Category: parenting

Comedian YY has been keeping his relationship life in the dark for the longest time. However, he recently decided to show the world his other side by introducing a newly born baby bouncing daughter and his wife by the name Marya.

Through his Instagram page, he posted a lovely photo of his wife pregnant. We later came to the realization that Marya had already given birth by the time YY was posting her baby bump’s photo.

Daughter’s Name

During a recent interview with SPM Buzz YY whose real name is Oliver Otieno went ahead to reveal his daughters name:

”She’s Circe Gaona. First of all, I don’t even want her to get a sir name from me. I want to cut the tribal code… Yeye pia akiendelea mbele akizaa mtoto, tuachane na hii tribal profiling” said YY.

Comedian YY interview with SPM BUZZ

The name is inspired by YY’s love for Mexican films.

While celebrating his wife Marya for making him a dad, the comedian wrote:

”The mother to the daughter of a King… stronger than a Moissanite…I would have played you a song but you holding my guitar in your hand…I can’t tell you enough how much I honour your selflessness…Thank you for pushing….I want you to choose a destination you would love to visit..na isikuwe nje ya Nairobi please ni January.”

Watch the entire interview below:

We live in a different world than our fore-mothers. Many women today make the decision to focus on their careers, travel and get to a better place financially before they settle down and have children. Having a baby after the age of 40 has become an increasingly common occurrence.

Just as it’s statistically more difficult to conceive after the age of 40, pregnancy itself can also be more challenging as you age. Getting pregnant after age 40 can take longer for some women than others. Still, your fertility specialist will need to work with you quickly since your fertility rate drops dramatically in your 40s.

You may have more aches and pains due to joints and bones that are already starting to lose mass with age. You might also be more susceptible to high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. Pregnancy-related fatigue may be more pronounced as you get older, too.

This change in societal standards poses newer questions for a growing number of women:

• Is 40 too old to have a baby?
• How common is pregnancy at 40?
• Should I even try?
• Are my risks different from the risks younger women face?
• Will my baby be disabled?
• Is it advisable?

These questions are understandable, and we hear them often. 

The best-known part of the aging equation is that it gets harder to get pregnant after 40. The fact is, eggs gradually decline in number and quality as you get older. If you’re over 35, you’re considered to be of “advanced maternal age” — with fertility starting to drop most significantly around 32, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and taking a particularly deep nose dive around 37. By age 44, the chances of spontaneous pregnancy approach zero.

Evidence also suggests that pregnant people in their 40s are at higher risk of stillbirth. The reasons are a bit murky — the higher incidence of conditions like high blood pressure during pregnancy or gestational diabetes among older mothers may be at least partly to blame.

Benefits Of Having A Baby At 40

Sometimes the benefits of having a baby later in life can outweigh those of having children when you’re in your 20s or 30s.

For one, you might have already established your career and can dedicate more time to raising children. Or your financial situation could be more favorable. Greater stability in a person’s job, life, or marriage may also promote better health. A new parent who worries less about money may experience less stress.

You may have also had a change in your relationship status and you want to have a baby with your partner.

Potential Complications

Age increases the risk of infertility because egg quality declines. The risk of medical conditions that have an association with infertility also increases. These include:

• endometriosis
• uterine fibroids
• disorders of the fallopian tubes

The risk of pregnancy complications, such as high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes, increases.

The rate of birth abnormalities or genetic conditions in the baby also increases. At a maternal age of 40, the chance of having a child with Down syndrome is about 1 in 100, and by 45, it rises to 1 in 30.

The complications doesn’t just apply to women. Men also face risks in siring children when they are 40 years and above:

• Older fathers have higher rates of infertility, even when their partner is under 25.
• The partners of men over 45 have a higher risk of preeclampsia, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes.
• Men over 45 are more likely to father children with birth abnormalities, low birth weight, and a low Apgar score — a measure of the baby’s general health at birth.

How Will It Affect During Delivery?

