The secret life of sperm: may aid contraception and male fertility

Swimming Sperm

Scientists have discovered something about sperm that makes perfect sense: they don’t start swimming until they are closer to the egg.

Because sperm only have limited resources, they need to maximise their chances of fertilising the egg.

Internal pH

University of California researchers have found that sperm increases its internal pH — its acidity or alkalinity — due to pores on its surface that allow it to jettison protons.

Dr Yuriy Kirichok, who led the research, said: “The concentration of protons inside the sperm cell is 1,000 times higher than outside.

“If you just open a pore, protons will go outside – we identify the molecule that lets them out.”

A substance called anandamide, present in the female reproductive tract and in particularly high levels near the egg, seems to be the trigger for this release, which in turn allows the sperm’s tail to begin moving, and the vigorous swimming to begin.

Cannabis

This may also explain why men who regularly use cannabis/marijuana experience greater levels of infertility.

Contraception and Fertility

It seems fair that, as scientists learn more about sperm, it could aid in two ways.

Firstly, it could be used to create effective male contraceptives.

Secondly, it could be another explanation for male infertility. Sperm’s motility is already measured. Research such as this could help to improve motility, or to ensure that sperm doesn’t use up its resources too early.

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said: “Although it seems obvious that sperm have to swim in order to find and fertilise an egg inside the female body, or in the dish during IVF, we are only just uncovering some of the molecular details that the sperm use when swimming”

Via

Five Prenatal Yoga Positions for Labour

Global yoga specialist, childbirth educator, and director of prenatal yoga specialist Jiivana UK Ltd, Zoe Mongey, lists her top five tips for labour.

Top Tip One: Carry out the early stage labour position: All Fours

Carry out the All Fours position during the early stages of labour to alleviate contraction pain.

This pose can be done on the floor or the bed.

It helps to encourage the baby into the anterior position so its spine swings to the front of your belly. It also relieves the pressure in the pelvis as gravity takes the weight away from the pelvis and to the belly.

Doing this pose, particularly in the last trimester, is an excellent way to encourage anterior lying babies.

Top Tip Two: Learn to use pelvic rotations to dissipate contraction discomfort

Trial pelvic rotations during the 1st stage of labour to dissipate the pain or use in second stage between contractions.

Kneel on floor or up onto the bed and use slow circling motions of the hips to help to dissipate the discomfort.

In this pose gravity also helps to push the baby down into the dilating cervix.

Use this position during contractions in the second stage to help descend the baby further down the birth canal in preparation for the next push.

Top Tip Three: Relax using the child’s pose

This position can be done on the bed or the floor.

Take the knees wider than the belly, big toes touching and sit back onto the heels. You can place your arms up on the bed, on your partner, stacked pillows or a ball.

In this position gravity also helps to push the baby down into the dilating cervix.

Top Tip Four – For the later stages of labour use the deep Squat position

The deep squat position is for later stages of labour.

Lean back onto your partner who is sitting on a chair or the ball and squat down with the knees wide.

You can also do this position up on the bed with the back of the bed raised to 90 degrees supporting the back, the knees bent and the feet flat on the bed.

This helps to widen the pelvic diameter bringing the baby’s head down into the dilating cervix.

Top Tip Five: Visualise your end goal by focusing on something special

When you are preparing your hospital bag, consider taking something special with you for the baby to wear after it’s born. This may be a little pair of socks or a little suit.

It can be anything that you feel is beautiful. You can look at it every now and then during your labour and this will help you focus on why you are there.

For more top prenatal and labour tips check out ‘Bliss from Within’. Jiivana’s complete package DVD helps to guide pregnant women through a happy and healthy pregnancy.

Zoe Mongey, director of Jiivana UK, said, “Whether you are birthing at home or in hospital yoga can help you cope better and enjoy the journey of pregnancy and the experience of labour.

“By physically preparing your body with yoga you will improve your comfort during pregnancy and reduce your risk of complications during labour. By practicing breathing techniques and visualisations you will calm and centre yourself and bond with your unborn baby during pregnancy and provide yourself with a tool to cope better during labour.

“Understanding and learning these poses will empower pregnant women with knowledge and understanding of active birth positions.

Jiivana has two renowned yoga DVDs — ‘Bliss from Within’ for mums-to-be, and ‘Baby Bliss’ for new mothers.

‘Bliss from Within’ has been endorsed as the most comprehensive prenatal Yoga DVD on the market by The National Association of Childbirth Educators as it features two 45-minute yoga programmes, alongside advice on positions and massage for labour, pelvic floor techniques, partner assisted yoga, breathing techniques, home prop for yoga and baby bonding visualisations.

The ‘positions for labour’ segment coaches Mums to be through a number of breathing techniques and positions that can help them during labour and provides massage and support techniques for their birthing partner.

‘Bliss from within’ is also used in hospital active birth classes around the world.

For more information on Jiivana please visit www.jiivana.co.uk.

UK’s premature/sick baby care needs to improve says three-decade strong Bliss charity

In the thirty years that special care baby charity Bliss has existed, it has repeatedly called for better services that care for premature and sick babies in the UK.

Every year, some 70,000 babies are born in need of specialist neonatal care in England alone. Added to this, the birth rate is increasing and more premature babies are surviving than ever, which puts additional pressure on overstretched services.

To celebrate thirty years and highlight the issues, Bliss has produced a special report — Three Decades and Counting — which documents the charity’s support and pushes for improvements to special care baby services.

Chief executive of Bliss, Andy Cole, said “We are delighted to be celebrating our thirtieth birthday with the publication of this special report, looking at how Bliss and the services for newborn babies we support have developed. After 30 years of fighting, 2009 should mark a significant change in the fortunes of premature and sick babies and the care they receive. Special care baby units have been stretched to the limits for far too long. We call on the Government and the NHS to ensure that the NHS Taskforce’s recommendations are now delivered without delay.”

Bliss

Bed sharing accounts for half of all cot deaths, study suggests

Over half of infant cot deaths are linked to babies sharing a bed with their parents, according to a new study by Bristol University.

However, other factors were also found to be linked and harmful, such as when a parent smokes, drinks alcohol or uses sedating drugs before bedtime.

Researchers suggest that further education is still required to reduce the risk of cot deaths, despite the success of the “Back to Sleep” campaign from the early ’90s.

“Parents need to be advised never to put themselves in a situation where they might fall asleep with a young infant on a sofa,” said researchers, adding that parents should never sleep with an infant in any environment after consuming alcohol or drugs.

Young single parents have been targeted as the most likely to ignore safe sleep advice, and for this reason the web site Bubbalicious.co.uk has been launched to provide support.

Via

Fussy eating kids drive their parents mad, survey finds

While it may not be as serious as those we’ve watched on Freaky Eaters, fussy eating kids are driving parents mad.

A survey of over 3,000 parents by Green Giant found that one in three children have been described as fussy eaters by their parents.

Added to this, two out of three parents say that their kids are fussier than they themselves were when growing up.

One in twenty children hide food they don’t want to eat (one mother reported that her six-year-old son is regularly caught flushing peas down the toilet), while others sneak food onto other plates or feed it to the dog.

Of course, sulking, tantrums and claiming to be full also make an appearance ion the list of tactics used by children trying to avoid eating unappetising food.

To appease the kids, one in five parents say they have to cook different meals for each family member, while a similar number buy special “reward” puddings.

General Mills nutritionist Vanessa McConkey RNutri says: “These findings reinforce the importance of getting back to the table – sitting down together as a family to enjoy mealtimes, without the many distractions revealed by this survey. Kids can be very fussy and encouraging them to eat a proper, nutritious meal can be difficult for parents.

“Instilling healthy eating habits early on in life will help ensure children eat a healthy, balanced meal, rich in vegetables and fruit and get more of the nutrients they need. It will also increase the likelihood of these healthy habits being carried on throughout life. Choosing vegetables like canned sweet corn can make it much easier to ensure children get one of their recommended five a day.”

Healthy eating is a real marketing buzzword at present, as you’ll see if you watch a few food adverts on TV, but it can be a difficult balancing act to find food that kids will eat and that’s reasonably good for them.

Do you consider your kids to be fussy eaters? How have you tried to resolve the issue, or have you found yourself giving in to their pressure?

Share your thoughts, tips and tricks in the comments below.

British relationships suffering due to poor sleep

If sleepless nights are causing problems and arguments between you and your partner, you’re not alone.

A recent survey suggests that over a third of British couples argue because of sleep-related issues.

Research shows that two out of five people get less than six hours of sleep each night, leading to both health and relationship problems.

One in ten people are kept awake by their partner every night, while a quarter say they are woken up at least once a month.

The top five health conditions that cause arguments between couples at night are:

1. Back Pain
2. Restless leg syndrome
3. Night terrors
4. Nocturnal cramp
5. Teeth Grinding

One in five Brits have slept in a different room because of a night-time row and one in four of those polled suffers from sleep envy and are jealous of their partners restful nights sleep.

A third of people in the UK say they end up sleeping on the sofa after a night time argument, while one in three choose the spare bedroom. One in twenty Brits have even slept in the children’s bunk beds in order to get a restful sleep!

Other interesting revelations from the survey include:

• Over half of us are regularly too tired for sex, while 1 in 10 would go without sex in order to get a good nights sleep
• Nearly half (44 per cent) would have more sex if we didn’t feel so tired
• Spooning is the UK’s favourite sleeping position – over a third of British couples (38 per cent) doze off with the man spooning the woman
• Nearly 20 per cent of romantic Brits fall asleep holding hands with their partner
• Not everyone likes to snuggle up – nearly half of all couples (48 per cent) regularly sleep turned away from each other, on opposite sides of the bed
• 36 per cent of people admit to sleeping better on their own – one in twenty have separate beds every night

Solving Sleep Problems

If you are having sleep problems which are leading to problems in your relationship, whether you are not able to fall asleep, wake up too often, don’t feel well-rested when you wake up in the morning, or simply want to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep then try the following top tips put together by sleep expert Chris Idzikowski:

Here are the dos and don’ts to help you get better nights sleep

Do:

• Plan your night – follow a set routine each night that gives you time to relax
• Relax – Try having a warm bath or reading a book before bedtime
• De-clutter – Make your bedroom a clutter free, restful place, with soft lighting
• Invest – buy the best bed you can afford – the average person spends 25 years in their bed so it is essential that your bed is right for you and your partner
• Use the 20 minute rule – get up and rest somewhere else and do not return back to your bed until you feel sleepy
• Exercise regularly – just be careful not exercise too close to bed time as this can prevent the brain from relaxing quickly

Don’t:

• Try to fall asleep – Tell yourself to let go of being awake, rest your eyes and visualize yourself slowly sinking into bed
• Drink alcohol – alcohol cab make you restless and is a diuretic which means more trips to the bathroom at night
• Drink caffeine – this will stay in your system for six hours and act as a stimulant – try herbal or fruit tea as an alternative
• Eat a heavy or spicy meal less than 2 hours before bed – your body needs to rest and not be busy digesting
• Watch TV in bed – this will disturb your partner as well as stop your mind from relaxing
• Keep electrical components in your bedroom

For further tips or to complete the first ever interactive sleep personality quiz to identify how good your sleep is, visit www.goodsleepadvice.com

The survey was carried out by Crampex (the only over the counter product for muscle cramp at night) to highlight November’s Sleep Disturbance Month.

Video: Breastfeeding — what you should know

Tips to help both you and baby get the most from it

Breastfeeding is natural and has benefits for both mums and babies. It should be easy and trouble-free, and a good start helps to ensure that is a happy experience.

To establish breastfeeding, the early days are crucial and when it comes to technique, you may need guidance from a midwife or breastfeeding counsellor. Also, there is a lot of information available from reliable sources like Bounty, the UK’s favourite parenting club.

In this close-up video clip, we offer guidance with latching-on and positioning tips for both you and baby as well as highlight the signs that help you know that all is going well to make that special time a happy one for you both.

7 tips for helping kids to sleep better in the summer

Dr Adrian Williams, expert in Sleep Medicine at The London Sleep Centre, has outlined his seven top tips for helping children (and adults) sleep better when the weather is humid.

Research from Mira Showers suggests that over a quarter of children struggle to nod off, and experience a worse night’s sleep in the humid weather.

This leads to them waking up overtired, cranky and upset.

The seven simple tips are:

1. Maintain a sleep conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and above all cool: A child’s bedroom should remind you of a bat’s cave – bats are champion sleepers, managing around 16 hours a day.
2. Mimic air conditioning in your own home using a fan and ice cubes: Point the fan at the bed or cot with the ice cubes in front and ensure the whole bed gets a turn. Or put the sheets and pillow cases in the fridge for a while so they are chilled.
3. Shower before bed: Give your child a cool shower before bed and don’t dry off fully. Leaving their hair wet will also keep your child’s body temperature lower.
4. Change where you sleep: Sleeping in hammock is cooler, as is a water bed set to 85°F. But if as these aren’t exactly kid friendly, you could set up a bed on or low to the floor, or at least tell them to poke their feet outside the bed.
5. Dress for success: Resist the urge to strip your little ones off to sleep nude in hot weather. Wearing loose fitting cotton shorts and shirt will actually be cooler.
6. Train your body to keep cooler: Air-con stops your body from learning to cope with warm weather, so avoid it during the day and it will help your kids to take the heat in their stride come night-time.
7. Master the basics: Whatever the weather, getting up at the same time, avoiding caffeinated drinks, and not napping too late in the day will help children to sleep better.

Selfless mums get less than 30 minutes a day for themselves

Some things don’t change, like the amount of time mums give themselves to relax and recharge.

Nearly two years ago, a survey by casual game company PopCap Games found that mums had just 23 minutes of “me time” each day.

A new survey reflects that, with over three-quarters of mums questioned by MamaBabyBliss saying that they neglect themselves in favour of putting their families first, with three out of five mums spending less than half-an-hour on themselves each day, and a quarter sparing just 15 minutes.

As for other methods of pampering… two-thirds of mums said they only treated themselves to something like a massage, beauty treatment, or even just a long soak in the bath, a few times a year – or never.

“Mums find it very hard to spend time on themselves due to the daily demands of life. But often, even if they have the time, they feel guilty about not spending it with their children or partner or getting on with the next set of chores,” explains Justina Perry, founder of MamaBabyBliss. “Mums need to give themselves permission to have time off and to look after themselves, whether it’s a long walk on their own, a beauty treatment, yoga class or bubble bath. After all, happy relaxed mums make happy relaxed families.”

MamaBabyBliss, dedicated to the well-being of mothers and babies, offers a range of natural products and resources designed for mums and mums-to-be.

Weight is a major relationship issue, survey reveals

Once again it seems that the weight issue is rearing its head, as a new survey suggests that nearly two-thirds of Brits think that their partner should lose some weight and “improve their physique”.

Over half had lied to their partner about their appearance, while four out of five said that they thought their partner did not exercise as often as they should.

Men were more likely to lie about their partner’s weight, at 61% compared to 44% of women, although interestingly, more women were unhappy about their partner’s appearance (68%) compared to men (59%).

Three-quarters of those surveyed cited physical attraction as an important aspect of a relationship.

The correlation between people who had been in relationships the longest and those that were least concerned by their partner’s appearance was evident. Participants who had been in a relationship with their partner for less than a year were twice as likely to be bothered about their partner’s appearance than participants who had been in a relationship for longer than 10 years, 83% compared to 48%.

Oliver Cookson, MD of Myprotein.co.uk, said, “There is clearly a gender difference between the ways we think about our partners, with men much less likely to be bothered about their partner’s appearance, contrary to popular belief. The fact that men are more likely to lie to their partners if they don’t have an issue though can be taken one of two ways – it can either be construed as ‘polite white lies’ or dishonesty. Personally, I think men are far less shallow than given credit for, on the whole!”

What do you think?

New CD aims to boost confidence and understanding of breastfeeding to UK mums

We’ve already reported on the UK government’s initiative to encourage UK mums to breastfeed their babies, due to the low proportion of UK mums who start or stick with it for the minimum recommended 13 weeks (and ideally six months).

A new resource has come on to the market that might be helpful for some mums. The Breastfeeding Companion CD has been created by Natal Hypnotherapy and includes both practical guidance and relaxation and visualisation techniques to increase confidence and ability to breastfeed successfully.

Positive testimonials suggest that the techniques work. To promote the CD, Natal Hypnotherapy has also published ten top tips for successful breastfeeding:

1. Pick up on and respond to your baby’s cues to feed. Ignore the clock!

2. Accept that your baby’s need to breastfeed may not always be connected to being hungry – it may be for comfort, because they are tired or they simply want to have a snuggle.

3. Feed regularly during the night. Successful feeding is based on a healthy supply and demand cycle. If your baby does not feed for many hours your body does not get all the signals it needs to get ready for the next feed and so production decreases.

4. DO NOT expect your baby to be guzzling milk in the first few days. Babies do not need anything other than a tiny amount of colostrum (first milk) so do not need “topping” up.

5. Give yourself time to get to know your baby and to trust your baby’s needs.

6. Babies have growth spurts – sometimes they need more feeding than other times – that is OK and normal.

7. Trust! Trust your baby – no baby was ever born with a pre-planned desire to upset or annoy. They simply feel what they feel and alert you in the only way they know how. Trust your body – milk production has nothing
to do with the size of your breasts but is all to do with the cycle of suckling and milk production. If your baby suckles often and frequently, you will make the right amount of milk.

8. Look after yourself – drink loads of water and eat really well. It is one of the few times in your life that you can eat loads (of the right stuff!) and know that it is all good for your baby.

9. Enjoy this time – it is for such a short time. Even if you are tired and worn out, think of every feed as a blessing and one to be cherished and enjoyed.

10. Get help and support. Accept any offers from others to help with the daily cooking and chores! If you are having any difficulties or simply want to talk, contact your local breastfeeding advisors from La Leche League or the NCT.

The CD can be picked up from Amazon.co.uk or via NatalHypnotherapy.co.uk.

Salma Hayek comes to rescue of African mum, breastfeeds her baby

Would any mum do the same in supermodel Salma Hayek’s position?

On a recent tour of Sierra Leone, Salma Hayek came to the aid of an African mother who was unable to provide breast milk for her own baby.

As Salma has only recently weaned her own baby Valentina, she still had a lot of milk and so was able to provide for the other woman’s baby.

Talking to reporters, she said, “The baby was perfectly healthy, but the mother did not have any milk. It was amazing because he was really looking at me and he’s very little. My baby is one year so she can suck a lot harder.”

As a one-off this doesn’t sound particularly controversial. There was a need, and Salma Hayek was able to help out. We’re not talking “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” here.

What do you think?

(Via No1 Magazine)

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