DR KEVWE'S BLOG

My daughter, Omena Ariela Ogidigben, was born on 9th of October, 2019, at the Memorial Harmann Hospital, Memorial City in Houston , Texas and although she turns only 2 today, these photos of her and little write up summarises why she ticks all the boxes for a superstar in the making. 

We were requested to fill in a form for her pre-school admission and the first question that hit us was a golden one: "Tell us 3 attributes of Omena?" Without thinking twice I shouted the first 3 attributes that came to my mind: CHEERFUL, OUTGOING and FUN LOVING! That's my daughter for you. A 2 years old woman who already knows what she wants... very hilarious right? Wait until she tells you "no!I want that one" 🤣.

 

Caring to a fault is an understatement! How did the Creator imbibe such a virtue in a human being this young? I know I didn't teach her and don't think her mum did either. She lights up every room she enters with joy and sweetness and you can't help but to love her immediately you meet her.

Already aware of physical fitness in her own small way, copying jumping jacks from her mum and Joe Wicks and matching her dad to a dance, pound for pound minutes unending. 

Happy 2nd Birthday my darling daughter. You surely tick all the boxes of a future superstar and I couldn't have thought of any better gift from God for a daughter, than you. 

Blessings on blessings my beautiful daughter. I wish you many many more years in return; in great health and global greatness of course.

Blog; by Daddy/ Dr Kevwe Ogidigben

📸: Natural Portraits by Sally Sergeant

Styling: Mum/ Eri Ogidigben

As the summer holiday goes by real quick, the excitement is palpable because Kj and his peers become primary school pupils when they return back to the four walls of a classroom but if you are the parents of these excited lot, then your benign anxiety may be similar to ours when you think of the big question,"IS THERE ANY STRESS FREE STRATEGY TO GETTING THESE CHILDREN WRITING READY"?  

Permit me to apologise to readers who thought I was going to blot out solutions in this article. I honestly wish I had the answers but I don't, so I will be soliciting responses in the comments section from: family, friends and colleagues who have older children.... how did you do it please? I sat with K.j. the other day and we both got frustrated 😅!"I just can't do it Daddy", the intelligent young man cries out to me but they  eventually do it, don't they? A few of the kids might not develop the skill as quick as their peers and this proves to be a source of worry for the parents especially doesn't it?

A close family friend has suggested the A4 Mini whiteboards with markers and we are getting some from Amazon to have a go (find referral link below). Will this work the magic? Do well to let myself and the many parents in this boat know how you tackled this all important milestone with your wards in the comments section below. Thanks a zillion in advance. You are Superstars already.

From about an estimated 350,000 cases worldwide as at 1988 to 22 reported cases in 2017, the world is on the verge of finally eradicating the once dreaded Polio disease. More commonly known as Poliomyelitis in clinical circles, the potentially paralytic disease is caused by the Polio virus and is known to affect mainly children under 5 years of age, mainly through person-to-person spread via the infected stool contaminated hand-to-mouth route, causing symptoms that range from: unexplained tiredness, vomiting, headache, fever, stiffness in the neck to severe pain in the legs and irreversible paralysis amongst an unlucky few. The end spectrum of severity for 5% to 10% of paralytic cases as stated in World Health Organisation(WHO) Factsheets is death, mainly from paralysis of respiratory muscles responsible for the process of breathing. The disease condition currently has no cure till date and as a result of the death toll from several epidemics around various parts of the world in the past, as well as the devastating effect on affected families, concerned Organisations spearheaded by WHO, The Global Polio Eradication Initiative(GPEI) formed in 1988 and The Rotary Club International, came to a consensus that, as a global village we must "END POLIO NOW" but what's the plan?  

As a result of major breakthroughs with the scientific research work of Dr Jonas Salk in 1952 and Albert Sabin in 1961, it became clear to the world that, in the absence of any cure, prevention of new infections by vaccination of children from birth was the best way forward. Though 125 countries were said to be affected by significant disease spread in 1988, with concerted efforts mainly through vaccination and public health education, only 3 countries were confirmed to have recurrent incidences of new cases as at 2013: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Strains of the Polio virus were knocked off the face of the earth one after the other until, all we need to finally wipe out now is the recalcitrant Type 1,as shown in the GPEI illustration below.

Courtesy: Global Polio Eradication Initiative 👀: polioeradication.org

If the clear answer to the puzzle was vaccination of children to prevent spread and thus new cases, why did the condition linger in some parts of Nigeria for instance? What is going on in Pakistan? Is the crisis in Afghanistan part of the challenge there? I spoke with the Chairman of the Nigerian National Polio Plus Committee of Rotary International, Dr. Abdulrahman Tunji Funsho, in a live Television interview aired from the studios of the Nigerian Television Authority(NTA) Lagos Network Centre in 2016 and at the end of the conversation, I could deduce that one of the major problems in Nigeria to be specific was tribal myths propagated by community leaders especially in the North, that immunisation was evil.  Thankfully, all of that is now a thing of the past as no new cases have been detected in Nigeria for over 1 year now and the country is heading for the final eradication declaration if things remain status quo.

We cannot say immunisation coverage in Nigeria is 100% yet, talk less of  the other 2 countries in which the disease is still endemic and the challenge for many parents is cooperation from their children. The WHO illustration below is a summary of "how to soothe a child during vaccination/immunisation". We hope it helps parents out there who still find it difficult to get their children vaccinated, not just against polio virus but every other potentially infective disease that has a preventive vaccine. Our children must be adequately immunised for age, except where there are genuine medical contraindications.

