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Showing posts with label Facts about Baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facts about Baby. Show all posts

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Baby's Vaccines

Here I would like to share some basic information on what I found about the compulsory 6-in-1 vaccine & 2 optional Rotavirus & Pneumococcal vaccines that were required in the early age for my baby.

Our baby needs to undergo a series of immunization schedule, which may requires as many as 20 shots within his 2 years of age. Therefore the advantage of having 6-in-1 vaccine is mainly to reduce the number of injections with lesser pain & swellings.

Q: What is 6-in-1 Vaccines?
A: An injection that shield against 6 common diseases with 1 injection.

Q: What are the types of diseases prevented by 6-in-1 vaccine?
A: 6-in-1 vaccine help to fight Diphteria, Tetanus & Pertussis (DTP), Poliomyelitis (Polio), Haemophilus Influenzae type B (Hib) & Hepatitis B.

1. Diptheria - can cause breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure & death.

2. Tetanus (lockjaw) - can cause locking of the jaw, preventing a victim from opening his mouth or swallowing. May leads to death in 1 out of 10 cases.

3. Pertussis (Whooping Cough) - can cause to pneumonia, seizures (jerking), brain damage & death.

4. Polio - can cause at any age mainly children under 3. Its a highly infectious viral disease that invades the nervous system & may cause paralysis & death.

5. Hib - usually strikes children under 5, causing a variety of diseases like meningtis (infection of the lining of the brain or spinal cord), bacteraemia (blood infection) pneumonia, joint & bone infections & other infections. There are 6 types of Hib, but type B causes the most of the illness caused by this bacterium.

6. Hepatitis B - can cause by Hepatitis B virus (HBV) that attacks the liver, causing lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring), of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, & death.


Q: What is Rotavirus?
A: It is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis (GE) that leads to abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting & fever among children especially between 6 months to 2 years of age. If these victims were left untreated, he/she may at risk of serious diseases, hospitalization due to dehydration (acute loss of fluid & electrolytes) & death.


Q: How is Rotavirus spread?
A: It spreads very easily. Highly infectious through hand-to-mouth contact after contaminated surface is touched. Unfortunately, by washing hands & keeping a clean home cannot protect our baby as common disinfectants & hand soap cannot kills it, & these viruses still can remain active on the hands for a few hours or on surfaces for more than 10 days.


Q: How can we prevent or treat Rotavirus infection?
A: There's no specific medicine or antiviral treatment for rotavirus infection. Victims were typically treated by replacing excessive lost of body fluids through drinking solutions that contains sugars & minerals or hospitalization, where the lost body fluids can be replaced directly though veins using an Intravenous (I.V.) line.

But there are still some preventive measures that can be taken like breastfeeding, regular disinfection of play areas, toys & frequent hand washing with effective agents. Whereas, the best prevention is to provide vaccination against rotavirus to our baby.


Q: What is Pneumococcal Virus (PCV)?
A: Infections caused by bacterium known as Streptococcus Pneumoniae or Pneumococcus, commonly occurs on children under 2 years of age. It may leads to Meningitis (causing serious & sometimes permanent disabilities to hearing, paralysis, mental retardation & death), Bacteraemia (where bacteria invades the bloodstream, causing infection of the blood, fever, irritability & rapid breathing & may also develop into meningitis), Pneumonia (causing infection of the lung) & Otitis media (middle ear infection like ear-ache, fever & frequent tugging of the ear).

Q: How is PCV spread?
A: Pnuemococcal bugs in the nose & throat of the carriers (healthy adults & children) that transmits from 1 to another through droplet that are released into the air by sneezing & coughing.

Q: How can we prevent or treat PCV infection?
A: Early diagnosis & vital treatment were given to the victims without any delay. Antibiotics were use in order to treat these diseases & it is very effective in most of the cases if treated in the early stage. However, there is still a small number of bacteria are resistant to some antibiotics, resulting longer periods for the victims to recover. PCV diseases can be prevented by a series of vaccination to our baby.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

What is Jaundice?

