5 Reasons Why Massage is Great For Babies and Children's Health and Well Being

1. Enhances the parent-infant bond - bonding between you and your newborn may not happen straight away. Massage is special one-to-one time; an activity you can do with your baby and enjoy together.

2. Strengthens the immune system - massage has shown to increase the number of antibodies which help fight off infection. Stress hormones are reduced thus improving the immune system. Massaging on a daily basis is ideal for your baby. Once a day rather than once a week is best for your baby; this is how your baby will benefit from massage. Regularity and consistency is the key!

3. Relieves wind, 'colic' or constipation - massaging your baby's abdomen using specific massage strokes and exercises may help relieve abdominal wind and colic if performed on a regular basis. This is a natural way you are able to assist your baby's discomfort. It is very important to massage in a CLOCKWISE direction as this is the direction or flow of the intestinal system. When looking at your baby, always start on the left hand side massaging gently across to the right hand side.

4. Improves sleep - massage will help your baby regulate their sleep pattern by increasing the serotonin levels and by regulating the amount of melatonin, which helps induce sleep.

5. Assists with relieving post-natal depression - did you know as many as one in seven new parents are affected by post-natal depression? Learning how to massage your baby with a certified infant massage instructor will allow you to understand your baby's body language (non-verbal cues). It is a wonderful opportunity to take time to nurture both yourself and your baby in a supportive, relaxing environment.

Colorado Health Insurance Policies

Colorado health insurance policies are designed to provide health cover to individuals, self-employed, group of employees, the elderly and students. These policies are mainly intended to provide coverage to insured members in meeting their costs towards treatment, doctor visits, physician consultation, investigation, and operations besides the hospitalization costs.

If you are interested in an Individual policy, in Colorado you are subject to a medical review, and there is no guarantee that you will not be accepted. The insurance company may request your medical records from doctors and may exclude certain pre-existing medical conditions. They can also decline insuring you. Many plans will not cover maternity care, but you may be able to add it as a rider to the regular coverage. This will cost you more, but it's worth it. Without this coverage, the huge expenses involved in maternity care can really scare away expectant parents and the joy may soon turn into a burden. Coverage for pre-existing conditions vary and depend on what condition you have and what insurance you are looking for.

Group insurance policies are guaranteed and there is no medical review. A qualifying business has to be accepted by providing tax information and other documents requested. Acceptance of a group policy is contingent on qualifying as a business, and being able to provide the necessary tax and other documents requested by the carrier.

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) have been in effect Colorado since January 1st, 2004. This allows for a high deductible medical insurance policy with a special tax-deferred "Health Savings Account." Anthem, Rocky Mountain Health plans, Fortis and United Healthcare, are just some of the Carriers that offer HSA compatible policies and many more are expected in the coming year.

When deciding on PPOs or HMO remember the differences. In an HMO your primary care physician is the one who has to refer you to specialists or other doctors. PPOs allow you to see other physicians without a referral. But, the doctor you see must be listed in the PPO network. PPOs are more expensive than HMOs. They both have pluses and minuses.

Florida Health Insurance - Maternity Benefit Options

Congratulations on your decision to have a baby. It is important that you are able to receive pre-natal healthcare and not be stressed about the costs of the birth. A normal no issues birth costs about $6000 not including pre-natal care. Complications such as a cesarean or premature will make the cost very much higher. Hopefully that does not happen but it can and that does not have to be a stressful issue.

The best way to take care of this is to be on an employer sponsored health insurance plan. All employer group plans cover maternity. Maternity benefits are not subject to any waiting period or pre-existing condition exclusions even if the person is already pregnant when she enrolls.

It is not necessary for both parents to be on an employer insurance plan. If the wife is working where the employees are offered the employer group insurance, then she should be enrolled on the insurance. If she is not enrolled then she should enroll during the open enrollment period for the insurance. You need to find out when that is and be sure to enroll. You only need to enroll yourself.

If the wife is not employed, her employer does not offer health insurance or she is not eligible for the employer's plan then she needs to check if the husband's employer offers group health insurance. This will be more expensive as the husband and the wife will have to be on the insurance. The husband would be on as the employee and the wife as the spouse. So, if the mother and/or father is employed the first place to check is if the employer has a group plan.

