm newborn infants suffer from stress.

One reason is that their autonomic nervous systems, the part that control stress response and recovery, are are not fully developed. 

Studies have been made. Tests have been executed. Stroking and gentle pressure on the soft tissues then flexing of the legs and arms play a part in boosting the infant’s heart rate.

But this massage therapy affect mostly the male preterm babies than female. Researchers believe this may be caused by hormones.

Huggable bear, tiny teacups, pretty Barbies, shiny toy guns..the kids just love them. So much so that you see them playing with their “favorite” toy every hour of every day.

But here’s the news. There are toys that are NOT safe. These toys are made out of plastic materials.

Plastic has phthalates, a plastic softener. Basically, these are added to plastics to amplify their transparency, durability, flexibility, and longevity. This substance is VERY DANGEROUS! How? Phthalates technically confuses a person’s body hormonal balance. Not only that, this toxin fuels the growth of cancers.

Another chemical you should avoid is Lead. This is use to make the toys last long. It’s effect in the body is hitting the nervous system. It also affects the child’s hearing and IQ.

Lastly, plastic has Cadmium, a plastic preservative. Our tiny one’s body’s are in risk of having kidney damage and decreased brain growth.

Children loves to swallow and suck. They explore things by putting in their mouths every thing their hands can grasp. Would you like your child to get poisoned by his toy? Of course not! Let us just be extra cautious in giving them toys.

Do a little research before buying Lego games for children, plastic dolls, children kitchen set, etc. Remember, prevention is better than cure.

• Always store vegetables and fruits inside the house. Use this as an alternative to junk food. And while you’re at it, give your little one slices of these very healthy snacks
• Make it a point to hydrate yourself by drinking water everyday. Let you kid do the same. Let him get used to the idea that soda will not quench his thirst. Only water can
• Take a walk with your child. This will exercise both of you and strengthen your bonding moments
• Get 8 hours of sleep. Turn off the tube. Do not let your kid see you dose off while staying so late watching your favorite tv series

• You’re not able to nurse your baby frequently, thus not draining that milk inside your breasts
• Obstructed milk ducts. This is due to breast augmentation or if you wear bra that is too tight

Treatment and Prevention:

• Nurse often. In fact, as often as every3 hours. Wake your baby if your breasts feels full. This is a cue for him to take his feed
• Let him finish nursing on one side before you transfer him to the other. This will help drain the milk and so prepare your breast for another supply
• Hand express or use a breast pump to get the milk out if he misses his feed
• Try a warm compress before nursing and a cold compress afterwards
• Place chilled cabbage leaves on each breast. This will make an opening for your nipples
• While your baby is latching, gently massage the breast he is feeding on

But we also need to remember there’s a thin line between making them happy and keeping their safety in mind.

There are toys nowadays that bring harm to an individual, like sword, toy stun guns for sale, and the likes. He may harm others and himself – poking him or his playmate in the eye.

It’s always a good idea to give your kid something that he will enjoy without him getting hurt. Soft toys is an option, until he reaches the right age, then you can buy him things he really loves.

Summer is here. The temperature of this season gets hotter every year. I feel so sorry for my 2-month old daughter. She’s been crying because of the scorching heat especially in the afternoons.

If only we can bring her to a pool to just get a dip and freshen up.  But is she ready yet? How soon can my baby go to the pool? I’m afraid that she’ll drown.

Howard Reinstein, a Pediatrician said,

For newborns younger than 2 months we really worry about immunity — how vulnerable babies are to illness — so I recommend that parents not take their young infants into swimming pools, lakes, the ocean, and so on

He also added that an infant cannot regulate his body temperature until he reaches 6 months old. When the water’s too warm or too cold for you, the it surely is for him as well. The water should be around84 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit for the child to feel comfortable

A swimming instructor also says that parents should practice their child first in the tub. Once the infant enjoys the dip, then it’s time you can get him into the pool.

On the other hand, special kids or children who needs utmost attention should have ada pool lifts for their safety.

Being successful at hydroponics just means knowing what you are doing and having the right supplies. Get quality inline duct fan since grow room fans are important for making your set-up look professional and photogenic (try TheLaShop.com). There are tons of different nutrient additives that you can add to your hydroponics set-up to make your plants successful. Happy plants are healthy plants and you can be sure that with the right nutrients, you will be growing a fantastic indoor garden. With the right supplies and the right amount of knowledge, anyone can turn into a super hydroponics grower! If you want plants that will be grown in stable environment as opposed to outdoors where weather can harm them, try hydroponics!

You don’t have to wait for a certain season, you can start growing tonight if you wanted. There is lots of information available online for people to learn about indoor plant growing, and it is continuing to be a growing trend in many communities. This is very helpful to those cities that dwell in colder areas since crops are harder to grow outdoors. Hydroponics is the answer to most of outside gardenings problems! Having a hydroponics garden is extremely smart if you want to start growing food for your family all year round to save on groceries, as well as for hobby growing! No matter what the plant, with the right grow lights and nutrients you will have a wonderful garden and collection. Hydroponics indoor gardenng is a ton easier than maintaining the same garden outdoors.

Cephalo-pelvic Disproportion happens when the mother’s pelvis is inadequate for the baby’s head to fit in or the baby’s head is big enough for the birth canal.  This means it is impossible for the mother to permit normal labor or vaginal birth.

It may be hard to get a data visualization software to better represent this, so here’s a simple image presentation you can look at:

When this kind of obstetric condition occurs, the safest way to deliver the baby is through cesarean section.