When a cut needs to be stitched

When should you take your child for stitches?

For children, the scars of bumps and bruises, cuts and broken bones are learning trophies. While parents do their best to keep the home and yard as safe as possible, it’s impossible to protect your child all the time. Accidents happen!

When your child comes dripping blood into the house, or the children playing in the communal playground begin to wail like sirens that somebody’s hurt, parents are the first to rush to the scene of the accident. Fear and anxiety can do funny things. Some people shout, some panic and do more harm than good, others just faint!

It helps when you know what to do.

Be calm and assess the situation. Talk gently to the child and ask questions to find out exactly what happened. More often than not the wound is superficial – but a little bit of blood can make children panic.

If the cut is small and hardly bleeding, wash it thoroughly under the tap to remove superficial dirt. Air-dry before putting on the plaster (otherwise it won’t stick) to keep the wound clean for a day or two while it heals. Take off the plaster once the wound has healed, and keep it clean and dry with a dab of Mercurochrome.

Small cuts will bleed profusely if they include an artery. This can be over the wrist, the neck and in the groin. Then bright-red blood will spurt out like a hosepipe attached to a pump. Children can lose a lot of blood very quickly, and this can make them go into shock. It’s important to lie the child down and to raise the body part that’s bleeding above the level of the heart. Any clean cloth can be used to cover the open wound so that steady pressure can be applied. This gives the blood a chance to clot around the wound and help stop the bleeding. If the blood soaks through the cloth, apply another one over this while continuing to apply pressure. Call the ambulance or take the child to hospital with a pressure bandage and an adult supporting the child.

A gaping cut will need to be stitched to stop the bleeding, speed-up the healing process  and minimise scarring. In the ER three types of stitching can be used:

Steri-strips – these are special plaster strips that join the two surfaces of the cut without a needle and thread.

Dissolving stitches – these don’t need to be removed but are best used where they will be undisturbed e.g. on the forehead or limbs.

Removable stitches are used on bigger cuts, especially where there is a lot of body movement e.g. the face, elbows, knees and other joints. These are usually taken out a week after the incident.

When your child has stitches, keep the wound clean and covered according to instructions from the doctor. When the stitches have dissolved / been removed, keep the wound clean and dry with a dab of Mercurochrome. If your child picks at the scab, it will become infected, take longer to heal and leave a nasty scar. If necessary, use a gauze dressing to prevent this. 

Illustration from Dr Miriam Stoppard’s book “Baby and Child Health Care” (an authoritative easy-reference A-Z guide to children’s illnesses, their symptoms and treatment) – highly recommended for every home.

Tips for teenagers and parents at exam time

Writing exams

It’s exam time again. If you have teens at home, you’ll find that this time of the year they’re moody, grumpy, non-communicable and emptying the fridge contents into their stomachs. Teens get angry when you remind them they should be studying (instead of watching TV), spend the night cram-studying and then can’t understand why they can’t think straight the next morning!

Why is it that pre-schoolers are ultra-curious about the world they’re living in, yet by the time they get to matric, most of them hate learning? I think there is something seriously wrong with the school education system. Teens should leave school wanting to learn, because after all, learning is what life is all about.

How parents can help their teenagers:

ü  Encourage and motivate them without being pushy

ü  Don’t make your teenager feel like a failure even before they’ve started writing exams

ü  Remind them to make the most of the work they’ve done during the year, and not to abandon the notes they’ve already made

ü  Remind them that they have youth on their side – it’s easier for teenagers to learn than it is for adults

ü  Let them make the most of studying opportunities provided by the school / study notes / revision programmes on TV

ü  Persuade them (if possible) to switch off their cell phones while they’re studying. Friends can be distracting

ü  To boost their energy levels, make sure they’re eating properly. A short course of multi-vitamins can help

http://vitamins.lovetoknow.com/What_is_a_Good_Vitamin_for_My_Teenager_to_Take

ü  Secure a quiet space for them to study and give them a break from regular chores around the house

ü  Offer them a reward/treat (irrespective of the results) when exams are over!

How teenagers can help themselves:

ü Learn to manage your time according to the exam time-table. Prioritise which subjects need the most attention

ü Get into the rhythm of a daily routine

ü Mind-map revision notes – these are easier to memorise

ü Study guides give you practical advice on how to answer papers. They also provide practice-questions with answers at the back. If your answer was wrong, work out why it was so that you don’t make the same mistake in the exam!