Florida Medicaid is an option for pregnant women. Qualifying for Medicaid is based on family income. For a pregnant woman the household income must be less than 185% of the Federal Poverty Level. A pregnant woman is counted as two persons when checking eligibility. For example if the woman is married than with no other children than the qualifying level would be based on the Federal Poverty Level for a three person family. To find more information on if you qualify for Medicaid in Florida you would need to contact your local Florida Medicaid office and meet with a counselor.

Florida has a program that offers insurance to pregnant women, CoverFlorida. CoverFlorida is a limited benefit plan. Maternity is covered as any other health condition. There is no special maternity benefit. The plan is available to pregnant women and they are not to a pre-existing condition limitation. It is not a free program and can be expensive. It is available to persons that have been uninsured for at least 6 months or have lost their employer group health insurance. This would be considered a last resort if the options above are not available. CoverFlorida changes often and so the best way to find information at the time you need it is to check online for CoverFlorida.

Maternity coverage is, in general, not offered on individual health insurance plans or the benefits are limited. Benefits may be available after the plan after it has been in effect for period of time, maybe 12 months and benefits might be stepped over time. For example, after 12 months on the plan, there might be $1000 of benefits, after 2 years, $2000 of benefits, after 3 years $3000 of benefits to the maximum plan benefit for maternity which might be $7000. If a person is already pregnant then individual health is not available to apply for by either the pregnant woman or the husband until after the baby is born. Insurance carriers have different underwriting guidelines for how long after the baby is born. If might be an option after the child's first well baby visit or after a period of time from birth such as 6 weeks.

Permanent international health insurance plans often include maternity benefits. International plans are available to US citizens that live, work, study or are otherwise outside of the US more than 6 months of the year. International insurance plans are available to non-US citizens worldwide including the US as long as they do not qualify for domestic US health insurance plans. Permanent international insurance can be worldwide coverage and include the US. The maternity benefits of these plans start after the plan has been in effect for 12 months. Plans are not approved if applied for while the person is pregnant. Underwriting is similar to US domestic individual health insurance plans. It is important to plan ahead as after a person is pregnant it is too late.

If you are considering having a family or having more children, then now is the time to make sure your pregnancy and the birth will be a happy family experience. For you to know that you can focus on the health of the mother and the child and not have financial issues creating stress takes planning and taking action in advance.

Maternity Health Insurance - Fill Gaps With Additional Coverage

Many health insurance plans with maternity coverage come with unexpected holes. Group plans often come with hospital deductibles or co pays. Starting or growing a family is expensive enough without these extra bills. Hospital indemnity insurance is a great way to plug these holes. It pays a cash benefit directly to the insured for her normal labor and delivery, and may pay additional benefits in case of a hospitalization prior to delivery, due to delivery complications, for premature birth, and more.

As group health insurance premiums continue to spiral ever higher, employers look for ways to keep health insurance premiums in check. One of the favorite tricks is to introduce hospital deductibles and co-pays. The thought process works for the majority of employees. In a typical year 90% of employees or more will never step foot inside a hospital. Everybody enjoys slightly lower health insurance premiums, and only a handful of employees get stuck paying the hospital deductible or co-pay.

One group ends end feeling the pinch the most: couples planning a pregnancy. It's a normal step in many families' lifecycle. Even when mom and baby are perfectly healthy, a hospital stay comes as part of the package, and along with that comes a hefty deductible or co payment. Ouch!

But not every pregnancy goes as smoothly as hoped. Many pregnancies experience complications requiring mom to be hospitalized prior to her delivery, possibly adding to left over expenses. One out of eight babies is born premature, and may require a stay in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Many deductibles have individual limits, coupled with higher family limits. Just when you think you've satisfied your hospital deductible with mom's stay, your infant's stay bumps it even higher. And what if you have multiples confined to the NICU? Depending upon the policy, the extra costs can really add up.

Hospital Indemnity Insurance is a great way for couples planning a pregnancy to fill these holes, and rest easier at night. The programs pay a cash benefit directly to the insured for mom's hospital stay for her normal labor and delivery. Some programs pay a single lump sum per hospital admission, while others will also pay an additional benefit based upon the total days of hospital confinement. The benefit for normal delivery may greatly exceed the premium paid if timed well.

In addition, hospital indemnity insurance may also pay additional benefits if mom is confined to the hospital prior to delivery. Many policies will contain exclusions if you are re-admitted to the hospital for the same or similar condition within a specified number of days. A policy with a ninety-day exclusion might pay benefits for a hospitalization in during two different trimesters in addition to normal delivery.

