According to UK experts from Bath University the secret to a happy marriage for men is choosing a wife who is smarter and at least five years younger than you. They claim that they are more likely to go the distance, particularly if neither has been divorced in the past. The research involved studying interviews of more than 1,500 couples who were married or in a serious relationship then 5 years later they followed up 1,000 of the couples to see which had lasted
They found that couples where the woman was younger were three times more likely to go the distance and that couples where only one of them had been divorced before were the least stable. Having said this society has started seeing factors such as age as less important when choosing a partner. In the past it was thought that the man had to be older in order to provide for his family. So basically it would seem that the facts havent really changed just the reasoning that accompanies them.
Cradle cap is the name given to the yellowish, greasy scaly patches that appear on the scalp of young babies. It is a very common, harmless condition that does not usually itch or cause any discomfort.It usually begins in babies during the first three months and tends to last a few weeks or months. It normally clears up by the time the child is two years old, although in rare cases children can have cradle cap for a lot longer. The exact cause of cradle cap in unclear, although it is thought that it could be caused by overactive sebaceous glands.
Symptoms of cradle cap include:
- greasy yellow patches on the scalp,
- the affected skin area appearing red
- scales and flakes on the scalp,
- yellow crusts on the scalp.
There is a possibility that the child will have hair loss when the patch falls off or is removed. It is important not to scratch or pick at the cradle cap, in case an infection develops. It usually starts on the scalp and can spread behind the ears. The patches may appear on other parts of the baby’s body, such as the nappy area (groin), the nose, armpits or backs of the knees. In this case, the condition is called seborrhoeic eczema (dermatitis), rather than cradle cap.
Cradle cap normally requires no specific treatment, although gently washing the baby’s hair and scalp may prevent a build-up of the scale. To help to loosen the crust, massage a small amount of olive oil into the scalp at night. This will help to soften the patchy scales. In the morning, using a soft baby brush or cloth, gently remove any loose particles, and then wash the hair with a baby shampoo.
If this does not work then try a mild shampoo but be careful with baby’s eyes as these shampoos are stronger than baby shampoo. If the cradle cap becomes inflamed or infected, a course of antibiotics or an antifungal cream or shampoo, such as ketoconazole, may be prescribed by a doctor. A mild steroid cream such as hydrocortisone may be recommended for an inflamed rash.
If the cradle cap does not improve with treatment, or the baby has seborrhoeic dermatitis on the face or body, speak to your health visitor or GP for advice
According to the University of London, the number of Down’s syndrome pregnancies has risen by more than 70% over the last 20 years. These statistics reflect the growing number of older women becoming pregnant, when there is a higher risk. An increase in the number of subsequent abortions and more antenatal diagnoses means slightly fewer children are being born with Down’s syndrome.
The number of Down’s syndrome pregnancies rose from 1,075 diagnoses in 1990 to 1,843 by 2008 in England and Wales. Despite this the number of Down’s pregnancies, the number of babies with Down’s syndrome has fallen by 1%, from 752 to 743. According to the study this is because improved antenatal screening means more Down’s pregnancies are being spotted and more abortions are taking place. Without the improved screening, the number of babies born with Down’s would have risen by 48%.
So what is Down’s syndrome?
A genetic disorder named after the British physician John Langdon Down, who identified it in 1866.
Inhibits the ability to learn and develop mentally.
About 60,000 people have Down’s syndrome in the UK.
Joan Morris, professor of medical statistics at Queen Mary, led the research and she said: “What we’re seeing here is a steep rise in pregnancies with Down’s syndrome but that is being offset by improvements in screening. Doctors told Natasha and Eddie Batha that there was a one-in-170 chance that their daughter Mia, who is now three, would be born with the condition, when it was discovered that Mia did have the condition they realised that it was not as bad as they had feared.
People seem to forget that there is a person behind the label who is just a little bit different, in some cases unless you were told a person has a specific condition you wouldn’t know. It would seem that if people were better informed about things like this then there may be fewer terminations because mothers are led to believe that if their child is diagnosed with something then it is the worst thing ever.
Research has suggested that a drug used to treat cancer can stop contractions and may prevent premature labour. This research was carried out by a team from Newcastle University, they tested the drug Trichostatin A on tissue taken from 36 women undergoing a caesarean. They claim that it worked by increasing the levels of a protein that controls muscle relaxation.
Preterm labour and birth is the single biggest cause of death in infants in the developed world, around 1,500 babies die in the UK every year. There are a number of drugs which are used to attempt to stop early labour but research has shown them to have serious side effects.
The researchers got permission to take samples of the muscles of women undergoing caesarean sections at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. They exposed the muscle to TSA, a dfrug used to treat cancer, and measured the effects on both spontaneous contractions and those induced by the labour drug, oxytocin.
They recorded an average 46% reduction in contractions for the spontaneously contracting tissue and an average 54% reduction in the oxytocin induced contractions.
Professor Jane Norman, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG), said: “At the moment, it’s not possible to treat preterm labour effectively. We only have drugs that delay it by 24 hours or so – not enough to deliver the baby safely. There are experts who say that until doctors understand the cause of premature labour there is no way to develop a successful a treatment.
Of course as with any research there are those who feel that premature labour and birth can’t be or shouldn’t be prevented as the body has started labour early for a reason therefore doctors shouldn’t mess with nature. However mothers who have lost a baby because they were born prematurely would disagree and would claim that their child’s life should have been saved.
Children’s Secretary Ed Balls says that inspectors should not interfere in private arrangements between friends looking after each other’s children.
As you are all aware of the recent case where 2 policewomen who were told that helping each other with babysitting was illegal if they were not registered.
