Innholdsfortegnelse for August - September 2022 i Your Pregnancy & Baby

Before having children, I would get very angry if anyone dared suggest that hormones were somehow in charge of my emotions or decisions or abilities, especially if it was a man who had ventured such an opinion out loud. My big brother once teased that I was slower than him on my bicycle because of female hormones. We were training together to do the Argus, along with my boyfriend (now husband). It turned out he had just put slicks on his bike, and I still had my knobbly tyres on, so my relative lack of speed had absolutely nothing to do with hormones. I got slicks the next week and things evened out. We finished together. It was only decades later that I realised he’d been holding back on the…

WIN 1 OF 8 OH-LIEF ESSENTIALS HAMPERS WORTH R825 EACH! Oh-lief essentials are grouped conveniently for everyday use in your nursery, or as a baby shower gift or bulk savings buy. The hamper includes Natural Aqueous Cream (250ml), Natural Olive Bum Balm (100ml), Natural Olive Baby Balm (100ml), Natural Olive Outdoor Balm (100ml), Pregnancy Balm (100ml), Shampoo & Baby Wash (400ml), and a value pack of 192 Biodegradable Bamboo Baby Wipes. To enter, send a hi-res image of your child with a parent, other carer or sibling to sharing@ypbmagazine.com.…

It’s less unusual, than in the time of our moms at least, to let some time pass – to live life kids-free for a bit, or become established in our careers – before having children. This has meant though that fertility experts are in demand to help us achieve our dreams of having babies in the mid-life. But even the best fertility expert can only do so much, and the idea that age is just a number is, unfortunately, not true. WHEN ARE WE MOST FERTILE? Between the ages of 18 and 32, you’re at your optimum fertility, explains Joburg-based specialist gynaecologist and fertility expert Dr Chris Venter of Vitalab. From 32 to about 37 or 38, there’s a gradual decline. After 38 there’s a steep decline in fertility, and…

According to Hettie Britz, writer of Cultivate Children with Character, the basic values with which a child is raised become the “files” in which all important life lessons will be stored for the rest of her life. This is the foundation for your child’s thinking, prioritisation, decision-making and actions. It’s your job as a parent to consciously provide your child with the right files. In his book The Strong-Willed Child, James Dobson states that if we want our children to be honest and unselfish, encouraging these characteristics should form part of their earliest lessons. Values are not just a set of rules a child has to obey. Hettie defines values as “the position of priority you give people and things in your life, after you have learnt how much time,…

One of the first things you probably did when you found out you were pregnant was to take a good look at your diet to make sure you’re getting enough nutrients for the two of you. Yes, having a healthy baby starts with having a healthy mom. Ensuring you take in enough folic acid is part of this. WHAT IS FOLIC ACID? “Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin; it’s a vital component of DNA and is used to make red blood cells. Folic acid functions in areas that are important for proper foetal growth, as it’s needed for each cell to replicate properly,” explains Joburg-based dietitian Nathalie Mat. “Folic acid requirements are especially important in the first four weeks of pregnancy, during which time the neural tube (the spine) closes.…

OUR EXPERT Email your question for our experts to: sharing@ypbmagazine.com Please note that experts unfortunately cannot respond to each question personally. The answers provided on these pages should not replace the advice of your doctor. Q I’m 29 years old and 13 weeks pregnant. I hear people saying that after 12 weeks, you enter the honeymoon trimester where most of the niggles of the first trimester disappear. I have been suffering from nausea and not eating since I was seven weeks pregnant. I can only manage to eat plums and pears. My doctor gave me some pills, but they did not help. Is it normal at 13 weeks to still feel like this? A TINA ANSWERS: I am so sorry to hear that you are still feeling ill. Although many…

