Often I’m asked by new moms when to start signing with your baby? I tell families I started signing with Joshua and Sabrina when they were 6 months…but now, knowing what I know, I would start much earlier…from birth.
We know that not everyone believes in vaccinating their kids, but for those who do, we’ve developed a pretty cool Immunization Tracker Chart for you. You might want to print a thumbnail for your wallet so you’re always on top of these things!
The debate about whether or not to immunize has advocates on each side. Please do your research and remember that the health of our society is only as strong as it’s most immuno-compromized member.
The triple screen during pregnancy is a blood test carried out during the second trimester (weeks 15 – 20) to signal if there is a risk of chromosomal abnormalities. It is important to remember that the blood alone is not the only indicator used. A woman’s age, ethnicity and other factors are combined with the bloodwork in order to estimate the chances that the fetus may have an abnormality. These tests DO NOT diagnose a problem; they only indicate that further testing should be done.
With financial ideas always at the forefront of parents’ minds, we thought we’d send you a little treat. Our interactive Family Budget Calculator can help you get organized so that stress can be reduced and savings can grow. We also have some great Family Budget Basics.
Although having a baby is a normal and natural event, it is a time that requires a lot of adjustments. Consider these practical “post-partum” suggestions for taking care of you with a new baby so that you have the energy and desire to care for your newborn and your household in the way that you would like. It can be difficult to make yourself a priority during this time, but you must care for yourself before you can nurture others.
Teaching Kids to Dress Themselves will always be challenging. But we bet you can make it fun too! “Don’t you love Katie’s outfit?” my girlfriend asked, “She dressed herself today.” At three, her daughter had proudly chosen a red shirt, blue pants, and to “match” them, one red sock and one blue one. Genius, I thought – both Katie’s choice and the fact that her mom chose not to “correct” her “out-of-the-box” approach. But what do we do with the child who resists dressing themselves, or for that matter the one who has trouble expressing themselves? Here are a few tips on how to allow your kids a little delight when it comes to self-adornment.
1) Don’t micro-manage. It doesn’t really matter whether we like their outfit as long as it does the job. If what they choose is inappropriate in some way, offer sensible guidance. It can feel overwhelming for a child to navigate their way through a series of decisions. Simplify their choices for them – okay, blue socks or green ones? Ramones shirt or Star Wars? After you guide them through the process a few times, they’ll know what to start with and how to put together an outfit. Limit their options. Offer one to three ensembles and have them mix and match. Start with velcro and snaps; move gradually to laces and zippers. Let them wear their shirt backwards or their sock inside out. Compliment them! A toddler with a sense of pride? Totally cute.
2) Make their clothing accessible. Hanging a row of hooks along a wall at about four feet up will be an easy way for kids to hang up and retrieve frequently used pants, skirts, sweaters, pyjamas and tees. Shoes and slippers can go underneath. Set up easy-to-reach cubbies with durable storage bins in them for other clothing and footwear. A bench is especially helpful to those who get wobbly while lifting a leg into pants, socks and such. Give each child their own hamper if you can. In a shared closet, a locker room look will be practical and encourage them to respect it as a communal space. Whatever works in your home for your kids!
3) If, like my almost four year-old, your little one CAN dress themselves but prefer not to, try to engage them in other ways. By asking my son to put on his own socks and then his little brother’s, he is given an opportunity to feel helpful, which for him is a motivator. Being the older child, he misses the attention his brother still gets when dressing; I often get down on the floor and have him sit with me while I lead him through the process. He feels supported but is still accomplishing the task himself. If resistance is an issue, figure out the source of it. Is your child afraid of something, or worried about making a “wrong” decision? Did they have a bad experience? Are they frustrated that they don’t know how to use a zipper? Be patient and allow them lots of time – rushing them will likely add to their stress.
4) Play dress-up! Keep a tickle trunk full of hats, tops and bottoms, costumes, socks, accessories and footwear. They can layer things as they like. Character play is loads of fun; each child can invent a personality, dress to develop them and then engage in a pretend tea party, pirate ship invasion or fire rescue mission. Go to the thrift store on a rainy day and have everyone choose a few things for the dress-up collection. Fun!
