APPERANCE OF MILK-TEETH.

The first set of teeth, or milk-teeth as they are called, are twenty in number; they usually appear in pairs, and those of the lower jaw generally precede the corresponding ones of the upper. The first of the milk-teeth is generally cut about the sixth or seventh month, and the last of the set at various periods from the twentieth to the thirtieth months. Thus the whole period occupied by the first dentition may be estimated at from a year and a half to two years. The process varies, however, in different individuals, both as to its whole duration, and as to the periods and order in which the teeth make their appearance. It is unnecessary, however, to add more upon this point.
Their developement is a natural process. It is too frequently, however, rendered a painful and difficult one, by errors in the management of the regimen and health of the infant, previously to the coming of the teeth, and during the process itself.
Thus, chiefly in consequence of injudicious management, it is made the most critical period of childhood. Not that I believe the extent of mortality fairly traceable to it, is by any means so great as has been stated; for it is rated as high as one sixth of all the children who undergo it. Still, no one doubts that first dentition is frequently a period of great danger to the infant. It therefore becomes a very important question to an anxious and affectionate mother, how the dangers and difficulties of teething can in any degree be diminished, or, if possible, altogether prevented. A few hints upon this subject, then, may be useful. I shall consider, first, the management of the infant, when teething is accomplished without difficulty; and, secondly, the management of the infant when it is attended with difficulty.
Management of the infant when teething is without difficulty.

In the child of a healthy constitution, which has been properly, that is, naturally, fed, upon the milk of its mother alone, the symptoms attending teething will be of the mildest kind, and the management of the infant most simple and easy.
Symptoms:- The symptoms of natural dentition (which this may be fairly called) are, an increased flow of saliva, with swelling and heat of the gums, and occasionally flushing of the cheeks. The child frequently thrusts its fingers, or any thing within its grasp, into its mouth. Its thirst is increased, and it takes the breast more frequently, though, from the tender state of the gums, for shorter periods than usual. It is fretful and restless; and sudden fits of crying and occasional starting from sleep, with a slight tendency to vomiting, and even looseness of the bowels, are not uncommon. Many of these symptoms often precede the appearance of the tooth by several weeks, and indicate that what is called "breeding the teeth" is going on. In such cases, the symptoms disappear in a few days, to recur again when the tooth approaches the surface of the gum.
Treatment:- The management of the infant in this case is very simple, and seldom calls for the interference of the medical attendant. The child ought to be much in the open air, and well exercised: the bowels should be kept freely open with castor oil; and be always gently relaxed at this time. Cold sponging employed daily, and the surface of the body rubbed dry with as rough a flannel as the delicate skin of the child will bear; friction being very useful. The breast should be given often, but not for long at a time; the thirst will thus be allayed, the gums kept moist and relaxed, and their irritation soothed, without the stomach being overloaded. The mother must also carefully attend, at this time, to her own health and diet, and avoid all stimulant food or drinks.
From the moment dentition begins, pressure on the gums will be found to be agreeable to the child, by numbing the sensibility and dulling the pain. For this purpose coral is usually employed, or a piece of orris-root, or scraped liquorice root; a flat ivory ring, however, is far safer and better, for there is no danger of its being thrust into the eyes or nose. Gentle friction of the gums, also, by the finger of the nurse, is pleasing to the infant; and, as it seems to have some effect in allaying irritation, may be frequently resorted to. In France, it is very much the practice to dip the liquorice-root, and other substances, into honey, or powdered sugar-candy; and in Germany, a small bag, containing a mixture of sugar and spices, is given to the infant to suck, whenever it is fretful and uneasy during teething. The constant use, however, of sweet and stimulating ingredients must do injury to the stomach, and renders their employment very objectionable.

CRYING BABY - REASONS.

