Folic acid helps full term pregnancy

Our precious Ethan was born prematurely at 35 weeks and 2 days. Hubby missed the birth of our precious Lil' E as he was away in Trinidad due to work commitment. It wasn't easy for me (but thank goodness my dearest friend F was with me in the labour room) and it was certainly not easy for hubby too coz it took him 3 days b4 he was able to meet our precious due to the long journey. Anyway, I was told that I have about 35% chances of a 2nd premature baby since my first one was a premie (though it is considered borderline premie ;p) ....it does worry me at times ... and it has actually been at the back of my mind especially now that we're trying for 2nd baby...but at the same time I know there are still 65% chances of me having a full term pregnancy ...I guess the only thing I could do is just to wait and see ;p Anyway, here's an interesting article on folic acid and full term pregnancy for the sharing ;p

Folic Acid Supplementation Helps Ensure Full-Term Pregnancy

A healthy pregnancy begins before conception. Health conditions, medications, and dietary considerations, as well as habits and lifestyles of hopeful mothers can have an impact on the health of their unborn children. By addressing health issues and knowing the risk factors before becoming pregnant, would-be mothers can prevent problems that might later affect their babies.

Almost 12 percent of babies born in the United States are born prematurely (before the completion of 37 weeks of pregnancy), although full-term pregnancies last about 40 weeks. These babies are at greater risk of having breathing difficulties, learning difficulties, and developmental disabilities in addition to being less likely to survive.

Finding a way to prevent premature birth could improve the health of thousands of babies annually. Although there is currently no sure way to prevent premature birth, studies have indicated that mothers who consume lower amounts of folic acid may experience shorter pregnancies. To test this theory, doctors from the University of Texas followed the progress of nearly 35,000 pregnancies during which a number of women had taken folic acid supplements for at least 12 months prior to becoming pregnant, while others took the supplement for shorter periods of time, and still others took no supplements at all. Of the total, over 1,600 of the expectant mothers gave birth to their babies prematurely.

The results of the study revealed that taking folic acid supplements for a least one year prior to conception reduced spontaneous premature birth occurring between 20 and 28 weeks by 70 percent, and also reduced premature births between 28 and 32 weeks by 50 percent. These findings were made in comparison to the rate of premature births resulting from mothers who did not take the supplements. Folic acid appeared to have no effect on births occurring between 32 and 37 weeks. In addition, no reduction in premature births was seen in those women who took the supplements for periods less than one year. The results of the study were published in the journal PLoS Medicine.

Women who plan to become pregnant have long been advised to take folic acid daily, or at the very least, after stopping contraception and continuing through a minimum of 12 weeks of pregnancy. This is recommended to reduce the risk of birth defects including spina bifida and anencephaly, which are known neural tube defects (NTDs).

According to researcher Dr. Radek Bukowski women are advised to take 0.4mg of folic acid daily, which is the same amount advised for prevention of NTDs, well before they plan to become pregnant. He held that folic acid most likely reduces the risk of infection, which is a common cause of premature births.

The opinion of some experts is that mass medication could prevent up to 150 cases of spina bifida annually, as well as provide better general health for millions of adults. The results of the new study could lead to renewed appeals for folic acid to be added to bread. - (HealthNews)

No water supply tomorrow (18th Feb)

UPDATES:
My apology as the notice was supposed to be "Water Supply Disruption" whereby the water supply will be reduced by 35% in most areas. Affected areas include KK, Kepayan, Kinarut, Petagas, Putatan, Penampang, Likas, Karamunsing, Tg. Aru, Inanam and Kelombong. Certain areas may however experience complete disruption of water supply.

I saw the "No water supply" notice from the management (extracted from the Water Department) at my apartment this morning. So if you don't already know, make sure you stock up some water supply that will last you and your family till 9pm tomorrow. I know for sure that my area in Kepayan, Kelombong (PIL's) and Likas (work place) will definately have no water supply from the morning till 9pm. But if I'm not mistaken there are a few more areas that are affected too.. So to be safe, just stock up some water tonite ;p Hmmmm...tht reminds me I should do my "white" laundry tonite to avoid the muddy looking dirt on the cleaned laundry especially when the water supply just comes on back...

Sabah Fest 2008

For more details click here.

Let's get healthy!!

I got this email from our HR last week and I absolutely encourage all of you to please go enjoy the F R E E health check opportunity. If you're thinking of doing a lasik surgery, the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC) is having special offers too! Not forgetting the F R E E educational health talk.

More details :

SMC is organizing a “World Health Week” starting from 3rd – 5th April 2008 at SMC’s Ground Floor Lobby.

