#ISUPPORTEXCLUSIVEBREASTFEEDING

I am sharing this wounderful piece from Mothersbond and I hope it will be helpful to women who wish to practise exclusive Breastfeeding. Before you read the piece let be kindly correct the popular believes; I am made to believe that some women think it is not right to extract milk. They even think it is only women who are lazy to breastfeed that need breast pumps. Whereas breast pumps makes it easy for women to breastfeed exclusively because you can continue your work and still make sure your baby gets the full nutrition on breast milk. Another popular believe is the myth that breast pumps make your breast sag or in extreme cases that it could cause breast cancer. These are unfounded myths which are spread by people who have never used a breast pump before. Saying a breast pump causes cancer is worse than saying mobile phones cause cancers too. They are not true. 

How to Store BreastMilk for your baby.

There are several reasons why a mom may have to extract milk from herself and then store it. Sometimes, baby is a preemie (born before the expected delivery date) and in the NICU. It could also be that baby is having problem latching on, or mommy is having problem/delay lactating (producing naturally), or mommy is injured/sore, or for some reason, mommy has to be away from the baby for a few hours or days and can’t take baby along. So in any of these circumstances, extracting using a pump becomes necessary. Here are six tips for milk storage.

1. If you're pumping to store for later, refrigerate pumped milk as soon as possible.
Milk, like all body fluids have a short life without preservation. If it’s not refrigerated immediately, it becomes sour and that would affect the taste; it could also affect your baby’s health and digestion. The milk could even start to smell. Now also bear in mind that refrigeration if not done immediately, there is no need doing so when you remember later. It’s better to extract another which you can now do the right thing.

2. Breastmilk can be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours and in the freezer for up to 1 to 2 weeks. (Sometimes even up to months),
This is very important; for your baby’s’ best nutrition, you should store the milk in the refrigerator section for a maximum of 24 hours. If you have to extract for long periods, let them all be in the freezer and you take them out as the need arises. You should have several bottles or storage bags as the case may be. Anyone you bring out from the freezer can’t go back to the freezer after it melts. Dispose it if baby can’t finish it. So it’s best to know the quantity your baby consumes each time and make that the storage quantity you keep.

3. Do not Microwave the milk
After bringing out the milk from the freezer or refrigerator and it’s taking time to melt, the temptation comes to hasten things up and the microwave is one of the first places considered. This shouldn’t be. Please keep the milk at room temperature to allow it melt on its own. If you are worried that baby is crying because of hunger, then next time, be sure to calculate the time accordingly. Allow a few minutes for the milk to get to room temperature before baby’s feeding time.
For more information visit Motherbond

The Counsel (Rhesus incompatibility awarness)

So we are still on this matter?, yes...oh we are.
After the visit to primary health centres and a good number of one on one awarness about rhesus incompatibility, I realized that I still have alot of work to do. I came to this conclusion last week, after a couple walked in for a series of test. Here is the story:

This couple are in my office to do a series of fertility test recommended by a doctor whom they met and told about their infertility problem. As God would have it Blood grouping and genotype test were included. Just like the others, I gave it my best. The female turns out to be rhesus negative. At this point,they had left so i decided to wait until they return so we planned to counsel them and ask a couple of questions. The next day when they came to drop other samples I and my madam decided to let them know that their ordeal of infertility could be as a result of the lady's rhesus status since the man is rhesus positive, we asked;
Do you have miscarriages: she said yes,
have you had an abortion before she said yes;  that when she did that,She was not yet ready for the child and it was a mutual agreement by her and her husband.
We're you given anti D Shots within 72hrs after the abortion procedure; she answered No
After the interrogation it was clear this couple needed counsel about rhesus incompatibility.

Rhesus incompatibility happens when a rhesus negative mother is pregnant with a rhesus positive foetus. When this happens, it presents with miscarriages, and if the pregnancy sails throughh the child presents with haemolytic disease of the newborn, we do not want more of this happening, that is why I say often "Every woman deserve to have a healthy child at birth an not loose the child even before birth".
This is for everyone, kindly insist on the rhesus status of your spouse before marriage so that you both can take informed decisions on how to overcome rhesus incompatibility. And if you are already married, try to know the rhesus status of your spouse espicially if you are yet to have kids.

BREAST CANCER AWARNESS(TAKE ACTION)

One of the popular quotes for breast cancer says: "if women were more concerned about the health of their breast than the size of it, then there will take approaches to reduce the risk of breast cancer".
Breast cancer does not affect women with huge breast only, any woman is at risk of suffering breast cancer.
We have been told that cancer is the abnormal proliferation of cells, and breast cancer occurs when the cells that makes up the organ "Breast" begins to proliferate forming abnormal cells. This situation can affect any woman but women who have history of a family member who suffered breast cancer is more likely to come down with it, although there are some predisposing factors such as exposure to radioactive rays; history of chemotherapy, which might expose one to the risk of cancer, although over the years the cause of cancer generally has been said to be idiopathic (unknown).
The fair knowledge of how to self examine yourself as a woman for breast lumps is expedient because research has show that a greater number of people who survived breast cancer, we're diagnosed of it at it's early stage.
I am hoping that the outline shared below,can be useful in self examination for breast cancer, we are doing this not to put fear or fright in anyone but to help in fighting breast cancer; thus we join every other person out there who creates awarness on breast cancer to combat breast cancer to charge every woman to take action for the health of their breast, and not the size of it.

                                       OUTLINE
₩ Go in front of a mirror, without straps,Look out for a nipple that has changed position or is inverted(pushed inwards instead of sticking out), then place your arms on your hips,while raising your shoulder, look out for the usual size, Shape and colour of your breast,making sure that your breast is evenly shaped with no distortion or swelling. Look out for redness,soreness,rash, dimpling, puckering or bulging of the skin.

₩ The next thing to do while still standing in front of the mirror, is to raise your hands looking out for the same changes.

₩ keep your hands raised, while at this,look out for signs of fluid coming out of both nipples (This fluid can be watery, milky or yellowish in colour, or blood).

₩ lie upright,facing the ceiling, using your left hand to feel your right breast and vice versa, use a firm smooth touch with the first few fingers pad, keep the finger together move like in a circle,about the size of a quarter, with this movement cover the entire breast, from side to side, from the collar bone to the top of the abdomen, and from the armpit to the cleavage.

₩ Follow a pattern to be sure that you have covered the whole breast. You can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you get to the outer edge of the breast. Be sure to feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your breast; for the skin and tissue beneath, use light pressure; use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breast, use firm pressure for the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your ribcage.

₩ you might want to perform the next step while in the bathroom, with your skin wet and slippery while sitting or standing in front of the mirrow cover the entire breast using the same movement described on the 5th outline.

 If you notice any changes,kindly visit your doctor.

Now just in case you are among the people who believe and practise the popular saying "ignorant is bliss" that believe cannot be useful here because as I wrote above, the women who survived breast cancer, research has shown that the cancer was detected early.
 I will love to end this piece by celebrating everyone out there:
who are in this fight against breast cancer;
Those who survived breast cancer;
Those who are battling with breast cancer and
Those who have fallen and i pray Grace for the :