4 Surprising Diet Facts That Will Affect Your Baby During and After Pregnancy

Good hand hygiene habits have always been important as they prevent the spread of germs and reduce the risk of falling sick. With the current COVID-19 situation, the importance of hygiene cannot be further emphasised. Simply washing hands with soap and water has become a crucial personal hygiene practice for adults and children to protect against the coronavirus and prevent the spread of disease.   While adults are able to easily adopt these practices, children require more time to understand why such practices are important. In this article, Dr Wendy Sinnathamby shares some fun ways you can teach your children about good hand hygiene.   However, before you start talking to your children about the importance of good hand hygiene, you should first talk to them about what is currently happening in Singapore and around the world. While it might be tricky to broach the topic of Covid-19, Dr Wendy shares a few tips on how to navigate this new territory. Talking to Your Children About Covid-19 (Source: www.who.int & www.cdc.gov)   1. Don’t Be Afraid to Talk About Covid-19Your children have probably heard about the coronavirus at school. Now that there have been stricter measures implemented in Singapore, it is good for you to take this opportunity to have a chat with your children about what is actually going on.   2. Be Developmentally AppropriateIt can be quite overwhelming for children to be bombarded with a lot of facts, some of which they might not even understand. You should keep the information you give them simple, and leave more room for questions instead. Here’s a quick guide: You can check out this video by The Socially Distanced Dad on how you can talk to preschoolers about Covid-19!   3. Let Them Share Their FearsYou should encourage your children to share what they are feeling. This is a new and uncertain situation for all of us, including children. It is important for you to hear their fears and worries, and do your best to comfort them.   4. Focus on How They Can Stay SafeIn addition to listening to the fears your children might have, you can also share with them how they can help to fight the virus by practising good hygiene. This way, your child feels empowered and in control instead of feeling scared.   5. Follow a RoutineNow that schools have closed, it is important to still have some structure to your child’s day. You can work together with your child to create a daily routine that is both fun and productive.   6. Remain CalmIn these uncertain times, it is normal for you to be a bit anxious. If you feel the anxiety creeping up, take some time to calm down before answering your child’s questions.   Teach Them About Hygiene In a Fun & Interactive Way You should teach your children good hygiene practices yourself. Apart from just talking to them and instructing them, you can reinforce this by showing them an age-appropriate video clip. You could also read a storybook that is about good hygiene practices with them.   In addition, visual demonstrations are always helpful to show children why washing hands with soap and water is important.   Here are a few fun experiments you can do with your child to emphasise the need for good hygiene practices. The Glitter Experiment This is a simple yet effective method to show young children why rinsing our hands with just water is not sufficient to remove germs. It is important to use soap too and this is how you can show this:   Step 1: Add glitter to a large bowl of water. Step 2: Then let your children play around with the bowl of water for a while. Step 3: When they are done playing, get your children to imagine the glitter on their hands is actually germs. Step 4: After which, get your child to wash his/her hands with water and ask them to observe if the glitter comes off or not. Step 5: When the glitter does not come off, ask your child to try washing his/her hands with soap for 20 seconds and see what happens. They will definitely be surprised by the difference and hence be able to better understand the importance of washing their hands with soap.   The Flour Experiment Flour is a great alternative if you are not a huge fan of glitter (it can be a pain to clean!).   Step 1: For this method, you will need to spread some flour on a plate and ask your children to place their hands on the plate firmly.   Step 2: Once again, you can ask them to imagine the flour is actually germs.   Step 3: Then ask them to bring you a couple of their favourite toys and let them play with the toys for a while. They would need to do this without washing their hands!   Step 4: After a few minutes, ask them to take a look at the toys to see how much flour is on them.   Step 5: One other demonstration you can do is to gather some flour in your hands and blow on it. Tell your kids to imagine that you just sneezed. You can then get them to observe all the surfaces that now have flour on them.   Both these methods are a great way to visually demonstrate how easily germs can spread if we do not wash our hands after sneezing/coughing and using the toilet.   The Black Pepper Experiment (Source: Coffee Cups and Crayons)   A third way to teach your children about germs is this fun and interactive experiment. This method emphasizes the importance of using soap to wash your hands.   Step 1: For this experiment, you would need to fill up a large bowl with water about ¾ of the way.   Step 2: When adding pepper to the water, ensure the pepper is still visible but does not fully cover the water. The experiment works best when there is less pepper.   Step 3: Then you would need to prepare 2 more bowls- one with water and another with some soap and water.   Step 4: Now is the fun part! Get your child to dip one hand into the bowl with just water and then subsequently dip that hand into the pepper bowl and remove their hand after a few seconds.   