Do not miss the opportunity to enjoy various offers such as :-

Free Health Check ( 9 am – 4 pm daily )

• Body Basal Metabolic Index
• Blood Pressure
• Blood Sugar
• Vision

Lasik Special Offer

• Offer 1 : Lasik for 1 pax (both eyes) @ RM 4,250.00 (15% off)
• Offer 2 : Lasik for 2 pax (both eyes) @ RM 4,000.00 (20% off) #
• Offer 3 : Lasik for 3 pax (both eyes) @ RM 3,750.00 (25% off) #
• Offer 4 : Lasik for > 3 pax (both eyes) @ RM 3,500.00 (30% off) #
  
  P/S Offers expires 30th April 2008
  # FOC on Eye Examination worth RM 100 and one (1) RM 150 Blood Screening Voucher each

SMC would also be conducting an Educational Health Talk as follows :-

Date : 5th April 2008 (Saturday)
Time : 10 am – 11:30 am
Venue : Auditorium of SMC, Lorong Bersatu, Off Jalan Damai, Luyang
Speaker(s):

:Dr. Kunaseegaran Ragavanaidu, Consultant Histopathologist
Talk Topic : Laboratory Role in Early Detection of Diseases

: Dr. Timothy William, Consultant Physician, Infectious Diseases
Talk Topic : Staying Healthy While You Travel; A Primer for Corporate Travelers

: Dr. Helen B. Lasimbang, Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecologist
Talk Topic : Safe Pregnancy

: Dr. Terrence Thomas, Consultant Paediatrics Neurologist
Talk Topic : Newborn Screening; Giving the BEST to your Child

: Light Refreshments will be served

: Free Admission

: For confirmation of attendance, you may email customerservice@smckk.org.my before 28th March 2008.

Should you need more details, you may contact the Customer Service at 088 – 322 196/ 322 197 or email customerservice@smckk.org.my

Will I be going? Well, our company is offering free medcial health screening for all confirmed staff at SMC too. So I guess I'm grateful that we'll be able to enjoy a bigger slice of the cake hee...

Oh...since we're on the topic of being healthy, I got another FREE health screening info i.e. FREE Bone Density Checking by Natural Green House in City Mall only on the 1st & 2nd April!!

If you're wondering, nope, am not being paid for this post, I'm just spreading the good health news around coz World Health Week is just round the corner!! ;p

AirAsia is back with its free seats!!

Yes folks! The free seats offered by AirAsia is back in town!! So quick, grab a seat or two or even more if you've been waiting for it for your next holiday trips as the offer is for the first 300,000 early birds only!! This info is pretty fresh from the oven as my yahoo email shows that the news came in at 1am this morning.... so quick wait no more people!!

Booking Period: 29 Jan 2008 - 3 Feb 2008
Travel Period: 26 Feb 2008 - 15 May 2oo8

As for me, I will have to wait till hubby is awake (it's only 5.51am now...) and ask him if we should make any booking or shall we wait till Ethan is a bit older before we plan for a family break...hmmm...most likely the answer would be "let's wait a bit longer.." Oh well, if we can't, I do hope you'll be able to get a seat or two....I'll keep my fingers crossed for all of you okay :) Ok, got to check on lil' E now :)

Is your child materialistic??

As I was scanning The Star Online this morning, I came across this interesting news article on a study to examine whether child materialism is linked to self esteem. According to the study, there seem to be direct relationships between the two i.e. if you have a low self-esteem child, the probability for him/her to be more materialistic is higher. This seems to be more apparent for those between the age of 12-13. The rationale behind this was said due to these teenagers trying to make up for all the frustrations that they face during that stage of their life. However, one of the researcher did mentioned that "...giving children positive signals from their peers can boost their self-esteem and lower levels of materialism. "

I do hope my baby will not grow up to be a materialistic child as not only can it put a big hole in our pockets, it would not teach him to appreciate things around him later in life too. Hmmm...do you think buying branded stuff for him will influence him to be materialistic in the future? Oh btw, here's the news in full.

November 30, 2007
MYT 3:00:44 AM

Child materialism linked to self-esteem - study By Kristina Cooke

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - How much children focus on having the latest gadgets and designer gear may have more to do with their self-esteem than peer pressure, targeted marketing or bad parenting, researchers said.

In two studies reported in the Journal of Consumer Research, they found that materialism spikes in early adolescence and declines by the end of high school, mirroring the years children are most prone to teen angst.

Between the ages of 12 and 13 children try to compensate for low self-esteem through material goods that they think will make themselves feel better, or that they think will raise their status among their peers.

"While peers and marketing can certainly influence teens, materialism is directly connected to self-esteem," said Professor Deborah Roedder John of the University of Minnesota.

"As parents, if we understand that, it helps us cope with the frustrating experience of having a 12, 13 or 14 year-old who is always asking us to buy them expensive clothes, and expensive computer equipment," she added in a media interview.

John and co-researcher Lan Nguyen Chaplin also showed that giving children positive signals from their peers can boost their self-esteem and lower levels of materialism.

They brought the children together in a summer camp setting and asked them to write down positive adjectives about their peers, such as "smart" or "fun". When the 12 and 13 year-olds read the pleasing descriptions of themselves, it drastically reduced the high levels of materialism.

John and Chaplin measured self-esteem by asking the children to rank to what extent they felt phrases such as "I feel good about myself", or "I'm just as good as anyone else" applied to them.

To find out how materialistic a child was, the researchers asked them to make up a collage to answer the question "What makes me happy."