To clarify reciprocal childcare arrangements between parents where there is no payment involved are not a matter for regulation. Mr Balls says that he has now asked Ofsted not to interpret these rules as applying to arrangements which have no “financial reward” and are for “mutual aid”. “When parents make their own reciprocal childcare arrangements with friends they retain full control and responsibility for the care their children receive
To be honest this whole drama seems a bit mad. Who parents leave their children with is up to them and when friends help each other out they should not be penalised for this. The way I see it the way this government is going people are going to end up to scared to help each other and so society will become divided. Which can’t be a good thing,
American researchers have found that children can be taught to use their imagination to tackle frequent bouts of abdominal pain. It is thought that the technique works particularly well due to their fertile imaginations. The research suggests that 1 in 5 children suffer with frquent abdominal pain with no identifiable cause. There were 30 children aged between 6 and 15 in the study half had 20 minute sessions of “guided imagery” this is where the patient is prompted to imagine things which will reduce their discomfort. The other half had the mainstream care.
It is thought that the treatment is very positive because it is inexpensive and is able to be self administered, which potentially opens the door for easily enhancing treatment outcomes for a lot of children sufering from frequent stomach aches.
This technique is an amazing breakthrough because this means that children can be treated by other means instead of drugs which is definately a positive. Also it means that more children can be treated without massive waiting lists which can be a definate plus for the NHS and the parents of the children who are suffering from abdominal pain and there is nothing they can do
Unfortunately there is very little information aimed at children that explains the various conditions. I’ve found that the best approach is to wait until your child brings it up, then answer their questions honestly but try to keep the information simple and concise otherwise you may succeed in scaring your child or just confusing them due to information overload.
The reason I suggest leaving it till your child brings it up is:
Police in Barnsley have criticised parents for consuming alcohol when dropping off and collecting their children from school. Councillors and police are discussing banning drinking in the street. One of the worst areas is around Doncaster Road Primary.
In America the majority of cities have laws in place making it illegal to comsume alcohol in the street. Personally I think that any person who consumes alcohol around schools or tries to take care of a child whilst under the influence of alcohol is irresponsible. I’m not saying that parents shouldn’t be allowed an occasional drink but if you are drunk whilst caring for your child or anyone elses you are putting them at risk. This is common sense so why do we need laws making it illegal to drink in public?
On Saturday 26th September a trial began involving 1,000 children to test two swine flu vaccines before the launch of a UK vaccination. The information is limited but the trial will allow the experts to observe immune reactions and any side effects which may occur.
The children participating in this trial are aged between six months and 12 years from Oxford, Southampton, London, Bristol and Devon. Participation in the trial is voluntary and consenting parents were be briefed on the risks. The children are given two doses of the vaccine three weeks apart, then a blood test three weeks after that.
The aim of the trial is to find out if one of the vaccines is better than the other in terms of immune reactions. They also want to ensure that the side effects are minimal before launching the UK vaccination programme.
One of the main problems the study seems to be having is recruiting enough children under the age of three, getting older children didn’t seem to be a problem just the younger ones, Doctor Saul Faust suggests that the younger children don’t usually respond to vaccines as well as adults and older children but says that they need to find out how the younger children respond before the vaccine becomes available to the UK. This could be because the younger children are deemed to be one of the high risk groups because young children, especially those that are under five, do seem to be at risk of serious illness. Also flu epidemics and pandemics are spread very efficiently by children.
The Department of Health has said that they will have enough vaccine for half of the population by the end of the year and that the high risk groups which are medical staff, the elderly and the very young will be immunised first.
Any parent knows that there will come a point when your child asks questions about topics such as periods or where baby’s come from. Answering these questions is easy enough if you are having the discussion with a child just starting puberty but when they are asked by a younger child they are not so easy. So how do you answer them?
Well when my 2 year old wandered into the bathroom whilst I was putting a sanitary towel in my underwear and asked what I was doing I told her that I had to put a special pad in my underwear. To which her response was: “why?” So I told her that it was something ladies had to do sometimes. I thought that I had got off lightly until my daughter decided to look in the toilet whilst I was pulling up my trousers and got very upset to see blood in the toilet. So I explained that it was ok and nothing to worry about, and that it was what happened to ladies when they hadn’t got a baby in their tummy. She asked if that was what the pad was for so I said yes. She accepted this answer then went off to play with her toys.
I know that some people will disagree with me for giving my daughter this much information given the fact that she is two but I believe that the best way is to be honest with your child. Obviously the amount of information you give them is up to you but I simply gave my daughter enough information to answer her question in a simple format that she could understand.
I personally find it easier to be honest with my daughter because if you lie you have to remember what you told them as they remember. Also if take the other approach and try and hide it one of two things will usually happen either their curiosity will mean that they will try to find out what you are hiding, or if they have a problem or something like managing periods when they are older, they may try to hide it themselves, be embarassed and not know how to handle it.
Due to alot of the media hype about child abuse some parents are too frightened to discuss issues such as periods, in case the child repeats what they have been told and the parents get accused of sexually abusing the child. Pregnancy never really causes too many problems explaining unless the child asks how the baby got into your tummy; to see how I explained pregnancy to my daughter see: Pregnancy and other Children.
As I have already said how much you tell your child is up to you but I would definately say that honesty is the way to go. Just make sure that you explain it in a way that they can understand, also don’t worry about what people will say as if anyone asks you can tell them what happened, chances are you are not the only person in this situation and they are also wondering how to handle the situation, because not many people will openly say; “how do you explain …….to a ….year old?” mainly because they are worried about what people will say or think.