Baby Sugar Glider Basic Care

Other than avoiding dehydration, the most important thing when caring for a newborn sugar glider, as with any infant, is keeping it warm. Baby sugar gliders are too small to be able to generate enough body heat to maintain a temperature around 80 - 85 Fahrenheit - the optimum for growth and comfort. The following Pocket Pets tips will mean your baby sugar glider shouldn’t have to suffer in this important stage of life.

When carrying your Sugar Glider with you, keeping it as close to your body as you can will provide an almost perfect source of heat. The chest area is the best option; for example, use a chest pocket or Walkabout bonding pouch. Protecting your new charge from the elements with the usual amount of outer clothing depending on the day’s or your region’s climate will suffice in keeping it warm.

The other challenge is making sure the sugar glider is getting enough heat while indoors, at home with you. The Pocket Pets Starter Kit includes an electric heat rock, which acts like an electric blanket for your baby sugar glider. This is an excellent and safe method to provide the necessary heat for your animal. Install the rock in the cage by making a hole for the cable to exit the cage wall and pull the rock up to the hole to minimize the amount of cable inside the cage. Cover the rock with a piece of material, e.g. from an old t-shirt, and plug the device in. Your sugar glider will not overheat by spending too much time basking on the rock like a lizard but can choose the distance, from the rock, at which it rests and sleeps to obtain the heat it needs using the material as bedding.

Top 10 Ways To Prevent Obesity In Kids

I’m sure you’ve seen the dire reports about childhood obesity becoming rampant in America. It’s a scary thing and not an experience any of us wish upon our children. Preventing obesity can be easy and empowering for children. Give them control over their bodies. Teach them to tune in to their real needs and to treat themselves with love and respect.

1) Allow children to be in charge of which foods they eat.

2) Make all foods equal and teach kids to check in with their bodies and choose foods based on what their bodies are asking for.

3) Encourage them to know when they are full and to stop eating at that point.

4) Let them eat according to their own hunger patterns rather than according to external schedules.

5) De-emphasize body shape and weight. Encourage kids to love and accept their bodies unconditionally.

6) Help them find fun ways to move and play so they get plenty of enjoyable exercise every day.

7) Love them unconditionally and don’t make derogatory comments about their looks or weight.

Be sure they never get started on the damaging cycle of dieting and bingeing.

9) Let food just be fuel for the body. Don’t turn it into a reward or save certain things to be special treats.

10) Teach them to honor other people and not tease or make fun of others who are fat.

Adults who want to lose weight through intuitive eating are encouraged to eat like a two year-old child. The most effective thing we can do to prevent childhood obesity is help children stay in touch with their bodies and honor its needs.

©2006 Nancy Hill has helped thousands break free from the nightmare of dieting with her ebook, “Undieting - 11 Simple Steps to Reclaim Your Body and Your Life.” Sign up now to get the free Undieting Newsletter and discover how intuitive eating makes it easy to live at your ideal weight without ever dieting again.

Adoption - Heartbreak or Hope?

The Call

On Saturday, December 18, 1999, my husband, Gary and I started our holiday season off with my company’s Holiday party. As we were getting dressed for the festive event, I noticed a rash on my neck. I could immediately rule out poison ivy and poison oak, as it was the middle of December. Panic set in. The large red bumps looked hideous, and trying to conceal the rash with makeup only made the itching worse. Could it be some strange disease? An allergic reaction? To calm my fears, Gary suggested that I put some topical ointment on it, and take the “wait and see approach.” Realizing how silly I was being, that is what I did, and we went off to the party. While getting dressed the next morning, I discovered a new patch on my left hip and the patch on my neck had spread from one side to the other. I decided I needed to see my general physician as soon as possible.

