6 Ways To Help Protect Your Child From Swine Flu Without Vaccinations

With the panic about Swine flu, and American health officials declaring a public health emergency - people around the world fear that there may soon be a global pandemic.

The virus has now been determined that it can be transmitted human-to-human, and rates of infection are already higher than the last official flu pandemic in 1968 of the Hong Kong flu.

Parents who are concerned about the Swine flu have been told to be on the lookout for the symptoms below:

• Your child has a fever of over 100
• They are coughing
• They have a runny nose or a sore throat
• Their joints ache
• They are complaining of a headache
• Your child has been vomiting or has diarrhea
• They seem very lethargic
• They have lost their appetite

Currently, the worlds top flu experts have been unable to predict how dangerous the strain of flu is, and have very little information about whether the virus had been getting more or less dangerous before the official outbreak.

There are measures that can be taken to help protect your families, without heading down the route of vaccinations - which in the last flu panic of the 1970’s did more harm than good.

These guidelines will help keep your child’s immune systems ticking over nicely, so that there will be less chance of catching the flu:

1. Make sure your child is having enough Vitamin D - this protects them from infection. People who are Vitamin D deficient may be more susceptible to catching the flu. The sun is actually our largest source of vitamin D. So try and get your child outside for some fresh air. You can also get vitamin D from foods such as fish and liver, or from a multi-vitamin suitable for your child’s age.
2. Try and give them fresh food - avoid giving your child processed foods or food high in sugar. Sugar has been shown to reduce the function of the immune system, and increases the chance of viruses or illness. Look for foods high in omega-3 fats, as these are great for maintaining good health. Omega-6 oils will damage the immune system… many products will now say on their label if they are high in omega-3.
3. Make sure your child gets enough rest - they will be able to fight off illness better if well rested.
4. Exercise - this will help strenghten their immune systems. If they are able to walk, take them to the park and let them run around. For babies who are crawling, chase them around the house!
5. Make sure they wash their hands often - This will help stop germs spreading to other people.
6. Avoid going to the hospital, unless it is an emergency - If you are going to be exposed to the flu, there is a good chance it will be here!

If parents have any concerns, they should contact their doctor.

         

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Swine Flu Alert or, “Pig Flu” - Simple Advice

There are eight confirmed cases of swine flu in the UK. In the United Sates, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now confirmed nearly 130 swine flu cases in eleven states, adding South Carolina to the list with ten test results coming back positive.

In Mexico roughly 12 people have died and more than 260 have been infected, (these numbers were previously 2,500 cases and 168 deaths.)

Here are some simple steps you can take to help protect yourself, your family and others.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday night raised the level of the swine flu alert from Phase Four to Phase Five. This is a “strong signal that a pandemic is imminent,” says the WHO.

The Key messages:

If you have flu-like symptoms and have recently returned from Mexico or another affected area, or been with someone who has:

• Stay at home and contact your GP or Health practitioner

• Do NOT go into your GP surgery, or to a hospital, as you may spread the disease to others

• If you are unsure about your symptoms, use this special Swine Flu symptom checker

Key actions

Remember, preventing the spread of germs is the single most effective way to slow the spread of diseases such as swine flu. You should always:

• Ensure everyone washes their hands regularly with soap and water

• Clean surfaces regularly to get rid of germs

• Use tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze

• Place used tissues in a bin as soon as possible

You can also prepare now in case the swine flu becomes widespread by:

• Establishing a network of “flu friends” - friends and relatives - who can help if you fall ill. They could, for example, collect medicines and other supplies for you, so you wouldn’t have to leave home

• Having a stock of food and other supplies, including basic cold remedies, available at home. This should be enough to last two weeks, in case you and your family are ill

         

Pregnancy Not Agreeing With Kate Garraway?

GMTV presenter Kate Garraway has been seen around town looking quite tired and not her usual put-together self.

Kate Garraway had admitted last month that this pregnancy is much more difficult on her than her first one was. From the looks of her appearance about town yesterday, it appears that this pregnancy is still taking it’s toll on her.

The star had un-kempt hair, no makeup, and looked like she was not getting very much sleep with bags under eyes. Could her early morning on the GMTV be contributing to the difficulties.

Garraway also has a toddler at home: a 3-year old daughter named Darcey. Could she be overdoing it with this pregnancy?

Kate also has been having a hard time with her personal and marriage life as well. In the past few weeks it was revealed that  her husband Derek Draper had planned to run a smear campaign against Conservative party members with Damian McBride. Kate was said to be horrified by his actions and behavior and pulled out of a joint appearance on television.

The couple has only been married for four-years.

