Human Milk Bank Donor Helps Premature and Sick Infants and Children
Lisa Fozo (37), a Fair Oaks resident, wanted to breastfeed so much that when her two sons didn’t latch on, she pumped her own milk and bottle fed it to them. With her first child, Alex, (5) she had an excess of milk and had to discard it. But when she had her second child, Kyle, (15 months) Mercy Hospital of Folsom referred her to Karen Evon, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Evon is also part owner of Maternal Expressions in Folsom, a maternity and breastfeeding specialty store. Evon advised Lisa to donate her surplus milk to the Mother’s Milk Bank in San Jose, California.
The Mother’s Milk Bank is the only one of its kind on the West Coast. It ships milk within California, outside of the state, and even occasionally to foreign countries. In the U.S there are six other milk banks: Newark, Delaware; Columbus, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Fort Worth, Texas; Austin, Texas; and Raleigh, North Carolina. The milk banks are overseen by The Human Milk Banking Association of North America. Milk banks provide human milk for premature and ill infants and children under a doctor’s prescription.
Lisa donated 250 ounces to the Mother’s Milk Bank after having Kyle. “I wish I had known with my first child so I could have helped more babies, “says Lisa. Evon says, “Mothers who have a surplus of milk may have a larger storage capacity which usually has nothing to do with breast size.” Lisa produced 16 ounces of milk in three hours. And in the morning, she could pump 32 ounces in 15 minutes.
Lisa says that her husband Ed was the one who first encouraged her to nurse. He saw how healthy his sister-in-law’s children were on human milk, so when Lisa became pregnant, he said “I hope you’ll breastfeed.”
That’s easy to say, but Ed wasn’t a passive observer. He bottle fed his infants the breast milk on weekends while Lisa pumped the milk. He also attended breastfeeding classes with her.
But before Lisa could donate the milk, she had to undergo a screening process: Prospective milk donors must meet certain criteria before donating milk. They must be lactating and submit to tests for Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis, HIV 1 and 2, human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) 1 and 2, and Ruebella titer. All viral and bacterial studies must be negative, and a history of systemic diseases such as leprosy and cancer will disqualify prospective donors.
Donors may not smoke, consume alcohol, or take medications or herbal supplements at the time of donation, with the exception of drugs, such as insulin, Syn-Thyroid, and progestin-only birth control pills or injections. After donors pass the health evaluation, they will learn how to express milk with a pump, label glass bottles, freeze the milk and store it in the freezer.
Diana Clarke is a teacher and health educator. Her articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines, such as the San Jose Mercury News, Listen Magazine and the World of English.
4d and 3d scans - babyultrasound.co.uk
The method know as 3d ultrasound is that can be used during early pregnancy, it provides 3d images of the unborn child. Most of the time the ultrasound pictures are collated and joined together and animated to produce a “4d ultrasound scan”.
Three dimensional scanning works in the same way to the normal ultrasound scanning methods except that the ultrasound waves can be sent from many directions. The ultrasound pulses can be reflected back and captured and provide information to construct a 3 d picture in much the same way as 3d pictures. 3 dimesional ultasound scanning was started by stephen smith and olaf von ramm.
It’s important to understand that sonologists around the world have always pictured 3d images of the body in their minds while doing 2d scans. However, until recently it was impossible to do this kind of reconstruction on patient data acquired using ultasound scanning. The advent of baby scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the thinking of a sonologist and so letting us see the images on the ultrasound machine.
3d/4d imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. While there is no information of harm due to 3d ultasound scanning, its use in none essential situations should be undertaken with an understanding of the risks that exist.
Baby scans - babyultrasound.co.uk
The method know as 3d ultrasound scanning is used in early pregnancy, providing 3 d pictures of the fetus. Most times these ultrasound samples are rapidly captured and joined together and made into a movie to created a 4d scan.
Three dimensional scanning works in the same manner to the usual scanning methods except that the ultrasound scanning waves can be directed from multiple directions. The waves can be redirected back and captured and provide information to construct a 3-dimensional picture in in a similar manner to 3d pictures. 3d ultrasound was devised by olaf ramm and stephen smith.
