Archive for September 23rd, 2009

Tame Your Mouth…Not that Again?

Author: Sophia

Sep 23

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Are you the type of person if it ain’t your way you just throw a hefty fit? Well you may want to consider taking it down a notch, seriously..  What if tables were turned? Won’t you want someone giving you a break? There are some people at your service you may seriously consider not going off at.

Your waiter or waitress
This person probably brought you a wrong order, or didn’t get your steak done at your liking. So she forgot your drink , again…Don’t make a scene in that restaurant, chances are the poor guy already feel like crap for messing your order. Simply let them know, and chances are they will gladly make the correction for you. Let me remind you… they will be handling your food.  I have worked with waiters that have told me what they used to do to peoples foods after they have been mean to them, the things they had done to their foods, make me want to just  throw up.. just thinking about it. So the next time you find yourself looking at a rare piece of steak while you clearly ordered  a well cooked steak. Smile at the waiter and  politely ask that the cook re-do it, they get it.

Your nurse
I know the labor pains will make you call anyone sitting across from you any name in the book, and yeah you could probably break someones arm too while on it..That can be excusable. Nurses take in  a lot, so when you do get around to feeling better, a little courtesy please. Be nice to your nurses.  I don’t need to remind you that you spend a lot of time with nurses compared to your Doc. They won’t hurt you, but of course they are human too.

The customer service Rep
So you got the wrong charge on your bill…calm down, the person on the phone knows that as well. The call will probably go much faster if you stop the name calling and all that. If you stay to the point they will eventually credit your bill, or adjust it. If the Rep can’t do it, he or she may  refer you to the right person that can.  Remember, if you really play nice, that rep may catch something else that you missed and may kindly make another adjustment. Of course, if you do chose to be all nasty about it, he may find that you are still getting a promotional discount that ended months ago and may just disable it and of course your bill gets bigger than before you called.

I could go on and on, but let’s try to put ourselves in other people’s shoes before we act out!

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Filed under: Family

Working full-time and exclusively breastfeeding? Here are 9 ways to make this a success!

Author: Sophia

Sep 23

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If you are a new mom, getting ready to go back to work and are worried sick how you can still keep up with nursing while working.  I did this  with my 3 year old, and now doing same with my 3 month old. This is what helped me out…

1. First get yourself a good electric , double breast pump this will make pumping much easier. I use a medela pump, they are quite expensive ($300), but worth every penny.  If you really look at it, fomula is not that cheap either.

2. Follow a schedule. If you pump around the same time daily your body gets used to this and you will end up needing to be away for about 15-20min at most.  I work 8 hours, initially i used to pump 3 times, but now i only need to pump 2x. I get 2 breaks and a lunch. So i use that time to go pump…so your boss won’t have any complains there.

3. Relax. When you  have a lot in your mind, you  are not giving your body a chance to let the milk flow out. So let all the stress go out the window while you pump away.

4. Think of your baby. This works for me all the time. I think of him smiling and laughing while i tickle his belly, the next thing i know is milk slowly coming out.

5. Don’t rush. If you still feel full, then pump till nothing comes out anymore. Remember the last milk that comes out …the hind milk…it is full of fatty acids. This is what fills the baby, and nourishes them as well. ( If you want to know if your baby is getting too much fore milk –the clear milk, almost like water that comes out when you start pumping or nursing, esp when your breasts feel full.. the baby’s poop will appear green )

6. Drink water. I have my 32oz  water mug from the hospital sitting at my desk at work, filled with water, then i have no excuse not to drink water throughout the day. You are pretty much hydrating your body, what better way to do it than with water.  No added calories, good for your digestive system, and many more.

7. Eat something. I eat small meals throughout the day, so am not starving. I snack on fruits or raw veggies.  When you have a full tummy you are  more likely  to pump milk.

8. If you are struggling with your milk supply, talk to your Dr about what to take to increase your supply. Oatmeal has always worked for me. I buy the quaker oatmeal  from sam’s club- has 55 packets, i always have some at work, just in case i need some, plus oatmeal is very filling.

9. Get your breastfeeding supplies. Have your bottles, storage bags, lanolin ointment for your nipples, nursing pads, and wear a good nursing bra or nursing tank ( i get mine from Target) and you should be ready to pump smoothly at work. Plus get the medela cleaning wipes..They will save you some time.

And .. just in case  you have chosen not to breastfeed your child, that doesn’t make you a bad mother… We are all different, as long as our babies are healthy and cared for, that is all that matters!

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Filed under: Breastfeeding | Tagged as:

Swine Flu…From the Dr himself..I went to Afghanistan and all I got was H1N1

Author: Sophia

Sep 23

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September 23, 2009
I went to Afghanistan and all I got was H1N1
Posted: 09:51 AM ET

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

It started as a cough. It wasn’t the kind of cough where something is temporarily stuck in your throat. It wasn’t the kind of cough where simply clearing your throat would’ve been adequate. This was the kind of cough that hurts when you do it. A stinging pain that makes you wince and guard and hope that you don’t have to cough again any time soon. I thought I might have a fever, but of course, I was in the middle of covering a war in Afghanistan, and the conditions were… well, hot. So, maybe it was that. Problem was, the next day I wasn’t feeling any better – in fact, I was worse. I woke up in my dusty desert tent and tried to step out of my sleeping bag. Two steps later, I almost hit the deck. Incoming. Except this wasn’t due to any sirens going off, this was due to my own body simply being unable to hold myself up. I was lightheaded and freezing cold – even though it was over 100 degrees outside at that early hour of the morning.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who contracted H1N1 in Afghanistan, receives treatment.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who contracted H1N1 in Afghanistan, receives treatment.

I was nauseated and my entire body hurt. I tried to explain away my symptoms with lots of different excuses. You don’t sleep much while covering a war. My bulletproof jacket didn’t fit perfectly and was very heavy. There was a lot of dust and dirt, and maybe I had what the Marines referred to as the Kandahar Krud. It turned out to be none of those things.

I remember looking over at my camera man, Scottie McWhinnie. He looked absolutely awful. He was wearing a scarf on his head, and it was completely drenched in sweat. He was coughing so loudly and frequently that I was really starting to worry about him – and about myself. We each had it, whatever “it” was. I made a command decision. As a physician reporter in a war zone, I was going to get us medical care. That prompted our visit to a battlefield hospital, not as reporters this time, but as patients.

It is worth pointing out the irony of a medical reporter getting influenza type A, which was then ultimately confirmed as H1N1. (The term swine flu is a misnomer, as this strain is made up of several different components, including swine, but also avian parts.) It really didn’t matter if I got tested, as my doctor told me. It was the only flu strain circulating and I had it, and so did Scottie. We both had high fevers, the lack of appetite, terrible sinus congestion, body aches, and yes – that hacking, come out of the blue.

I am not someone who gets sick, really ever. And this was the sickest I have ever been. I would’ve much preferred my own bed with all the comforts of home – including a wife who would’ve taken great pity on me and allowed me lots of rest and relaxation. Still, I am here to blog about it, after taking the requisite few days to stay at home and not spread my gift from Afghanistan to all my colleagues at work. In case you are curious, there wasn’t much the doctors could really do for me. Some Tylenol and a sinus decongestant (the same my wife would’ve given me). We also got IV fluids, given our inability to keep anything down. Within a couple days, I felt a lot better, and a few days after that – I was back to normal. It was a lot like… the flu – with a different name. A lot of people will get the exact symptoms I described above, and for most people, it will simply mean a few miserable days, hopefully spent in your home – and not in a war zone.

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Filed under: Allergies and Asthma