A picture began circulating in November. It should be ‘The Picture of the Year,’ or perhaps, ‘Picture of the Decade.’ It won’t be. In fact,unless you obtained a copy of the US paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it.

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner.

The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother’s womb. Little Samuel’s mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta . She knew of Dr Bruner’s remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt Univ Med Ctr in Nashville , he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision  and firmly grasped the surgeon’s finger. Dr Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity The editors titled the picture, ‘Hand of Hope.’ The text explaining the picture begins, ‘The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother’s uterus to grasp the finger of Dr Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life.’

Little Samuel’s mother said they ‘wept for days’ when they saw the picture. She said, ‘The photo reminds us pregnancy isn’t about disability or an illness, it’s about a little person.’Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful.

Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome…..incredible…..

This is in a nutshell what we want to emphasize in our site … and so parenting starts from the first day of your pregnancy…

There has been so much talk about parenting and how we should be bringing up our child that we sometimes forget that parents are normal people too…

Listen to this beautiful video of Tom Hawkins …He brings us back to our normal life but in the end gives us a lesson of a lifetime…afterall parenting is for ever and ever…

look out for more in our next blog topic

Constipation is a common disturbance of the digestive tract, in this condition, the bowels do not move regularly, or are not completely emptied when they move.
The number of motions required for normal health varies from person to person. Most people have one motion a day, some have two a day, while others have one every other day. However, for comfort and health, at least one clear bowel movement a day is essential and considered normal.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of constipation are infrequency, irregularity or difficulty of elimination due to hard fecal matter. Among the other symptoms are a coated tongue, foul breath, loss of appetite, headache, dizziness, dark circles under the eyes, depression, nausea, pimples on the face, ulcer in the mouth, constant fullness in the abdomen, diarrhea alternating with constipation, varicose veins, pain in the lumber region, acidity, heart burn, and insomnia.
In children, it may be just excessive crying with vomiting too.
Causes

 
The most important causes for chronic constipation are wrong diet and a faulty style of living. All foods in their natural state contain a good percentage of ‘roughage’ which is most essential in preserving natural balance of foods and also in helping peristalsis - the natural rhythmic action by means of which the food is passed down the alimentary canal.

Much of the food we eat today is very deficient in natural bulk or roughage and these results in chronic constipation.
Intake of refined and rich food lacking in vitamins and minerals, insufficient intake of water, consumption of meat in large quantities, excessive use of strong tea and coffee, insufficient chewing, overeating and wrong combination of foods, irregular habits of eating and drinking may all contribute to poor bowel function. Other causes include faulty and irregular habit of defecation, frequent use of purgatives, weakness of abdominal muscles due to sedentary habits, lack of physical activity and emotional stress and strain.
There are certain diseases which may cause chronic constipation also.
Treatment

 
The most important factor in curing constipation is a natural and simple diet. This should consist of unrefined food such as whole grain cereals, bran, honey, molasses, and lentils; green and leafy vegetables, especially spinach, french beans, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels, sprouts, celery, turnip, pumpkin, peas, beets, asparagus, carrot; fresh fruits, especially pears, grapes, figs, papayas, mangoes, grapefruit, gooseberries, guava and oranges; dry fruits such as figs, raisins, apricots and dates; milk products in the form of butter, ghee and cream.
The diet alone is not enough. Food should be properly chewed-each morsel for at least 15 times. Hurried meals and meals at odd times should be avoided. Sugar and sugary foods should be strictly avoided because sugar steals B vitamins from the body, without which the intestines cannot function normally. Foods which constipate are all products made of white flour, rice, bread, pulses, cakes, pastries, biscuits, cheese, fleshy foods, preserves, white sugar and hard-boiled eggs.
Regular drinking of water is beneficial not only for constipation but also for cleaning the system, diluting the blood and washing out poisons. Normally six to eight glasses of water should be taken daily as it is essential for digesting and dissolving food nutrients so that they can be absorbed and utilised by the body.

Water should, however, not be taken with meals as it dilutes the gastric juices essential for proper digestion. Water should be taken either half an hour before or an hour after meals.

Generally all fruits, except banana and jack fruit, are beneficial in the treatment of constipation. Certain fruits are however, more effective. Bael fruit is regarded as best of all laxatives. It cleans and tones up the intestines. Its regular use for two or three months throws out even the old accumulated faecal matter. Though generally used to check diarrhoea, bael contains both laxative and constipative properties. It hardens the stools when they are loose and serves as a laxative when the bowels are constipated. It should be preferably used in its original form and before dinner. About 60 grams of the fruit will suffice for an adult.
Pears are regarded the next best fruit beneficial in the treatment of constipation. Patients suffering from chronic constipation should better adopt an exclusive diet of this fruit or its juice for few days, but in ordinary cases a medium-sized pear taken after dinner or with breakfast will have the desired effect. The same is true of guava which, when eaten with seeds, gives roughage to the diet and helps in the normal evacuation of the bowels.
Grapes have also proved highly beneficial in overcoming constipation. The combination of the properties of the cellulose, sugar and organic acid in grapes make them a laxative food. Their field of action is not limited to clearing the bowels only. They also tone up the stomach and intestines and relieve the most chronic constipation. One should take atleast 350 grams of grapes daily to achieve the desired results. When fresh grapes are not available, raisins soaked in water can be used. Raisins should be soaked in a tumblerful of drinking water for 24 to 48 hours. This would swell them to the original size of the grapes. The raisins should be eaten early in the morning. The water in which raisins are soaked should be drunk along with the soaked raisins.
Drinking hot water with sour lime juice and half a teaspoon of salt is also an effective remedy for constipation. Drinking water which has been kept overnight in a copper vessel, the first thing in the morning will bring good results. Linseed is extremely useful in difficult cases of constipation. A teaspoon of linseed swallowed with water before each meal provides both bulk and lubrication.

