“Would you like to know the sex of your baby?”
Ottawa Public Health is pleased to present some of the ups and downs of breastfeeding as experienced by local mothers on our blog this week.
“Would you like to know the sex of your baby”? It was a question that my husband and I pondered for the first 19 weeks of my second pregnancy. So, we decided to have that question answered, and got the response at a routine ultrasound. So there we were, holding our breath, waiting for three little words. “It’s a….BOY”!!! We were overjoyed to learn that we were going to be blessed with a boy. It was an emotional high that I will never forget, and I can still live in that moment. But as quickly as it came, that moment began to pass. I could tell that the tech was not sharing something with us. The next series of questions, only confirmed my suspicions, and we had answers within the hour.
Customer: “I’d like a kid’s bean and cheese burrito.”
Me: “Alright, would you like a fountain drink, juice, or milk?”
Customer: *turns to her child* “Okay, do you want soda or juice?”
Customer’s daughter: “I just want water.”
Customer: “But soda’s better for you!”
This just makes me sad.
Preventing Back-to-School Back Pain
School has returned, and unfortunately that means so has back pain. Backpacks are major contributors to back pain, both in children and adults. Here are some tips to help you protect your back throughout the coming school year.
- Wearing backpacks with only one strap on one shoulder is not only a fading fashion trend, but it puts more weight on one side of your body. This imbalance creates stress on the spine, ribs, and neck, which can cause multiple areas of discomfort. Pick comfort over fashion!
- A backpack’s weight is supposed to be distributed evenly across one’s back so there is not stress on one specific spot. Try purchasing a backpack that has wide and padded straps because if the straps are too thin, they can affect circulation. This bag for example, has great padding that will improve comfort.
- A bag with multiple compartments, such as this one, distributes the weight better.
- For those experiencing great discomfort, try a rolling bag. This takes off any stress and allows you to simply roll wherever you have to go.
What's in a Kids' Meal? Not Happy News
High-calorie, high-sodium choices were on the menu when parents purchased lunch for their children at a San Diego fast-food restaurant. Why? Because both children and adults liked the food and the convenience.
However, the study of data compiled by researchers in the Department of Pediatrics at…
As far as nutrition is concerned, convenient is rarely healthy.
What stood out to me in this study was not how unhealthy kids’ meals are (do we really expect anything from a fast food restaurant to be healthy?), but these two tidbits:
1. The included toy was not a major influence in purchasing the kids’ meal, and in fact almost half of respondents said that it didn’t factor into their decision at all. This interests me because kids’ meals’ toys have gotten bad press recently due to the assumption that kids want the kids’ meal for the toy. Some locations, such as San Francisco, have even banned including toys with kids meals unless they fit a set of nutritional guidelines.
2. A lot more fast food restaurants are including healthy options for their kids’ meals, such as apple slices and juice instead of fries and soda, but according to this study, those healthy options are rarely chosen over the traditional fast food choices.
There’s nothing wrong with eating fast food on occasion, but it’s good to have some other convenient options so that eating fast food doesn’t become a regular habit. My favorites:
1. Always make a little extra when you cook a healthy meal so that you have leftovers available for school lunches and quick meals.
2. Stock up on bread, deli meats, cheese, peanut butter, and jelly. It only takes a minute to whip up a delicious sandwich.
3. Keep fruits and vegetables in the house. They make great side items for any meal, as well health snacks. Give the kids a chance to pick out their own fruit too. You may be surprised what they like; my good friend’s toddler can’t stand oranges but loves raspberries.
Photo: CK