While lying in bed on Monday morning waiting for the doctor’s office to open, the phone rang. I was surprised to hear the voice at the other end. It was Barbara, the social worker we had been working with to adopt a baby. She was calling to tell us a 14-year-old girl was about to deliver a baby any day. The girl had selected us as the adoptive parents. Oh, what a Christmas this was going to be! I was in disbelief. We were told by so many people that adopting a brand new baby is nearly impossible in the United States. Suddenly, the rash was the focus of my morning. I immediately picked up the phone to call Gary with the good news. The surprise in his voice gave me chills, which were quickly warmed by the thought of us having the baby we longed for joining our family.

Gary and I decided we would not tell our family members about the impending birth. We did not want everyone getting anxious every time the phone rang. We had enough to deal with while the rash was taking over my body. After making several frantic phone calls to make arrangements for the delivery of much needed baby supplies and composing myself, I went to my doctor’s appointment. The doctor thought it was an allergic reaction to the live Christmas tree we bought to help celebrate the holiday season. I tried the medicine the doctor prescribed but it didn’t help, and each day became more uncomfortable. Waiting for the birth of the baby we desperately wanted only fed the mystery rash, causing it to cover 60% of my body. A trip to the emergency room early on Christmas morning finally brought some much needed relief from some very strong steroids, and a diagnosis of an infection caused by fungus commonly found on pine trees.

The Meeting

A week later, the rash disappeared and we finally got the call we had been waiting for on Christmas. Our social worker called to tell me we had a baby girl. I was ecstatic! You hear stories about couples waiting years for this moment. Our moment was here, and I could not wait to see our new bundle of joy. I asked Barbara what was the course of action. She told me she was on her way to the hospital to have the birthmother sign the necessary papers to start the adoption proceedings and would arrange a time for Gary and me to come over for a visit. I immediately called Gary and told him we were parents. He was so excited he told me his was on his way home. I then called everyone I could think of; which to most people would seem logical. This was an adoption in the early stages; and our first attempt. There was so much I didn’t consider.

That evening we made the trip to the hospital to meet our daughter. She was perfect! Everyone in the room cried. It was such a surreal moment. We spent two hours answering questioned about ourselves, and how we planned to raise the baby. We didn’t mind because we were willing to consider an open adoption. We stressed that the birthmother would always be a part of the baby’s life to some degree. At the end of the two hours, visiting hours were over and we had to leave because we were not blood relatives of the birthmother. I remember leaving the hospital in shock. I couldn’t believe that a holiday that started out with an uncomfortable rash could end so happily. I couldn’t wait for the next morning when we would return to bring home our baby.

Gary got up the next morning to go to work and tie up some loose ends so he could be home for a few days adjusting to his status as a father. I got up to get an early start on preparing the baby’s room. We had to borrow a crib from my parents, an infant car seat from neighbors, and find an outfit for the baby to wear when she left the hospital. I managed to get all of that done fairly quickly and found myself staring at the phone waiting for the call telling me to return to the hospital and pick up the baby. Instead, I got a call telling me there had been a development. The birthmother had changed her mind late the night before. The birthfather’s parents, who had been in denial about the pregnancy, suddenly fell in love with the baby and didn’t want her placed for adoption. Also, one of the night shift nurses spent time telling the birthmother it was a mistake to place the baby for adoption. Her daughter had placed a baby for adoption, and found the experience to be too hard. The nurse didn’t think other birthparents and their families should experience the same thing. How could she do such a thing? There are nurses in my family, and I can’t recall a time when any of them shared their personal opinion with a patient. I found that to be so unprofessional on her part. After Barbara told me about the events from the night before, she tried to instill hope in me by telling me she had some options to try. I called Gary and told him to come home. I wasn’t going to spend the day waiting alone. Gary and I spent the day watching TV, trying to nap, and praying everything would go our way. The day just seemed to drag on. In a way, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. It didn’t matter what the outcome would be. At least I would know what to do next. I would either apply for paternity leave or go back to work.