Step 5: Then, you can ask them to dip their other hand into the bowl of soapy water and into the pepper bowl.   Your children will be amazed at what happens next. The pepper will “run away” from their soapy hand. This is when you can explain the pepper represents germs and the way the pepper “runs away” from the soapy hand shows how soap actually removes germs from our hands.   You can visit Our Little Play Nest to find out how they conducted this experiment (and for other educational game ideas).   Now that you know how you can teach your child about hygiene, here are some tips on what you should teach them about.   a) Start with the Basics Ensure your child is washing their hands multiple times a day for at least 20 seconds. You can get them to sing the Alphabet song or any nursery rhymes that last about 20 seconds!   b) Reminders to Practise Key Habits Teach your child to sneeze or cough into a tissue. They should also use a tissue to blow their nose. Remind them to discard the used tissue into the waste bin immediately rather than leaving it lying around. If there are no tissues available, teach your child to sneeze or cough into the bend of their elbow so that their hands are not contaminated. This will also stop the spray of droplets into the air. Always ask your child if they have washed their hands before/after eating and after using the toilet. Point out to them whenever they touch their eyes, face, nose and mouth, and remind them why they shouldn’t be doing it.   c) Extra Precautions to Take in Public Spaces Your children should cultivate the habit of washing or sanitising their hands when they have touched any surfaces in public Encourage them not to lean against walls, escalators in public and to refrain from touching surfaces in public where possible. Teach them to keep a distance from others in public. You can also explain the concept of social distancing to them and the reason why we are doing it. Discourage touching each other, shaking hands or embracing for now. Avoid enclosed areas. Take your child to parks and encourage running around playing games like “catching” or playing with own toys and bikes, ball etc brought from home instead of playing on the structures in public playgrounds.   d) Additional Steps to Take Beyond Hygiene Encourage healthy sleep habits and a regular exercise routine. Encourage a well-balanced diet and consumption of good volumes of water. Most importantly, be a good role model and lead by example! Ensure you follow the same practices stated above as children often watch and learn from their parents. *Content is republished with permission from Kids Clinic.

Contributed by: Dr Wendy Sinnathamby   We do understand that teaching your child to practice good hygiene habits isn’t a walk in the park. In this article, Dr Wendy will be sharing more on how you can teach your children the importance of maintaining good hygiene.   Hands are the parts of bodies that have the most contact with everything, from other people to objects in our everyday life, to even our bodies! As adults, we often touch our faces many times a day without realising it, what’s more for children.   In this current COVID-19 period, where hygiene is of utmost importance to protect ourselves against the coronavirus and prevent the spread of disease, the simple act of washing our hands with soap and water has become a critical personal hygiene practice for adults and children alike.   When buying soaps or handwashes, many people tend to reach for products labelled “antibacterial” thinking that it would be more efficacious in getting rid of bacteria than a regular handwash. But are antibacterial soaps really better than regular soaps?   We ask a paediatrician from Kids Clinic, Dr Wendy Sinnathamby some common questions on antibacterial handwashes that people ask these days. 1. Do Antibacterial and Regular Handwashes Kill Germs? Both antibacterial and regular handwashes do not actually “kill” the various disease-carrying germs but help to remove them from our skin. 2. Be Positive and Realistic. The molecules in handwashes are made up of two ends- one end that “likes” water (hydrophilic end) and the other end that “likes” oil (hydrophobic end). Our hands tend to have an oily layer which germs stick to.   When we clean our hands with handwash and water, the handwash binds with both the oily layer and water. This helps to rinse off the oily layer on our hands that contains germs, be it bacteria or viruses. Working up a lather when washing with handwash and water allows for more effective cleaning as friction helps to lift up the germ-containing oils better. 3. How are Antibacterial Handwashes Different From Regular Handwashes? Antibacterial handwashes contain active antimicrobial ingredients that are specifically intended to prevent bacteria from multiplying on our skin, thus reducing the bacteria on our skin. There is, however, a concern that long-term use of these types of handwashes can result in side-effects in the long run since many other household cleaning agents contain similar chemicals.   Furthermore, overuse of antibacterial handwashes may result in increased resistant bacteria that do not respond to antibiotics. 4. Which is Better: Antibacterial Handwash or Regular Handwash? Any type of handwash can remove germs from our hands as long as it is used properly. There is currently insufficient evidence to prove that antibacterial handwash is better than regular handwash. In a nutshell, washing hands with soap (either antibacterial or regular) and water is the best way to remove germs, and thus lower the chances of us or our children getting sick and preventing the spread of germs to others. Therefore, it is important as parents, to instil this habit of washing hands regularly in our children. *Content is republished with permission from Kids Clinic.