It is important to understand that sonologists everywhere have always pictured 3d pictures of anatomy or pathology in their minds while doing 2d scans. However, until recently it was difficult to do this kind of reconstruction on patient data acquired using ultasound scanning. The advent of 4d baby scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the thinking of a sonologist and hence letting us view the images on the ultrasound machine.
3d/4d ultrasound imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. There is no data to suggest any harm due to 3d ultasound scanning, its use in none medical situations needs to be undertaken with an understanding of the risks.
How to Have the First New Year’s Day Baby
Sometimes it seems like life is just one big competition: all of us race to be the first to grow up… and then we change our minds and race in reverse to be the last to die. If you view life as a competition, then why not compete to have the first baby born on New Years Day? Why not make birth a competition, as well?
Having the first baby born on New Years Day is harder than it might seem. After all, as with most competitions, there are plenty of other people in the running. And you certainly do not want to let a rookie win!
Wait a minute… why is this a competition that you should strive to win? What are the prizes that you get for having the first baby born on New Years Day?
Alright. Let us just say that the most important prize that you can get, win or lose, is a brand new baby! That is right. Everyone who “enters” this competition gets a consolation prize!
Many local businesses donate prizes like baby blankets, baby formula, diapers, and baby store gift
certificates. Sure, all of these items are specifically for the baby more so than directly for you… but babies can be expensive, so you still save.
Money. Well, money is not the most likely gift, but we can always cross our fingers and hope, right?
All right, now that we have covered the possible prizes that you could receive simply by being the first to have your baby on New Years Day, let us get straight to the training. Well, you likely already know the general idea about how to “train” for this event, but let us help you with the specifics.
Decide if it is more important to win big… or to simply win. If you want to win big, then you need to move to a big city. If you simply want to win, living in a smaller town will increase your chances.
Find out which hospitals/towns have had the best prizes over the years, and make sure that that town and that hospital are where you are at!
To have a baby on New Years Day, you are going to need to be in peak physical condition! Make sure that you get a complete physical. Talk to an OB-GYN.
Do not wait. Remember, this race technically begins 9 months or more before New Years Day. Do not delay!
Check your fertility. If your doctor says that you are both very fertile, get right to it! If, on the other hand, your doctor implies that it there is something to be desired, do not simply cross your fingers and hope that it all works out. Get something done! Investigate sperm banks. Go ahead and make an appointment with a vitro specialist or a fertility specialist.
Long before you plan on to conceive, start taking prenatal vitamins. In fact, when you are of child-bearing age, you should start taking folic acid. Folic acid helps prevent birth defects.
Stop smoking! No, this warning is not just for the mothers, it is for the fathers, as well. There are many problems associated with smoking during pregnancy. For one, smoking can increase the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage in women. It can also decrease sperm count in men, lessening the chances of conceiving in the first place.
Oh, and while you are at it, stop drinking alcohol and taking recreational drugs!
Be healthy. Exercise. Eat well.
Too much caffeine can increase the chance of a miscarriage.
Alright, let us get straight to the almighty conception. How can you conceive at the right time.
Do the math. If you want to have your baby on New Years Day, you are going to have to get pregnant about 9 months before that.
Check your family histories and see if there are any patterns as to how long family pregnancies lasted. If your family tends to have babies early, then you can get started a little late, etc.
Reduce your stress. If you are stressed out, tired, and not relaxed, you are going to be less likely to conceive.
Use an ovulation predictor kit to find out when you are most susceptible to getting pregnant.
Learn how to track your cycle. There are certain tricks to the trade: take your temperature, pay attention to your discharge levels, etc. You should start tracking your basal body temperature ahead of the time of your ideal conception date. This will help you predict when your ovulation occurs. This is because your temperature increases by .5 degrees as soon as the egg is released.
After you have sex, it is recommended by some for the women to place her hips up on a pillow for nearly 30 minutes to give the sperm a chance to swim upstream.
Following these steps cannot guarantee that you will have a New Years Day baby, but they certainly can help! Good luck, and Happy New Years Day!
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Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on holidays, please visit Distinct Gift Baskets. |