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New moms who are working will need information about breast milk storage. Here is a good article about breast milk storage.

STORING AND TRANSPORTING BREAST MILK

Source: www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t026900.asp#T026901
Mother’s milk is precious to both you and your baby. It represents commitment on your part and ideal nourishment for your baby. Handle your milk with care. The same immune properties in your milk that protect your baby also help protect the milk from bacteria growth while it sits on the refrigerator shelf.

What kind of container should I use to store my milk?

The options include hard or soft containers, with several choices under each category. Each has advantages and drawbacks.

• Soft containers are plastic bags.
• Hard containers are made of plastic or glass.What kind to use comes down to two issues:
• protecting the milk and all its valuable components
• your convenience and that of the baby’s caregivers.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of research about how storage containers affect human milk. One study showed that the leukocytes in milk (the live cells that transfer immunity from you to your baby) sticks to the side of glass containers, but subsequent research showed greater numbers of leukocytes in glass containers than in plastic, as the cells were released from the sides of the containers over time. Research has also shown a loss of antibodies and fat in milk that is stored in plastic bags, but this information applies only to disposable plastic nurser bags, the thin ones you can buy at most stores to use with baby bottles. If you do choose to store your milk in these, use two bags to protect against breakage and “freezer burn.” Use twist ties to close the bags.

Plastic bags specially designed for freezing expressed human milk are available from many companies that specialize in products for breastfeeding mothers and babies. These bags are sturdier than those used in baby bottles and have self-closures that are easier to seal and label. They do a better job of protecting milk components than nurser bags. Some types can be attached directly to your pump.

The information currently available suggests that glass or hard-sided plastic containers (the kind of plastic that is clear, not cloudy) provide the best protection for nutrients and immunities. Hard containers should have secure, one-piece tops. If your baby is getting a lot of his nourishment directly at the breast, you don’t need to be as concerned about nutrient loss through freezing and contact with storage containers as you do if your baby is getting only expressed milk and not nursing directly at the breast.

Convenience is another issue, and opinions will vary. Plastic bags take up less room in the freezer and are one-use items, so there’s no dishwashing involved. However, filling them and pouring milk out of them can be awkward.

How should I wash containers that will hold milk? Do I need to sterilize them?

When you are pumping milk for a full-term, healthy baby, you do not need to worry about sterilizing storage containers or pump parts. Wash your storage containers in hot soapy water, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before you pump. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for information on washing parts of the pump. Storage containers and parts of some pumps can be washed in a dishwasher.

Mothers who are pumping milk for a sick or hospitalized baby will need to be more careful about milk handling and sterilization procedures.

Freezer or refrigerator? How quickly does human milk spoil?

Freezing destroys some of the immune properties in human milk, so it’s best if your baby is given fresh milk–milk that has been expressed and then refrigerated. The chart in Storage Times for Human Milk tells you how long you can keep expressed milk at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer. (Print this file and keep it on your refrigerator door!)

Label each container with the date, so that you can use the oldest milk first and avoid needless waste.

How much should I store in each container?

Store your milk in small amounts, about two ounces in each container, at least at first. (If you’re pumping milk for a premature baby, you may want to store it in even smaller amounts.) Breastfed babies take smaller amounts of milk at each feeding than do formula-fed infants, and smaller amounts are also quicker to thaw. Milk left in a bottle after a feeding can be saved until the next feeding, but after that it should be discarded, and you don’t want to waste expressed milk. Eventually, you may decide to put more milk in each bottle, based on your caregiver’s report on how much your baby takes at each feeding.

You can add more milk to already-frozen milk, but cool the added milk in the refrigerator first. There should be less added milk than already-frozen milk.

Always leave about an inch of space at the top of the container to allow for expansion. Just like water for ice cubes, human milk expands when you freeze it. Hard containers will pop open as the milk expands. Bags will break. Squeeze out the air at the top of the bag and fasten it an inch above the milk.

How do I safely store my milk?

• Bags containing human milk should be placed inside another container in the refrigerator or freezer. This makes for better protection and easier handling.
• If you lay the bags down in a container in the freezer, you’ll get flatter packages that will thaw more quickly. (But be sure they’re sealed well, or you’ll have a leaky mess.)
• You might want to keep all your hard containers of milk together in the freezer or refrigerator inside a larger plastic box.