Hoping to lose weight? Instead of avoiding carbohydrates completely, consider the glycemic indices of your intake. If you are trying to manage your weight and are researching how best to improve your diet, you may have read about avoiding carbohydrates, or carbs for short. Carbs are one of the three main classes of food and responsible for fuelling your body with energy. Most carbs are sugars, starches and fibre, and common examples include bread, rice, potatoes and even starchy vegetables.  Many diet fads focus on reducing your carbohydrate intake because doing so automatically lowers your calorie consumption, forcing your body to burn fats, which store energy. While this can have powerful benefits for some — such as those struggling with severe obesity and/or type 2 diabetes — low-carb diets may not necessarily be healthy, especially if taken to extremes.  Image Source: Envato Elements, monkeybusiness  Instead of cutting out carbs completely, a more sustainable approach to healthy weight loss is by considering the glycemic index (GI) of said carbs. Different carbohydrates are digested and absorbed at different rates, and the GI ranks them on a scale of one to 100 based on how quickly and how much they raise our blood glucose levels after eating.    Low GI (55 or less) Most fruits and vegetables, beans, minimally processed grains, pasta, low-fat dairy foods, and nuts. Moderate GI (56 to 69) White and sweet potatoes, corn, white rice, couscous, breakfast cereals such as Cream of Wheat and Mini-Wheats. High GI (70 or higher)  White bread, rice cakes, most crackers, bagels, cakes, doughnuts, croissants, most packaged breakfast cereals. Source: Harvard Health Publishing Picking low GI foods can help prevent large spikes in your blood sugar and help in warding off chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and more. An easy way to get started is by swapping out your usual carbs for lower-GI alternatives. Here are some examples: From white rice to brown rice From white bread to wholegrain bread From instant oatmeal to steel-cut oats From corn to peas or leafy greens  Remember, keeping in your best shape requires both a balanced diet and plenty of rest and exercise. So while improving your diet with low GI foods, don’t forget to get your heart pumping regularly through exercise too! References https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/1329/what-is-the-glycaemic-index  https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/a-good-guide-to-good-carbs-the-glycemic-index

As emotionally and physically distressing pregnancy can already be, a pertinent problem that new mothers have to watch out for after childbirth is postpartum incontinence. You may have heard of new moms joking about how they pee their pants after having children. But this issue may be a real problem for some mothers.   Image Source: Shutterstock, molotoka What is Postpartum Incontinence? Postpartum incontinence, also known as urinary incontinence, is the loss of control of one’s bladder after childbirth. This may look like partial or full release urine when one’s bladder is put under stress when exercising, coughing or sneezing. This change in urinary control affects most mother’s after pregnancy, affecting up to half of all new mothers. If you happen to be a new mother and is panicking about the loss of your bladder control, fret not! Postpartum Incontinence is not permanent, and there are ways to manage your postpartum incontinence as your body recovers from it.    What causes Postpartum Incontinence? During pregnancy, the weight of the child puts stress and strain on the muscles of the pelvic floor, which happens to support the bladder. As the baby grows and increases in weight, these muscles weaken over the period of prolonged pressure, causing bladder control to be lost. The ability to contract to hold or stop urine leakage is hence affected, which is why you may experience leaks when you lift something heavy, sneeze, laugh or exercise.   How can we treat Postpartum Incontinence? There are several ways to treat postpartum incontinence, but in certain cases, it may take up to 6 months or longer for a full recovery. However, during this period of recovery, know that there are options that help take your mind off any worries you may have of experiencing another embarrassing leak.   Change your diet To control what goes out, you got to regulate what goes in! If you’d like to minimize any unnecessary stress on your bladder, have a diet that’s kind to it! You can start by staying hydrated, to avoid UTIs and dehydration. Next is load up on fibre-rich fruits and vegetables. Last but most importantly, avoid diuretics like coffee and nicotine! This can help reduce stress on the bladder and help with a smooth recovery.    Try bladder control padsWith bladder control pads, you can say bye to any worries of having involuntary leaks in the public! Bladder control pads are discreet counter-measure supplies that help prevent leaks from causing a mess. Similar to menstrual pads, there are small absorbent pads that are used to absorb urine when a leak occurs. Bladder control pads are changeable and easy to carry around making them a  great solution to wearing bulky briefs.    Perform kegel exercisesOnce you’ve recovered enough to perform light exercises, you might want to try out Kegel Exercise. Kegel exercise can help speed up your recovery from stress incontinence by strengthening your pelvic floor muscles. Kegel exercises can be as simple as squeezing your pelvic muscles and holding them for 10 seconds. But if you’d like to receive more specialised training for your pelvic floor muscles, going to a pelvic floor physical therapist may help! They specialise in help patients recover from pelvic floor disorders, especially prenatal and postpartum.   Above are only a few of many other treatments and devices that can help with your urinary incontinence, but the first recommended step should be to consult a doctor or specialist, so you can take the right steps to regain your bladder control. Your healthcare provider can first rule out the possibility of any serious conditions before the both of you can start developing an effective recovery plan.    References: https://aeroflowurology.com/6-ways-to-successfully-manage-postpartum-incontinence/ https://www.verywellfamily.com/postpartum-incontinence-4580237 https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/postpartum/urinary-incontinence/

