(Note: This chart is meant to serve as a guide and not to replace the advice of your doctor.)

Source: Baby Center

Teaching kids about hand washing is not just important to keep them healthier in childhood… but all through life. Hand washing is by far the best way to prevent germs from spreading and to keep your kids from getting sick.

The First Line of Defense Against Germs

Germs can be transmitted many ways, including:
- touching dirty hands
- changing dirty diapers
- through contaminated water and food
- through droplets released during a cough or a sneeze
- via contaminated surfaces
- through contact with a sick person’s body fluids

When kids come into contact with germs, they can unknowingly become infected simply by touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. And once they’re infected, it’s usually just a matter of time before the whole family comes down with the same illness.

Good hand washing is the first line of defense against the spread of many illnesses, from the common cold to more serious illnesses such as meningitis, bronchiolitis, influenza, hepatitis A, and most types of infectious diarrhea.

Washing Hands Correctly
Here’s how to scrub those germs away. Demonstrate this routine to your kids — or better yet, wash your hands together often so they learn how important this good habit is:

1. Wash your hands in warm water. Make sure the water isn’t too hot for little hands.
2. Use soap and lather up for about 10 to 15 seconds (antibacterial soap isn’t necessary — any soap will do). Make sure you get in between the fingers and under the nails where uninvited germs like to hang out. And don’t forget the wrists!
3. Rinse and dry well with a clean towel.

To minimize the germs passed around your family, make frequent hand washing a rule for everyone, especially:

- before eating and cooking
- after using the bathroom
- after cleaning around the house
- after touching animals, including family pets
- before and after visiting or taking care of any sick friends or relatives
- after blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing
- after being outside (playing, gardening, walking the dog, etc.)

Child Proofing
Don’t forget to put locks on bathroom cabinets that contain medicines, cleaners, or anything else that could harm a child. Talk to your child about why these areas are off limits and what to do if they find anything dangerous laying about (meds, razor, etc.).

Source: KidsHealth

Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) is a human syndrome caused by intestinal viruses of the Picornaviridae family. The most common strains causing HFMD are Coxsackie A virus and Enterovirus 71 (EV-71).

HFMD usually affects infants and children, and is quite common. It is moderately contagious and is spread through direct contact with the mucus, saliva, or feces of an infected person. It typically occurs in small epidemics in nursery schools or kindergartens, usually during the summer and autumn months. The usual incubation period is 3–7 days.

It is extremely uncommon in adults; however, still a possibility. Most adults have strong enough immune systems to defeat the virus, but those with immune deficiencies are very susceptible. HFMD is not to be confused with foot-and-mouth disease (also called hoof-and-mouth disease), which is a disease affecting sheep, cattle, and swine, and which is unrelated to HFMD (but also caused by a member of the Picornaviridae family).

Symptoms
Like many viral infections, the illness often starts with a feeling of being unwell for a day or so. This might include a high temperature (fever). After this a sore throat commonly occurs, quickly followed by small spots that develop inside the mouth. These soon progress into small mouth ulcers.

In about 3 in 4 cases, spots also develop on the skin. This is typically a day or so after the mouth ulcers develop. The spots are small lumps that are a few millimetres in diameter and usually appear on the hands and feet. Spots sometimes also appear on the buttocks, legs and genitals. They rarely develop on other parts of the body. The spots are similar to chickenpox, but are smaller. Unlike chickenpox, they are not usually itchy but can be quite tender.

Is hand-foot-mouth disease serious?
Usually not. The fever and spots usually clear within a few days. The mouth ulcers can be painful, and may last up to a week. The sore mouth may make a child miserable for a few days. In a very small number of cases, the virus affects the heart, lung or brain to cause a serious inflammation of the heart, lung or brain, which is fatal in some cases. But it has to be stressed – these serious complications are rare.

How is hand-foot-mouth disease treated?

Antibiotics do not help with hand-foot-mouth disease. The important issues are pain relief and plenty of fluids.

There is no specific treatment for hand, foot and mouth disease. Individual symptoms, such as fever and pain from the sores, may be eased with the use of medication. HFMD is a viral disease that has to run its course; many doctors do not issue medicine for this illness, unless the infection is severe. Infection in older children, adolescents, and adults is normally very mild and lasts around 1 week or sometimes more. Fever reducers will help to control high temperatures. Luke-warm baths will also help bring temperature down.

