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    23May, 2020
    Breastfeeding during Covid 19

    Breastfeeding is a complete food rich in nutrients and immune properties that protect the infant from disease.  All studies have proven the ability of the infant to resist diseases and many types of allergies such as food allergy and chest infections.

    In many studies, artificial milk fed children were more susceptible to disease and allergies than children who were breastfed. Breast milk is an indirect vaccination for the infant, as it consists of antibodies that help boost the child’s immunity. However, in light of the developments in the global health situation of the Corona COVID 19 pandemic, mothers should follow the advice and guidance of the World Health Organization.

    Instructions are:

    • When a breastfeeding mother is infected or suspects to be infected with Corona COVID 19 , make sure to wear a medical mask when handling the baby.
    • Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water, or use an antiseptic before and after contact with the child.
    • You can use medical gloves when caring for the infant after washing hands with soap and water, and then dispose of it and use two new gloves each time.
    • Personal hygiene and bathing well is important and washing the clothes of the infected mothers directly in the washing machine.
    • If mother is unable to care for her baby, she can express and store her milk , and give it to the baby with any alternative methods , following the previous instructions, during the process of each pumping session .
    • Clean and disinfect the surfaces that the mother comes into contact with and the tools used during the pumping session.
    • It is possible to use milk of other breastfeeding mothers (if they are sure that they are free of diseases, and follow the Islamic conditions.).

    To enhance the infant’s immunity, ensure exclusive breastfeeding for a period of six months, introducing healthy food at the end of six months, prepared at home and complete breastfeeding for two years or beyond.

    By Nisreen Nemer

    Breast feeding counselor & Lactation specialist

     

     

    18May, 2020
    Handling expressed human milk

    Human milk continues as the best nutrition for all newborns, it reduces the death rate of children below 5 year as it contains all its nutritional and immunity factors, thereby, reducing the chances of infections and enabling  the newborn to fight all types of infections. As per the World health organization (WHO) The newborn should have exclusive breastfeeding for six months followed by homemade complementary feeds continuing breastfeeding for two years or beyond.

    It is very important to help mother to have a direct breastfeeding and in cases she will not be able to, she should be encouraged to express her milk by hand or an electrical pump.

    When to express her milk?

    In many cases mothers face difficulties after birth and milk supply could be reduced for many factors, such as (delay breastfeeding after birth, spacing of feeds, ineffective latch on of baby to the breast, babies with tongue tie, etc.…)

    Mothers with preterm babies (baby born less than 37 weeks) will need full support and guidance to express her milk and maintain her supply.

    This also applies to other cases where mothers are sick or have some complications after birth or if the mother is infected with some infectious disease, mother is on medication for any medical problem, mothers with breast problem such as engorgement.

    Working mothers also need to learn about the expressing and handling breast milk

    How to express human milk?

    For the situations that it is temporary, a mother can learn how to express milk by using her hand, to learn more she can consult a lactation consultant to guide her.

    For working mothers and mothers with preterm baby, it’s advisable to use an electrical pump to save time and energy and to be effective for longer use.

     

    How to store expressed human milk?

    • It is recommended to store in a BPA-free glass or plastic containers
    • Label the bottles with date and time of the pumping. use refrigerated or frozen milk by the oldest date first.
    • Expressed human milk can be kept in room temperature, 77°F (25°C) for up to 4 hours or put in the refrigerator immediately.
    • It is normal for pumped milk to vary in color and thickness form mother to mother.
    • Stored milk separates into layers, Cream will rise to the top as the milk. Mix the milk before feeding.
    • (Refrigerators with two separate doors) You can store milk in the refrigerator (the cooled part,) for 3-5 days, and in the case of freezing milk (in the frozen part, ) for a period of 3-6 months.
    • (One-door refrigerators) You can keep milk in the refrigerator (the cooled part) for 3-5 days, and in the case of freezing milk (in the frozen part) for two weeks.
    • Thawed milk (inside the refrigerator) can remain refrigerated but should be used within 24 hours.
    • Thawed milk (in room temperature) can remain for up 1 or 2 hours.

    Hoe to Thaw Breast Milk?

    • You can use a container of warm water or lukewarm running water (tap running water).
    • Never thaw or heat breast milk in a microwave. Microwaving can destroy nutrients in breast milk and create hot spots, which can burn a baby’s mouth.
    • If you doubt that breast milk has a sour or strange smell, throw it away

     How to clean and sanitize infant feeding items?