Lessons Learned

Finally, that evening, Barbara called to say she was on her way to our house. She needed to see us. I knew why. We had lost the baby. The 14 year old thought she knew what was best by her raising the baby on her own and working on a visitation schedule with the birthfather’s parents. When adopting a baby, there is nothing worse than someone changing his or her mind. It was the one of the worst things to date that has happened to us; but we learned some things about ourselves. We found out that others thought we would be good parents for their baby. We learned we could handle meeting the birthmother of our baby. Most of all, we know we can recover from the devastation of losing the happy ending of our most cherished dream, becoming parents. It will happen. It is just a matter of time. People often ask us why we haven’t gone overseas to adopt one of the thousands of children waiting for a home. Because that would be too easy. We believe children are a gift, and when the time is right, we will receive that gift with open arms.

After Barbara left our house that dreadful night, I decided to write a letter to the birthmother. I wasn’t sure how it was going to be delivered to her until the next morning. I decided I needed to deliver it myself with the little yellow sleeper I had picked out for the baby’s trip home. As I drove to the hospital, I imagined how the meeting was going to go. I was going to change the birthmother’s mind. Little did I know she wasn’t accepting any visitors. I found myself at the nurse’s station sobbing with the nurses standing there feeling helpless. This may sound like a terrible thing, and leave people wondering why would I put myself through such an experience. Actually, it helped. I learned I had the strength to confront the person who had both a positive and negative effect on my life.

Lisa Mathey is an adoptive parent of two daughers. In addition to her personal experience, Lisa is an adoption trainer, assisting families in completing the domestic adoption process. Visit Lisa’s webiste at http://www.adoptioneducators.com for information on how to complete the domestic adoption process.

Talk to Your Kids About Marijuana

There are more than 200 names for marijuana, including pot, grass, reefer, and weed. No matter what you call it, marijuana is dangerous, “far more dangerous than most users realize,” according to the American Council for Drug Education.

Users may try to pressure your kids into using marijuana. Your kids may already be experimenting with it. But experimentation can become frequent use and abuse. Share these marijuana facts with your kids. Remind them of these facts again and again.

* Today’s marijuana is 300 more times more potent than the marijuana of the past. (NIDA Research Report)

* Marijuana is a gateway drug that often leads to the use of other drugs. About 60% of kids under age 15 who use marijuana go on to use cocaine. (American Council for Drug Education)

* When you buy marijuana you don’t know what you’re getting. Harmful substances - crack cocaine, PCP and formaldehyde - may be mixed in with marijuana. (NIDA)

* Daily users may have trouble paying attention, tracking a subject, and processing information. These effects linger for hours after marijuana use. (www.MayoClinic.com)

* Marijuana slows your reaction time, impairs your judgment, and makes it harder to respond to road signals and sounds. Driving under the influence of marijuana is downright dangerous. (NIDA for Teens: Marijuana)

* All cigarettes are dangerous, but marijuana cigarettes are more so because they don’t have filters and contain 50-70% more cancer causing substances. Users put themselves at risk for mouth, larynx, and lung cancer. (www.MayoClinic.com)

* Marijuana makes your heart beat 50% faster than normal, which can be scary. Long-term users risk high blood pressure, decreased blood flow to the heart, and inability to exercise. (www.MayoClinic.com)

* Teens under the influence of marijuana may engage in casual sex, risking pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs. (American Council for Drug Education)

* Heavy marijuana use can put your hormones out of whack. If you’re male it may take your body longer to mature and you may have reduced sperm production. If you’re female you may have irregular monthly cycles and reduced ovulation. (American Council for Drug Education)

* Marijuana use leads to mental health problems such as paranoia, anxiety, and schizophrenia. You don’t know what’s real any more. (www.MayoClinic.com)

* Heavy marijuana users may suffer “protracted” (long-term) brain damage and become a “pot head.” Researchers don’t know if this damage is permanent. (NIDA Notes)

Marijuana is an illegal and addictive substance. Talk to your kids about the dangers of marijuana use today, tomorrow, and in the months to come. State your message clearly and firmly: Stay away from pot.

Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson. To learn more about her work go to http://harriethodgson.com/

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is also posted on Amazon.

A Child’s Beginner Pointe Shoe?

The question comes up, ” When can my child go on pointe?” Sometimes difficult to answer.

“Is there a child beginner pointe shoe?” Is there such a shoe? Yes and No.
There are toe shoe manufacturers that do not make pointe shoes for children
under a certain shoe size. Then there are some who do. The ballet teacher who
knows her student will say when she should go on pointe.

These questions are asked by parents who do not know much about ballet, the training
that goes into ballet, how many classes should the child take per week, when should
she go on pointe.

Take this into consideration. When the child starts ballet at age 7 or 8 by the time she
is 11 or 12 year old, she would have had about 480 ballet classes during a 4 year period.
This is based on 48 weeks per year, if this were at all possible. If by chance she is sick, holidays, vacation time, unforeseen circumstances crop up, she will have missed more
classes during that time. All classes missed are very hard to make up and catch up, with other students in the classroom, especially since it involves physical strength and a very good “body-movement-memory”.

While she is growing in stature, hopefully not putting on too much weight before reaching age 11 or 12, she MAY be starting pointe work in her ballet school.
(You will find interesting information on nutrition for ballet dancers at
www.ballet-feetfirst.com/Pointeshoe-Nutrition.html )

I say she MAY be starting on pointe only when her ballet teacher evaluates the progress of her training. Her ballet teacher will decide when she is to go on pointe and not before 4 years of good , consistent ballet training.

Ballet teachers have their own guidelines of which some can be given here; the child’s
physical strength, her height, body weight and the strength of her feet, toes, arch. Oh yes,
the desire to dance and become a ballerina.

For questions you would like to ask please go to http://www.ballet-feetfirst.com/pointe-shoes.html fill out the form and we will be glad to answer them.

NICHOLAS POLAJENKO A native of New York City, Nicholas Polajenko was trained by the famed Russian
teachers Anatole Vilzak & Ludmilla Schollar. Soon recognized as dancer of exceptional technique
and acting versatility, he rapidly rose to the rank of Principal Dancer with such companies as
the Metropolitan Ballet, Ballet des Champs Elysees, Ballet Roland Petit, London’s Festival Ballet
and the International Ballet Marquis de Ceuvas.

Before going to Paris France in December 1948 he was in two Broadway Musicals. Music In My Heart
and Annie Get Your Gun.

Toilet Training: One of the Joys of Parenting

Toilet training can be fun and drama free. The most important thing to do to ensure that the process is easy for all involved is to make sure that your child is ready before you start the process.

How do you know if your toddler is ready to be toilet trained? Well, there are some clear indicators that your child might be ready. These include long dry spells followed by a big wet nappy, being able to tell those around that they have wet or dirtied their nappy, and being able to pull their pants down/ up and sit on the potty independantly. Those are the main things to look for. If your toddler is showing these signs then they may be ready. So, it is your job to get the environment ready for them to learn to use the potty or toilet.

If you are using a potty then consider putting it in the place where your child spends most of it’s awake time. That way it is easy to access and you can remind your toddler to use it regularly. If you are using the toilet then consider using a toddler attachment to make your child feel more secure and comfortable. A step might also help your child begin to toilet independantly.

In order for toilet training to be as painless and smooth as possible, make sure that you and your child are ready. Some toddlers toilet train quite easily, while for others it becomes what seems like a long drawn out battle. If you are incredibly busy at work, moving to a new house or a new baby is due soon, it’s ok to wait a few months to let things settle down. You might need to be prepared for a few accidents and extra dirty clothes during the process.

Above all you need to make this a positive process for your child. They need to learn that this is a natural thing and should never be told that their body is dirty or yucky. Use lots of encouraging words and hugs to reward your child’s successes. Praise is a fantastic motivator! This is probably one of the biggest steps for your child and it’s worth your patience.

