BabyOpus

Asthma in children has become a very common problem nowadays.I pray that no child should go through any asthmatic attack.

My friends commonly ask me how could one identify if her child has asthma.Well,here are some of the symptoms:

1. Frequent coughing spells, which may occur during play, night, or while laughing. It is important to know that cough may be the only symptom present.
2. Less energy during play
3. Rapid breathing
4. Complaint of chest tightness or chest “hurting”
5. Whistling sound (wheezing) when breathing in or out
6. See-saw motions (retractions) in the chest from labored breathing
7. Shortness of breath, loss of breath
8. Tightened neck and chest muscles
9. Feelings of weakness or tiredness

Keep in mind that not all children have the same asthma symptoms, and these symptoms can vary from asthma episode to the next episode in the same child. Also note that not all wheezing or coughing is caused by asthma.

In kids under 5 years of age, the most common cause of asthma-like symptoms is upper respiratory viral infections such as the common cold.

If your child has problems breathing, take him or her to the doctor immediately for an evaluation.

Every Monday at 4pm,i’ll be sitting among mothers in Abby’s parental weekly meetings.Basically,we will be dicussing on hygiene,problems and child solutions should any baby/child is found as a ‘problem’ to the daycare.

There was a huge lady sitting next to me with her 2 year old daughter….that was so CHUBBY!!!Dont get me wrong;-i LOVE cute kids…but i pitied this little girl as she was a resemblence to dear Mr Michelin(the tyre >wink<!)

And sad to say;perhaps its genetics but i believe in diet and nutrition.Everyone passing was complementing on how cute and chubby!! To me its a sign of early childhood obesity which if not monitored,could lead to many problems eg:

The complications of obesity are astounding:

1.Type 2 diabetes, previously found almost entirely in adulthood and thought to be unusual in children, now accounts for up to 44% of newly diagnosed cases of diabetes in childhood, paralleling the increase in the prevalence of obesity.

2.High blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, especially elevated “bad” LDL and triglycerides, are much more common in obese children.

3.The occurrence of sleep apnea (obstruction of the airway in sleep resulting in a serious drop in blood oxygen levels) is much greater in obese children. This condition can be associated with:

Nighttime bedwetting, difficulty rising in the morning, poor school performance, and many other disorders. And the fatigue that this sleep disorder brings about can make it more difficult for the child to be physically active, making the obesity even worse.

4.Several bone and joint disorders in childhood are related to obesity, the most serious being a slippage of the growth plate in the hip bone called “slipped capital femoral epiphysis.”

6.There are numerous studies underway now that suggest many other disorders may be related to obesity, including liver and kidney diseases, and even a possible increased risk of cancer!

6.The most serious damage done in obesity is to the child’s self-esteem and self-confidence!

Our society places an extreme prejudice against the obese person, especially the obese child. Our self-image is developed during our formative early years of childhood; if that image is one of obesity, it is extremely difficult to lose that image in later years, increasing the likelihood that an obese child will become an obese adult.