Umbilical Cord Blood Banking |
 More and more expectant parents are banking their newborn babies’ cord blood these days. What is this new technology all about?What is Cord blood?
After a baby is delivered, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. In the remaining cord and placenta, there is still about 100 mL of fetal blood. This “left-over” blood is called cord blood and is traditionally discarded as biological waste. However, scientists have recently discovered that cord blood is very rich in a special kind of cells called stem cells. They can be used to treat many diseases. It is therefore a real waste to discard the cord blood!What are Stem cells?
Cord blood stem cells are powerful “master cells” that are similar to the stem cells in the bone marrow. They can continuously renew & regenerate themselves and develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, integral components of our blood and immune systems.What are the uses of cord blood stem cells?
Since 1988, cord blood stem cells... |
|
Read more... [Umbilical Cord Blood Banking]
|
 Congratulations! You're pregnant! It is an exciting time in your life, whether it is your first pregnancy or you are a seasoned pro. With all the excitement also comes changes and uncertainty. Your body is changing, your emotional and mental states have become inconsistent waves rolling across the mind. Spiritually, you feel lost in a world of philosophies, myths and - at every turn of the page - different advice. You have become a sponge for any information regarding pregnancy, yet you question everything.
One major question you may have regarding your health and well-being is whether exercise is safe during this time. The undeniable answer is exercise, when practiced safely, is one of the greatest components for a healthy and happy pregnancy. The body is going through incredible and amazing changes - changes exercise can help ease the body through. Exercise also helps to decrease stress, negativity and uncertainty.
Yoga has increasingly become the most popular avenue for... |
|
Read more... [Prenatal Yoga]
|
Baby-Proofing Your Nursery |
 Bookcases, armoires, chest of drawers, change tables and all large pieces of furniture should be anchored to the wall to prevent them from tipping over and falling on top of baby.
DO NOT hang artwork or shelves above the crib or change table.
If you are using a nightlight make sure that it remains cool to the touch.
Put baby to sleep on his back on a firm, snug fitting mattress with no soft bedding.
Use plug covers on all unused electrical outlets.
Crib Safety:
- Check that your crib meets all crib safety requirements.
- Should have no decorative cut outs or corner posts.
- Check often to make sure the frame is solid and screws, nuts, bolts and all hardware are securely tightened.
- Make sure the mattress is a tight fit against all four sides of the crib.
- When the baby can sit up move the mattress down to its lowest level and remove all crib gyms, mobiles, hanging toys and decorations.
- Slats should not be more than six cm (2 3/8 inches) apart and should not be loose... |
|
Read more... [Baby-Proofing Your Nursery]
|
 by Ann Douglas
Finding yourself being hit with the urge to buy something - anything - for your baby-to-be? Sounds like you've been hit with a bad case of baby fever - a condition that tends to run rampant among mothers-to-be and that can be almost impossible to cure until your bank account runs dry and/or your credit card finally gives up the ghost. Here are six reasons why so many pregnant women end up shopping until they (literally!) drop:
Pregnancy lasts for nine months - about six times longer than the holiday shopping season. Imagine how much debt you could ring up if you were to spend nine months loading up on gifts for the holidays. Chances are you'd have an armload of presents for each person. Well, that's exactly what happens if you fall into the all-too-common trap of hitting the baby boutiques the moment the pregnancy test comes back positive: you end up going on a nine-month-long shopping spree. Even if you only spend $50 each time you step inside a baby store - the... |
|
Read more... [Baby Fever]
|
 A Life-Line for a Lifetime
Umbilical cords are routinely thrown away every day. Most parents don't realize that the blood left in the umbilical cord contains stem cells that have been used successfully to treat more than 45 different medical disorders. Gradually more Canadian parents are choosing to store their baby's cord blood stem cells.
Baby's blood is precious to mom:
In 2001 Patrizia Durante was pregnant when a routine prenatal test showed that she had two different forms of leukemia. She delivered her baby prematurely and she had the foresight to ask that the cord blood be stored. Patrizia then endured 213 blood transfusions, 9 bone marrow biopsies and long bouts of chemotherapy. After a two-month remission, her leukemia was back. Doctors searched for a matching bone marrow donor but none could be found. When doctors told her she would die, Patrizia reminded them that they could use the cord blood. A five - minute transfusion of the cord blood was all it took. Within two... |
|
Read more... [Bloody Good Science]
|
 Bottoms up: Get 5 little plastic babies (in the cake decorating department). Put them in a cup. Each guests get three "rolls" as they try to get the babies to land with their bottoms up. The player with the most bottoms up after three rolls wins or faces off in tie.
Cotton Balls: Put about 5 cotton balls in a bowl and set another bowl right next to it. Time no more than 4 people for 1 minute. Blind fold them and put the spoon in there hand. Set the timer for 1 minute and let them race and whoever gets the most cotton balls in there other bowl wins.
Celebrity Babies: Each guest is given a list of celebrity moms on the left, and a list of names on the right. Match the celebrity mom to the name of her baby/child. Ex: Madonna would by matched to Lourdes, using only the first or first and middle names, etc. Whomever matches the most correctly wins. Names of celebrity's children may be found online via different articles on many websites.
Blind Diapering: This game is like the "Diaper... |
|
Read more... [Baby Shower Games]
|
|
|
|
|
|