Hospital indemnity coverage shines through when premature birth is taken into account. Your infant's hospitalization is often automatically covered during the first thirty days of birth. The extra benefit will really help out if you encounter some of the deductible scenarios noted above. In addition, multiple pregnancies often are delivered early. Pre term deliveries are most likely to result in a NICU stay. Your hospital indemnity policy may pay an additional benefit for each infant.

Make sure your coverage begins before getting pregnant.

Depression - Who is Most at Risk of Depression and Anxiety?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), depression is a common mental disorder that is the leading cause of disability and the leading contributor to the global burden of disease. By 2020 WHO predicts that depression will rise to the number two contributor to global burden of disease. Who would have known?

WHO Depression Facts (from WHO):

• Depression is common, affecting about 121 million people worldwide.


• Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide.


• Depression can be reliably diagnosed and treated in primary care.


• Fewer than 25 % of those affected have access to effective treatments.

So what is Depression?

Depression is a common mental disorder that manifests itself in the form of depressed mood, a loss of enjoyment of living, low self esteem, inability to sleep properly, loss of appetite, low levels of energy, and poor concentration. It affects people of all ages and from all backgrounds. Some experience severe symptoms and are unable to function day to day and fatalities account for about eight hundred and fifty thousand lives yearly.

So who is most at risk?

The statistics suggest that women are more susceptible to depression than men. Approximately one in six women will experience depression at some stage in their lives while men have a one in four chance. Whilst there are factors that affect women more so than men, the numbers mask a real issue for men...

There are factors that impact on women that contribute to depression such as child birth (post natal depression), hormone changes and the multiple roles women have in day to day life (like raising children, running a home and holding down a job, all at the same time).

One of the known issues with the statistics is that men are known to be less likely to seek support for their depression. The social stigma placed on men prevents them from seeking help and consequently the numbers may be skewed. Many men consider depression as a weakness, or at least they perceive others to do so and therefore they are reluctant to step forward and admit their illness. Although this is improving today, there are still an unknown number of men who do not present for support.

Children who experience depression are more likely to have a family history of the disorder. Often one of the parents will have experienced depression at some stage in their lives. Adolescence is a period when depression seems to affect a greater number of people, particularly girls. They too have a higher than normal likelihood to have a family history of depression although not to the same extent as children.

What are the Risk Factors?

A number of factors have been recognized as increasing the risk of contracting depression. These include such things as stress, marriage breakup, relationship break down, a loss of a loved one, onset of chronic illness such as diabetes, abuse or neglect or some other traumatic event.

Summary

Depression is a major mental disorder that is prevalent everywhere, in all ages, races and genders. There seems to be a higher incidence in women but the numbers could be somewhat misleading. There are several known contributing factors, including family history of the disease.

According to WHO, depression will be a growing problem for many years to come.

Safe Abdominal Exercises During Pregnancy to Help You Stay Toned and Sexy While Pregnant

Being a pregnant mom to be is filled with all kinds of joys and excitement, especially if it is your first pregnancy. From picking baby names to getting the nursery ready pregnancy is one of the most special times in a woman's life. But it also comes with its own set of unique challenges and surprises. One of the least desirable aspects of pregnancy is weight gain. But weight gain during pregnancy does not have to be excessive. You can keep yourself fit and trim while pregnant with a combination of aerobic exercise and abdominal exercises during pregnancy.

Let's first clear up a common myth that it is not safe to do abdominal work whole pregnant. This simply is not true. As a matter of fact many experts recommend that your abdominals and your entire core should be exercised and strengthened when you are pregnant.

Why is this? Strengthening your abdominals does not only help to keep you fit it also will aid in labor and delivery. An added benefit is that toning your abdominals will help your tummy to "snap back" much more quickly after your baby is born. If you combine abdominal exercise with aerobic exercise you will be looking fantastic in no time after your baby is born.

So just how can an expecting mother exercise her abdominals during pregnancy in a way that is safe for both her and her baby?

A great place to start is with Kegel exercises. These exercises are excellent to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and you can do them just about anywhere. A simple Kegel exercise is to simply tighten your pelvic floor muscles as if you are trying to stop your urine flow. Hold for five seconds and repeat ten times.