Q: What is Jaundice?
A: A condition where yellowish colour on the skin and whites of the eyes were found in new born babies. In most cases, jaundice can be easily treated. But however, there are some extremely rare & severe jaundice cases can cause problems to the babies such as deafness, cerebral palsy, or even brain damage. Therefore it is important that parents consult with their health professional immediately if they suspect that their baby may be suffering from jaundice.


Q: How Jaundice can be developed?
A: Jaundice is caused by too much of a compound called bilirubin in the baby’s bloodstream. This bilirubin can be taken care by the baby's liver by turning it into bile in the intestines.

There are possibilities where newborn babies’ liver may not be sufficiently mature enough to take care of this function by itself and hence, the increase number of bilirubin will then cause yellowish colour on the babies' skin.

Other than that, breastfeeding may also cause a baby to develop jaundice. There are cases where substances found in the mother’s breast milk may affect the efficiency of the baby’s liver, thus helping to increase the amount of bilirubin in the baby’s bloodstream.


Q: What are the symptoms of Jaundice?
A: Jaundice usually becomes apparent in a baby, first few days after birth. The yellowing of the skin will first appear in the face & whites of the eyes, then gradually spread all over the rest of the body.

There is a quick home test that we can perform:
Press lightly with your fingertip against the tip of your baby’s nose, or against the forehead. If the skin is white (regardless of your baby’s skin colour) at the point of the depression then jaundice is not present. If the color is yellowish, then jaundice is present and you should contact your doctor for advice.

Otherwise, there are two methods can be perform by the doctors, which are the skin test and blood test. The blood test is more accurate but obviously it is more stressful for the baby. The blood is normally drawn from the fingertip of the baby.


Q: How can we treat Jaundice?
A: There are several ways in treating Jaundice as below:-

1) As a newborn baby’s liver develops, it will become increasingly efficient at taking care of the levels of bilirubin in the bloodstream, and the yellowing color will gradually reduce within a week or so.

2) Using Ultra-violet light either from phototherapy (espeacially for premature babies or babies with significant higher level of bilirubin) or direct expose to morning sunlight for a short period of time. UV light able to break down bilirubin in the bloodstream & makes it easier for the baby's liver to deal with it.

3) For Jaundice cases that cause by breastfeeding :-
i) the doctor will either advise the mother to stop breastfeeding for a period of time or
ii) to advise to feed the baby more often, but with lesser amount in order to help the baby to pass the excessive bilirubin in his/her stools more regularly.

Both the above methods 3i) & 3ii) may takes up to 2 - 3 weeks to see the result, but there is still a possibility that Jaundice may reoccur. Therefore, parents are required to keep a close eye on the color of their baby’s skin, and consult a doctor or health professional if suspect any sign of the Jaundice has returned.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Infant Massage

The trend of getting an infant massage for babies is getting more & more popular these days. These centres offers a wide variety step-by-step courses to the parents, to practice at home, & they even provide infant massage services done by qualified instructors.

Benefits of an infant massage are:
1. Massage relief from discomfort like teething, congestion, colic and emotional stress.
2. Relaxation and enhancement of neurological development.
3. Stimulates digestion.
4. Helps tone muscles and aids growth.
5. Enhances the bonding process between parents & infant.
6. Strengthens the immune system.
7. Increases oxygen and nutrient flow to the cells.
8. Improves sensory awareness.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

What is Cord Blood Bank ?

Q: What is Cord Blood Bank?
A: It's a storage area solely provides the highest quality services (collecting, processing & freezing) for stem cell preservation.