    • Wash all pumping and feeding equipment’s after each use with hot soapy water
    • Sterilize the parts in a sterilizer or submerge them in boiling water for 5-7 minutes, then dry them.

    These are some helpful points that can help the mother handle her expressed milk and help her baby into her breastfeeding journey.

    By Nisreen Nemer

    Child birth educator, lactation specialist

    13May, 2020
    7 Tips to keep constipation at bay

    Many women these days are chronically constipated, which can lead further to many issues such as, piles,anal fistula,ulcers ,acne,allergies, even cancer (yes constipation and low vit d have been found common amongst cancer patients). Being constipated causes toxins that had to pass out get reabsorbed.so many of us are sooo chronically constipated that we have forgotten how smooth and easy to pass it actually should be

    As moms ,we usually forget ourselves , here are few tips to keep constipation at bay

    1. Water,WATER,more water. … thats the key,hydration, throughout the day, if you forget to drink,download a app to remind you that,or get three bottles one liter each, name it(do that so ur kids stay away lol) try finishing these three liters by end of the day. Remember every organ every cell in your body needs water to function well.
    Heres a video on importance of water

    https://youtu.be/gFi-7sAe3qA

    2. Fiber. This one is easy,get some fruits, vegetables in,but remember to have water with fiber.
    Include one or two dried figs daily

    3. Good fats. Coconut oil,olive oil, butter,ghee, these are important to keep everything soft.

    Try having a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil the last thing at night with warm water to get things moving.

    4. Pre and Probiotics, i sound like a broken record here. But most of your immunity is from your gut,the microbiome there is very important, if u have used antibiotics ever,or eaten foods that have been sprayed with pesticide or meats that where injected with antibiotics, you need to keep replenishing your microbiome by having both pre and Probiotics . Having prebiotics is important as your Probiotics feed on them

    Prebiotics: garlic,banana, sweet potato, onion, many more
    A simple prebiotic would be adding teaspoon of apple cider vinegar WITH MOTHER to glass of water with teaspoon isabgol physllium husk.and drink before meals ,do it if acv suits you.

    https://youtu.be/HuBk6fdGINY

    Probiotics: yoghurt,fermented rice, milk kefir, water kefir, (you can ask if anyone in your area has extra kefir grains to share or sell and start making this wonderful drink for lifetime at comforts of your home).it tastes like lassi, so kids enjoy it too .kefir has more good bacteria than yoghurt

    https://youtu.be/xlZrlm9tsrw

    https://youtu.be/3foRBVFxnOQ

    https://youtu.be/OC55aEnzOPo

    https://youtu.be/FUKTSfEg40g

    http://www.drlauraskitchen.com/kefir-from-a-to-z/
    Beet kvass ,another wonderful probiotic, so easy to make, you just need beetroot, sea salt, water,glass jar thats all. Its a liver tonic too

    https://youtu.be/4ltvnHVsUbs

    https://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2014/03/beet-kvass-a-cleansing-medicinal-tonic.html

    Sauerkraut, again simple to make at home,its a acquired taste. Rich in vit c and Probiotics

    https://youtu.be/c9P8Lw222JE

    https://youtu.be/Wj9tIVIRqSY

    *when starting with probiotics start slow,as Probiotics help u detox,and if u havent had probiotics before,u might want to start half teaspoon a day and work your way up

    5. Magnesium MAGNESIUM, yes low magnesium can cause constipation, weak bones, anxiety and much more. U can soak in epsom salts or add epsom salts to sitz bath.
    Or make magnesium oil and apply on your arms and legs daily

    https://wellnessmama.com/5804/magnesium-oil/

    6. Include cooling foods like cucumber, kokum, watermelon, soaked sabza seeds basil seeds, soaked chia seeds overnight,(soaking these seeds is important as they might go in absorb liquid and cause more constipation in some).tender coconut water.

    7. And movement. Sedentary lifestyle makes constipation worse. Move every hour. Walk in a place. Squat. Jump. Any thing to get your body moving.

    Hope this helps. Make informed choice. 

     

    Farha aleem is a dentist by profession. At the moment a full time mom to two daughters. She loves staying close to nature, finding ways to eat more natural,and reducing the toxic overload on the body. She believes in treating the body holistically. She likes medicinal plants that help in different ailments.

    11May, 2020
    11 Ways to have a Zero-Waste Ramadan

    We all know that Ramadan is to fast from food and drink, but do we also know that avoiding wasting time is a very important factor in having a productive Ramadan? Here are 11 ways to combat wasting our resources and time to achieve a Zero-Waste Ramadan.