ü Practice, practice, practice

ü Read questions carefully – understand what’s being asked before launching into an answer

ü Take regular breaks while you are studying – work for two hours with a fifteen-minute break in between, and a half-hour break after studying for two hours

ü During your break do things you enjoy without sitting around – dance, play sport, listening to music, take a walk around your neighbourhood

ü Leave your study notes on the morning of your exam! Nerves and anxiety will only stress you more and confuse your brain

ü When you get to school, don’t discuss the exam with the other kids in your class – they will only make you nervous. It’s better to spend this time quietly and on your own. 

Good Luck!

What does it mean to be a parent?

What is parenthood?

• “Parenthood is a very important period for consolidating identity and for expanding maturity” – Jean MacFarlane
• “Parenthood brings out the better side of people” – the Foundation for Child Development
• “If it was going to be easy to raise kids, it never would have started with something called labour” – Scott M Peck
• “The amount of richness that children can bring into the lives of their parents is indescribable” – John Clever
• “The most forceful motivation of active fatherhood has been the voice of feminism” – Robert Coleman
• “Good parenting is not done by formula” – Jerome Kagen
• “Surrendering to motherhood means surrendering to interruption” – Erica Jong
• “A mother’s interaction with her children – enveloping, secure, modulated and controlled. More cooing and playing verbal games. Father is playful, exciting, physical” – Vance Packard
• “We had a mother to answer to. We loved her profoundly, and our driving force was to do what she wanted because we knew how much it meant to her” – James Cogney
• “Fathers who are more available to their children than average, who are nurturers, accepting and serve as active teachers, tend to have children who excel in school” – Vance Packard

Artwork by Colette Edmonds: from my handbook "Childbirth Education is Fun!"

“Remember that through your parents you were born

And what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?”

Sirach 7:28

Top tips for a healthy pregnancy

Ten top tips for a healthy pregnancy

The first 1,000 days (from conception to the age of two) are the most important in your baby’s life. Here’s how you can prepare for them.

1.    Get healthy before you get pregnant. Make sure you’re the right weight for height, your blood sugars and blood pressure are stable and you’re exercising regularly. Ditch bad habits like smoking and drinking.

2.    Once you’re pregnant, don’t miss clinic/ gynaecologist/midwife appointments. There will be about 12 over the next 8 months.

3.    First trimester: Expect to feel exhausted with nausea and emotional outbursts. These symptoms will settle by your third month, so don’t stress too much about them.

4.    What you should tell your doctor/midwife:

Tell your health-care provider about vaginal bleeding – especially if it comes with pain and/or a fever. Report headaches, blurring or problems with your eyes, burning when passing urine and vaginal discharges.

5.    Diet and supplements: You’ll need extra minerals and vitamins when you’re pregnant. There are special pregnancy supplements for these. You’ll also burn extra calories and will need extra protein – especially in the last few months of your pregnancy when your baby’s brain is developing. You don’t need to eat for two – just make sure that you’re eating healthy!

6.    Avoiding and treating infections: Pregnant women have a lower resistance to infections and many viruses are small enough to cross the protective placental barrier. It’s wise to avoid people-busy places during the first 12 weeks when your baby’s organs are developing. Some antibiotics are not good to take during pregnancy. It’s best to boost your immune system with fresh fruit (e.g. oranges, strawberries and guavas).

7.    Look after your breasts. By six months your breasts may start leaking colostrum – your baby’s first milk. Make sure you’re wearing a comfortable, well-fitting bra. You don’t need to ‘toughen-up’ the nipple for breastfeeding. Nipple trauma is avoided when your baby latches onto your nipple correctly.

8.    Staying active: Join ante-natal exercises or simply walk or swim every day. Exercise gets your blood circulating and helps with aches and pains – especially backache.

9.    Working while you wait: Most women work for as long as possible. Some professions like flying, hair-dressing, nursing and lab technicians may have to adapt their working circumstances for the safety of their unborn babies.

10. Be aware of your baby’s movements:

If this is your first pregnancy, you will feel your baby move for the first time at around five months. Second time round, baby’s movements will be felt much earlier. The first flutters of ‘life’ helps you to bond with your baby. In the last two months of pregnancy you may notice a pattern in your baby’s movements.  How your baby moves will give you an idea of your baby’s personality! If you don’t feel your baby move for more than four hours, do something to wake him/her – like eating or taking a shower. If your baby still doesn’t move, phone your doctor.  

Nine months of pregnancy is more than enough time to get used to the idea of becoming a parent. Every child, whether planned or not, is a precious gift. Treasure your pregnancy and use this special time to prepare for and give your child the best possible start in life.