Q: Where can I find Cord Blood Bank in Malaysia?
A: There are 3 Cord Blood Banks in Malaysia shown below:

StemLife Malaysia
Establish in 2001 & was the 1st & only Public-listed cord blood bank in Malaysia with more than 14,000 stem cells samples collected until now.
Address: B-7-15, Megan Avenue II, 12, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: +603 2163 8800
Fax: +603 2164 9808
Email: info@stemlife.com
Website: http://www.stemlife.com/malaysia/stem_cell/index.html
24 hr Hotline: +6012 2050 165

CyroCord Malaysia
Establish in January 2002 & was the 1st International Certified (ISO9001:2000) cord blood bank in Malaysia.
Address: 29-2, Jalan PJU 1/41, Dataran Prima, Block D1, 47300, Petaling Jaya,Selangor Darul Ehsan,Malaysia.
Tel: +603 7880 2929
Fax: +603 7880 1919
Email: info@cryocord.com.my
Website: http://www.cryocord.com.my/our.html
24 hr Hotline: 1800 88 3300

Cell Safe International (CSI) Malaysia
Establish in 2006 & was the 1st & only cord blood bank in Malaysia led by Medical Doctors (Blood Specialist).
Office Address: Unit B-10-4, Northpoint
Lab Address: Unit B-10-3, Northpoint Midvalley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2282 0890
Fax: +603 2282 0980
Website: http://www.cellsafegroup.com/mainpage.htm
Email: service@cellsafegroup.com
24 hr Hotline: 1800 88 2355

And for more information about the standards of cord blood bank, please visit
http://www.umbilical-cord-blood-bank.com/

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

What are Stem Cells ?

Q: What are Stem Cells?
A: Stem cells are human’s “master” cells because they are the ones that creates tissues, organs (brain, etc) & systems (nerves, muscles,etc) in the body.

They can be found in the building blocks of blood and immune system & its readily to reproduce into:
1) Red blood cells (haemoglobin), which able carry oxygen to all the cells in the body.
2) White blood cells (antibody), which enable cells to fight infection.
3) Platelets, which aid in clotting in the event of injury.

The ability of cord blood stem cells to differentiate, or change into other types of cells in the body is a new discovery that holds significant promise for many individuals.



Q: Where are stem cells can be found?
A: Stem cells are found in the umbilical cord blood, peripheral blood & bone marrow.

Q: What are Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells?
A: Umbilical cord blood, otherwise known simply as “cord blood’ or “placental blood”, is the blood that remains in the newborn’s umbilical cord and placenta following birth. Cord blood stem cells are the key building blocks of the human blood and immune system. These stem cells can be used to generate red blood cells and cells of the human immune system.

Q: Why we choose to store Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells rather than other methods?

A: The baby’s umbilical cord blood is a rich and valuable source of stem cells, which are genetically unique to the baby and his/her family. It is an alternative source of stem cell transplantation, where traditionally bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells have been used.

1) Umbilical cord blood stem cells are less prone to develop Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD) than either bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells. This is because the umbilical cord stem cells have not yet develop into features that could be recognized by our own body cells and tissues.

2) Umbilical cord blood stem cells can only be collected once in a lifetime during birth.

3) Collection of cord blood is non-invasive & painless to mother & child.

4) Baby's cord blood is easily collected. Within minutes of delivery, the cord blood stems cells are collected, then taken for processing & storage at cord blood stem cell bank.

What is Prenatal 3D/4D Ultrasound ?

Q: What is Elective Prenatal 3D/4D Ultrasound?
A: It has the ability to choose to have a n0n-diagnostic ultrasound (3D/4D) that able to identify the baby's heartbeat, check position, identify gender (if desired), document the number of babies & to obtain prenatal keepsake pictures shown below.





Q: What are the differences between 3D/4D Elective Ultrasound compare to Prenatal Diagnostic (traditional 2D) Ultrasound?
A: During an elective 3D/4D ultrasound, parents able to spend quality time with their baby by looking at coloured life-like images using a volumetric analysis that creates 3 dimensional (3D) photos, with an additional fourth dimension (4D) to view on baby's movements. Enable to enhance the bonding process before birth.