Through your first trimester you can do just about any kind of abdominal exercises. This includes crunches, leg lifts, etc. At this point in your pregnancy you will not do any harm to yourself or your baby by doing traditional ab exercises. But you will reap the benefits of a toned tummy and preparing yourself for delivery.

As you progress past your first trimester you will want to avoid exercises that require you to lie flat on your back. At this point you can continue to exercise your abdominals using gentle standing pelvis tilts, seated belly breathing, or by tightening, holding, and releasing your abdominals counting to five at each step. Tighten (one, two, three, for five), Hold (one, two, three, four five), Release (one, two, three, four five).

When you combine aerobic exercise with abdominal exercises during pregnancy you help to ensure that you will; look great during pregnancy, have an easier labor and delivery, and get your body back to pre-pregnancy shape much more quickly. Now that is a set of triplets that any expecting mother can love.

How To Lose Weight While Pregnant - 3 Tips To Help You Lose Weight While Pregnant

Putting on extra weight while pregnant is, as we all know, part and parcel of the whole process. And it has it's plus points too - those bigger boobs make your hubby feel like a kid at Christmas! :)

But what is a normal and appropriate amount of weight to gain while pregnant? Are there any ways that we can safely lose weight while pregnant? What can you do now that will make your labour easier and help you get back to your pre-pregnant weight super fast when your little bundle of joy finally arrives?

Are you really overweight?

These days it's easy to get sucked into the media's image of what a mum-to-be should look like, what with all these celebrity toothpicks, as I like to call them, having no more than a small bump, whilst being on some faddy diet. I must stress that pregnancy is definitely not the time to be going on a strict weight loss diet. What you need is to ascertain what a suitable pregnancy weight is for you, and then take steps to try to maintain it and increase your health and the health of your baby.

Everybody is different, and every woman's body will react differently while pregnant. An average weight gain for a full term pregnancy is anywhere between 25-45 pounds, which includes the increase in the mother's blood volume, the size of the uterus, the placenta, various fluids and the baby. This is an average figure so there will be much variation either side. Check with your doctor for more advice on your optimum weight.

How to lose weight while pregnant Tip no.1 - Control Your Cravings

Cravings are one of the hardest things to deal with during pregnancy, and annoyingly, one of the biggest contributors to excessive weight gain. Waking up in the middle of the night yearning for chocolate, or ice cream with gherkins, is a well-known part of pregnancy. However, these cravings, while healthy and perfectly normal, can be controlled and there are even certain foods that can reduce your cravings. Eating foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI) can help balance your blood sugar levels and reduce the highs and lows that many women suffer throughout the day, due to their slow release of energy. This can help you in reducing the onset of any excess pounds and begin to help you lose weight while pregnant.

By craving foods with high sugar and glucose levels a vicious circle can be created because they will often make the cravings worse, affect your mood and contribute to excess weight gain.

How to lose weight while pregnant Tip no.2 - Eat More Often

"Hang on, didn't you just tell me to control my cravings Now you're telling me that eating more often will help me lose weight while pregnant? Are you out of your mind?"

This kind of sounds counter-intuitive doesn't it? The idea though is that you'll be eating smaller portions more regularly instead of 2-3 large meals a day. By doing this you're not consuming any extra unnecessary calories, but are feeding your body and the baby more regularly. This will help keep your metabolism and blood sugar at consistent levels and keep you energised throughout the day.

And yes, I am out of my mind but not because of this! ;)

How to lose weight while pregnant Tip no.3 - Exercise

Exercising regularly during pregnancy was once frowned upon, but now has seen to be a great way to stay in shape and lose weight while pregnant, avoid the aches and pains common with weight gain, and can increase energy, flexibility and make your labour significantly easier (thank goodness!).

Walking and swimming are excellent low-impact ways to keep you fit and healthy and maintaining a balanced weight while pregnant. The buoyancy you'll find in the pool will often come as a relief and an aid to your daily routine and let's you get some fantastic exercise without putting stress on your body or the baby's.

Stationary cycling is also a great way to get some low-impact exercise and build stamina.

Yoga and Pilates can be beneficial and effective ways to lose weight while pregnant but make sure you find a suitably experienced instructor who has specialised in dealing with pregnant women.

Again it's always best to check with your doctor on the intensity of your workouts, for instance, if you exercised regularly before you were pregnant then your workouts will be notably different to someone who didn't.