PUTYOUR NESTING INSTINCTS TO GOOD USE ■ Women have reported throwing away all their sheets and towels because they felt the urge to have brand-new ones. TRY INSTEAD Kit out your baby and yourself. Make sure you’ve got all the newborn essentials: onesies, booties, plenty of nappies and bum cream, baby soap or aqueous cream, cotton pads and nail clippers. And for you, buy nursing bras, nursing pads and easy-open shirts, soft, breathable, oversized underwear, and plenty of super-absorbent maxi pads. ■ One woman said she removed all the handles on her kitchen cupboards, just so that she could disinfect the screws. TRY INSTEAD Do all the laundry in your home that doesn’t get washed regularly, such as duvet covers, throw rugs, removable sofa covers, spare towels and spare linen,…

Having your baby prodded and poked by a doctor or midwife after his birth may not be your ideal for him, when all you want to do is have him close. However, it is vital to your baby’s health – and knowing what to expect will help ease any fears you may have. WITHIN MINUTES OF BIRTH APGAR CHECK This is done 1 minute, 5 minutes and 10 minutes after birth. The Apgar tests were developed by American Dr Virginia Apgar in the 1950s to help doctors and nurses assess the condition of a newborn. It looks at five important health indicators: APPEARANCE OF SKIN Assessing whether your baby’s skin is pale or blue. A healthy pink colour denotes he is getting enough oxygen. PULSE Determining if the heartbeat is strong and…

Hygiene is of the utmost importance when preparing your baby’s food. Your baby’s immune system is still developing, leaving him vulnerable to germs and illness. Nowhere is exposure to germs easier than through your baby’s digestive system. Recent studies by an international forum on home hygiene found that the kitchen often harbours more germs than the bathroom. NEWBORN If you are bottle-feeding, your baby’s bottles and teats will need to be sterilised. Sterilisation reduces the risk of your baby getting any bacterial, viral or parasitic infections. Before sterilising, wash the bottles thoroughly in warm soapy water to get rid of any milk residue. Also run water through each teat, and ensure that there are no cracks in the teats or bottles where bacteria can settle. An electric steam sterilising unit…

OUR EXPERT Email your question for our experts to: sharing@ypbmagazine.com Please note that experts unfortunately cannot respond to each question personally. The answers provided on these pages should not replace the advice of your doctor. Q We have a new baby, and our 3-year-old is not taking it well. We did try to prepare her, and we also tried to keep everything else in her life as stable as possible, but it has been four months already, and she shows no signs of accepting her little sister. She has started slapping me in the face every so often, ignores the baby and has regressed quite a bit. Sometimes she even wets her pants absolutely on purpose to annoy me as she was completely potty trained long ago. I just don’t…

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Change. A single word that provokes an array of emotions and actions. Change is a constant in life. To survive, we need to learn to adapt, to draw the lessons out of the good and bad that come our way. As adults, we have been through the roller-coaster of life, but what happens when life-changing moments, such as death of a loved one or the decision to get divorced, need to be shared with your young child? Often you have to dig deep to find the courage to broach these topics with your little one. Your emotions may be numb, running wild or simply overwhelming. So how do you do it? What do you say? To start, you need to accept that there is simply no way around it. You…

And so, your child learns 1 HONESTY “One should make it easy and rewarding for a child to tell the truth,” Hettie says. Set a rule that when your child comes to you voluntarily to report damage, a mess or something she has lost, there will be no punishment, just repair. But, if she is caught telling a lie, punishment will be meted out. Hettie says that children should personally experience the fact that the truth sets them free, otherwise they learn to use lies as the path of least resistance. 2 RESPONSIBILITY “A sense of responsibility develops in stages; 2-year-olds can already help with little chores but definitely can’t remember to do them without being reminded and helped. We must have realistic expectations,” Hettie says. The secrets to instilling this…

OUR EXPERT Email your question for our experts to: sharing@ypbmagazine.com Please note that experts unfortunately cannot respond to each question personally. The answers provided on these pages should not replace the advice of your doctor. Q I’m an older mom – pregnant at 42! – and I have some questions about collagen. I’ve been taking it for a few years now in powder form mixed with my coffee. I believe it is good for my skin, and I know many older people take it for their joints too. Can I continue to take it during my pregnancy? I was taking it for wrinkles and sagging, but now of course I’m also concerned about stretch marks and pigmentation, and I hope the collagen can help. I have a friend who just…