How long can I keep the stored milk?

Amazingly, research has found that human milk stored in the refrigerator for eight days actually has lower bacterial levels than freshly expressed milk. For more details on recommended storage times, see Storage Times for Human Milk.

Since human milk can be kept in the refrigerator for up to eight days, it may be possible to provide your baby with fresh, not frozen, milk most of the time. This insures that your baby gets the maximum amount of nutrients and immunities. Instruct your caregiver to use the oldest milk first and keep the supply rotating.

Previously frozen milk can be kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours after thawing. This means that you or the baby’s caregiver can thaw milk for all of your baby’s feedings at one time, or you can thaw the milk in the refrigerator overnight. This can make it faster to prepare a bottle when your baby is hungry. Milk that has thawed should not be refrozen.

How do I safely transport my milk?

Research shows that bacteria do not grow readily in human milk, and that it can be kept safely at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours or more (see Storage times for human milk). So you don’t need to worry if you can’t rush your milk to the refrigerator right after you express. But it still makes sense to refrigerate the milk as soon as possible and to keep it cool when taking it home or to the sitter’s. If you have refrigerator space available at work, you can store your milk there until the workday is over, or use an insulated container with reusable carry-ice to keep it cool.

What are the best ways to thaw and heat my stored milk

Heat can destroy human milk’s enzymes, immune properties, and other valuable components, so the milk requires gentle care before it is served to baby. Follow these guidelines:

• Defrost milk by holding it under warm running water.
• Or, place the container of milk in a bowl of warm water on the kitchen counter. As the water cools, replace it with more warm water until the milk is thawed and warmed to body temperature.
• Do not heat expressed human milk on top of the stove. It’s too easy to overheat it this way. Do not boil!
• Do not heat expressed human milk in a microwave oven. Even if the overall temperature of the milk stays below body temperature, there may be “hot spots” where the milk is overheated and some of its beneficial properties are destroyed. The uneven heating can also be dangerous when the bottle is given to baby.
• Human milk, like any milk that is not processed or homogenized, tends to separate when stored. The cream rises to the top. Swirl the bottle gently to mix the layers.
• Human milk has a thin, bluish look to it, quite different from either homogenized cow’s milk or the grayish color of infant formula. Your baby’s caregiver may need reassurance that this is normal.

STORAGE GUIDELINES FOR HUMAN MILK These guidelines are for mothers who are expressing milk for a full-term healthy baby. Use clean containers, and wash your hands with soap and water before expressing. or pumping. When providing milk for a baby who is seriously ill and/or hospitalized, check with healthcare providers for instructions. Where stored Storage temperature (degrees Fahrenheit) Storage temperature (degrees Centigrade) How long At room temperature 60 degrees F 15 degrees C 24 hours At room temperature 66-72 degrees F 19-22 degrees C 10 hours At room temperature 79 degrees F 25 degrees C 4-6 hours In a refrigerator 32-39 degrees F 0-4 degrees C 8 days In a freezer compartment inside a refrigerator     2 weeks In a self-contained freezer unit of a refrigerator     3-4 months In a separate deep freeze with a constant temperature 0 degrees F -19 degrees C 6 months or longer SAVE? OR DUMP? Type of Milk Save or Dump? Why Milk remaining in the bottle that has been offered to baby Use for next feeding, otherwise discard. Bacteria from the baby’s mouth may have entered the milk during the feeding. This may lead to bacterial contamination if it sets too long (though as yet there is no research available). Milk that has been thawed Save in the refrigerator for 24 hours after thawing, then discard. Do not refreeze. Milk that has been frozen has lost some of the immune properties that inhibit bacterial growth in fresh refrigerated milk. Milk that has been kept in the refrigerator for eight days Transfer to storage in the freezer, or discard. Bacterial growth is not a problem, but milk sometimes picks up odors or flavors from the refrigerator or the container.

Hypertension in Children - Related to Poor Diet?
By Kristi Patrice Carter

Hypertension is chronic high blood pressure. In the past, this was a condition usually only seen in older adults. However, an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with hypertension. What is the cause of this alarming trend? According to the majority of leading researchers, the cause for this trend is diet.