The children that chose more material goods such as money or brand names over sentiments such as being with friends or no homework were seen as having higher levels of materialism.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters

U.S. consumer group flags more toys with lead

Last month I posted a news article about Thomas & Friend toys being recalled. Today, my hubby forwarded me another news about recalled toys - read the news below. If you're wondering why is high levels of lead in toys dangerous? It is unsafe because it may cause brain damage in children. So beware when buying toys for your children especially during this upcoming X'mas season, stay away from those mentioned in the news below and those listed in my previous post. I shall avoid toys made in China for now. Better be safe than sorry...BTW, the soft toy (Ethan's hehe..) on the left are not being recalled ya...just added as a decor on my posting here ;p

Reuters

Mon Oct 29, 5:50 PM ET

Dishes, toys, jewelry and backpacks that have not yet been recalled all carry "worrisome" levels of lead, the nonprofit Consumers Union said on Monday.

The group's Consumer Reports magazine staff recommended that people immediately stop using some of the products tested.

"Our lab tests detected lead at widely varying levels in samples of dishware, jewelry, glue stick caps, vinyl backpacks, children's ceramic tea sets and other toys and items not on any federal recall list," the group wrote in a magazine report.

It said the items were not included in recent recalls. Last week the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 665,000 products, including Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Boats from Mattel Inc's Fisher-Price division.

More than 20 million toys made in China have been recalled worldwide over the past four months due to potentially dangerous levels of lead and hazards posed by small magnets that can be swallowed.

Retailers and manufacturers have stepped up product testing, as high levels of lead can cause brain damage in children.

"We screened products from stores and consumers' homes in the New York metropolitan area using home lead testing kits and an X-ray fluorescence analyzer," the magazine article reads.

Consumers Union said some of the products it tested included a Fisher-Price blood pressure cuff from a toy medical kit, caps from seven Elmer's Glue Sticks and some duck-shaped backpacks.

"We detected the highest concentration of total lead, more than 10,000 parts per million, in a cuff that a child had regularly played with for the past two years," the group wrote.
The caps were on glue sticks decorated with cartoon characters and were all orange colored, the group added.

"What we envision is that a child will pull the cap off with their teeth will potentially chew on it," Donald Mays, who heads product safety planning for the group, said in a telephone interview.

Mays said the group used commercially available home lead testing kits.
"Any time that we saw a positive result with these kits and did more scientific testing for lead, we confirmed the presence of lead," he said.

The group said it also found lead in products that were unlikely to leach lead, even when chewed on by children, which raised less concern.

"There is no federal standard for lead in plastics, but the amount of lead detected in the glue stick caps was more than three times the 600 parts per million allowable for paint in the United States," the article reads.

"If you own those items, Consumers Union recommends that you remove them from use."

Toy Recalls: Thomas & Friend Now

Only yesterday I was talking about baby toys and today in the paper, again, I read about recalls on China made products...and this time around they are recalling toys made in China... what has become of China's products...don't they realise that they are jeopardising their economy and not forgetting people's lives!!?? So many things from food, children clothings to now toys are being recalled...tsk tsk tsk...so parents, beware of China products...I think I should start "Say No to China Products" in my own home.... hmmmm...Anyway, do read the news below..

The Star Online

Thursday September 27, 2007MYT 9:06:44 AM

WASHINGTON: Dangerous levels of lead in more toys and children's necklaces made in China are being recalled, including five more items from the popular Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line.

RC2 Corp's "Knights of the Sword'' series toys and some of its Thomas and Friends items, along with floor puppet theatres and gardening tools and chairs for children, were among the more than 601,000 toys and children's jewellery announced in the recall by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov).

The recalled toys contain high levels of lead in their surface paint, and the necklaces and jewellery sets contain excessive lead in some of their metal parts.
Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06% lead accessible to users are subject to a recall. The US Government warned parents to make sure children are not playing or using any of the recalled products.

"I don't think consumers have seen the end to lead paint recalls,'' said Julie Vallese, a spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

"There's been a very concentrated, concerted effort by both the CPSC and the industry to do a top-to-bottom investigation of the products to make sure they are not in violation with any toy safety standards,'' said Vallese. "Today's recall is a result of that work.''

The recalls include:

• About 23,500 more necklaces, bracelets and pendants imported by TOBY N.Y.C. of New York. This expands the company's recall of jewellery sets announced on Aug 22.
  About 850 children's Spinning Wheel Necklace necklaces, produced by a company in the state of Rhode Island.
  
• Happy Giddy Gardening Tools and Children's Sunny Patch Chairs, imported by Target Corp, a major US general merchandise chain of stores. The recall involves 350,000 of the toys. The gardening tools and chairs were manufactured by Starite International Ltd of Taiwan.
  
• About 200,000 Thomas & Friends Wood Railway Toys and 800 Britain's "Knights of the Sword'' series toys, distributed by RC2 Corp.
  
• About 16,000 children's toy rakes imported by Jo-Ann Stores Inc.
  
• An estimated 10,000 Floor Puppet Theaters produced by Guidecraft Inc. The recalled puppet theatres, each with a chalkboard surface on the front and coloured side panels, were sold in the US in speciality toy stores, gift shops, catalogues and websites. - AP