Pregnant women really bring out the interfering worry mongers in people. If you so much as lift a ham sandwich to your lips, someone is ready to snatch it away, shouting about listeria. Why the fuss? This is what Joburg registered dietitian Leigh-Ann Silber has to say: “When you fall pregnant, your immune system changes, so that it can protect both you and your developing baby. Some parts of your immune system are enhanced, while others are suppressed. “This creates a balance that can protect your growing baby from infections and keep you healthy at the same time. However, this puts you at greater risk of contracting food-borne illnesses. For example, pregnant women are 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to develop listeriosis. The developing baby is at…

1 THE MASK OF PREGNANCY PREVENTION OPTIONS Unfortunately, there’s no way of preventing this from forming (it occurs in as much as 75 percent of pregnancies), and numerous topical treatments contain ingredients that are contraindicated during pregnancy. “Sunscreen is still the best topical application for reducing the effects of pigment formation and, if possible, the sun should be avoided as much as possible,” says Cape Town based Dr Alek Nikolic, founder of skinmiles.com. “It is primarily caused by hormonal changes, which have a direct effect in increasing melanin (pigment) production in the skin. Previous sun damage – all those years hanging at the beach! – also becomes more visible due to the increased melanin production. “Occasionally, we see excessive new production leading to melasma: chloasma gravidarum, or the mask of pregnancy.…

OUR EXPERT Email your question for our experts to: sharing@ypbmagazine.com Please note that experts unfortunately cannot respond to each question personally. The answers provided on these pages should not replace the advice of your doctor. Q I’m halfway through my pregnancy, and my vision has gradually become a bit blurry. This isn’t a side effect I’ve read about before. Is it normal, or should I just go and get new glasses? A RAKSHA ANSWERS: Vision changes can be a surprise during pregnancy. The hormonal and physical changes that come with pregnancy can affect your eyesight – but most issues are usually minor and temporary, and your sight should return to normal after your baby is born. However, any sudden change in vision that is obviously noticeable to you at any stage…

FEELINGS FIRST Leaving your baby behind to go to work can be an emotional and difficult time. It’s natural to want to be with your small baby, and feelings of guilt at leaving her in the care of someone else can be overwhelming, says psychologist Dr Janne Dannerup. “On the other hand, some women who come to me for therapy feel an equal sense of guilt for wishing to rather be with their child than contribute to the family’s economy,” she continues. According to Dr Dannerup, many of us feel distressed when our baby reaches a new milestone in the care of another. We're also likely to acknowledge a substantial shift in our values, where things that were important to us before the baby’s birth are no longer of value.…

OUR EXPERTS Email your question for our experts to: sharing@ypbmagazine.com Please note that experts unfortunately cannot respond to each question personally. The answers provided on these pages should not replace the advice of your doctor. Can I breastfeed? Q My baby is due very soon. I am HIV positive. I want to do what is best for my baby. I would like to breastfeed, but I’m finding a lot of conflicting advice on whether I should or not. Please help me. Should I breastfeed? A LINDSAY SAYS: Congratulations on your impending arrival! Understandably, you’ll want the best for your baby, so it’s fantastic that you want to breastfeed. Before you decide whether it will be right for yourself and your baby, you’ll need to consider the following information. Breast milk does…

1. Sign up for the newsletter ”Stories for Everyone”, and every week you’ll get an email in your inbox with a free PDF version of an illustrated story. You can print your favourites, of course, or let your child sit on your lap at your computer and read them with you. The stories typically focus on respect for nature, tolerance, tenderness, responsibility and solidarity. They all aim at developing reading skills, as well as allowing some moments of reflection and dialogue about topics connected with human values. Send an email to afi@storiesforeveryone.com or stories4ev@gmail.com to sign up. 2. Make it a habit to check out the Book Dash website on a regular basis. New books are released after their book creation events. They are on the website, free for all…