         

Sarah Jessica Parker Stocks Up on Girl Baby Clothes

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker had several containers of girl baby clothes delivered to her home as she prepares for the arrival of her twin girls via a surrogate mother.

Sarah Jessica Parker appears to be preparing for the arrival of her twin girls later this summer. The girls will be born via a surrogate mother. The actress had several large containers delivered to her home that loads of pink clothing and accessories in them. This was only a few hours after her and her husband Matthew Broderick made the announcement that they were expecting.

“The Sex and The City” actress told New York Daily Newsthat she is nervous about the responsibility that comes with the twin girls.

She said, “My main concern is that my husband and son have enough time. I’ve felt very conflicted over the last few weeks. Hopefully, our son is feeling loved and taken care of. I can’t really complain because it’s my choice to work, but that doesn’t mean I don’t spend a better part of the day worrying about whether my family is getting enough [time] from me.”

She went on to say, “Any complications or any anxiety I feel is normal. Any mother who wants to continue to work and have a career outside the home goes through this, so I feel very much a part of the sisterhood.”

The couple currently have a 6-year-old son. It is believed that couple turned to a surrogate after having trouble conceiving another child.

         

Heidi Klum Reveals Her Maternity Style

Model Heidi Klum is ever the style star even when pregnant.

Model Heidi Klum, who is currently pregnant with her fourth child doesn’t seem to be sacrificing her sense of style while pregnant. While celebrating at the LG Rumorous Night in Hollywood she still kept her outfit sexy. She wore a flowing one-shoulder Thomas Wylde chiffon dress with high-heeled Christian Louboutin shoes.

Klum told PEOPLE that she doesn’t shop in the maternity section when she is pregnant.

“I love to be creative and find cute things in between,” she says. “It’s about finding good shapes. Cool tops. Right now for example, I love the skinny pants and blousier tops, and then when I get bigger, I like to bring the form back to the body. Then I like to show it off.”

Heidi says that her Balenciaga black jeans are her favorites now. “They are super stretchy, and they are not very high, so you can kind of fit them under the belly. The bump on top can still grow.”

The model admits, though, when she is off the red carpet, she does like to keep it more casual. “I love the lumberjacks and the ripped jeans. They are comfortable. I love over-sized t-shirts and jeans.”

         

Two Year-Old Girl Becomes Youngest Member Of Mensa

Two year-old, Elise Tan Robert, has become the youngest ever member of the high IQ club Mensa.

The brainy toddler is able to name 35 capital cities, recite the phonetic alphabet, and count up to 10 in Spanish. She can also spell her name out loud, read the words mummy and daddy, say the alphabet off by heart, and name shapes.

She has an IQ of 156, which is higher than the former Countdown mathematically whiz, Carol Vorderman, who is also a member of the elite society. Other well known members include Sir Jimmy Savile and Sir Clive Sinclair.

To be considered for Mensa membership, a candidate must show that their IQ ranks in the top 2% of the population.

Normally, Mensa will only consider testing children above the ages of 10 years-old. Out of the 24,000 members in the UK and Ireland, only 900 are under 18 years-old.

They decided to accept Elise into the society based on intelligence tests which showed that she was in the top 0.2% of her age nationally.

Her mother, Louise, 28, from London, said she knew that her daughter was ‘different’ from the moment she was born. She was a very curious child who spoke her first word when five months-old and was walking from eight and a half months.

“She just says things and you have no idea where she got it from.” Louise told the Daily Mail.

         

Baby delivered via YouTube DIY videos

A Baby has been delivered after the father watched DIY baby delivery video clips on YouTube. The birth of his baby boy was drawing closer, so Marc Stephens went on his home computer and started watching childbirth videos.

His wife, Jo, delivered their baby boy four hours later after going into labour three weeks early. Stephens was able to put his YouTube knowledge into action and helped deliver 5lb 5oz Gabriele while paramedics rushed to help.

Marc Stephens said: “I spent about half a hour on Google and watched a couple of videos on YouTube. One was a cheesy American video called: “This is how you give birth.”

After he finished looking at YouTube at about 10.30pm the couple went to bed, only to wake up at 2am with Jo, 28, in labor. The couple had wanted to have the birth at home but were told there were no midwives available.

Stephens continued saying: “At this time Jo rushed out of the bathroom and dropped down on all fours. As soon as she dropped down I looked down and its head was sticking out. I was still on the phone to the midwife. To be honest I didn’t have time to panic.”

The baby was delivered safely and both mother and child are doing well. Jo, who has three other children, said: “I was quite relaxed. I have to say, out of all my four labours, that was the one I enjoyed the most. Marc is one of those people who can put his hand to anything.”