You must have heard the words ‘heaty’ and ‘cooling’ before, but do you really know what it means? Do you know how it can affect your body, and are there any types of food you can take to reverse it? What is ‘Heaty’ & ‘Cooling’?Originating from traditional Chinese medicine theory, everything in nature is made up of a balance in yin (dark) and yang (bright) energy. ‘Heaty’ in TCM (阳盛则热) suggests that there is an excess of yang energy in the body, whereas ‘cooling’ in TCM (阴盛则寒) suggests that there is an excess of yin energy in the body. There are two types of factors that contribute to ‘heatiness’ and ‘coldness’ – external and internal. External factors such as weather and the food we eat can cause ‘heatiness’ / ‘coldness’ to manifest in the body. For example, eating fried or spicy foods can result in individuals developing ‘heaty’ symptoms. Being in a cold room could result in one developing ‘cooling’ symptoms. Internal factors such as the inborn constitution of the body can also be the reason for ‘heatiness’ / ‘coldness’. For example, certain individuals who are innately ‘cooling’ would be able to snack incessantly without developing symptoms of ‘heatiness’.   Symptoms When one is ‘heaty’, ‘cooling’ foods are recommended to counteract the ‘heatiness’ in the body, thus returning the balance of yin and yang energies in the system. In the same way, ‘heaty’ foods are recommended for those who have ‘cooling’ symptoms to help dispel cold and improve circulation. Balance can be seen in the way we pair our foods. For example, durians are usually eaten with mangosteen to achieve an equilibrium in energies.  Characterisation of Foods ‘Heaty’ and ‘cooling’ foods do not represent the temperature of food, instead, they refer to the effect that the food causes on the body. For example, consuming hot desserts such as green bean soup would be recommended to someone with heaty symptoms as the dessert would generate ‘cool’ energy to counteract the ‘heatiness’, hence returning the body back to equilibrium. It is also important to note that some individuals may experience a combination of both symptoms, and it is best to consult a TCM physician to inquire in depth about the body’s constitution. In some cases, herbal medication would be needed to restore the body back to its balanced state. *Content is republished with permission from PULSE TCM. Note: Information provided is not a substitute for a physician or any form of medical care. Individual symptoms differ due to different body constitutions and diagnosis. One should consult a licensed TCM practitioner for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

A mother's diet is one of the most important determinants of a baby's health during or even after pregnancy. Here are some surprising diet facts that may affect your baby during and after pregnancy. Image Source: Shutterstock, Anna Om   Pregnancy is a sensitive stage where your baby needs to grow in optimal conditions with the right amounts of nutrients for healthy growth and development. During this stage, a mother’s nutrition can have long-term effects on her baby's health. Here are 4 surprising diet facts that can affect your baby's health during or even well after pregnancy.   Fact #1: A vegan diet can impede your baby’s development Strict vegan diets are usually lacking in certain nutrients including iron, vitamin B12, calcium and omega-3. During pregnancy, you’ll need a higher than normal intake for some of these nutrients so your vegan diet might give you a hard time meeting your pregnancy needs. That being said, a carefully planned vegan diet is perfectly safe and can give you the right amounts of these nutrients although you might need some supplementation. A dietician can help you go through your diet plan to see if it has sufficient levels of certain nutrients.   Fact #2: Folic acid can help reduce certain birth defects Taking folic acid supplements is vital during pregnancy since it reduces the chance of your baby getting a neural tube defect (brain and spine defects) which may lead to paralysis or intellectual disability. Another nutrient that can help reduce the chances of neural tube defects is vitamin B12. Make sure you’re taking the right amounts of these nutrients by consulting a doctor. Folic acid supplements are usually recommended before conception and throughout pregnancy.   Fact #3: Obesity can increase your baby’s risk of having certain health issues The dangers of obesity are well-known to most people. But did you know that obesity can put your baby at risk of many health problems including those with life-long effects? Obesity is associated with an increased risk of a bunch of complications including miscarriages, preterm birth, still birth, a larger than normal baby and birth defects such heart and neural tube defects. Babies born with more fat have an increased chance of becoming obese in the future. One study even suggested that children born to obese parents may be at risk of experiencing developmental delays!   Fact #4: Craving for non-food items can harm your baby. During pregnancy, some women develop an eating disorder called pica in which they get a craving for non-food items like clay, dirt or even soap! Eating these non-food items can be dangerous for both you and your baby so make sure you notify your doctor immediately if you experience these cravings. You probably don't want poisoning, digestive issues or an infection lingering around while pregnant   Sources:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-and-obesity/art-20044409   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6470702/