Introduction:
Crying is a normal event in the lives of all babies.When a baby comes out of the woomb the first thing to do is crying.By the first cry he will take some air in to the lungs for the first time in their life.After delivery if the baby doesnot cry then it should be initiated by slightly pinching or gently strocking the feet.From this it is clear that the healthy baby should cry and it is a normal physiological event ,still some times it can upset the mother or family members.
We all know that a baby can't tell his needs or troubles in words. The only way for him to communicate with others is by crying.Babies show some other signs like feet kicking,hand waving and head turning ect.But the best way to take the attention of others is by crying.
Excessive crying may not have a firm definition because the crying habit changes from baby to baby and some babies can be calmed easily but some are difficult to sooth.If crying is distressing for the mother and home nurse it can be called excessive.Many a times baby become quiet by giving breast milk or by carrying with a gentle rocking.Sudden onset of excessive crying means baby is distressed and needs attention.The causes of crying extends from simple reasons to life threatening conditions.Hence crying of a baby should not be ignored.
Most of the time it is difficult to find the cause of the cry .Common causes are discussed here for awareness.
Common reasons for crying:

1,Hunger:--
A hungry baby will cry till he gets the milk. Here the old saying comes true'crying baby gets the milk'.
2,Wetting:--
Urination and defecation causes some discomfort and results in crying till his parts are cleaned and made dry .
3,Company:--
Majority of the kids need somebody near. If they feel lonely they cry.When their favourite doll slips away from the grip they cry for help.

4,Tired:--
When the baby is tired after a journey and unable to sleep just cry simply.They feel tired in uncomfortable sourroundings and due to unhealthy climate.
5,Heat & cold:--
If they feel too hot or too cold they become restless and cry. Child is comfortable in a room with good ventilation.
6,Tight cloathing:--
Tight cloaths especially during warm climate is intolerable for kids.Tight elastic of the the dress can also produce soreness in the hip region.
7,Dark room:--
When the baby wakes up from sleep he needs some dim light.If there is darkness he will disturb the sleep of parents by crying.Ofcourse he will be irritated by strong light resulting in cry.
8,Mosquito:--
Yes,these creatures disturb the sleep by their blood sucking and make the baby to cry.
9,Nasal blocking:--
Child may not be able to sleep when there is a cold and go on crying till the passage is open.
10, Phlegm in throat:--
This also causes difficult breathing resulting in cry.Often a typical sound can be heard with each breath.
11,General aching:--
Generalised body ache with restlessness is seen in flu and prodromal stages of some infectious diseases can result in continuous cry.
12,Habitual cry:---Some babies cry without any real cause ending the parents in agony.Many a times doctor is called for help.
13,Nappy rash:-- If a tight and wet nappy is kept for a long time results in this conditon. Rash can also be due to some allergic reaction to the elastic material of the nappy. When the rash appears it causes soreness and baby become sleepless and cry. All other skin lesions like eczema,ecthyma ,candidiasis ect also causes same problems.
14,Earache:--
Ear infection is common in wet climate.The infection may spread from the throat.Ear infection can result in rupture of ear drum causing discharge of pus.Eareache usually becomes worse at night when lying down.Child will become restless with cry and may not allow you to touch the ear.Some children with earache rub the affected ear frequently.
15,Colic:--
When the baby cry continuously most of us diagnose it as colic.This roblem is still a topic for debate because exact cause for colic is not known and diagnosis is also difficult to confirm.Colic may be associated with rumbling and distention of abdomen.Child often feels better when lying on abdomen.Some children may not allow you to touch the abdomen.If the child cries continuously doctors help is needed.
16,Infections:--
All infections causes some kind of pain or irritation resulting in cry.Infection may be anywhere in the body.Usually it is associated with fever, redness and swelling.
17,Reactions to certain food:--
It is said that one man's food is another man's poison. Some food articles can produce some allergic reactions.Allergy is manifested in the form of redness, breathlessness,gastric symptons and continuous cry. 18,Hard stools:--
Constipated babies with hard stools may cry when they get the urge for stool.Some children hesitate to pass stool because of pain .
19,Gastro esophagial reflex:--
Here baby cries with spilling of food after feeding.If this continues it may be due to gastroesophageal reflex.This is due to failure of the lower part of esophagus to close after food causing regurgitation from the stomach.It is difficult to diagnose this condition and can be confirmed by giving antireflex medicines. 20, Dentition:--
During dentition child becomes restless with crying.Often associated with gastric troubles and diarrhoea. Some rare reasons-----------------
1,Bowel obstruction:--
Bowel obstruction is associated with severe pain and vomiting.Abdomen is distended with rumbling sound.Baby is constipated with absence of flatus.
2,Septicemia:--
Invasion of pathogenic micro organisms in to the blood is called septicemia.Fever is associated with this condition.
3,Torsion of testes in male kids:--
When a male baby cries continuously his scrotum should be examined.Torsion of the testes produce severe pain which will be worse by touching the affected testes.When the testes is pressed upwards pain is releived.If this is not treated properly it can damage the affected testes due to lack of blood supply.
4,Meningitis:--
Initially there may not be fever,hence crying baby with alternate vacant stare and irritability should not be ignored.Fontanel is bulging. Neck rigidity and seizures may appear later.
5,Retention of urine:--
Children with retention of urine will have agonising pain making them restless.
7,Major injuries:--
Major injury to any parts of the body causes pain.Occasionally children will fall while arrying and results in head injury.Head injury is associated with reflex vomiting and convulsions.

