Guest Writer

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Facts – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

February 5, 2012 by Guest Writer 24 Comments

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common medical problems in the world. It affects up to 20 percent of the population of the United States, and far more women suffer from it than men. Currently, 55 million Americans suffer from IBS.

This article is going to take a look at the symptoms, causes and treatment of IBS.

Before we start, it’s vital to point out that IBS cannot be self-diagnosed. There are many, many medical problems that can cause bowel symptoms, and IBS is just one of them. If you’re reading this and suffering from gastrointestinal problems, then you need to see a doctor – no exceptions!

How to Freeze Organic Baby Food

January 28, 2012 by Guest Writer 4 Comments

When breastfeeding stops and your baby is ready to move on to solids, you begin to pine for those good old days when “preparing” a meal for your kid was as easy as placing him or her gently on your bosom.

Unfortunately, breast milk is not enough anymore and soon enough, baby is ready for fruits and vegetables, and very soon after that, meat. The choice then becomes: buy food in a jar or prepare it yourself. While most prefer making baby food themselves, the problem is, in many households where both parents are working, cooking healthy and ideally organic meats and vegetables requires time that most don’t have.
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Helping Your Baby Move from Breastfeeding to Bottlefeeding

January 23, 2012 by Guest Writer 5 Comments

When you begin looking at using a bottle with your baby, you immediately think that you will have to give your baby formula, which many mothers would rather not do. That’s understandable. But using a bottle does not mean your baby will not be getting that nutritional breast milk.

Pregnant and in Prison: Shackling Pregnant Inmates During Labor and Delivery

January 21, 2012 by Guest Writer Leave a Comment

One of the biggest hurdles pregnant women in jail have had to face is securing the right to have a dignified labor and childbirth process. Most have to endure grueling pain while exposed in a room with a law enforcement escort and with their legs shackled together – even as the newborn was exiting the birth canal.

Currently, 13 states outlaw the practice of shackling pregnant state prisoners. Federal law already prohibits prisons from doing this to women inmates. Thirteen other states have introduced bills to ban the practice, as well. Those states include California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

Unique Baby Names: Are They Harmful?

January 20, 2012 by Guest Writer 1 Comment

When hip-hop royalty couple Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z gave birth to their new baby girl earlier this month (January 2012), only a slight few were surprised when the couple gave their daughter a “unique” princess-worthy name—Blue Ivy. While some scoffed that her name sounded like a new strain of marijuana, others congratulated the couple for choosing a name that was so personable to them. In fact, many non-celebrity parents have begun following suit and are now donning their newborns with non-traditional names too. But will straying away from the baby books potentially cause havoc on your child’s self-esteem and success rate later on in life? Some researchers believe so.

In a 2010 study, British researchers evaluated more than 3,000 parents who had either given their child a unique name, unique spelling, or gave their child a “unisex” name such as Taylor, Ashley, or Bailey. What researchers found were pretty astonishing—20% of surveyed parents wish they could change their child’s name. Why? They found out a little too late that a name is someone’s identifier and can cause several consequences for them later on in life. To learn how, continue reading below.

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Bottlefeeding Basics: How to Choose and Prepare Formula

January 17, 2012 by Guest Writer 1 Comment

If you’re a new mommy who’s decided, for whatever reason, not to breastfeed your baby, you can rest assured that bottle feeding your baby is the only safe alternative to nourish your baby. Although most baby formulas on the market are made with cow’s milk, formula is not the same as straight cow’s milk. All infant formulas include added enzymes, vitamins, and fats – which aren’t included in cow’s milk. For this reason, experts do not recommend that you ever feed your baby cow’s milk until he or she is over one year old.

There are a variety of different cow milk formulas on store shelves; all of these have similar nutritional value and quality. Some of the more expensive formulas may include special ingredients, but overall, there is no significant evidence that these formulas are better than others. You may have noticed that your hospital used a particular brand of infant formula, but this doesn’t mean that this brand isn’t the best.
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