In 1995 I completed my Bachelor of Teaching, specialising in Early Childhood Education. I have worked in education since 1996. I started in Child Care as a Preschool teacher. I have also worked as an ESL teacher and have been promoted to the level Teacher of Exemplary Practice.

I’m a mother of two boys, 5 and nearly 2 years old. Although parenting my two wonderful children is my main focus, furthering my understandings about how children learn and develop is something of great interest to me. I have been doing a Master of Education for the past two years.

I am interested in parenting, as a teacher, as a mother and a member of a wider community. How we look after our children does impact on others in the world around us. I believe I have something valuable to share. I hope you find it interesting and useful.

For more informaiton and articles please check out my website http://www.saneparenting.com

Parenting Techniques to Banish Tantrums

Today I was working with one of my clients and we were looking at the issue of helping young children deal with their frustrations. She was telling me how her little boy became so frustrated that he would bite himself. Toddlers often find dealing with their emotions really difficult because they are developing new skills. Sometimes they can’t find the words to express themselves or they have difficulty mastering a skill because they lack the physical dexterity required for completing some tasks.

We need to understand why children have tantrums and change our attitude to them because tantrums are a horribly normal part of child development. I remember feeling embarrassed and annoyed when my daughter went through the terrible three’s stage. When I realised why the tantrums were occurring I was able to minimise them. I noticed her tantrums were usually pent up frustration so I began to teach her how to deal with her emotions. Helping children to deal with their emotions is a valuable life skill that many raging adults have not learnt during childhood.

There are many ways in which we can teach our children how to deal with their emotions. Here are two effective techniques: Firstly we can name the feelings for them. For example I could say, ‘ Ryan its frustrating when the pencil keeps slipping out of your hand.’

Secondly we can teach them how to use the traffic lights technique. This simple technique works really well. You draw traffic light on a piece of card, the symbols are red - intense feeling, yellow - getting calmer, and green - content or happy. you would ask your child to point to a colour on the traffic light that demonstrated how angry, sad, frustrated he was feeling. Lets take the example of Ryan. I’d ask Ryan to show we on the traffic light how frustrated he was feeling. He would point to red. I’d say to Ryan, ‘Right now you are feeling really frustrated.’ He’d probably point to the red light on the traffic lights. I’d then encourage Ryan to work on feeling calm again. I would ask Ryan to pretend that there were five candles in front of him and ask him to try blowing the imaginary candles out. I would observe his response until I could see that he was becoming calmer. Then I’d ask him to show me again on the traffic light how he was feeling. We’d carry on blowing imaginary candles until he was back to green on the traffic light.

Finally when Ryan was in a calmer frame of mind I would teach him how to deal with his emotions in a constructive manner. By asking open-ended or multiple choice questions a child can learn how to express his emotions. Helping children deal with their feelings eventually reduces tantrums and empowers them for life.

Henri Joyce teaches effective parenting at the University of Masters, facilitates teleclasses and parenting workshops. She also offers one-to-one and group coaching. For more transformational parenting techniques and to claim some valuable downloads, you can subscribe to her popular newsletter at:http://www.effectiveparenting.co.uk

Rhesus-conflict

People differ from each other not only with eye and skin color, or height, but also with a blood group, and also with its Rhesus factor. For the time being, it does not matter which blood runs in our veins.

“At school I tried to avoid medical examinations, hiding in toilets and checkrooms. At home, resisting a doctor’s visit, I resorted to various tricks: pressed my forehead to a frozen window to cool it and hide high temperature, coughed under the blanket, shook off the thermometer. And when I grew up, I could not find time for sicknesses or preventive medical examinations, as I always had more important and absolutely urgent matters. As a result, I knew about Rhesus factor existence and that I have got Rhesus-negative only when I was 27 y.o., i.e. when I decided to become a mother”.