Merely being over 40 does not necessarily affect delivery. In fact, pregnancy and birth outcomes over 40 do not differ significantly from those of younger women, as long as a woman over 40:

• has quality prenatal care
• does not have chronic medical conditions
• attends regular prenatal appointments
• maintains a healthful lifestyle
• has the baby in a prenatal center

This means that, for healthy women, conceiving after 40 may be no more dangerous than conceiving earlier in life. However, the rate of cesarean deliveries was higher among women over 40.

Your Risk Of Breast Cancer Increases

This was probably the biggest surprise to me: The older a new mother is when she has her first child, the higher her risk for breast cancer. Women who have their first child after 40 may be at slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer in the decade or so following childbirth than those who gave birth before they were 20. The simplistic view is that as you age, your cells are constantly changing, and a heavy dose of hormone can promote them into cancer.

Your Child May Be At Risk Of Certain Anomalies

Once again, the older an egg, the more likely it is to have chromosomal issues, which can increase your child’s risk for certain birth defects. For women who get pregnant at 25, the risk for Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal condition, is about one in 1,250; at age 40, that risk jumps to about one in 100.

The bottom line

While the journey may hold more challenges and difficult decisions, it is possible for women to conceive and maintain pregnancy over the age of 40. Making this decision can be an exciting, yet overwhelming time in your life. Should you choose to try to have your first child or grow your family after the age of 40, we’ll be here every step of the way.

Bringing a baby to the world is one of the happiest feelings parents have. Mothers are always the happiest. One of your first nurturing acts as a new mother will likely be feeding your baby. For many women, that will mean breastfeeding.

As natural as breastfeeding is, you may still worry and stress about providing the proper nutrients for your baby.

And you probably have a million questions about how it all works and how to do it correctly.

After having a baby, there are a number of things you can do to improve your chances for breastfeeding success. Nursing your baby is no easy feat. 

Our best advice is to relax, you and your baby will get the hang of it eventually. To help calm your worries, we’ve put together a list of important tips on how to breastfeed for new mothers.

Position yourselves nose to nipple, belly to belly.

Make sure that your baby’s stomach is touching yours, so she/he doesn’t have to turn her/his head to latch. And point your nipple at her/his nose, not at her mouth, so she’ll lift her head up, open her mouth wide, and latch on deeply

2. Help your baby find the right position

If you’re sitting upright, bring your baby to your breast once his mouth is completely open. Press between his shoulders firmly to bring him to you, while you support your breast.

Your nipple will fill the roof of his mouth. If it still hurts after the first few sucks, de-latch and reposition.

3. Lie on your side

It lets you rest your shoulders and lower back if you tend to hunch over, and it’s good for moms who’ve had a C-section, or who are just exhausted.

Put a pillow between your knees and your arm under your head, and bring the baby in facing you. Have someone help you at first.

The Don’ts of Breastfeeding A Newborn

1. Don’t push the back of your baby’s head: That triggers his instinct to resist and chomp down. Instead, put your hands at the nape of your baby’s neck, and bring him swiftly to your breast.
2. Don’t count minutes: You can leave your baby on the first breast until she comes off on her own and then offer the second breast. It’s typical for some babies to take one breast at some feedings and both breasts at some.
3. Avoid pacifiers at first: Delay the pacifier for the first month because it can suppress hunger cues and steal time from the breast during a critical period. After that, offering a pacifier shouldn’t hurt.
4. Don’t buy a whole nursing wardrobe: It can be easier to just lift up your shirt. If you wear a blouse over a camisole, you’ll have a lot of coverage.
5. Don’t get a used pump: A good electric pump has a limited number of hours of motor life before the suction starts to die.

We know breastfeeding can be overwhelming at times, but putting the tips above into practice will help you make the most of your time with your little one while breastfeeding. So pay close attention to your little one’s needs, get comfortable, and relax. Evaluate the signs that breastfeeding is going well, and make sure you’re staying hydrated.