Only a very small minority of sufferers require hospital admission, mainly as a result of neurological complications (encephalitis, meningitis, or acute flaccid paralysis) or pulmonary edema/pulmonary hemorrhage.

What parents can do

Certain foods and beverages may irritate blisters on the tongue or in the mouth or throat. Try these tips to help make blister soreness less bothersome and eating and drinking more tolerable:

- Offer plenty of drinks. Avoid drinks like orange juice, which is acidic and can cause pain if the mouth has ulcers. Your child may prefer cold drinks, including cold milk drinks, or ice blocks (these can be made with milk). It does not matter if children do not eat for a day or so if they are having some drinks.
- Eat ice cream or sherbet
- Drink cold beverages, such as milk or ice water
- Avoid acidic foods and beverages, such as citrus fruits, fruit drinks and soda
- Avoid salty or spicy foods
- Eat soft foods that don’t require much chewing
- Rinse your mouth with warm water after meals
- See your doctor if your child is unwell, or has a bad headache that persists, or a high fever.
- Allow blisters to dry naturally.
- There is no immunisation against hand, foot and mouth disease.

If your child is able to rinse without swallowing, rinsing the inside of his or her mouth with warm salt water may be soothing. Mix 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) of salt with 1 cup (240 milliliters) of warm water. Have your child rinse with this solution several times a day, or as often as needed to help reduce the pain and inflammation of mouth and throat sores caused by hand-foot-and-mouth disease.

Sources: Wikipedia
Sources: MayoClinic
Sources: DrGreene

According to physicians at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, consuming too much water can put babies at risk of a potentially life-threatening condition known as water intoxication.

Source:

Dropping/Lightening

The baby is settling deeper into your pelvis and notice less pressure just below your ribcage thus making it easier to breathe.

Bloody show: Loss of Mucus Plug

As you gets closer to labor, the mucus plug discharges as cervix begins to dilate. The plug may come out as a plug, a lump, or simply as increased vaginal discharge over several days. The mucus may be tinged with brown, pink, or red blood, which is why it is sometimes referred to as ‘bloody show’.

Water Breaking

You may feel like a large gush or a small trickle of fluid leaks from your vagina. If this happens, you should call you doctor or midwife right away. When your water breaks, labor usually comes later. Most doctors will induce labor if the water has broken and labor does not begun on its own within 24 hours to prevent possible infections.

Nesting: Spurt of Energy

You might wake up one morning feeling energetic, raring to attack dust bunnies under the couch, set up the crib and arrange your baby’s outfits according to color. This urge to clean and organize is commonly known as nesting.

Effacement: Thinning of the Cervix

Usually in the last month the cervix begins to stretch and thin. This process means the lower segment of the uterus is getting ready for delivery. A thin cervix will also allow the cervix to dilate more easily.

Your health care provider may check for effacement in the final 2 months of pregnancy.

Dilation: Opening of the Cervix

Dilation is the process of the cervix opening in preparation for childbirth.

In the same way that your health care provider may be checking for effacement in the last 2 months, your health care provider may also tell you how many centimeters your cervix has dilated.

Consistent Contractions

When you begin to experience regular uterine contractions, this is the strongest indication that you are in labor. These contractions may feel like menstrual cramps or a lower backache that comes and goes, and during early labor they may be as far apart as 20 to 30 minutes. Over the course of several hours your contractions will typically begin occurring at shorter intervals; and you may notice they start happening every 10-15 minutes or less. When your contractions are consistently 5 minutes apart, it is time to call your health care provider.

Source:

In the latest study, Dr. Elizabeth W. Triche of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and colleagues write chocolate may reduce pregnancy complication risk while a recent medical study says pregnant women should eat dark chocolate daily.

These dark chocolates contain a chemical named theobromine which has positive effects on diuresis, myocardial stimulation and vasodilatation. Other chemicals in chocolate include magnesium, which lowers hypertension, and flavanoids, which are potent antioxidants.

The conclusion is chocolate is good for pregnancy while dark chocolate is the best.

Source:

Below are the causes and the treatments for morning sickness.

Causes:

Treatments

Source: