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Breastfeeding Tips for Every New Mother
As Robert S. Mendelsohn rightly said, “Mother’s milk, time-tested for millions of years, is the best nutrient for babies because it is nature’s perfect food.”
If you are a mother, you can certainly relate to it. However, breastfeeding is one extremely challenging job. Many gynaecologists and obstetricians encounter new, inexperienced mother panicking due to not being able to nurse properly. So, today we are offering some tips for new mothers and moms-to-be to have a somewhat more comfortable nursing time.
- Position yourself comfortably. If you are not comfortable, neither will be your baby.
- There is no perfect rule, so choose what works best for you. Experiment and pick between couch, bed and rocking chair.
- Place as many pillows you need under back, lap or legs for support and comfort.
- Hold and cradle your baby on the same side as the breast you want to nurse with. Use a pillow for support, if needed.
- You have an overactive ‘super baby’, you can hold her lower arm under your arm to mitigate the possibility of interference.
- Cup your breast and let your baby latch onto it gently. It might take several attempts before the baby stay latched on, so be patient.
- Once the baby starts feeding, hold her close to support and encourage the nursing.
- After the baby is done, don’t pull out your nipple instantly, as it may cause injury to your nipples. Instead, insert a finger in her mouth to break off the contact gently.
Ideally, each session of breastfeeding last only several minutes, but quite frequently, as your baby’s stomach is small and digestion is quite fast. Stay prepared to get in action every few hours. Feel free to try out different lactating position to find the one working best for you. As a tip to relax, you can play some music or instrumental in a mild tone. It will encourage you to relax, have happy thoughts and focus on your bond with your baby.
While breastfeeding, you may encounter many complications such as insufficient milk supply, sore or cracked nipples etc. Moreover, if you had a high-risk pregnancy or preterm birth, your baby might have a problem latching on. Instead of enduring all the discomfort or depression, seek help. As you might need special guidance or equipment from your gynaecologist or obstetrician, get in touch with one.
Breastfeeding is a rather special time of your life. Do all you can to make this memorable and comfortable.
5 Most Common Complications To Watch Out For Every Expecting Mother
Mother – the only person who nurtures you for 9 months in her womb and forever in her heart.
As rightly said, mother’s love is beyond words. We, on behalf of entire ILS Hospitals family, salutes all the mothers in the world on this International Mother’s Day, on 13th May 2018. We hereby, list out the 5 most common pregnancy-related complication most of the expecting mother faces and should seek gynecologists for.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) onsets when the urinary tract gets a bacterial infection. It can be recognized by persistent primary symptoms such as frequent urination, cloudy urine, pain/burning sensation while urination and secondary symptoms such as fever, fatigue, back pain etc.
It usually is not something very severe and can be easily diagnosed with urine sample test. It is usually treated with oral antibiotics.
Anemia
Not having the ideal range of healthy red blood cells is very common complications of pregnancy. It can lead to extreme fatigue and weakness. It is addressed by folic acid and iron supplements and proper nutritional diet.
Gestational Diabetes
Pregnant women can develop a unique kind of diabetes, particularly during the pregnancy, without any prior occurrence. It happens when the body fails to process the carbohydrates properly. It is crucial to keep the blood sugar level in check during pregnancy as unmanaged diabetes can lead to pregnancy complications like preterm birth, preeclampsia, childbirth complication etc.
It is usually resolved through diet and medication, but it leaves the mother susceptible to diabetes in future.
Hyperemesis Gravid arum
It is more commonly known as morning sickness and is extremely common among mothers. It causes nausea and vomiting, especially during the morning hours, however, it can persist throughout the day as well. Often few expecting mothers experience severe morning sickness that requires treatment.
Hypertension
Commonly known as the high blood pressure, is yet another common problem during pregnancy. Unresolved hypertension can lead to severe complications such as preeclampsia, preterm birth, miscarriage, malnutrition baby, placental abruption etc.
At ILS Hospitals, we address every aspect of pregnancy and provide treatment, care, and support through every stage of it. Moreover, we offer other maternity-related services such as family planning, assistance during pregnancy and childbirth and for conception and NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for critically ill babies. We urge every mother to seek medical help without wasting precious moments.
5 Most Common Gynecological Disorders
Living with a healthy body and a sound mind is more like a wishful thinking than a reality. There are many illnesses that affect both the genders, but a lot of medical conditions affects the health of women exclusively. Here we present 5 common illnesses, listed by Gynaecologists, that are most prevalent among women.
1. Dysmenorrhea
It is familiar to women as the painful periods. It is often termed the same when the pain reaches to the extent that it interferes the daily life activities. It is of 2 types. The primary dysmenorrhea is a result of disrupted ovulation and menstrual cycle. The secondary dysmenorrhea occurs as a result of some other underlying pelvic illnesses, infections or placement of certain contraceptive means such as copper T etc.
2. PCOS
It stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and is most prevalent among young women these days. It results in the formation of one or more, often recurring cysts in the ovary. It is due to high hormone production from the ovary and majorly caused by unhealthy lifestyle and stress rather than the influence of family or personal history.
3. Amenorrhea
It is the medical term for the absence of periods in the reproductive age. It is of two types, namely the pathological and physiological. During the pathological amenorrhea, the reason is due to some underlying disease or complications. The physiological Amenorrhea, on the other hand, is termed before the onset of menarche, after menopause and during pregnancy and lactation.
4. Vaginitis
It is the condition that onset due to inflammation and infection in the vagina. It is often seen among young girls having a high rate of infection, usually due to low production of oestrogen. However, it is also found in women of reproductive age group having infections due to microscopic organisms.
5. Fibroids
It is the condition of having single or multiple tumors in the uterus. It is the most common tumor in the female body. Fortunately, most of them are non-malignant is nature and does not cause any threat to the life of the patient. However, it might cause associated conditions like painful menstruation, persistent miscarriages, pelvic diseases, preterm labors etc. Often it is addressed by surgery, depending upon the nature of the tumor.
On this International Women Day’s, we, at ILS Hospitals, encourage every woman out there to take care of their body and seek medical help of gynecologists in time of need.
Why India is Becoming a Hub for Fertility Tourism?
Having a baby is the most important moment for every parent out there. However, not every couple is blessed with having a baby. As per gynecologists, conceiving normally, carrying it to a full term and having a safe childbirth has become a challenge lately for many couples. In such cases seeking medical help becomes inevitable.
Many places have expertise in providing such fertility assistance as compared to others. Traveling to such a place for availing these medical services is called as the fertility tourism, and it belongs to the broader concept of medical tourism. India is becoming a leading hub for fertility treatment for people from all over the world. Here are some of the reasons for the same-
1. Legal liability
Even though having trouble in conception is becoming a global threat, not every country is taking adequate measures to address it. Thereby, seeking help in one’s home country often is not possible. These legal constraints are often seen more in developing nations, where traditional beliefs are given more weight than scientific means or logic. In India, seeking and providing fertility assistance is legal, thereby making the process more safe and transparent.
2. Surrogacy/ donation assistance
Often the couple fails to have a successful conception solely on their own. Thereby it calls out for the need of either/or surrogacy and donation (sperm, eggs etc). After the Supreme Court has made these fertility assistance legal, the availability of personnel ready to provide such assistance has become very high in India.
3. Economical expense
Having a baby is surely joyous, but it is also very expensive at the same time. Having a baby with the medical help adds significant additional budget to the same. Thankfully, in India, the expense of this entire procedure is much affordable as compared to many developed countries. Simultaneously a lesser expense does not imply a poor quality treatment, instead, in India, the successful conception rate has been found much higher as compared to many other fertility tourism hubs.
To make the process even more smooth and transparent, many of the fertility assistance providers offer these services in a package, which is inclusive of the fertility treatment, transportation, charge of surrogacy or donation, and delivery of baby etc.
In a nutshell, India is an excellent place to get medical fertility assistance for the people who face difficulty in conceiving naturally. It enlightens lives of many parents and gives them a new meaning of life.
Bust These 5 Mammogram Related Myths Forever
Getting an annual screening of mammogram is recommended by gynecologists to ensure the earliest detection of breast cancer. It is highly advised for women with age more than 40yrs. Several myths surrounding the sensitive subject, which leads to a misconception among women make them avoid regular mammogram.
Let’s have a look at 5 of such myths and extract the truth out of it.
Myth 1 – Mammogram is not required until some symptoms appear
The biggest and most dangerous myth that jeopardizes the lives of many patients each year often leads patient to neglect the need for a mammogram until they experience some discomfort like pain and swelling or other symptoms like a lump or discharge. This reduces their chances of success of curing cancer entirely.
Myth 2 – Mammogram is irrelevant for women with no family/personal history of breast cancer or other breast illnesses.
As the patient keeps wasting precious moments by skipping the screening, malignant cells keep growing and make thing worse. As per statistics, about 8 in every 10 breast cancer patient has no family history of the same.
Myth 3 – Routine screening is nonessentials if nothing suspicious surfaced in the previous report
A very common belief that a previous report with no threat rules out the need to have it regularly in the future as well. However, it should be kept in mind that a mammogram is simply a diagnostic probe and not a preventive measure. Thereby, it is best to keep having those after crossing 40yrs of age.
Myth 4 – A 2D mammogram serves the same purpose as a 3D mammogram
Medical science and technology has advanced and so has the mammogram techniques. The traditional 2D mammogram is effective, but it has certain drawbacks that have overcome by 3D mammogram. The 2D mammogram might not be able to diagnose a cancer growth for patients with denser breast tissues or might misdiagnose or minor cells mimicking as cancer threats. A breast MRI or ultrasound may be additionally suggested to confirm the report.
Myth 5 – A mammogram exposes to harmful radiation to make thing worse.
It is true that a mammogram utilizes the radiation, but it closely follows the medical protocol. Getting a mammogram is absolutely safe if it is being availed at a certified facility.
Thus, it is advised to stay vigilant of the actual facts, rather than getting misguided by myths for a healthier future ahead.
The Importance of Audiology These Days
Taking medical care of every organ is kind of an impossible task these days. After crossing the age of mid-30s and 40s, often people are recommended to undergo screening in hospitals for several possible illnesses as a preventive care. These often include a breast exam, blood profile, prostate exams, eye and dental screening etc. Getting a hearing test is not something, any individual often opt for, even though it is highly recommended by audiologists. Let’s have a brief understanding of the same.
Read further: 4 SCREENING EVERY MAN SHOULD HAVE SINCE HIS EARLY 40S
Ears are important organs of our body. It facilitates detection and transmission of sound. It performs a very crucial function of maintaining the sense of balance as well. Individuals often neglect the need for an accurate hearing diagnosis from time to time, mostly due to negligence and the belief that the perfect hearing begins to degrade solely upon aging itself.
In reality, though, this does not hold true. Hearing loss can occur at any age. In fact, as per audiologists, the count of youth suffering from hearing loss is increasing alarmingly these days. This is true for both temporary and permanent hearing loss. The primary reason for the same is the excessive use of earphones for listening to music and other multimedia. Not only they use these devices for long hours but also tune them in higher volume than recommended.
Read further: 4 MUST-HAVE HEALTH SCREENING FOR EVERY WOMAN ABOVE 35
Hearing loss is the first sign of any possible ear injury or complication. Secondary symptoms like such as persistent swelling and pain in the internal ear, feeling thumbing or ringing in the ear, loss of balance etc. should be calibrated carefully.
It is advised to undergo a hearing screening once in every two years even with no visible signs of hearing loss, particularly for people above the age group of 50yrs. In case, any hearing difficulty is experienced, the screening should be even more frequent. Any sudden hearing impairment should be evaluated immediately as it may be a resultant factor of something more severe underlying reason. This is either a result of some tumor growth (both malignant and non-malignant) or due to some neurological issue.
Any hearing imparts if left untreated for long can give rise to other collateral issues, particularly in the domain of psychological health such as irritability, fatigue, depression, and impaired memory. Thus, it is always recommended to get treatment as soon as possible for any hearing discomfort.
4 Must-Have Health Screening for Every Woman Above 35 in the New Year
Women always walk the extra mile to ensure the well-being of her family. But unfortunately, they often don’t give the same priority towards their own health. Especially in India, most women seek medical treatment in hospitals helps only when the illness progress to an advanced stage. But by this time, the treatment of the illness becomes somewhat complicated.
