Your joys have no boundaries when you experience your baby kicking inside the womb for the first time between the 16th and 25th week of pregnancy. If its your first pregnancy you are sure to ask your hubby to experience the movement too by placing his hand over your tummy. It’s a feeling of excitement, elation and happiness. While the movement of the fetus assures the pregnant woman that the infant is growing normally why do these little ones kick us in the first place?
A Quick Kick Known as ‘quickening’ most pregnant women express the kick as a butterfly feeling, nervous twitching or a tumbling motion. While a first-time mom finds it difficult to find it until the 22nd week of pregnancy maybe and fail to differentiate it from hunger pangs or other movements, a second- or third-time mom can feel one instantly and differentiate it from other feelings too. The kick starts off slowly but during the second and third trimester the kicks grow stronger and become more frequent. There are studies showing that the baby moves between 25 and 30 times an hour during the third trimester. These little ones are up to their own naughty little stuff inside the womb. They become most active when you try to sleep at night and might even try to kick anyone who tries to cuddle you while sleeping-its not restricted to your spouse but it could even be your elder son/daughter. Hmmm, the fetus claims full ownership of the mommy even before he/she sees the light of the world. This is pretty tough to deal with I say! Doctors request the pregnant lady to keep a count of the number of kicks that you experience to assure yourself that the baby is growing normally. You should be able to experience at least 10 good movements through the day. But the number of movements varies baby to baby. Some are very active and keep moving around while other babies don’t. But absence of movement might also mean that your baby is sleeping. If it is beyond the 32nd week, it might mean that the baby has become big and there is not much space for the movement. Newer Ideas While what I’ve listed above is well-known by all, a new study gives us another perspective about why a fetus kicks and how it helps them grow. The study researched on the sleep patterns of 19 newborns between 31 and 42 weeks of which some of them were premature babies. The researcher noted the infants corrected gestation age which helps denote the exact age of the baby from conception regardless of when the baby was born. Only when an infant is born between 37-42 weeks of pregnancy, he/she is labeled as a full-term baby. So, while it might be a week after birth, the preterm baby would be considered as 35 weeks old if he/she was born at the 34th week of pregnancy. Read more about preterm babies and their ways into the world by visiting the website www.firsteatright.com. Researchers looked at the brainwaves that fetuses produce when they kick during their rapid eye movement sleep (REM). Premature babies generally have a faster brainwave but the fast waves disappear as the babies grow past a few weeks. Researchers say that kicks during the third trimester help the infant in developing brain ideas that are linked to sensory input and also helps the little one realize about his/her own body. In animals such as rats, reflex movements and constant environmental feedbacks are necessary for clear brain mapping and researchers feel that this might be true in the case of humans too. As brain development takes place the fetus kicks and responds to his/her own brain activity and also other things such as maternal movement, light, sound and other such stimuli. During the last trimester, it is more of a rolling than kicking but any movement is appreciated. It gives scope for a little exercise to the muscles and limbs, response to stimuli and also helps the brain make connections to the spatial sense. But one question that still keeps haunting physicians includes what changes in frequency of movements mean. There’s no evidence that kick counts are a sure-shot way to prevent stillbirths. Every mother should realize what’s normal for herself and the baby, the number of kicks and the time of the kick. Some women might not feel a kick when they are busy with some chore. Hence, it is best to notice movements when they sit down peacefully feeling relaxed. I come back from office, hug my daughter, talk with her and keep looking at the watch eager to get on with my household chores. My husband comes home, my daughter runs to him with happiness and they both start talking, playing and running around the house having their fun time! I can see a ‘thousand watts bulb’ glowing in my husband’s face as he converses with our little one-the sense of completeness that he achieves when spending time with our kid can never be replaced with anything else. I do have the same, in fact greater, love for my kid but I don’t find myself being so happy and grateful to spend time with her despite knowing the fact that she’s growing up, growing up reallyyyy fast! This is one of the instances and there are several others such as spending the entire weekend with the child that’s a refreshment for men whereas its yet another chore added to the list for women. I am sure than many moms out there have experienced similar situations. How come we moms, who are the fulcrum of the family don’t take utter delight in being with our kids? Men have improved since earlier times and dads especially are taking joy in being with kids these days. Times have changes and couples support each other in being with the child as both of them work nowadays! But when it comes to household chores the primary responsibility lies with the woman-she is held responsible for cooking, washing clothes, getting kids to complete their homework and likewise. Apart from fulfilling these the mother is expected to spend quality time with her child-even if she can do it physically her mind is rather tired and doesn’t support her body to be all cheerful and bubbly! This is not just a theory but a new research led by Penn State University proves that dads are happier, less tired and less stressed than moms when it comes to taking care of kids and according to these researchers, it all boils down to how and when childcare activities are split between parents. Besides looking at the time spent by moms and dads in looking after their kids the researchers analysed the type of childcare activity, when and where it took place, who was present and how much care was given. Playing with the child as well as changing nappies is childcare activity but each of them have a different effect on the person doing it and this study focused on the impact created by different activities on the parents involved in each and their effect on the moods of each parent. The researchers split the activities into five dimensions: activity type was the first type and this included physical (basic needs like eating and sleeping), recreational (play and sports), educational (helping with homework or meeting with teachers) and managerial (planning doctor visits or transporting children). The other dimensions focused on when and where the activity took place, who was present during the activity and how much time the activity took. It was seen that while dad’s childcare activities included mostly recreational ones that took place during weekends, mothers’ activities were likelier to involve infants and could be fit into the ‘solo parenting’ category which needed more efforts and patience. This difference in the type of activity performed and the context clearly shows the explicit difference in mother’s and father’s happiness levels and stress levels but not tiredness levels. Researchers could see that mothers spent major time performing childcare activities that could induce more stress but keep them less happy unlike dads whose activities purely brought in a feeling of refreshment and energy. Such stress can lead to depression in the long run having debilitating effects on the woman involved and for more information on this please visit www.firsteatright.com. Doesn’t playing on the ground help you breathe fresh air, increase your health quotient and also make you happy? But despite such startling differences in childcare activities performed, both the parents were happy, contented and satisfied with the time they spent with their children. Despite changes in dads and their improved involvement with their kids we can see that parenting is still gendered. Its not that mothers willingly take on childcare jobs that are less exciting or rewarding but one must say that they are forced to! Every mom loves to play outside with her child and have fun if there is someone to take care of the household duties! It is time that couples reiterate on their shared jobs, split the tasks evenly and spend time with kids such that both parents feel it to be a rewarding and an enriching experience that could last a lifetime! Popping a pill into the mouth has also become a part of our daily routine, a kind of a dietary routine indeed. Such is the state of the world when it comes to quality of health! Blood pressure is a condition that’s universally present and almost 1 in 5 adults in India suffer from this chronic problem. Physicians prescribe prescription medications for keeping blood pressure levels under control along with strategic changes in eating routines and activity schedules. Get in touch with a reputed dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com to bring in optimal changes to your lifestyle and eating habits that are advantageous for blood pressure levels. Once the patient starts using it there arises the need to use them for life (in most cases) and missing out on them even once a while can cause tremendous changes in the patient’s body that’s not healthy.
Taking your meds is important but much more important is the time of day during which you choose to take them and that’s because it could have a tremendous influence on your risk of complications such as stroke and heart problems, both of which are directly related to blood pressure numbers. While this has been proved by a large-scale study recently, we did have another one a couple of years back that tested the timing of blood pressure meds on 661 men and women with mild kidney disease who were taking one or more blood pressure medications. The study which happened for almost 6 years showed that those who took the meds during night had better blood pressure control and were only one-third times at a risk of heart failure and stroke compared to those who took the pills in the morning. The Hygia Chronotherapy Trial This trial is the largest to date to investigate the effects of the time of day when people take their anti-hypertensive medications and its associated risk of cardiovascular problems. More than 19,000 patients were randomly selected to take blood pressure meds either at bedtime or in the morning following them up for more than six years and monitoring their ambulatory BP levels over 48 hours at least once a year. Results showed that those who took their BP meds at bedtime were almost at a 50% reduced risk of suffering from heart-related problems-risk of death from heart or blood vessel problems was reduced by 66%, risk of myocardial infarction was reduced by 44%, coronary revascularisation by 40%, heart failure by 42% and stroke by 49%. This study is a clear proof that those who take their BP meds at bedtime in comparison to daytime have controlled blood pressure and also their risk of stroke and heart attack is minimized. It’s a well-known fact that physicians generally recommend taking blood pressure meds during the daytime quoting different reasons such as ease to remember or simply because many BP meds are diuretics and we don’t want to wake up a couple of times to visit the bathroom for urination. Also, there is the fear of increased blood pressure levels in the morning in the absence of these pills. But we also don’t have any studies showing that suggesting antihypertension pills in the morning helps in reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems. With such clear results it isn’t surprising that many are reconsidering their decision on the timing of the pill but it isn’t a smart move to make changes without consulting your healthcare provider first as he/she has suggested taking the pill at a specific time on the prescription. It should be no wonder if even doctors start thinking upon this study and making changes to their prescriptions for blood pressure medication timings as hypertension is a serious risk factor for heart disease and taking a pill at bedtime is not going to affect the individual in any negative way. Blessed with a life in this world the human species has constantly been ruining its resources unscrupulously. Such carelessness and irresponsibility have led us to this present situation-a danger of putting ourselves and the Earth at a risk for destruction. Food, water and shelter are the basics of life and we have steadily been depleting all the natural resources-water scarcity is reaching dangerous heights and food insecurity has increased malnutrition rates never like before. This has pushed us to a grave situation where we are now forced to eat insects and bugs to maintain food sustainability. Eating out of desire and pleasure is different as you enjoy the entire meal whole-heartedly. But, being forced to eat something brings about irritation and dissatisfaction.
People of all kinds exist in this world-some are vegans who don’t even eat milk and eggs, some are vegetarians who don’t include eggs and animal-based products but do eat milk-based products and some others are non-vegetarians who eat animal- and plant-based products. Among animal-based products too, people distinguish between them preferring one over the other. Eating insects is not a new concept but an old practice that has been well into prevalence in Asian countries mostly. This is becoming popular once again as the world is trying to be healthier, calorie-conscious and suffering from shortage of nutritious foods. The West is slowly beginning to accept insects as a regular part of their meal keeping in mind their minimal carbon footprint compared to livestock. This has motivated almost 2 billion individuals to eat various insects in various forms but it still seems far less compared to the total world population. Maybe the rest needs a much stronger push motivating them to take up insect eating by enlightening them on its nutrient benefits, economic perks and widespread availability. Overloaded with Antioxidant Benefits Insects are touted to be an excellent source of protein (visit www.firsteatright.com for detailed research studies supporting nutrient benefits of eating insects), polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. But what about their antioxidant capacity? A research team analyzed various insects for their antioxidant capacity using different measures. Once the inedible parts (wings and stings) were removed the insects were ground and two parts extracted for each species-fat and the rest containing water-soluble portions of the insect. Both the extracts were then tested for antioxidant capacity in comparison to two other foods, orange juice and olive oils-functional foods that are proclaimed to be rich sources of antioxidants. Its been obvious until now that vegetarians have markedly higher antioxidant capacity. The analysis showed that fruits such as oranges have plenty of antioxidants and, water-soluble extracts of insects such as grasshoppers, silkworms and crickets displayed almost 5-fold higher rates than orange juice (OJ) but giant cicada, water bugs, black tarantula and black scorpions showed negligible values. The values represent that quantity procured from dry, fat-free insect dust that’s much tougher to swallow than fresh orange juice. So, when they were diluted (88% water) grasshoppers and silkworms had about 75% antioxidant activity of OJ. Though polyphenols (micronutrients obtained from plant-based foods packed with antioxidants) too showed similar trends among insect species their presence was much lower in all insects compared to OJ. Insect fat too showed promising results: fat from giant cicadas and silkworm showed twice the antioxidant activity of olive oil and black tarantula, palm worm and black ants ranked down in the list. But the main question now is whether the antioxidants will be effective on humans. Studies on their efficiency in humans will do great good for the human population. There might come a time when insect rearing studies come up with powerful means to increase their antioxidant content for animal or human consumption. Young girls and boys start acting like mature people once they reach puberty. Our small little neighbour boy who hops into the house seems to grow a tiny moustache and beard, his voice has become coarse and he seems all taller suddenly as he nears puberty. Adolescence begins at the onset of puberty marked by drastic changes in hormone levels and physical appearance. Beyond these, adolescents also experience drastic psychological transition. We have numerous hypothesis that changes in brain structure and development might be related to the hormones that trigger and control puberty. There are also studies proving that the structural development of subcortical brain regions is related to pubertal development during adolescence.
Now, scientists have made yet another discovery that brain networks develop differently in both males and females at puberty with boys showing an increase in connectivity in certain brain areas and girls showing a decrease in connectivity as puberty progresses. The researchers analysed brain scans of 147 girls and 157 boys aged between 13 and 15 years who were at different stages of puberty-from not having started to being fully mature. All the images were observed for how strongly the brain regions communicate with one another (functional connectivity) and the value of this functional community was associated with the level of maturity at puberty. The research team found that for similar changes in puberty status the functional connectivity in certain areas (those within the prefrontal cortex and parietal cortex) of the brain increased in boys by around 6.5% whereas it decreased by around 7.2% in girls. Women are easily prone to mood swings, anxiety and depression compared to men. Women are twice likelier to suffer from depression following puberty and the research clearly showed that puberty period is associated with significant brain changes in such mood-related brain areas. This study clearly shows that there are opposite changes of brain activity in boys and girls as they experience puberty and such changes can exist as the basis for the emergence of mood disorders. The researchers plan to take the study to the next step by analysing the role of brain connectivity in the onset of depression as these teenagers become adults. We cannot monopolize women with depression as men too are victims quite often but the neural pathways are different though the diagnostic criteria remain the same. Read more about depression and how it can affect quality of life by visiting the website www.firsteatright.com. A study on almost a thousand brains in individuals aged between 8 and 22 revealed that male and female brains are wired differently. While women’s brain is connected across the left and right hemisphere the men’s brain is connected between the front and back regions. While the male and female brains showed few differences in connectivity up to the age of 13 the brain connections showed significant difference in 14-17-year-old children. |
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Dr. Nafeesa Imteyaz of First Eat Right clinic, is the Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Bangalore. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Pune. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Hyderabad. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Chennai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Mumbai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Delhi. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Kolkata.