1 SET LIMITATIONS Only allow your toddler to watch one educational programme a day. Encourage him to play outside, running and jumping. Put some music on for him to dance to, or get some playdough or fingerpaints out that he can play with instead of watching TV. 2 MONITOR THE VIEWING Sit with your toddler while he’s watching TV instead of just using it as a distraction while you get a few other things done. Be available to him so that he can ask you questions about the programme and join in during the physical part of the show – encouraging him to dance, sing and clap along rather than just sitting on the couch. 3 MODEL BEHAVIOUR Children model their own behaviour and habits on that of their parents,…

We should all learn a few simple lessons about money. It’s finite. If you borrow, you’ll have to pay it back. There’s no such thing as a sure bet. If you can’t afford it, you’re better off not buying it. When you put it that way, these are lessons that young children could learn – and benefit from. Many of us feel conflicted about teaching our children financial savvy, almost as if there’s something unsavoury about talking about money with or in front of the children. If you feel that way, chances are you were brought up in a family that considered money not a conversation for polite company. But there are sound reasons to talk to your children about money to ensure they grow up with a sensible attitude…

1 The competition will be open for entries from 17 September 2021 to 31 August 2022. No late entries will be accepted. See pages 6 & 7 for closing dates for the category for girls. 2 By entering the competition, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. 3 Participants must be either the parent or legal guardian of the child. The magazines reserve the right to request proof of such relation. If it is proven that there is no relation between the child and the person who sent the photo, that person will indemnify the magazines against any claim from any third party should the child be chosen as a winner. 4 You are automatically entered into both competitions: Your Pregnancy & Baby and Baba & Kleuter. 5…

We love hearing from you. Send your letter to sharing@ypbmagazine.com WIN! Share &win! ONE LETTER WRITER WINS A MAGFORMERS HAMPER WORTH R2 500! CONGRATULATIONS! Magformers are magnetic building sets ideal for little hands. Create 2D and 3D shapes using triangles, squares and circles. Perfect for brain development, critical thinking, stem education and fostering fine and gross motor skills. The magnets never reject, which means no frustration! Go to solarpop.co.za for more information. WINNING LETTER LOVE, NOT GIFTS! I’m a 29-year-old mother of two, a girl of 6 years and a boy who is 2 years old. I work very hard to keep them happy and be like other kids. But in everything I do, I make sure that I give them love and spend time with them, to such an…

Send a clear, good-quality photo to us at sharing@ypbmagazine.com WIN A BABY CITY VOUCHER VALUED AT R380 Send a clear, good-quality, high-resolution photo to sharing@ypbmagazine.com Each photo published receives a R380 Baby City Voucher…

CALLING ALL CREATIVE MOMS Show us your party! Send an email to sharing@ypbmagazine.com and we could feature your baby shower or party on these pages.…

DIVORCE LESSON Change happens. We need to accept the things we cannot change. We can survive change and find happiness. “I felt ashamed. Sad. I didn’t want the fairytale life to end for my children. Overcoming this guilt was the hardest part of telling them,” says Deirdre, mother of two. SO WHERE DO YOU START? ■ WITH YOU You set the parameters, so you need to shape your life to find your calm and real self. You cannot crumble in front of your child. He needs to feel contained. Act on this. For example, use your resources to help you cope. Go for counselling. Allow a family member or friend to cook dinner for you for the week while you gather your strength. You need to find your calm and…

The arrival of a baby often comes with a complete lifestyle overhaul, or at least thoughts or fantasies of a different lifestyle where you can combine the best of both worlds – the world of work, and the world of motherhood. Often, we dream up new ways to earn a living while spending as much time as possible at home with the children. Working from home is frequently seen as the ideal solution – but the pros and cons must be weighed carefully and all options considered before taking the plunge. We speak to two moms who made it work. “I swapped high heels for slippers!” Plettenberg Bay mom Danielle Graham is co-owner of a website design business with her husband Alan. They have a 4-year-old son, Matthew. Originally from…

