Category Archives: Useful Tips
Five Benefits of Hiring a Professional Lactation Consultant
Breastfeeding is an intensely satisfying experience for a mother. However, it is not without its set of challenges. Right from inadequate milk production to baby not latching, mothers of newborns have their challenges to deal with while breastfeeding. A lactation consultant helps mothers in such situations with their experience and expertise.
On this page you will gain insights into how lactation consultants Houston helps new mothers and why you should hire one.
Understanding lactation
Lactation is the process of milk production in the new mothers. It is a biological process that follows pregnancy and delivery. It ensures that the baby receives her first food – the mother’s milk and is adequately nourished. Lactation also helps mothers burn the calories and bring the metabolism to the pre-delivery stage.
Meanwhile, lactation comes with its own set of challenges:
• Mothers feel fatigued with continuous feeding.
• Inadequate milk supply can stress the mother and leave the baby hungry.
• Baby is not able to latch due to various reasons.
• The breastfeeding position might be troubling both the mother and the baby.
Lactation consultants in Houston help alleviate such problems mothers face during breastfeeding. It is vital to understand that such consultants can be certified or experienced. You may find consultants who have passed the eligibility exam and some with intensive experience in nursing and helping lactation.
Benefits of lactation consultant
Here are five benefits of hiring a professional lactation consultant in Houston.
#1. An emotional assistance
Breastfeeding can be a tiring journey if not properly handled. The midnight routines of the baby leave the mother with tiredness and exhaustion. In severe cases, this can lead to post-partum depression, which might impact the mother and the baby negatively.
Here’s where a lactation specialist offers their patient assistance by listening to the woes the mother faces. They are a channel for the mother to attain relief from the emotional discomfort they experience while breastfeeding.
#2. Expert help in times of need
Babies need mother’s milk like no other food. But when they do not attain the adequate amount or find it difficult to drink, expert help in the form of a lactation specialist is imminent.
With their extensive expertise, lactation specialists explain the best practices that enrich the breastfeeding experience. They understand the needs of both the mother and the baby and offer customized solutions that are otherwise difficult to attain.
#3. Offers tips and tricks that put you at ease
New moms often confront various doubts:
• Can I eat this while breastfeeding?
• Is it okay to breastfeed when I have a fever?
• I have a cold and cough. Can I give my breast milk to my baby?
• What foods can help stimulate breast milk production?
• How often should I feed my baby?
• My baby sleeps while breastfeeding. What should I do?
And so on.
The number of doubts that haunt new mothers, especially while breastfeeding are countless. Lactation specialists understand such concerns and provide expert suggestions that help moms.
Besides, they are encyclopedias of the tips and tricks that help new mothers to enjoy a smooth breastfeeding experience.
#4. Helps clarify your doubts about the milk supply
Most often mothers doubt if their milk production is adequate for the baby. In practice, there can be various reasons for lesser breastmilk production ranging from stress to inadequate nutrition and certain special medical conditions.
In such instances, lactation specialist offers their valuable advice on how to boost breastmilk production naturally. They are known to offer alternate foods and methods to reduce and alleviate stress in mothers to naturally aid milk flow.
#5. Supports both the mother and the baby
Compared to mothers that have undergone natural deliveries, C-Section and induced mothers need more personal care for a prolonged time. During such intervals, they need someone to care for the baby and their nutrition needs.
A lactation consultant identifies the mother’s needs and supports them physically and mentally while breastfeeding the baby. They suggest the best postures for feeding that lessen the pain due to stitches and surgery. Many studies find that mothers that took the guidance of lactation experts experienced comfortable breastfeeding.
Conclusion
Lactation consultants Houston offers both emotional and physical support a mother precisely needs while breastfeeding. Taking their suggestions and help can only enrich the breastfeeding experience and helps both the mother and the baby.
How Is Cord Blood Banking Done
Cord Blood is the leftover blood in a baby’s umbilical cord and the mother’s placenta immediately after childbirth when the umbilical cord is cut. The hematopoietic stem cells that are present in that blood are used for medical purposes.
Know About Cord Blood Banking
Cord blood and tissue banking is an essential medical procedure. Immediately after childbirth, the extra blood from the umbilical cord and the placenta are removed and stored.
They are then frozen and stored as it has vital components that can cure several diseases. It can be conserved for over two decades.
Cord blood and tissue banking started in the 1980s. In the 80s, medical experts suggested that the natural hematopoietic stem cells present in cord blood can cure a large number of human disorders and diseases.
The Costs Of Blood Banking
Giving you an exact idea of the costs of cord banking will not be viable because it largely varies.
For public storage banks, cord banking is done for free or at a very negligible price. But private banks can charge $1400 to $2400 for collection purposes only. Around $100 to $200 adds up as storage fees later.
The Benefits Associated With Cord Blood Banking
You have already mentioned the fact that cord blood is crucial for curing several deadly diseases.
There are no other cells in the human body like the hematopoietic stem cells. These stem cells can copy themselves. It is formed in the bone marrow of the human body. These stem cells can formulate themselves in distinct blood groups and strengthen the immune system cells.
Especially for patients who require stem transplants, hematopoietic stem cells play a crucial role. This is why cord blood banking is essential.
The Uses Of Cord Blood
In this section, we are going through the details of how cord blood is a boon to medical science and why its storage is valuable.
Researchers have found out that cord blood cells can cure more than 80 human ailments. A wide number of drugs, medicines, and vaccines are made by using the serum of the cord blood cells.
Here are some of the diseases that can be cured by cord blood:
• Severe blood cancer diseases such as lymphoma and leukemia.
• Various cell diseases.
• Anemia.
• Immune deficiency diseases. Can also be helpful to procrastinate AIDs formation in HIV-infected persons.
• Metabolic ailments like Gaucher’s disease.
• Various other neurological, blood-related, and immunity-related diseases and disorders.
• Transplantation of stem cells to patients going through chemotherapy.
Private Cord Blood Banking Vs Public Cord Blood Banking
• Private Cord Blood Banking: In a private cord blood bank, the parents pay to store cord blood for the future use of their family members. The cord blood completely “belongs” to the family and will be used in the future only for their medical benefits.
• Public Cord Blood Banking: In a public cord blood bank, the baby’s umbilical cord blood is donated by the parents and can be used by anyone who needs a transplant. The cord blood does not “belong” to the parents or their family in this case. It can be used by any patient in need and can also be used for medical research. Donating cord blood in public blood banks is done for free or for a very negligible charge.
The Process Of Collecting Cord Blood
Discuss your intention of donating the cord blood with your doctor before childbirth.
Immediately after birth, the cord blood is collected within minutes following a simple procedure.
With the help of a needle, the extra blood is taken out of the umbilical cord vein. Then the procedures for storing, freezing, and processing the cord blood are executed.
Cord Blood storage is extremely important. A huge number of severe diseases can be cured including HIV and different forms of cancer from umbilical blood.
For all the future mothers reading this, we would like to advise you to donate the cord blood to public or private cord blood banks, after the birth of your little one. This might save a person’s life.
The Difference Between Hemp Oil and CBD Oil
People often get confused between hemp oil and CBD oil, but they are separate products with many differences. When looking for the best cannabinoid oil for dogs, it is essential to know these. Otherwise, you might get hemp-infused products that do not offer the full health benefits of CBD.
What is hemp oil?
Hemp oil, also known as hemp seed oil, is an oil that derives from the seeds of the hemp plant or the Cannabis sativa. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, nutrients, antioxidants, and fatty acids. However, it does not contain any CBD, other cannabinoids, or terpenes.
What is CBD oil?
CBD oil is a resinous oil that you obtain from the stalks, leaves, and flowers of the hemp plant and the marijuana plant (Cannabis indica). Since cannabinoids and terpenes are present in a dense amount in the stalks, leaves, and flowers, you get a high content of these compounds in CBD oil.
While you can get CBD oil from both the hemp and marijuana plants, hemp-derived CBD oil has been legally accessible to most people after the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill. The oil contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a psychoactive substance that produces a high.
Since marijuana is considered a controlled substance on the federal level, marijuana-derived CBD is available only in states that have legalized marijuana usage. This oil has up to 30% content of THC. So essentially, marijuana will get you high, and hemp will not.
There are three types of CBD oils:
• CBD isolate oil: It contains only CBD.
• Broad-spectrum CBD oil: It contains CBD, other cannabinoids, and terpenes.
• Full-spectrum CBD oil: It contains CBD, terpenes, and THC.
When looking for the best cannabinoid oil for dogs, consider the effects of each of these. The full-spectrum CBD oil will provide the strongest ones.