Such different blood

Rhesus factor is an antigen (or albumen), which is situated on erythrocytes’ surface (red corpuscles). It was discovered just 35 years ago. And at the same time it was discovered that 85% of men and women have this Rhesus factor, and, hence, are Rhesus-positive. And the rest 15%, accordingly, have no Rhesus factor, and are called Rhesus-negative.

In everyday life, neither presence, nor lack of Rhesus factor plays any special role. It becomes important only under such extreme conditions, like, for example, blood transfusion. Or pregnancy. Why pregnancy? Because if a future mother has Rhesus-negative, and father has Rhesus-positive, a child can inherit both mother’s and father’s ones, it’s 50×50. If he inherits a mother’s Rhesus-negative, then everything is ok, no danger. And if he inherits a father’s Rhesus-positive? Then a threat of Rhesus-conflict appears. What’s this? This is an incompatibility of blood between mother and her fetus. Rhesus factor of fetus overcomes a placenta barrier and comes to a mother’s blood. And her organism, “not recognizing” fetus and accepting it as something alien, begins producing protective antibodies.

These antibodies come through placenta and begin “battling” with a future baby’s erythrocytes, annihilating them. What this may lead to? To a miscarriage, if a mother’s organism tears away fetus. To production of more bilirubin, a substance that colors skin in yellow and leads to new-born babies’ jaundice. Bilirubin can also damage a future baby’s brain, cause hearing-aid and speech defects of development. Moreover, as erythrocytes in fetus blood will be constantly annihilated, his liver and spleen will quicken red corpuscles production, increasing in sizes sharply. However, they will definitely lose this race, and as a result, a future baby can have anemia, caused by threateningly low content of erythrocytes and haemoglobin. In addition, Rhesus-conflict can cause in-born dropsy (edema) of fetus and even lead to his death.

How to struggle?

There’re preventive measures and methods of treatment of Rhesus-conflict. The first of them is to learn your blood group and Rhesus factor as much earlier, and also a future father’s blood group and Rhesus factor. Sometimes, Rhesus-conflict starts because of an incompatibility between mother’s and baby’s blood groups, for example, if a mother has 0 blood group, and a future baby has A or B blood group. Fortunately, such incompatibility is less dangerous and does not betoken serious complications. If both parents have the same Rhesus, there’re no reasons for anxiety. If a mother has Rhesus-negative, and a father has Rhesus-positive, a mother will have to pass such a procedure, as vein blood test regularly. This way doctors will be able to control the quantity of antibodies in your blood constantly and notice a beginning of Rhesus-conflict. Till 32 week of pregnancy, you need to pass vein blood test once a month, since 32 till 35 - twice a month, and then every week till the day of childbirth.

If Rhesus-conflict still begins, specialists will be able to resort to different measures to save a baby. In some cases, they stimulate premature birth and execute exchange blood transfusion to a baby - doctors inject a blood of the same group, but with Rhesus-negative in him. This operations is held during 36 hours after childbirth.

There’s also a possibility to reduce a risk of Rhesus-conflict development during next childbirth. For example, with the help of administration of a special vaccine - anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin at once (during 72 hours) after first childbirth or abortive pregnancy. The principle of action of this medicine is based on the fact that it “connects” aggressive bodies in mother’s blood and brings them out of her organism. After this, they cannot threaten a future baby’s health and life anymore. If Rhesus-antibodies were not injected as preventive measures for some reason, such “vaccination” can be done during pregnancy. Administration of anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin can be done also after fetus bladder puncture, amniocentesis and surgical operation during abdominal pregnancy.

Happy-end

“And in general, - a doctor finished his story, now you should know only one thing: a prognosis is good. So, pass vein blood tests regularly and don’t think of anything else”. And I went to pass a vein blood test. Once, again, and again… And soon I discovered that this is not so disgusting. When the procedure became ordinary, it stopped seeming to be some terrible trial. Easy and quickly. There’s one bad aspect - you need to pass the test in the morning and surely on an empty stomach. But the main thing was that every following test showed the same result - there was no any threatening quantity of antibodies in my blood, and, hence, no any Rhesus-conflict.

