Category: News

1. Talking to your child’s teacher about asthma

   Posted on 11:11am Tuesday 9th Aug 2016

   We have spoken openly about asthma and the affect it has on us as a family, so we have been working closely with Asthma UK about children starting school and are therefore delighted to share this information on their behalf.

    

   You know the location of every spare inhaler within a five-mile radius. You know exactly when the neighbour’s birch trees start releasing their pollen. Even before your child starts to wheeze, you know the signs that their asthma symptoms are getting worse.

    

   You are an expert at your child’s asthma – and it still catches you out. So it’s understandable to be nervous at the thought of handing them over to a new teacher on the first day of the school year.

    

   Make sure you’re all on the same page

    

   Lots of parents tell us that they worry about leaving their child with other people – and it’s a fact that children are much more likely to go to hospital with their asthma in September than in August. But there are things you can do to make sure that you and your child’s school are working together to reduce the risk.

    

   Sharing and talking through your child’s asthma action plan with the school is a great start. At a glance, a teacher or classroom assistant can see exactly what they need to do if your child starts feeling worse. And because it’s personalised to your child, you know they’ll get exactly the treatment they’ve been prescribed. If your child doesn’t have one yet, ask your GP or asthma nurse, or download an asthma action plan here. Your GP can help you update the action plan every six months to make sure it includes any new triggers or changes to their medicines.

    

   Prepared, not pushy

    

   Parents sometimes tell us that they worry about being seen as ‘pushy’ or over-protective if they speak to their child’s teacher about their asthma. But more than a million children in the UK are affected by asthma – so the odds are that there’ll be a couple in your child’s class. A few minutes’ discussion could help your child AND their classmates to stay well, and make sure they don’t miss out.

    

   Every child’s asthma is different, but asking a few key questions can help you make sure the school is prepared.

    

    

    

   Keep lines of communication open

    

   It’s not just about the start of term, though. Starting the conversation about your child’s asthma now makes it easier to update teachers during the year – for example, if your child is more tired during the day because symptoms have kept them up at night. And teachers can feed back to you too: maybe your child benefits from the warm, humid air of the swimming pool.

    

   We’ve collected more back-to-school tips from asthma experts and other parents at www.asthma.org.uk/back-to-school - you can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    

   And if you’re concerned about  your child’s medicines, feeling under pressure or have a question you’ve always wanted to ask, call the Asthma UK Helpline. Our friendly asthma expert nurses are on the line Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm – just call 0300 222 5800.

    

   Thank you Little LilyPad for donating this space to Asthma UK – we wish ALL parents and children a happy and healthy new term.

    

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2. Does it cost a guest to go to a wedding?

   Posted on 9:34am Wednesday 2nd Sep 2015

   Have you been to a wedding this summer? Did you find that being excited for the couple is one thing and then you realise that it might be quite costly for you and your family to attend as a guest?

   We have two weddings to go to this year, one in the Autumn and one on New Years Eve and whilst the latter helps us to solve the "what are we doing for New Years Eve debate" it also means hotels, outfits and gifts straight after the expense of Christmas. We are firm believers in never arguing about money but it is quite sad to see that one in four Britons has argued with their partner about the cost of watching others say "I do"

   There has been a recent survey by Experian’s that suggests the rising cost of weddings is rocking the boat for many couples, and not just for the bride and groom. In fact, almost a quarter of Britons (22%) have argued with their partner about the cost of witnessing others tie the knot. Eek!  

   Experian have highlighted some top do's and don'ts for financial harmony, which I think is great advice for any frugal family.