The 24th of October has been set aside by Rotary International for annual commemoration of World Polio Day to celebrate Jonas Salk for the great discovery of a vaccine that works and to share more information as well as create global awareness towards the fact that we must all participate in the efforts to #EndPolioNow. For more information about Polio/Poliomyelitis, the history of the disease and global efforts towards final eradication, refer to the references below.

REFERENCES:
* WHO|Poliomyelitis

* BBC|History Of Polio

* POLIO|GLOBAL ERADICATION INITIATIVE: Polio Today

* ROTARY|END POLIO NOW: World Polio Day 2018

With groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommending that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months or longer, it’s no wonder the rates of breastfed babies have risen dramatically in the last 16 years. Statistics shows that in 2002, 37.9% of babies were breastfed for at least six months and 71.9% were breastfed for some time.  The latest available statistics, representing babies born, indicate that 57.6% are breastfed for six months and 83.2% at least for some time. Not all mothers are able to breastfeed their babies all the time, and so have to pump milk for storage to be used later. This is especially true for working mothers;


Pumping breast milk can be inconvenient, as most systems require a bulky system with lots of parts. The situation is improving, however, as companies are developing pumping systems that a woman can wear under her clothing. There are popular devices like the Willow Wearable Breast Pump shown above, a device that fits inside a woman’s bra while it collects milk in one-time-use bags. Chiaro Technology is the company that founded the Elvie Trainer, which is a mobile kegel exercise feedback device.


The same company recently announced the Elvie Pump. Described as “the world’s first silent wearable breast pump,” the Evie Pump is currently available on a waitlist status only. Designed to be worn inside a standard nursing bra, the Elvie Pump has five parts for easy assembly and cleaning. An associated iOS or Android app monitors milk volume in real-time, tracks pumping history for each breast and can control the pump remotely, although the app isn’t required to use the pump.



While the percentage of infants ever breastfed has increased ahead of the Health Promotion’s Healthy People 2020 Objectives, only about 25% of babies are breastfed exclusively for their first six months. Considering the busy lives of average mothers, systems to make pumping more comfortable and convenient could help to increase these percentages.

References

• Health Promotion’s Healthy People 2020
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• World Health Organization
• Elvie Chiaro Technology

Have you ever felt that "your toddler is annoyingly a sucker for breast milk"; vehemently refusing to quit and thus, leaving yourself/your partner wondering what exactly the ideal age is for the youngster to let go? You are certainly not alone. This is one of the many controversial and confusing topics rocking the boat in the lives of many first time parents, including my humble self 😊.

Breastfeeding no doubt has been identified as the single most nutritious source of dietary requirements for every child. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that  where possible, every child should be exclusively fed with breastmilk only, for the first six (6) months of life. The benefits range from: better immunity/infectious disease protection for the newborn, to prevention of overweight/obesity and Diabetes Mellitus(poor internal control of blood sugar) as the case maybe. The breastfeeding mother is not left out, as they can also smile to the Health Bank with gains like: relief from unbearably painful breast engorgement, prevention of breast tissue(swelling,pain,redness & heat) inflammation and on the long run, reduced risk from breast cancer, amongst many other advantages outlined in relevant literature.



So we all agree that the benefits are great but when should the young kiddo let go then? Forever or what? LOL!  Not until I set out to review literature towards putting this article together, did I realise that, WHO actually recommends that "toddlers can be breast fed up to 2 years of age or beyond"!  The new BIG QUESTION now is,"HOW LONG IS BEYOND? Hopefully experienced mothers who read this article and Paediatricians perhaps, should be able to make things a bit clearer in the comments section below. Other mothers should also tell us what their experiences were like and how little special one eventually stopped because 21st century babies just won't let go;especially the boys- oooooooh they will so fight you if you attempt to strip them of their birth right. For more information about breastfeeding and breast milk, kindly consult the references below.

REFERENCES:
* WHO|Breastfeeding

* WIKIPEDIA|Breast Milk

* NHS|Breastfeeding

Twins live longer than other people, and their close social connection may be a major reason why, a new study says.

Researchers reviewed data from more than 2,900 same-sex twins. They were born in Denmark between 1870 and 1900. The study only included data from twins who lived past age 10. The researchers compared the twins to the general Danish population.

At every age, identical twins had higher survival rates than fraternal twins. And, fraternal twins had higher survival rates than people in the general population.

For men, the peak survival benefit of being a twin was at age 45. Male twins' survival rate at that age was 90 percent, compared with 84 percent in the general population. For women, the peak survival benefit of being a twin occurred in their early 60s. About 10 percent more female twins made it to their early 60s than in the general population.

The findings, published recently in the journal PLoS One, reflect the health benefits of the close social ties between twins.

"There is benefit to having someone who is socially close to you who is looking out for you. They may provide material or emotional support that lead to better longevity outcomes," study author David Sharrow, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, said in a university news release.

For example, a close companion can discourage bad habits and encourage healthy behaviors, act as a caregiver during an illness, and provide emotional support.

If the findings are confirmed in other sets of data, they would have implications beyond twins.

"Research shows that these kinds of social interactions, or social bonds, are important in lots of settings," Sharrow said. "Most people may not have a twin, but as a society we may choose to invest in social bonds as a way to promote health and longevity."

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about twins.