Awful Facts About Smoking and Pregnancy

Women who smoke have a significantly smaller chance of conceiving a child, and smokers are more likely to suffer miscarriages. Men who smoke tend to have lower sperm counts; one study concluded that half a pack a day can lower the sperm count by 20%.

Babies of smokers tend to have lower birth weights and a higher chance of being born prematurely, which results in increased health risks. Furthermore, children of smokers suffer from the effects of secondhand smoke; effects that may include asthma, bronchitis and cancer. Do I have to tell you to quit smoking forever before getting pregnant?

Calculate Chances of Conception

Researchers found that couples who had sex every day had a 25% chance of conceiving, while couples who had sex every other day had a 22% chance.

Once-a-week sex drops the chances of conceiving to 10%. So, if you want to get pregnant in the most time-efficient manner, sex-every-other-day will help you get the job done while leaving you time to clean the refrigerator. On the other hand, if you have plenty of time and energy, you can raise your chances of conceiving by 3% if you want to make a nightly date with your partner. Once you’re pregnant, you can claim nausea and let him clean the fridge.

Ovulation, Conception, and Fertility Predictions by Your Doctor

A woman once blamed her doctor for getting her pregnant. It seems he forgot to tell her that the antibiotics he had prescribed for her might render the birth control pill ineffective. When doctors mess up, they mess up bad, and a doctor who isn’t paying attention can make mistakes that effect patients’ fertility and conception.

Probably one of the bigger mistakes that doctors make revolves around the fact that women’s menstrual cycles are individual. The 28-day cycle is an average, and any doctor who assumes that patients are on a 28-day calendar will make mistakes in testing that relies on accurate timing. Your doctor should schedule a test of the quality of cervical mucus within 24 hours after the surge of luteinizing hormone. Called a “post-coital exam, this test checks on how well sperm can swim through the cervical mucus. Another test whose accuracy depends on exquisite timing is the serum progesterone test. This blood test has to be made precisely seven days after ovulation to check whether your progesterone levels are correct. Progesterone prepares the uterus for implantation of the fertilized egg.

Your doctor should be aware that your cycle may very well differ from the 28-day average, and may ask you to keep a cycle journal or to use fertility testing kits to determine accurate testing dates.