With such results, I came to a long-awaited day of childbirth. And gave birth to an absolutely healthy daughter. Her birth, naturally, displaced all other thoughts from my head. And, unfortunately, I completely forgot to ask doctors to inject anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin in me during 72 hours after childbirth. Well, nobody offered me this too. But then, frankly speaking, I did not think about any other pregnancies. And now? You know, I have not told anybody about it yet… But, to my opinion, two children in a family are much better, than an only child. And, perhaps, I’m ready to repeat everything. We will pass all tests, consult doctors, administrate this Anti-Rhesus. Of course, I’m afraid a little. But, as a doctor said, the prognosis is good!

Queen Anna

People differ from each other not only with eye and skin color, or height, but also with a blood group, and also with its Rhesus factor. For the time being, it does not matter which blood runs in our veins, as it “works” only on our organism and suits it completely. However, sometimes such situation may happen, when one person’s blood contacts with other one’s blood - this happens while blood transfusion or pregnancy. And then problems begin…

There’re 4 main blood groups: the first, it’s also called zero (0); second (A); third (B) and fourth (AB). If one gives somebody a transfusion of blood of some other group, serious complications may occur, right up to conditions, threatening to one’s life.

Besides, blood is divided into 2 types, according to Rhesus factor - albumen, situated in erythrocytes (red corpuscles). Rhesus factor can be positive or negative. If a woman with Rhesus-negative blood is bearing a child, who inherited his father’s Rhesus-positive, then during a contact of mother’s and fetus’s blood, a pregnant woman’s organism treats fetus as some alien thing and produces antibodies that contribute to its seizure. This can make difficulties for normal height and development of a future baby, influence bad his health. In cases of serious complications, a prenatal death of fetus takes place, miscarriages on different periods of pregnancy.

During the first pregnancy, a conflict, caused by an incompatibility between mother’s and fetus’s blood according to a blood group and Rhesus factor, seldom develops, as women’s antibodies are being produced in not enough quantity. With every following pregnancy, a chance of complications increases in several times.

Often, antibodies are produced in organism of women who haven’t given birth yet, as a result of previous blood transfusions, without taking into account Rhesus-compatibility, miscarriages or abortions, abdominal pregnancy. Various complications during pregnancy (toxicosis, high blood pressure, infectious and other diseases) increase weight of condition and a chance of conflict development.

A conflict, caused by incompatibility according to a blood group, is met more often, but under AB0 conflict, serious problems appear less often, than under incompatibility according to Rhesus factor. One can predict a probability of a pathologic process, knowing Rhesus factor and blood groups of both parents.

Women, who have a risk of a conflict development, should be under careful obstetrician-gynecologist’s observation during pregnancy. It’s necessary to determine a level of Rhesus-antibodies in blood during the whole period (once a month till 32 weeks of pregnancy, twice a month since 32 to 35 weeks, and then every week). Height of antibodies’ titre helps to determine a fetus state, forecast a weight of a new-born baby’s condition, and prevent the development of complications when it’s necessary.

Women with Rhesus-negative can avoid the conflict during the second pregnancy with the help of administration of anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin right after the first childbirth, abortion, transfusion of an incompatible blood. As a rule, this is a routine practice of maternity hospitals, but it’s better to ask such question before you choose a hospital to give birth in.

Yana Mikheeva is the creator of Baby Health Directory - Pregnancy, Birth, Parenting and Baby Care resources. Are you going to get pregnant? Visit our friendly resource and read information on pregnancy and parenting, painless childbirth, growth and development of a baby, baby health, safety, signs of pregnancy.

She also has All about women site where you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others.