   Do

   • Set the ground rules. Do you want a joint account for regular expenses and separate bank accounts for personal spending? Or do you want everything to go together?
   • Work out who does what. The more frugal partner could look after the budget, while the more extravagant works out the ‘treats’, like meals out or trips away
   • Agree on short and long-term goals and how you’re going to achieve them, and review regularly together
   • Be honest about your past. If you have a less-than-perfect history of repaying money you owe, this could affect both of you in the long-term if your credit reports become linked
   • Take time together to understand if you need to improve one or both of your credit reports. Do this well in advance of applying for credit together

   Don’t

   • Spend all your time together talking about money 
   • Keep secrets. Research from Experian shows that 29% of people in the UK discovered that their partner was keeping credit card debt from them
   • Dig yourself into a hole. If you find yourself in debt, don’t borrow more in the hope of putting things right. Ask for help and be open about it with your partner
   • Talk about money issues when you are angry. Arguing about money is never going to be productive
   • Expect your partner to completely change. It’s unlikely an extravagant spender will do a complete about-turn and suddenly become frugal

    

   

    

   Managing your finances and your relationship can be quite a balancing act – when it comes to both organising and attending weddings, moving in together or just life in general. That’s why Experian have created a dedicated Money & Relationships Guide to help people understand what we know can be quite a complex series of topics – in jargon-free, easy-to-understand language. All of the guides are available online. Hopefully these guides will be helpful for you and your followers who are trying to get their heads around how credit referencing works, and the good, the bad and the surprising when it comes to managing your finances to get what you want in life.

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3. Pregnancy Exercise : Deep Freeze Pain Relief review

   Posted on 5:04pm Wednesday 19th Aug 2015

   I was determined to remain active whilst I was pregnant, although SPD slowed me down considerably in my second pregnancy but our baby blogger is now struggling with similar symptoms during her third trimester so when Britmums said that they were working with Deep Freeze Pain Relief, we knew we wanted to be involved.

    

   A recent study from Deep Freeze revealed that 26 per cent of pregnant women exercise twice a week, with a further 16 per cent exercising once a week. However, of the 36 per cent of those who choose not to exercise, 20 per cent choose not to due to back pain. This is a really interesting statistic and one that both myself and Lynette, our baby blogger can relate to. Here is her story ...
   

    

   I have always been keen to keep myself fit and active from an early age, Having attended many clubs for exercise over the years, and taking part in different activities. When I was pregnant with our first child, I took things very easy due to a complicated start to the pregnancy. Although I tried to keep myself active, to be honest I didn't want to do anything that may cause a problem. As a result I put on a lot of weight. 

   After a 4 year gap, and getting back into a good exercise regime I am now 38 weeks pregnant with our second child. Apart from morning sickness in the first 15 weeks, I managed to keep myself very active and busy. However, as the middle of the second trimester approached, I started to suffer with pain in my middle back. I found sleeping exceptionally difficult, and sitting for long periods of time was almost impossible. As the third trimester approached, the pain had moved to my lower back and into my pelvis.

    

   As you can see, I have a beautiful baby bump but exercise was now practically impossible and even getting in/out of bed was painful. I was extremely disappointed that I was not able to do a lot without having to rest. Exercise was a no go. Walking was a struggle, so how would I be able to go to Yoga or walking in our village, so you can imagine that I was thrilled to test the Deep Freeze Cold Patches. 

   The box contains a foil pouch which is resealable with grip seal. The pouch contains 4 patches and although they have quite a medicated smell you don't notice this once the product is applied and under clothing (although they do stay on better if you wrap something around it like a bandage). The patches are a good size and I found them easy to use, although given my discomfort it is a shame that they don't last more than a few hours as I would really like a full night's sleep before the baby arrives.

   With back pain affecting three out of four mums to be and the barrier of taking oral painkillers when pregnant being an issue, most mums to be just stop keeping active during pregnancy despite the health benefits. Thankfully, the Deep Freeze Pain Relief Cold Patch offers initial, effective drug-free pain relief from muscular back pain during pregnancy*, just like an ice pack, and provides long-lasting cold analgesia to the site of pain. The adhesive patch is applied simply and easily, and can be worn without restricting movement or needing to be replaced frequently to maintain the cooling effect. Deep Freeze Pain Relief Cold Patches are great news for muscular back pain during pregnancy. 

   As a final (and slightly humorous note) the patches have also been found to help our baby bloggers husbands back after he fell through the ceiling during their extension work on the house (I kid you not - here is the picture to prove it) and he is now a huge fan of the pain relieving properties of the Deep Freeze Pain Relief Cold Patch.

