Health – Page 3 – Baby Care Journals

What is Gripe Water?

July 12, 2015March 30, 2017 Jesse Fulton

by Pat Bratianu, RN Ph.D. RH-AHG

Gripe Water is a liquid that is used to treat infants who are experiencing colic, gastrointestinal discomfort, reflux, teething, hiccups, indigestion, and other stomach irritants. It is commonly made with water, sugar, sodium bicarbonate, dill oil, and in the past was made with alcohol although most gripe waters have eliminated the use of this ingredient. Some Gripe Waters are made using all natural ingredients such as chamomile, fennel, caraway, peppermint, ginger, aloe, lemon balm, blackthorn and vegetable carbon so as to eliminate any unnatural ingredients that may harm their baby’s overall health.

History of Gripe Water

The first Gripe Water was formulated by William Woodward in 1851, and contained 3.6% alcohol, dill oil, sodium bicarbonate, sugar, and water. Woodward was born in Stamford in 1828, and later apprenticed under pharmacist John Halliday Thomas of Boston where he served seven years and learned everything from business to the practice of pharmacy. After his apprenticeship he moved to London, and in 1851 purchased a pharmacy in Nottingham.

Woodward was well known and respected for his creation of remedies and simple ailments, and had many early successes including gripe water. He gained inspiration for the gripe water formula from a recipe that a group of Nottingham doctors were using to treat Fen Fever also known as malaria. It was not until later that it was noted that Woodward’s gripe water formula was not just effective for the treatment of malaria, but also towards the treatment of gastrointestinal discomfort in infants.

Causes of Infertility

June 22, 2015July 7, 2015 admin

Plus: Natural Ways to Boost Fertility

Increasing numbers of couples are experiencing infertility problems these days, finding that they are unable to conceive, or that the mother is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term. Though estimates vary, most fertility experts say that 10 percent or more of all couples in the United States experience infertility problems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources, about one-third of all cases of infertility involve only the woman, one-third of cases involve only the man, and the remainder of cases involve both partners or are of unknown cause.

Opioid Prescriptions and Birth Defects

May 20, 2015 admin

Many U.S. Women of Child-Bearing Age Use Opioid Painkillers: CDC Warns about Birth Defects

A report released earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that close to one-third of all American women of reproductive age got an opioid painkiller prescription filled each year from 2008 to 2012. This is of concern to health authorities because these medicines are known to cause serious birth defects.

Pesticide Residue in Produce and Male Fertility

May 13, 2015 admin

Eating Fruits and Vegetables with More Pesticide Residue Linked to Lowered Fertility: Harvard Study

Something for men to take note of: a new Harvard study has found a connection between consumption of fruits and vegetables with high pesticide residue and lower sperm counts, a lower percentage of normal sperm and less ejaculate, compared to men who ate produce with lower residue, and even men who ate almost no produce at all.

Safe, Nutritious, Home-Made First Foods for Baby

May 5, 2015 admin

Great, Healthy Home-Made Foods to Start Your Baby on Solids

The recent news report about a small piece of glass having been found in a jar of Beech-Nut baby food is enough to send chills down a new mom’s spine.

What if you want to be sure about the quality control in the food you’ll feed your 6-month-old when that time comes? What if you want to prepare your own baby foods?

Smoking During Pregnancy May Slow Nervous System Development

April 10, 2015 admin

4-D Ultrasounds Show Fetuses of Mothers Who Smoke Make More Facial Movements

A study published in late March, 2015 showed that fetuses of mothers who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy had more facial and self-touching movements, such as opening their mouths, sucking their hands, grimacing, and touching their heads and eyes with their hands.

More Children Harmed by Pregnant Mom’s Drinking?

April 6, 2015 admin

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders May Affect More American Children than Previously Estimated, Study Found

A study published in late 2014 in the journal Pediatrics found that between 2.4 and 4.8 percent of children in the United States may have some type of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

Why Is the Amniotic Sac Manually Ruptured During Birth?

March 20, 2015 admin

Amniotic Sac Is Ruptured by Doctors (and Midwives) More Often than Necessary, According to Studies and Experts

We are all appreciative of the advances that have been made in safely delivering infants in our modern age, which have increased the number of live births, compared to many decades ago. However, just like doctors can get carried away doing unnecessary medical interventions and prescribing drugs that aren’t really needed, in general and specialized medicine, the specialty of obstetrics is no different.

An expectant woman does well to gather all the information she can about labor and delivery, before her due date arrives. Quite unfortunately, in regular hospitals, it is more the norm than the exception to subject mother and baby to procedures that go too far, and which can result in unnecessary complications for mother and infant.

Benefits of Natural Third Stage in Labor

February 26, 2015March 25, 2015 admin

Natural (“Physiological”) Third Stage in Child Birth

You may have heard about the controversy regarding what the best time is, to clamp and cut the umbilical cord once an infant is born. And you may have also heard about delivering the placenta the natural way, by letting it detach and drop down all on its own, without anyone pulling on the cord.

Get Children Vaccinated Against Measles

February 6, 2015 admin

Doctors Are Urging Parents to Vaccinate Children Against Measles, as Cases Continue to Climb in U.S.

The recent measles outbreak in California has doctors urging parents to vaccinate their children against the disease, as both the number of cases and number of states reporting cases continue to grow, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.