Letter to My Son - You are Leaving Home Today

You are leaving home today. I keep repeating that statement over and over in my mind, trying to understand what it means. I have had your lifetime to prepare for this, sometimes wanting it to come quickly and sometimes hoping this day would never come. Most of the time though, I have been preparing myself and preparing you, by madly gathering life’s questions and answers in the hope that I haven’t forgotten anything. I keep revising the list inside my head; checking off all the things I know I’ve already told you - so many times.

As tempting as it is to slip a few of the big ones into a casual conversation I correct myself and let it go. An image of your face appears before me and I see your eyes look upward and your mouth tighten with that expression of yours that we both know so well. “Mum I know - you have told me a hundred times already.”

Well, you know me well enough to expect a letter tucked away in your luggage with just a couple of pages of instructions about ‘keeping yourself safe and healthy’. You might even expect to find food in there, a little treat to keep you going. And lots of XXX’s scribbled on a note like noisy kisses on your bare belly.

Protecting you and preparing you has been such a big part of who I am - it’s hard to redefine myself and accept that my job is done.

I remind myself that this is about you, but as usual, here I am making it about me again. Slightly neurotic, I find myself wanting to explain or apologize or gain some kind of absolution from you. I want to go back into your history and call myself to your attention and wipe the slate clean of all my mistakes. I do admit that I have been selfish and hypocritical at times, and I don’t want you to leave now thinking it was your fault or that you didn’t deserve better.

Yeah, yeah, I hear you say ‘Don’t worry about it, it doesn’t matter”.

I have such an urge to tell you of promises I made, as you slept below my heart all those years ago. So very real and profound to me and so intense I’m sure I’d weep if I even tried to tell you. You of course, would shift from one leg to the other and endure my disclosure with discomfort and impatience.

Mini movies of first steps, first words and first everything else’s consume me. Tooth fairies and Santa Clause and Easter bunnies. Little trophies, wall posters, clay models and lego buildings.

I’m indulging myself, it’s my prerogative, but I have promised myself to keep it all to myself. I want to reminisce, at a time when you have one foot out the door. I’m going back to the baby and you are going forward to the man. You have freedom, independence and adventure on your mind. I know you are ready; capable, competent and smarter than I’ll ever be.

My attitude shifts as I accept you don’t need any precautions, no more moralizing; no more “You know what you should do…”

And even though I have represented myself as parent and teacher I see so clearly that I have also been the pupil. I have learned so much from you, you have played such a large part in moulding me into the person I am. You have taught me well and I thank you.

Now, I’m compelled to tell you of all the things about you that fills me with pride and awe. Another long list of what you have achieved, the person you are, your character and integrity. I want to place wishes on you and insist that they all become true for you. I want you to stand at the head of the table and have everyone who ever knew you, come forward and pay tribute to you. But, you would hate that too.

It’s never about what you have done or anything that you are capable of doing. It’s only ever about who you are; the real value is in the fact that you exist.

No, you don’t need to be told who you are or what you are capable of. You don’t judge yourself by such things and I don’t want you to do that either. You are your own person and you are comfortable in your own skin, and at the end of the day, that tells me that I have done well. That tells me, that you are ready for the world and the world will be better for having you as a participant.

I really don’t need to tell you any of this - I even wonder now what impact any of the words have ever had. I do believe that I have taught you by example, but more than that, I think you have always known my heart. The umbilical cord might just be symbology for the heart to heart connection between mother and child.

When you leave today, I will light an imaginary candle and place it on the window-sill. Think about it, if you wander into shadows or if you need to lighten up. Let it always be your beacon.

And all in all, there are only two things left to say to you, “I am proud of you and I love you.”

Copyright Sonya Green
www.reinventingmyself.com

Sonya Green doesn’t just ‘get under your skin’ she goes straight to your core and pulls out all of your secret places, she then confronts you with a mirror and reflects back to you the beauty, power, uniqueness and wisdom which is your intended birthright. You may laugh and you may cry, but you will certainly be left with a sense that something within you has shifted and a healing has taken place.