Life Balance Hub: about family, life and health
Life Balance Hub is your guide to a harmonious life. Discover inspiration and practical tips on family, health, fitness, and achieving everyday balance.
Up until the age of six months, breastmilk or formula serves as both sustenance and hydration for your baby, fulfilling all their nutritional requirements, even during warm weather. Breast Milk is rich in essential nutrients and components crucial for your baby’s development during this stage. Introducing water prematurely may disrupt their intake of breastmilk or formula, potentially jeopardizing their growth.
Mixed feeding, which combines breastfeeding and bottle feeding, offers flexibility for parents while ensuring babies receive the nutrition they need. This approach can accommodate various family dynamics, work schedules, or medical needs, providing a balance between the benefits of breast milk and the convenience of formula. Understanding how to manage mixed feeding effectively is essential to support both the baby’s health and the parent’s peace of mind.
Weaning is the process of gradually stopping breastfeeding your baby or toddler. This natural transition is a significant milestone in your child’s growth, though it can sometimes be challenging. Weaning can occur at any stage, whether shortly after birth or when your child is older. While many children are weaned by the age of 3, the timing is a personal decision. You can breastfeed for as long as you and your child desire.
Fluctuations in hormones throughout pregnancy can lead to various changes in your hair, including alterations in thickness and texture. Understanding these potential transformations can help you navigate decisions regarding hair treatments and coloring (dye) during pregnancy.
Milk provides an ideal environment for bacteria to grow, making it crucial to clean and sterilize any equipment that comes into contact with it. If your baby drinks milk contaminated with germs, they might get sick. Babies have immature immune systems, so they are less capable than older children and adults of handling infections.
Expressing is the process of extracting milk from your breasts when your baby is not breastfeeding. This can be done manually by hand or with the assistance of a breast pump. There are two main types of breast pumps: manual pumps, which require physical effort to extract the milk, and electric pumps, which automate the process and can often be more efficient.
Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is a vital B-group vitamin essential for healthy growth and development, particularly during pregnancy. When naturally occurring in food sources like leafy green vegetables, fruits, and legumes, it is referred to as ‘folate.’ However, when added to processed foods such as bread and breakfast cereals, or incorporated into dietary supplements, it is known as ‘folic acid.’
The term ‘baby blues’ refers to a brief period of mood swings and other emotional changes that many new mothers experience within the first week after giving birth. This phenomenon is very common, affecting about 4 in every 5 new mothers, typically occurring 3 to 5 days postpartum.
Experiencing some level of anxiety during pregnancy is common, but for some individuals, anxiety can escalate into a significant concern. Recognizing the signs of antenatal anxiety is essential as support and resources are available to help manage these symptoms effectively.
Anemia occurs when your blood lacks sufficient healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin, impairing its ability to effectively transport oxygen throughout your body and to your developing baby during pregnancy. Red blood cells play a crucial role in oxygen transport, ferrying oxygen from the heart to various tissues and organs, including the brain, muscles, skin, and kidneys. Produced in the bone marrow, these cells are packed with hemoglobin, a protein essential for oxygen carriage.
Preparing for parenthood is a thrilling journey, yet it comes with its own set of challenges. Expect some emotional turbulence as you embark on this transformative phase. It’s perfectly normal to harbor concerns and anxieties about the impending arrival during pregnancy. The realization of impending parenthood often triggers stress, especially since it entails significant changes beyond complete anticipation or control.
Antenatal depression, also known as prenatal depression, is a mood disorder that affects women during pregnancy, often characterized by persistent sadness, anxiety, or fatigue. Recognizing its symptoms and understanding the associated risk factors is essential for providing timely support and improving maternal and fetal well-being. This condition highlights the importance of emotional and psychological care during pregnancy.