5) Lead by example. Set up your closet like a personal boutique. Keep the things you love on display or hang whole outfits up as visual cues. Let your kids hang out while you get ready for date night with your partner, but also try to have fun when you’re just heading out to the market. Allow yourself to be enchanted by…yourself. Yes, it’s kind of corny. Do it anyway. Let your kids see it! Encourage and offer ideas for creative expression. Even a simple flower stuck in a barrette or a pair of coloured shoelaces can make a kid feel like a rock star. Remember, too: you are the role model. Grown-ups really shouldn’t wear crotch-grazing skirts, lingerie as clothing or spandex outside of the gym. Equally true: five year-olds never look good in thigh-high boots, heavy makeup or painted-on jeans! There are so many ways to have fun with what we wear…don’t wreck it for your kids by giving clueless council! If you’re not sure about your fashion sense, find an episode or two of TLC’s “What Not To Wear” and pay close attention! Gotta love Stacy & Clinton…
Now, go play dress-up with your kids. Preschoolers with pinache? Heck yeah.
– Samantha Agar has two little boys who love to dress up as dinosaurs.
What is Intravenous Fentanyl?
It is a drug that is a powerful pain reliever (narcotic). It may be offered to you to help you cope better with the pain of labour. Some women say it takes the edge off the pain and helps them to cope better. It will take the most of the pain away but not all of it. We’ve gathered some Information about intravenous fentanyl so that you can make your labour decisions.
Doses that would take away all your labour pain would make you very sleepy and would decrease your ability to breathe. This could be dangerous for you.
How is Fentanyl given?
It is given to you in a way so it is safe for you and your baby.
- First your nurse puts a tube in your hand or arm called an intravenous or IV.
- Your nurse, doctor, or midwife gives you the drug through this tube or you can give yourself this drug through the IV by using a pump that you control. It is called a patient-controlled pump. If you are using a pump you cannot give yourself too much of the drug because the pump is set to only allow safe doses.
Side effects of Fentanyl
- You may become sleepy
- Your breathing may slow down. Some women need to be given some oxygen and be watched closely if this happens.
- You may feel sick to your stomach. This happens less often with Fentanyl than with other narcotics.
- Fentanyl crosses the placenta and goes to your baby. As a result, your baby may be sleepy and not breathe well at birth. If this happens your baby may be given a drug that helps called Naloxone. Naloxone is given to your baby by an injection into the muscle of her or his leg. Sometimes, if you have needed a large dose of fentanyl, your baby’s breathing may have to be watched closely for several hours.
- Your baby may have some trouble starting breastfeeding because she/he is sleepy and you may need more help to get your baby to breastfeed. Your nurse and/or lactation consultant will be able to help you get breastfeeding started.
What does is it not do?
- Fentanyl will not take all your pain away.
- Fentanyl does not give pain relief so your doctor/midwife can help your baby be born by the use of forceps or vacuum.
- If your labour is very long it may not be as helpful later on as you may need a different form of pain relief.
BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre
September 2006, BCW#766
Clammy hands. Racing heart. Clenched stomach. If I could give my children one gift for their lifetime, it would be to manage stress. I wish they could learn techniques so that they could be confident and grounded in any situation. In our society, parents are continually bombarded with the current health buzz. We are so careful about not eating unpasturized cheese while pregnant. We ditch the carpet lest our kids are affected by off-gassing, and we work incessantly to make sure there are no parabens in our shampoo, nitrites in our meat and dust in our pillows. Doing the right things for our children can not only be time-consuming but stressful as well. And we’ve also heard the buzz about the long-term health consequences of stress. What better gift could we bestow on any human being than the gift of a healthy coping mechanism? Child and youth clinical counsellor Michele Kambolis is the Vice Chair of the BC Mental Health Foundation, and saw the need for a program for children to learn the coping skills for stressful situations thoughout their lives. Enter CHI Kids. It needs more than a drumroll.
The Tiny Light Foundation pairs photographers with families of children faced with life altering diagnoses, and gives them the opportunity to capture their joy, strength and courage in photos. These photo sessions may otherwise be out of mind for families faced with expensive medical costs or overwhelming obstacles above the call of an average parent.
I never get flowers on Valentine’s Day. I made the decision long ago that I’d rather a bouquet every month for no reason than an overpriced bunch of roses on February 14th that won’t last long. Really, what do men and women need? To feel loved and cared about. Flowers, chocolate and all of the commercial trappings pushed on society once a year don’t always translate into a feeling of being loved. Why not try some of these ideas that will cost next to nothing but make your partner feel truly cared about? Here are some Easy Ideas for Year-Round Romance. Feel free to add your own.