Read more – 4 must-have screening every man in his early 40s should have
To address this problem, we are enlisting these 4 crucial screening that every woman above 35 should do in order to ensure that they can avail the best treatment at the best time.
1. Pelvic screening including PAP smear
As the cervical cancer is one of the leading cause of death, it is important to have regular screening. Even though one should start as young as the mid-20s, or as soon as being sexually active, it is recommended to get screen regularly is compulsory after hitting 30s. The purpose of these tests is to look out for any possible lump, abnormal growth, and any abnormal discharge, that could indicate the possible occurrence of tumor in later stages.
2. Breast screening
Apart from cervical cancer, breast cancer torments the health of women as well. Thus a regular screening of breast is highly recommended to take note of any pain, lump, tenderness or discharge from the breast, namely the nipple. This includes an ultra-sonogram and mammogram. Also, a monthly self-breast examination proves to be very helpful as well. The ideal age is early to mid-30s, however, for women with a family history of any breast-related illness, should start even earlier.
3. Thyroid test
It is very common for women to experience unexplainable weight gain along with other symptoms such as brittle nails, hair loss/thinning and severe fatigue with aging. Though it could be a result of other factors as well, often it is due to hypothyroidism. Events of life cycle such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and menopause make women more prone to these consequences as compared to men. Thus, a regular screening can help to deal with the same.
4. Bone mineral density screening
Most of the women, particularly after menopause, suffer from osteoporosis, a common illness of low bone density. It results in mild to severe bone weakness and injury that often requires supportive probes or surgery to correct it. The loss of component calcium from the bone makes them brittle and susceptible to damage and injury. Thus, a specialized test DEXA scan, an advanced X-ray diagnosis is advised that estimates the bone strength of the crucial skeleton structure namely the hip, spine, knees, and wrists.
Each of these tests has a unique role to ensure the overall well-being of a woman’s health. Most of these screening are available at a reasonable price in several hospitals. Thus, every woman above the age of 35 is highly recommended to undergo the above-mentioned screenings.
7 Common Types of Pelvic Diseases
There are various and sometimes few fatal issues related to our pelvic organ that might affect our lives. An experienced gynecologist can solve most of these if consulted on time.
The most common pelvis related issues are mentioned in the following points:
1. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): PID is a disease that occurs in the female reproductive organs such as the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and cervix. It is usually caused due to a sexually transmitted infection (STI) like gonorrhea or chlamydia. PID can also cause serious issues if remained untreated and one might have trouble in getting pregnant or may have persistent pelvic pain throughout.
2. Vulvodynia: Recently, doctors have discovered that pelvic pain may also arise due to muscle tissues and irritation in nerves, which they specifically named as Vulvodynia. It has no definite reason of cause but it might occur due to previous yeast infection, soreness, dehydration, chronic stress, and depression. Pain or burning may be around external vagina walls, G-spot and so forth.
3. Endometriosis: It is a condition where an abnormal endometrial tissue grows in a place outside the uterus. Even this disease have no specific reason for a cause but if not treated may lead to infertility. The pain will occur during intercourse, urination or bowel movements.
4. Primary dysmenorrhea/Menstrual Cramps: Commonly, we are all aware of the cramp during the menstrual periods but if it exists even after 7 days, it is possible that the pain could be also the reason of some other issues. Usually, menstrual cramps occur due to irregular bleeding or spotting.
5. Urinary Incontinence: It is one of the most common pelvic diseases that are found in women and also in men. It is especially found in women. It may happen due to many reasons such as stress incontinence, urge, and overflow, mixed, functional and sometimes gross total incontinence.
6. Pelvic Congestion Syndrome: PCS is one of the common syndrome found among the women under the age of 45 who have gone through 2 or 3 pregnancies. It is very rare in women with no pregnancy record.
7. Infections: The most common type of pelvic disease also includes vaginal infections. There a quite a number of different infections that are faced by the female at least for once in their lifetime. This includes infections such as Yeast infection, Bacterial vaginosis, Trichomonas, etc.