     

    1. Avoid wasting food during suhur/ iftar, In this part of the world where usually it is 15-16 hours of fast, means time for just 2 meals, don’t just over eat to make up for 3 meals. 

    2. Use left overs to the next day, since in Ramadan the quantity of eating is lesser we can always carry forward meals to the next day.

    3. Break fast with dates and water, it boosts energy and hydrates your body and you can go for Maghrib immediately and then come to eat the meal.

    4. Fast not only from food but from all evil deeds & your Nafs. Strive to better yourself & your family. Continue this jihad in nafs even after Ramadan.

    5. Prioritize your Deen goals according to levels of Fard, Sunnah & Nafl. Achieve them, stick to them, even post Ramadan.

    6. Avoid sleeping through-out the day and waking up near Zuhr Time.

    7. Sleep Early and set alarm or alarms for Tahajjud.

    8. Purify your wealth through Zakat. If you have a habit of giving your zakah in Ramadan then fulfill it as much as you can.

    9. Keep your Fitra(food given just before eid salah) ready. You don’t need to rush last minute to buy items because the last 10 nights of Ramadan are going on.

    10. Recycle your thoughts into pleasent ones. Declutter your mind from negative energy

    11. Keep in touch with relations, friends, neighbours. Maintain silat-ur-rahim. Forgive past hurts & grudges.

    12. Have an Eco- friendly Ramadan! Reduce waste, be productive, save water, resources and energy to the best of your abilities.

     

    By Aysha Abrar

    Aysha is a Homeschooling mom and is student of knowledge in Fiqh & Tafseer. She belie lives in less is more, and adopts a Minimalist and Holistic approach to her life. She is very  socially inclined to be involved in community effort, an entrepreneur who seeks to run a start up to a level of social enterprise. She is also training as a  breastfeeding counselor and Amani Child-Birth Educator and manages a support group for mothers online.

     

    8May, 2020
    How to avoid Ramadan Headache

    Headaches while fasting usually occur due to low blood sugar, increased stressed and caffeine withdrawal. “The good news is that you can manage these headaches without breaking your fast,” says Dr Elliot Shevel, medical director of the Headache Clinic and Health24’s headache expert. He shares three simple ways to manage headaches during a fast. 

    1. Caffeine withdrawal

    This is a common issue if you are used to drinking numerous cups of coffee every day. “Patients can often prevent headaches by reducing caffeine consumption in the weeks leading up to their fast,” says Dr Shevel.

    However, considering Ramadan has already started, Dr Shevel suggests having a cup of strong coffee just before you start your fast each day, which will help prevent a caffeine-withdrawal headache.

    2. Hypoglycaemia

    Low blood sugar (or hypoglycaemia) is a common trigger for headaches. If you eat a meal with a high sugar content before you begin fasting, you could cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels – this will be followed by a quick drop that could trigger a headache. “Eating a meal with a low sugar content before the fast may prevent the onset of a headache during the day,” says Dr Shevel.

    GI ranks carbs according to how they affect our blood sugar levels – low GI carbs produce only a small change in your blood glucose and insulin levels. The lower the GI, the less your levels will fluctuate. Foods with a low GI index include, low-fat fruit yoghurt, apple juice, grape fruit, pearl barley, red lentils and raw oatbran.

    3. Dehydration

    “The human brain consists mostly of water and it is very sensitive to the amount of water available to it,” says Dr Shevel. “When the brain detects that the water supply is too low, it begins to produce histamines.” This means that your body begins a process of water rationing and conservation to protect your brain in case the water shortage continues for a long time. The histamines directly cause pain and fatigue – cue a headache and low energy. Dr Shevel advises drinking large amounts of water before you begin fasting and again when you end it.

    Dr Shevel says that you should, as far as possible, avoid being exposed to other triggers, such as stress, fatigue and lack of sleep, during your fast especially if you are prone to headaches. “Rest and sleep often help prevent being subjected to headaches and the pain often melts away when the fast is broken.”

    When to call your doctor

    If you find that your headaches are interfering with your fast, you should speak to your doctor to find ways of relieving the pain. The Headache Clinic offers a number of techniques that help. If your headaches persist after the fast or are severe, you must speak to a doctor.

    Source: https://m.health24.com/Medical/Headache-and-migraine/General-headache-issues/How-to-handle-Ramadan-headaches-20120721