What is the difference between hemp oil and CBD oil?
The differences between hemp oil and CBD oil are as follows:
• Hemp oil is light to dark green and has a nutty flavor, while CBD oil is a clear to dark golden with an earthy flavor.
• Hemp oil derives from the seeds of the hemp plant. CBD oil comes from the different green parts and flowers of hemp and marijuana plants.
• You can use the cold-press extraction method for extracting hemp oil from hemp seeds, while CBD oil extraction requires solvents like supercritical CO2, propane, ethanol, and butane.
• Hemp oil contains little or no CBD since the hemp seeds do not have a significant CBD amount, other cannabinoids, and terpenes. However, CBD oil is rich in CBD, other cannabinoids, and terpenes.
• While hemp oil and CBD oil offer many health benefits, CBD oil is more effective in maintaining normal health and relieving the symptoms of complex health issues. Its high content of cannabinoids, terpenes, and THC give it anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidizing properties. It can be therapeutic against infections, autoimmune disorders, cancers, and other problems.
• Hemp oil is mainly used in beauty products and cooking products, while CBD oil is generally for health purposes and is an ingredient in CBD-infused edibles, topicals, and other products.
• Hemp oil is legal for everyone throughout the United States, except for those hemp products that contain more than the legally permissible 0.3% THC. The legality of CBD oil depends on whether it is hemp-derived or marijuana-derived. The marijuana-derived CBD oil may be illegal in some US states.
• Due to the expenses involved in the production methods, CBD oil is more expensive than hemp oil.
What to consider when getting the best cannabinoid oil for dogs?
You can consider the following when getting the best cannabinoid oil for dogs:
• Consult your veterinarian and make sure that CBD oil will be safe for your pet’s health condition.
• Buy the cannabinoid oil from a reputable brand.
• Check if the cannabinoid oil is of the isolate, broad-spectrum, or full-spectrum type.
• Research the ingredient list and make sure there is nothing that could harm your pet or clash with other medications.
• Find out if the CBD oil has a certificate of analysis attesting to its safety, quality, and potency.
• Read consumer reviews by other dog owners to learn how CBD oil was beneficial for their pets.
Comparing Different Eye Care Solutions for Dry Eyes
Medical conditions and issues related to eyes are often seen as trivial. However, they can be a major deterrent to your productivity. Dry eyes are one such problem that affects millions of people.
The increasing use of smartphones, laptops, etc., which keeps you glued to the screen is seen as a significant contributor to the problem. Dry eyes lead to redness, discomfort, irritation, and blurred vision. Hence, this is a serious concern that needs to be paid attention to.
Once, you have diagnosed that you are suffering from this condition, you need to find solutions for dry eyes. Dry eyes have different causes and also vary in the level of dryness. Some people experience temporary symptoms while they are working on a screen which goes away when they take a break. However, for some people, the situation can be more severe.
There are numerous eye care solutions in the market, and you can choose whichever suits your requirements. Let us discuss these eye care solutions to understand which ones can be helpful for your condition.
1. Warm compresses
One of the primary causes of dry eyes is meibomian gland dysfunction. This is also known as evaporative dry eye, where the oils fail to protect the natural tear film. Warm compresses are an age-old home remedy that can help in unclogging the blockages and adds moisture to the eye. It also provides relief from temporary discomfort and soothes the eye.
Warm compresses for eyes can take many forms.
It is available in the form of single-use self-heating pads that you can place over your eyes to provide heat to the area and clear blockages. Also, there are goggles with moisture pads and gels that can be used for a few minutes to provide relief from dry eyes. It stimulates tear production soothes the eyelids and area around the eyes.
However, you can also use hot water and a washcloth to provide warmth and lubrication to dry eyes.
2. Eye drops
Eye drops are the easiest way to treat dry eyes. Numerous eyes drop for dry eyes are available over the counter. It provides the eyes with the necessary lubrication and eases discomfort. Your doctor can also prescribe an eye drop with antibiotic or anti-inflammatory properties depending on your specific condition.
3. Artificial tears
These are amongst the most common solutions for dry eyes. It adds moisture to the eyes and provides relief from irritation and dryness. However, they do not fix any underlying causes of dry eyes.
The artificial tears need to be reapplied from time to time to keep the eyes moist, which can be slightly inconvenient.
4. Eye inserts
Another solution that works just like artificial tears and can be used when artificial tears fail to bring the desired results. However, their usage differs from the artificial tears. The eye inserts are similar to a transparent grain. It is inserted in between the lower eyelid and the eyeball. The insert dissolves and provides moisture to the dry eyes like artificial tears.
5. Autologous blood serum drops.
Autologous blood serum drops are obtained from the person’s blood and are amongst the best solutions for dry eyes. The blood of the patient suffering from dry eye is collected and processed. It is then mixed with saline water to obtain blood serum drop.
These eye drops are used in severe cases of dry eyes where other methods do not work well. It mimics the biochemical properties of natural tears and can heal numerous ocular surface diseases.
Apart from the above-mentioned methods, some in-office procedures and surgeries can provide relief from dry eyes. However, the choice of a solution depends on the symptoms and the causes of the eye condition.
For example, for menopausal women suffering from dry eyes, a health care provider may recommend HRT (hormone replacement therapy) as a treatment alternative. However, this may not be suitable in other cases.
Things to Consider When Choosing the Right Dust Containment Solution
Wherever there is work to be done, there is dust. Most of the time, it is sufficient to use painter’s tape and plastic to shield adjacent rooms from the airborne filth that lands everywhere. Difficulties arise when this is not enough. Maybe there is abatement work to be done in a room containing specialized equipment that must remain sterile and cannot be moved. Maybe there is drywall that needs replacing in a hospital room containing patients on ventilators that are too medically fragile to be relocated. Whatever the case may be, there are always scenarios where high priority dust containment is required.
What is an ECU?
ECUs, or Environmental Containment Units, work by making an airtight seal with the environment. When used correctly, no airborne contaminants will travel in or out of the unit. A typical ECU will be a tent-like structure made of a soft canvas material, equipped with a combination of zippers, plastic and Velcro. There are incoming and outgoing valves that allow the filtered air to enter the space and then exit. When the right mechanized filter devices are connected to the valves, the ECU’s effect will be maximized. The level of protection that the ECU will provide for dust containment ultimately depends on the equipment attached to the valves.
The utility of HEPA filters
One of the more common devices that are attached to ECUs are High Efficiency Particulate Air, or HEPA filters. These have the ability to capture particulate down to 0.3 micrometers in size, which includes viruses and volatile organic compounds found in paint and solvents. Because these compounds are common in construction and abatement, it makes for an ideal compliment to be able to filter these away in addition to simple dust particulate.
When a HEPA filter is used on an ECU, the occupant is surrounded by air that has been filtered, because there is a mechanized fan that constantly sucks air out, puts it through the filter and forces it back in. This is a far more robust dust containment solution than an air scrubber. While an air scrubber is also a HEPA filter that is attached to a mechanized fan, the fact that it is nothing more than a portable device places limits what it can do. With an ECU there is no free movement of air because everything is contained. An air scrubber, by contrast, can really only dilute the amount of contaminants in the air. Suppose it takes a scrubber an hour and a half to filter the room’s air volume. During this time, new contaminants are free to enter the room, which means that there will always be some level of baseline contaminant present. ECUs offer a nice solution to this problem by creating an isolated space.
The efficacy of negative air machines
The next level of protection for an ECU is to use what is called a negative air machine. A negative air machine uses an even more powerful fan than a simple HEPA device. The idea is that the additional sucking power creates a differential in air pressure, which acts as a barrier against the migration of the contaminants. If the goal is to keep the contaminants away from someone insulating someone in an ECU from surrounding contaminants, the machine can create a barrier of positive pressure. Essentially, there would be a controlled excess of air going into the machine at all times, causing a balloon effect inside the unit’s walls. This would be an even more robust dust containment strategy than only relying on the HEPA, because there is now another physical barrier stopping the contaminated air from moving inward.
One drawback with ECUs is that they are far more expensive to use than an air scrubber, and they tend to get more expensive as the level of protection increases. One way to lower the ECU’s cost is to use a disposable envelope. A disposable envelope is an ECU that is made of disposable material, designed for a one-time-use. The idea is to hook up the normal filter and fan hardware to it and dispose of the structure afterward. This is ideal for short-term dust containment. The good news is that solutions have arrived to serve almost any level of dust containment threshold, with some level of flexibility on the budget. Now it is just a matter of finding the right solution for the right job.