Whereas, diagnostic ultrasound is a two dimensional (2D) scan which is best performed around 18 - 20 weeks of pregnancy.


Q: When is the best time (during pregnancy) to schedule for an Elective Prenatal 3D/4D Ultrasound Scan?
A: Pregnant women may come as early as 12 weeks, again at 18+ weeks for gender identification & once again between 24-34 weeks where the best results for the 3D/4D images can be obtained.


Q: Is the Elective 3D/4D Ultrasound Safe?
A: Ultrasound has been used safely in obstetrics for over 35 yrs, during this time there has never been any documented harmful effects to mother or her baby before or after birth.


Elective Ultrasound sessions only last about 20-30 minutes at most & much time is spent manipulating the captured images while the ultrasound beam is actually off. Picture below illustrates on the 3D images of the baby.



Q: Will I always get a beautiful picture of my baby?
A: Usually, but not always if the baby's face is not at a favourable position. The repeat scan will be done an hour later.

Besides, it is beneficial to keep mother well hydrated to ease the ultrasound beam travels better through fluids than tissues & thus enhances the images we see on the baby.

Monday, October 8, 2007

What is Down's Syndrome ?

Q: What is Down's Syndrome?
A: It's a birth defect occuring in about 1 of every 1000 births, in which an extra N0. 21 chromosome is present in the developing foetusfro the time of conception.

Q: What are the impacts that can cause to the baby?
A: It may cause mental retardation (often mild to moderate), may have visible physical characteristics & some may have medical problems eg. heart defects.

Q: Who will have higher possibilities to give birth to Down's Syndrome babies?
A: In theory, posibilities rises with an increse in maternal age pregnancies or history of Down's Syndrome. Maternal age (35 & above) has traditionally been used as a cut-off point for performing a prenatal diagnosis to detect Down's Syndrome in pregnant women. However, 80% of Down's Syndrome babies are born to women who are less than 35 yrs old.

Q: What is Double Test/ Triple Test?
A: It's a blood test that measures substances in the pregnant mother's blood.
Substances like AFP (Alpha-feto protein), free β-hCG (free beta-human chorionic ganodotrophin) & uE3 (conjucgated oestrial). The level of these substances are used in combination with the woman's ageto determinethe statistical risk of Down's Syndrome in the baby. The level of AFP alone is use to determine if there is an increased risk of neural tube defect such as anencephaly or spina bifida.

Q: How is the risk can be calculated?
A: Babies with Down's Syndrome tend to produce less AFP than normal babies, whereas babies with neural tube defect produce much greater levels of AFP. β-hCG level tends to be higher when Down's Syndrome is present. Anaylsis & estimation of the risk is performed by using a computer& reported as a numerial risk based on the determined blood markers, age & gestation of the fetus.

Q: What does the result of a maternal serum marker screening mean?
A: The result describes the risk of giving birth to Down's Syndrome baby relative to the average pregnant women, reported as a numerical risk compared to a risk cut-off. The risk of 35 yrs old women (1:250) has ben used as the risk cut-off, where if a patient's risk is > 1:250, the serum is reported positive.

Q: What are further tests that will be offered if a patient test result is positive?
A: If the patient's test results is positive, it does not necessary mean that the baby has the disorder, but it means that the doctor will suggest the patient with some additional test, eg. Amniocentesis.

Q: What is Amniocentesis & what will it show?
A: Amniocentesis is a test in which the doctor obtains a small sample of fluid that surrounds the developing foetus. That fluid can be use to diagnose Down's Syndrome. Result will be shown in 2 - 3 weeks later. A small degree of risk may involved.

Q: What is the best time for Down's Syndrome screening?
A: Blood test should be done between 14-18 weeks of pregnancy. Unreliable result may be obtained if the blood sample is taken too early during the pregnancy.