(One reason that first pregnancies have historically been “late” is that the doctor’s delivery prediction was usually based on asking the date of the last period without asking how long the cycle was. This resulted in miscalculation of the delivery date, and since many women have 30 days cycles, when doctors used calendars for pregnancy information, they were often too early in their predictions.)

Semen analysis should be performed to make sure that the man’s sperm cells are numerous and viable. Measles can result in male sterility, and a high fever can reduce sperm count. Doctors will probably also take a sexual history to rule out the chances of infertility caused by STDs.

Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms

The period that never comes is the classic sign of pregnancy, but some women get a clue before that. Many symptoms of pregnancy can arise right away: headache, nausea, fatigue, skin breakouts and increased sensitivity to scent are among the less delightful signs of impending motherhood.

If you think you might be pregnant but aren’t totally sure, you can wait until the 28th day of your cycle and then take a home pregnancy test. If you take one before the last day of your cycle, you stand a pretty good chance of getting a false negative reading.

Or, you can wait another day or two and see whether your period arrives. The old fashioned method is a lot cheaper, but sometimes, you just gotta know right away. If you don’t get pregnant right away, there may be a perfectly practical explanation. If you have been taking the birth control pill, your body may take a while to get back into the rhythm of ovulation, and it may be more than a month before it’s back on track. If you have used Depo-Provera, it could be as long as a year, and again, that’s natural. When we interfere with our bodies hormonally, they respond, and it takes time for them to reset their internal regulating functions.

When you don’t get pregnant, there may be one or more reasons behind it. If your partner has a low sperm count, you may have trouble conceiving. If there are problems with the viability of eggs, pregnancy may not occur. Many very early pregnancies terminate naturally after a few days, and women don’t even know it because they haven’t even shown signs of pregnancy yet. These early terminations are nature’s way of preventing a pregnancy when the embryo is not viable.

Most women of childbearing age, if they are having regular, unprotected sex, have a 20-40% chance of getting pregnant in each cycle. Accumulated over the course of six months, your chances of getting pregnant are very good indeed. Your age also has a bearing on how long it takes to conceive. Women under 25 years of age have a 96% chance of getting pregnant within a year of trying. Women age 26-34 have an 86% chance, and women 36-44 have a 78% chance of getting pregnant within a year.

The older you are, the shorter the time you should wait before contacting a doctor. It’s counterintuitive since as you can see above, the older you are, the lower your chances of conceiving, but the older you are, the less you should wait. When people do have problems with fertility, addressing the problem sooner maximizes the chances they have of still being fairly young when the baby is born, so you don't want to wait too long. If you are under 30 years old, don’t be surprised if it takes as long as a year to get pregnant. If you’re between 30 and 35, expect to wait up to nine months: if you haven’t conceived by then, you may want to see your doctor. If you’re between 36 and 40,see your doctor if you haven’t conceived after six months, and if you’re forty or over, you may want to see your doctor after three months.

Your gynecologist will refer you for fertility testing, and if you don’t conceive after around six months of working with your doctor, you may decide to work with a doctor who specializes in fertility treatments.

Relax a Busy Lifestyle to Increase Fertility

With more and more women building high-powered careers, childbearing tends to be forgotten until a milestone, like a 35th,39th or 40th birthday, reminds us that it’s time to get on with the rest of our lives.

When the urge strikes, it’s one of the most powerful wishes known to mankind. We say we’re “nesting” or our “biological clocks are ticking”, and women (and often men) who are in the throes of the urge want to run right out and do it now.

But if your lifestyle has been built around a fast pace, your body may not be prepared to pop out a baby on a minute’s notice. Rather than speeding to the drugstore for an ovulation predictor, you might want to spend a lazy weekend at a romantic B&B. Stress and the mind do more than we know to control fertility. People who have despaired of ever having children finally give up “trying” and adopt a child before miraculously getting pregnant.

All this is to say that, while there are people who have problems with getting pregnant, most people can do it as easily as falling off a log—providing they’re willing to put in a little more time and a lot less effort.