Benefit of breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has been biggest issue in the maternal unit, where I work. The nurses in my unit try to educate the mothers how breastfeeding is crucial for their babies’ health and their recovery. Here are some information about benefit of breastfeeding for babies and mothers:

* Benefits for the babies
- Breast milk provides all of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals an infant needs for growth for the first six months, and no other liquids or food are needed.
- Breastfeeding promotes proper growth of the mouth and jaw, and secretion of hormones for digestion.
- Breast milk carries antibodies that help protect against infections of the ears, urinary tract, lungs and intestines.
- Breastfeeding also helps to protect against allergies and asthma.
- Breastfeeding lowers the risk of chronic conditions later in life, such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and childhood leukaemias.
- Breastfeeding creates a special bond between mother and baby and this relationship has a positive impact on behaviour, speech, sense of wellbeing and security.

* Benefits for the mothers
- Breastfeeding helps the uterus to contract after birth and to control bleeding.
- Breastfeeding helps with weight loss after birth.
- Breastfeeding helps to protect against ovarian and breast cancers and bone loss.
- Breastfeeding promotes closeness between the mother and her baby.

information from Breastfeeding profile from North York General Hospital, Mother and Baby unit (2008.).

Say It Ain't So

This a story from my friend, who is working as a nurse in an emergency department. She had admitted a teen- age girl one day. She was a big girl and was complaining of severe abdominal pain. After my friend and her team assessed her, they found that she was going into labour. My friend didn't know how to deliver the news to her young patient, but she had to. When my friend told her, she screamed, "Oh my god, my mom will kill me!" She was in great shock not only because she was pregnant but also, she was about to deliver. She stated earlier that she was having periods and normally they were irregular. So girls, be aware when you have a stomach ache!

Image from www.ibiblio.org/.../auth/munch/munch.scream2.jpg

Technology in health care

Technology is helping when it comes overcoming communication barriers in health care because of documentation and fast access to patient information. In the past, nurses took so much time to interpret the order from the doctors’ or report from other nurses’ hand writing. Nurses also spent lots of time to access to patient information, such as lab result. After technology introduced to the health care, nurses improved their work efficiency in time manner. Technology aids in effective communication as nurses work better as a team on the unit. Therefore, the aid of technology gives nurses a faster flow of work and better team work.

My country, Korea

Here are some pictures from Korea. Bride and groom are wearing traditional Korean wedding costums.

Baby Power

As I work in the postpartum unit, I often demonstrate to the parents how to bathe a new born baby for the first time. One day, I was washing a premature baby girl. I moved her from a basin which was full of water after I finished bathing her. After finishing, as soon I lifted her, the water from the basin poured all over the floor. She was holding the edge of the basin with one hand which I didn't notice at that time. Picture this: a little girl - one day old (!) weighing about five pounds soaking wet lifting a basin that weighed as much as her. I don't know how a little girl that tiny could lift a basin full of water and with one hand ?!!. Go figure, baby power!

http://www.betterphoto.com/