Vaginal bleeding that occurs in the first trimester is more common than you may realise and most of the time it turns out to be a minor issue. But it’s important to always check in with your caregiver should you be concerned. Statistics show bleeding occurs in 20 to 30 percent of pregnancies. Of that, about 50 percent may end up in a miscarriage. REASONS FOR BLEEDING 1 IMPLANTATION BLEEDING There may be a small amount of blood that escapes from the vagina during normal implantation of the embryo into the uterine wall. It’s commonly referred to as implantation bleeding. Bleeding from an implantation site is very different from the regular bleeding from a full period, which occurs when the entire lining of the uterus (the endometrium) comes away as…

“What are you doing?!” This was the astounded question Manny Ranaka asked his wife, Lerato, when he got home from work one evening to find her standing on a ladder in their bedroom, gluing up wallpaper. Manny’s problem wasn’t with Lerato’s choice of wallpaper design, even though, he admits, “I didn’t even know what wallpaper was until my wife started plastering our bedroom walls with it.” The problem was that Lerato was nine months pregnant. And standing on top of a 2m-high ladder. Lerato admits now that she “went a bit nutty”. “I saw a picture in a décor magazine of a beautiful bedroom that had been wallpapered, and I just went for it. I measured the room, went and bought the wallpaper and glue, and started putting it up.…

Just like your baby’s body and senses develop and respond to the world, so too does his skin. As their skin develops and grows, you may find your baby experiences rashes, or develops spots at some point. Keep these points in mind… AT BIRTH When your baby enters the world, he may be covered in a fine white substance that looks and feels like melted cheese. This is called vernix and is completely normal. During the first bath, the vernix will be washed off, and a snuggly, clean baby handed over to you. You may notice a few white spots on your newborn baby’s face, but these are also no cause for alarm. Called milia, these little white spots will clear up on their own – no special treatment required.…

“Teething can start anything from 6 months and later,” says Joburg-based paediatrician Dr Simon Strachan. “Most children have a tooth by 9 months of age, but I have seen teething delayed to 15 months.” So don’t be worried if your little one hasn’t cut a tooth by 1 year, as Dr Strachan says, “The teeth will come when they’re ready.” THE TEETHING PROCESS OF YOUR BABY’S MILK TEETH 1. CENTRAL INCISORS The first teeth to appear are usually the two bottom teeth, called the central incisors. 2. LATERAL INCISORS About four to eight weeks later, the four front upper teeth, or central and lateral incisors, make an appearance, followed about a month later by the lower lateral incisors. 3. MOLARS Next to appear are the molars, which are the back teeth…

We all want to raise readers, as a love for books is the gateway to a good education. So how do you go about cultivating this interest in your baby, who can’t even understand language yet? Dr Tina Cowley, franchisor of Tina Cowley Reading Centres, says the benefits of reading from a very young age are numerous. “You may wonder just how beneficial it could be to a baby who can’t understand what you’re doing, but for the same reason that you wouldn’t bypass singing lullabies until your baby could carry a tune, you shouldn’t wait to read to her,” she says. FOUNDATION FOR LANGUAGE Reading to your baby teaches her basic communication and helps build her listening skills, memory and vocabulary. Jenny Perkel, clinical psychologist and author of the…

Family life can become quite miserable when your toddler experiences the uncomfortable and distressing allergic reaction known as hay fever. A little knowledge on your side can help manage the condition. 15% to 20% OF THE POPULATION IS PRONE TO ALLERGIES. SOME SCIENCE Liana Horn, a lecturer in pharmacology at North-West University, says that when a child is predisposed to an allergic reaction and comes into contact with a specific allergen (pollen from trees and grasses in the hay fever reaction), his body mistakenly views it as a dangerous foreign invader. “His body churns out antibodies that trigger the release of histamine and other chemicals to fight off the invader. The result is an allergic reaction of hay fever: a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing or wheezing.” Liana says about…