6 Traveling Tips While You Pregnant

Travel at the Right Time

The best time for air travel when you're pregnant tends to be during the second trimester, when the risk of miscarriage is significantly lower and most nausea has subsided. Many women do not feel as tired as they did in their first trimester, and they have more stamina during this period of their pregnancy.

Know the Guidelines

Most airlines will not permit pregnant women to travel beyond their 36th week. If you are showing, carry a note from your medical professional stating how far along you are. Cruise ships have individual requirements for how late into a pregnancy a passenger can sail, so check with your cruise line before you make plans. A road trip is safe most any time, but the further along you get, the more uncomfortable a long car ride will be. Plus, if you travel out of state, your insurance company may not cover your baby's birth if you deliver in an out-of-network hospital. Check your insurance's out-of-network policy if you are close to your due date.

Get Comfortable

Select a seat that's on an aisle and close to the front of the plane. Negotiating the narrow aisle to the back of the plane can be challenging, and a seat near the front will make boarding and disembarking easier. It will also allow you easier access to the restroom. Avoid standing in line for prolonged periods of time by checking in online before you even leave the house. When you take a road trip, make frequent stops to use the restroom. During long trips, prop a small pillow behind your back and wear loose clothing.

Stay Healthy and Hydrated

Bring plenty of healthy snack options. Most of the meals served on flights have an incredibly high salt content. If you are already prone to bloating, this can make you even more uncomfortable. Hydrate yourself frequently, and do your best to get up and move around every so often.

Relax and Enjoy the Ride

Pregnancy is an incredible time, and unless your doctor advises against traveling, there should be no reason for you not to venture out and enjoy yourself.

Extra Precautions

Carrying multiples? Most doctors don’t advise air travel beyond 32 weeks for twins, 20 weeks for triplets. If you’re traveling internationally, even for a single-fetus pregnancy, airline restrictions are tighter than for domestic flights; it’s ill-advised to head overseas after your 32nd week. With any lengthy trip, be sure to take short walks every hour or so. At the very least, do your best to flex your calf muscles up and down often to reduce the risk of deep-vein blood clots, known as DVT.

How To Treat Baby's Diarrhea

If you see these signs in your baby, you must treat her by giving as much fluid as you can. You can give either breast milk or formula (if your baby is not more than 6 months old). Water and soup are other alternatives for older babies.

There are also special fluids designed to replace water and salts lost during your baby's diarrhea. According to American Academy of Pediatrics, these fluids are very useful in home management of mild to fairly severe illnesses.

However, you should not prepare these fluids by yourself because you may make bad liquids for you baby, which of course can worsen her condition. You can easily get the fluids in nearby pharmacies.

When should you take your baby to a doctor?

You should take her see a doctor if these conditions below occur:

- You find blood in your baby's feces. This can be a sign of bacterial infection.

- There are changes in your baby's behavior, like she cries most of the time and you can't calm her down or she refuses to eat and drink.

- Your baby has a high fever, which is above 39°C.

Nonetheless, no need to be worried if:

- your baby acts normally as usual.

- your baby has no fever.

- your baby still wants to eat.

Generally, diarrhea recovers by itself without medicine. You just need to be patient and not to worry too much. Always observe your baby's condition and examine whether her feces get solid or not and whether there's blood in them.

The key is to keep give her as much fluid as you can. If she refuses, try to give the drink in small amount but do it frequently. By Adwina Jackson

5 Tips On Looking After Newborn Babies

Caring for your baby is certainly one of the most important things you need to consider once you became a new parent. There are many things you need to take into account in order to make sure that your baby gets all the attention.

1. Make sure that you feed your baby right. Deciding on whether you should breastfeed or bottle-feed your baby greatly depends on your personal decision and what your physician recommends. However, it has been shown that breastfeeding is still the best way to nourish newborn babies. Lots of benefits can be obtained through breastfeeding. Some medical studies have determined that breastfed infants have less hypersensitivity later in life compared with those who were raised with bottle feeding. This is mainly because the mother’s milk is known to contain natural enzymes and antibodies that can help fortify the baby’s immunity against infirmities. Aside from this, some doctors also believed that breast milk is responsible for superior intellect as he/she grows and becomes fully developed.

2. Practical sleep aid tips for infants. Sleep is crucial for babies because it has a direct effect on the child’s mental and physical growth. Newborn babies sleep for up to 17 and 18 hours a day. Parents should understand that babies sleep cycle could be pretty erratic. You may notice for a few weeks, your baby’s sleep may only last from approximately 30 minutes to 3 hours, and this can vary throughout a 24 period. But by the sixth week, you should see some signs of improvement as your baby’s sleep pattern becomes more structured. Newborns show signs of sleepiness by crying or rubbing their eyes. Newborns should be put down to sleep as soon as they feel sleepy. If you are not getting much sleep at night it may be a good idea to sleep when your baby does during the day if possible.

3. The proper way of bathing your newborn. Newborn babies need not be bathed on a daily basis. Bathing them two to three times a week is enough. Bathe your baby using sponge baths. This is imperative at first. Tub bathing your baby can only be done once the baby’s umbilical cord falls off to avoid infection.

4. Maintaining your baby’s optimal skin care. Newborn babies have smooth and delicate skin. For this reason, it is necessary that you use products that are especially made for babies. But before buying any baby product, it is best to consult your pediatrician. Most babies develop rashes from time to time and this is perfectly normal. However, if your baby seems irritated by a rash or has a fever, you should immediately seek advice from your baby’s doctor.

5. When to give the baby medicine. Like anyone else, newborn babies sometimes have special needs that require attention. When giving your baby medicine, it is important that you follow the advice of your baby’s physician. You need to know how to give the right dose prescribed by the doctor. It can sometimes be advised to start the baby with a small dose to ensure there is no adverse reaction to the medication.

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and is not meant in any way to replace advice given by healthcare professionals. By Alison Palmer