   

   I'm working with BritMums and Deep Freeze Pain Relief Cold Patch, writing about pregnancy and muscular back pain. I was provided Deep Freeze Pain Relief Cold Patch and have been compensated for my time. All editorial and opinions are my own. Visit Deep Freeze for more information.

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4. Are there legitimate risks in getting a prenatal ultrasound?

   Posted on 6:38pm Monday 8th Jun 2015

   One of my closest friends is pregnant, so I am busy planning baby showers and looking at cute outfits but these are not the things that are on her mind. She has fretted about blood tests and prenatal scans ever since that pregnancy test showed up as positive, so I am delighted to host this guest post which will hopefully alleviate some of her concerns.

   The moment many women find out they are expecting, pregnancy hormones have already laid the groundwork for full-time mama mode. An inherent desire to protect and care for your baby may leave you feeling extra cautious, especially about anything that involves your pregnancy. Along with a slew of appointments with your OB/GYN doctor, you will also get a chance to have prenatal ultrasound appointments. If you have never experienced an ultrasound, you may have some questions and concerns about your first appointment and if it poses any risks to you or your baby. 

   As a new mom, everything you do will center on ensuring your baby is developing safely and healthily. One way that you are able to safely monitor your baby’s growth is through a prenatal ultrasound. An ultrasound is a painless and external diagnostic test that relies on sound waves, not radiation, to produce an image of the body’s interior surfaces. Most women will have at least one prenatal ultrasound during a pregnancy, and they can be performed as early as the first trimester to confirm pregnancy. Although they are appropriate for any stage of your pregnancy, ultrasounds will be able to show you different things about your baby, depending on when they are scheduled. Earlier ultrasounds are generally performed to check the size and position of the fetus to help confirm the due date, while later ultrasounds can result in a take-home image of your baby and can confirm the baby’s sex – if that is something you want to know.

    

   Ultrasounds are perfectly safe, no matter what trimester of the pregnancy you are in. A non-invasive exam, ultrasounds are also very routine procedures that don’t pose any risks to the baby. Although the safety of prenatal ultrasounds is well documented, you may hear or read about some uninformed opinions concerning ultrasound exams. One major misconception is that ultrasounds transmit radiation. This is completely false as ultrasounds only transmit sound waves. Further, some people falsely believe that sonic energy used by the ultrasound transforms into heat, which could impact a fetus’s health. However, the Federal Food and Drug Administration carefully regulates the use of ultrasounds and has very strict rules regarding the energy levels emitted by ultrasound machines, so there is no need to worry about the sound waves harming your baby in any way.

   Additionally, some women report that their doctors caution against having multiple ultrasounds. It is completely safe to have multiple ultrasounds, although many women choose to just have one for cost purposes. Doctors warn against multiple ultrasounds simply because they are time consuming and expensive, and there is no medical reason for multiple ultrasounds in most cases. Additionally, doctors are wary of expectant parents using non-medical facilities that offer ultrasounds for keepsake photos and videos of baby. Although the ultrasound itself is perfectly safe, your doctor may recommend against these unnecessary exams because a technician with no medical training might perform the ultrasound and miss an important change in your pregnancy. 

   Fully engaged with a motherly mind, baby’s well-being will be your priority as you proceed with life together. There are plenty of things to busy your mind during pregnancy – choosing a name for baby, preparing a nursery, routine health checks – but prenatal ultrasounds should not be an additional worry. Ultrasounds are the safest tool to help you and your doctor plan the best options for your prenatal care. If you are pregnant, be sure to discuss with your doctor when you should schedule your first ultrasound appointment, so that you can continue to learn about the growing baby that you will soon be welcoming into your world. 

   This post was written for Little Lily Pad by Glenn Josephik.  Glenn is an account representative and the marketing coordinator at MedCorp LLC the industry leader and premier business source for used portable ultrasound systems. You can follow Glenn Josephik on Google+

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