Because more parents work outside of the home, more families consume prepared food on a daily basis. While these foods are easier, they are not better for you in terms of health. These foods can be filled with hidden calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol. All of these contribute negatively to the health of a human heart. While it may take more time and effort, it may be in your child’s best interest to limits the amount of these foods your child consumes on a regular basis.

Children are also eating higher amounts of fast food than they have in the past. Decades ago, a trip to a fast food restaurant was an occasional treat for children. This is no longer the case. Many children eat at least five fast food meals a week, which has a significant impact on their health. These children are often obese, and recent studies indicate that these children develop chronic health conditions later on in life, such as diabetes and hypertension.

These foods are replacing healthy food choices like fresh fruits and vegetables in many homes. Instead of making processed snacks available to children, parents should encourage their children to snack on fruits and vegetables instead. Put healthy snacks on the shelves in the pantry and refrigerator that your children can reach. Place “sometimes” foods in places where your children cannot reach them. This may take some parental monitoring, but this change can be accomplished with a little bit of work and perseverance.

This problem is compounded by the fact that children spend more time in front of a television or computer screen than they have in the past. Instead of going outside to play and get exercise, children are becoming more sedentary. As a result, their health is suffering. Parents can help by sending their children outside to play every day and by limiting the amount of time children spend watching television or playing on the computer.

In conclusion, there are many steps you can take in order to maintain the health of your child. Your child may protest these changes at first, but you must stand firm. Your child will thank you later on in life for your efforts now.

Hypertension is a serious medical condition that affets children and adults. To earn more about hypertension and how to cure it with diet and exercise, please visit http://www.dashdiethypertension.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristi_Patrice_Carter
http://EzineArticles.com/?Hypertension-in-Children—Related-to-Poor-Diet?&id=585398

Telling Stories to Children
By Jennie Amit Gandhi

Parents promise themselves to give the best to their children. The bar is high for parents to teach the kids values on tradition, discipline, language skills so as the kids grow up to be able citizens. The effort surely is rewarding when children imbibe the right things. Exploration is natural by committing mistakes. Parents should recognize and correct the wrong behaviour.

All children demand stories, be it eating time, a boring travel journey and surely it is a bed ritual. If you have paucity of time juggling with chores, then invest in some interesting fairy tale bed time story books. Children’s literature abounds with millions of elves, fairy, goblin, monster and sea devil stories. Interesting colour pictures, expressions and touch-feel books are available in the market. Rewarding the child through books is a valuable idea.

If you are reading a story, be enthusiastic. Use one hand free to articulate exclamations, pauses, commas and happiness. Use up and down animated versions and help the child participate. Children do not respond to routine and mundane reading. They are bored easily by repetitive ordeals and let story sessions be bonding times.

Both parents have to involve themselves either simultaneously or choose alternate days to suit schedules. The mind of the parent should be free and pending works should not interfere the narration. It is necessary, that one does the homework fool proof to answer surprising questions and explanations.

Introduce new words each time. Teach them words like good, nice, wonderful, best all mean positive happenings. Let them understand that bad, ugly, wrong is negative. Teach them opposites like day-night, up-down, sweet-bitter expressing them with your hands and face.

In case you are tired and it is natural that fatigue refrains you from being natural, then read a short story with nice colour patterns. Laze on a hammock with your child on a holiday and narrate true stories about your childhood. All of us live vicariously through our children during their growing years. So the best patterns are narrating a few lines about honesty, hard work and value about money.

If the child has a habit of seeing pictures from a very keen age, the child gets easily adapted to a pattern of self study. Their orientation is structured and they will focus on reading independently. Telling stories is an art and all parents naturally master it. Bed times are special and make sure not to introduce scary surprises and kids might visualize them in their dreams causing nightmares.

Actually the goblins, witches, wizards are to be introduced necessarily to deem it as non emulative values. Hence like all other theories on raising kids, tell them stories rich in tradition, worldly pursuits and also about the ‘Almighty’. Teach them the sacrifice of Christ and read them lucidly about Hindu mythology.

If you are really keen in imparting in rich values to your kid, check our sites on short stories, pumpkin carving and infant activities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennie_Amit_Gandhi
http://EzineArticles.com/?Telling-Stories-to-Children&id=1145062