Therefore, these are the few common types of pelvic or vaginal related disease that might trouble a woman’s life. If you show symptoms or is suffering from any of the above-mentioned diseases, feel free consult a certified and highly experienced Gynecologists to provide you the best service with proper guidance.
Conditions Related to High- Risk Pregnancy
What is a high-risk Pregnancy?
A high-risk pregnancy is a fatal condition during pregnancy or by the end of the pregnancy where the mother or the fetus may face complications during or after the birth. Women with pre-pregnancy complication face many health issues and risks than the women with no pre-pregnancy complication. Although, rarely, few healthy women may also face some problems which can be fatal in nature. Only the advanced maternity hospitals are capable of handling these crisis cases.
The various complications that arise post pregnancy are listed below:
Gestational diabetes: Also known as gestational diabetes mellitus. This may be the first complication that women may face post pregnancy. After conforming pregnant many women get obsessed with their diet. They start overeating which increases the sugar level in the blood. A healthy and proper diet may help in avoiding and retarding the same. If neglected it can lead to fatal conditions such as premature labor and high blood pressure and so on.
Preeclampsia: It is a condition which appears by or after the 20th week, where the level of blood pressure increases causing the mother to fall sick. It can affect mother’s kidney, liver, and brain. If it remained untreated for long can result in fatal complication for the mother and also the fetus.
Eclampsia: It is a severe complication. Actually, it is another form or last stage of Preeclampsia that causes the mother to have a complicated seizure or worse, a coma. Regular health check-ups may avoid these complications.
Preterm Labor: As the term suggests, here the labor is held before the 37th week. The causes behind this complication could be multiple fetuses, cervix abnormality or infections or previous premature labor. Another reason behind this condition could be conceiving after the age of 35.
Placenta Previa: It is one of the rare but severe complication that a mother might face which shows symptoms in the mid-trimester. It is a condition where the placenta-cover the cervix partially or wholly. It is dangerous because when the cervix dilates and uterus expands can cause damage to the placenta resulting in painless vaginal bleeding or worse hemorrhage.
No matter what the complication is, if discovered by the initial, can be treated fearlessly. So, why to wait till it turns worse. If you are conceiving, get a regular checkup from any of the advanced maternity hospitals established in all over India.
A Brief Introduction of Breast Cancer
After attaining puberty, a women’s breast develops fat, lobules, connective tissues and glands to produce milk for breastfeeding. After the onset of cancer, the cells keep multiplying uncontrollably and starts spreading after a certain point of time, to its nearby tissues as well. Breast cancer is the most common kind of cancer among women.
Men can be affected by breast cancer as well, though the count is very little as compared to that of women. Several times, the genetics plays an important role towards its prevalence, but many times, the culprit is the sedentary lifestyle. It can be addressed with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgical approach.
Types of breast cancer
There are mainly two kinds of breast cancer. Invasive and non-invasive breast cancer. In the prior case, the cancer cell breaks out from the inside of ducts and thus the risk of its spread remains significantly high. The latter condition is the opposite and is termed when the cells remain at the origin of the outbreak. If it is left untreated, over a period of time, it develops into invasive cancer anyways.
Symptoms of breast cancer
The primary symptom of a breast cancer is characterized by the developing either a thick tissue or a lump in the breast or armpit. Secondary symptoms comprise of one or more of the following-
- Pain in the breast or in an armpit, which does correlate with the monthly cycle.
- An inverted or sunken nipple.
- Redness of the breast skin
- Discharge blood or other fluid from the nipple
- Rash on the nipple, or around it
- Change of size or shape of breast irrelevant to the monthly cycle
- Scaling or flaking of the nipple or the breast skin
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Initiative on this world Breast cancer awareness month
On this breast cancer awareness month, we, at ILS Hospitals encourage every woman to step up and seek breast examination at least once annually, to keep the risks of breast cancer at bay. We also, motivate every adult women to learn and practice self-breast examination every three to six month and keep an eye on any growth on the breast or under the armpit. Women with either a personal medical history or family history of previous lumps or cancer are requested to be-be extremely cautious regarding the same. Going for a mammogram is often recommended by a gynaecologist.
Several of the lumps of the breast are not cancerous. However, in case of any doubt, it is best to get it checked by a physician as soon as possible.