A cold friction bath taken daily in the morning can help cure constipation. An alternate hot and cold hit bath taken before retiring to bed is also beneficial. Abdominal exercise and manual or mechanical vibratory massage have a refreshing and stimulating effect in many cases. Toning up the muscles also helps in the treatment of constipation.

Fresh air, outdoor games, walking, swimming, gardening and exercise play an important role in strengthening and activating the muscles, thereby preventing constipation.
Certain yogic asanas also help to bring relief from constipation as they strengthen the abdominal and pelvic muscles and stimulate the peristalic action of the bowels. These asanas are :bhujansana, shalabhasana, yogamudra, dhanurasana, halasana, paschimotanasana. Pranayamas such as anuloma-viloma and bhastrika and jalaneti kriys are also helpful.

read more in our site ourbabysworld.com

       ZONKEY

This is to emphasize that not only do your kids inherit your genes but also imitate you throughout their lives.

So remember that values are not to be taught but to be caught (from you).

We as parents must make sure that we behave like how we want our kids to behave…talk like what we want them to talk and do things which we want them to do.
If you have a reading habit, your child will develop it naturally. If you live a life of integrity, it would show in every small action of yours and you may be rest assured that there are 90% chances that your child has caught it too. Good humor, politeness, happiness and kindness are infectious. So why not let your child get it from you?
Be sure to laugh a lot with them and see them bloom in this world…

Read more in our site ‘ourbabysworld.com’.

You have been having a tough time till now (till your child is about a year old) to prevent your child from getting hurt by touching anything or doing anything. But at around 1 year old, he is suddenly timid, shy or fearful about a lot of things and that exasperates you.

After all what has gone wrong to instill this fear in him?

But do not worry as this is a natural phase where your child is walking and becoming independent but has not developed the cognitive skills to understand a lot of things.
We mention here a few fears which can trouble your child and if not dealt with properly, create an everlasting effect on him.

Fear of separation

Now your child can walk and can go away from your radius of security or you may leave him for some work but he may find it difficult to follow you. He still does not understand that if you go, you will come back and he starts wailing on your being out of sight. This would naturally go with time as he sees you coming back when you go, but till then…

What can you do?

First of all if you want to go, try to keep someone at home in his familiar surroundings rather than leave him somewhere. You have to tell him every time you are going that you will be back and try to make the ‘goodbye’ quick. Your guilt and anxiety will surely rub on him if you take a long time in leaving.

Stranger anxiety

This is also a time when any new face, new scent, other characteristics like moustache, baldness etc can scare him. Even if somebody has a loud tone of voice, it may affect your child.

What can you do?

If you know about the guest, prepare her in advance and let her take time in getting used to the person. Do not force her into wishing some new person and introducing that person with enthusiasm. That confuses her. She will stick to you and try to observe from behind. Let her come out of her shell in her own time. This too is a passing phase.

Few regular unexpected noises

From birth your child has slept through the washing machine noise, cracker bursts etc but suddenly even a small unexpected noise pushes him into crying.

What can be done?

Try not to get upset over it. Research has shown that the fear is better tackled if your child feels in charge. So make him push the washing machine button, or clap and look happy with the crackers bursting. Also do role plays where he or you can act as whistles and both of you can have fun?

Shadows

This is again a common fear that you may encounter in your child. Your child may especially be terrified as it turns dark and the shadow size increases. The more creative your child is, greater would be the fear as she sees all kinds of shapes, animals or demon in that shadow.

What can you do?

 The best way to tackle it would be to make your child hit the shadow.

Animals

Many of your kids will also develop a sudden fear of the animals in the vicinity. Especially for the ones which are bigger than him. Even small pups or kittens may be frightening.

What can you do?

Do not be angry or worrisome at this stage as this too is a passing phase. Make him familiar with the animals by taking him to the zoo and playing role plays with him.

The important thing at this stage is to take your child seriously and listen to his fears. Rather than negating him with anger or exasperation, try to be with him in his fears and look happy about a new person, animal or thing.
Soon he will get over it and be that fearless child that he used to be.

Read more in our site ‘ ourbabysworld.com’