After successfully delivering Gabriele the paramedics arrived and congratulated Marc on a good job, before the family travelled from their home in Redruth, Cornwall, to the Royal Cornwall hospital at Treliske, for the new mum and baby to be checked.

         

Having Over Five Children May Increase Risks Of Heart Transplant Complications

Researchers in Paris claim that women who have five or more children may be at higher risk later on in life if they require a heart transplant.

The findings, made by the Internation Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, were presented at their 29th Annual meeting.

Lead investigator, Cheri Silverstein, from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee said “Pregnancy may represent an independent risk factor for yearly acute rejection risk,”

Women who have orthotopic heart transplantation were shown to be at higher risk of rejection compared to men.

Previous studies have suggested that when a women has over two pregnancies, they will be at higher risk for elevated panel reactive antibodies (PRA), which act as a marker for rejection.

Collecting data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database for over a decade, they found data on rejection and number of children for 2644 women.

Women who had not had any children were found to have virtually no risk, compared to women with over five pregnancies who were the highest risk.

The study was only able to look at the data of patients who had survived over 275 days, and so could not investigate cases where there were hyperacute rejections or early adverse outcomes.

Moderator Stuart D. Russell told Medscape Transplantation “There’s no question that the incidence of presensitization and antibodies goes up with pregnancy,”

“What’s intriguing to me and to others is that there was another paper presented here [that showed that] mortality among patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy was significantly lower at 5 years, with the primary reason being noncompliance. With all the caveats of the UNOS dataset, it makes one wonder whether there might be a group of young women who get into a disastrous situation, and because of that, they may have issues with compliance, as well as the fact that they’re presensitized and, by that fact alone, are at increased risk.”

         

Pregnant Candace Parker Looks Forward To First Child Soon

Pregnant Candace Parker, 22, told reporters during the March of Dimes event at the weekend that “everything feels great”

L.A. Sparks forward Parker is expecting her first child next month with husband Shelden Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center.

Talking about the charity’s work to help fight against premature births, birth defects and infant mortality, she commented: “They help mothers have healthy pregnancies as well as babies that were born prematurely. I think the research is for a good cause, so I wanted to come.”

“With my due date approaching fast,” the talented forward said, “I think this will be one of the last events I’ll be able to attend.”

Parker, who has been described as the ‘next big thing’ in the WNBA, is also serving an ambassador role.

         

Half of Cot Deaths as a result of bed sharing with babies

The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) latest evidence shows bed sharing or, “Co-Sleeping” is responsible for approximately half of cot deaths.

Risks are heightened if either parents has been drinking, smokes, has taken sedative medication or is overly tired. Without these factors, the charity said that the safest place for a baby was its own cot fro sleeping.

Premature babies and those weighing less than 2.5kg are particularly at risk.

The Royal College of Midwives said blanket advice was unhelpful to parents. The college’s Cathy Warwick said: “It is a terrible tragedy for the parents when they suffer the sudden death of their child, so any research that sheds light on the potential causes is important.

“However, the situation around co-sleeping is complex, and blanket advice to avoid it is perhaps unhelpful to parents who may want to do it.

“A number of factors need to be considered by parents before and if they do this, and they need to discuss this with their midwife to make an individual and informed decision.”

FSID’s director, Joyce Epstein, said: “We recognise the urgent need to raise awareness of the dangers associated with bed or sofa sharing with your baby.

“It’s fine to breastfeed in bed, but if you smoke at all - even if not in the bedroom - or you’ve drunk alcohol - you really must protect your baby and put them in their cot to sleep.”

John Pollard, a coroner for the Manchester South District, said he saw many families whose lives had been devastated by the sudden death of their baby.

We need to make all parents aware that the most comfortable place for them to sleep is the most dangerous place for their baby.

Pollard said: “The numbers of infants that we continue to find dead in beds, on sofas or armchairs is unacceptable.

“We need to make all parents aware that the most comfortable place for them to sleep is the most dangerous place for their baby.”

Data from Dr Marta Cohen, paediatric pathologist at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, showed that of the 50 cases she investigated between 2004 and 2007, 31 were found to have been sharing a bed or sofa with a parent.

Dr Chris Wright, consultant perinatal pathologist at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, examined 15 cases of unexpected death in infants between 2008 and 2009 - seven were found in the parental bed and two had died on a sofa.

In the London area between 2005 and 2008, 173 babies died suddenly and unexpectedly. And 85 of these infants were found dead after falling asleep in bed with an adult or on a sofa.

The RCM says many factors can contribute to the safety of co-sleeping, including cultural practices, whether the baby is being breastfed, what kind of bedcovers are being used, and where the co-sleeping is taking place.

It recommends that parents discuss the issue with their midwife, and that based on the evidence they can make an informed choice about co-sleeping.

         

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