Image: iStock

When I delivered my first child, I was on cloud nine. But, the moment was short-lived as the doctor told us that the baby had physiological jaundice. The problem is common in newborns, but my husband and I were worried.

My son had to be given phototherapy treatment to eliminate jaundice. This required him to be kept in the ICU for 24 hours, which meant that I couldn’t breastfeed him as frequently as I should. And expressing or pumping milk was tough as it was painful and made my nipples sore.

Thankfully, there was formula. The nurses made sure that he was fed on time and frequently with formula.

Although AAP (1) recommends exclusive breastfeeding until six months, there are several mothers out there cannot breastfeed owing to insufficient milk, work, or some health reasons. For all of them, there’s formula to rely on.

While breast milk is the best for the baby, formula is also safe. So, don’t succumb to mommy guilt. Commercial formulas are manufactured by maintaining sterile conditions. They prepare the formula with a combination of proteins, sugars, fats, and vitamins. Here are some benefits of providing formula to your baby:

1. Formula provides the essential nutrients and vitamins required for the baby to grow. In fact, they get even those nutrients which the breastfed babies have to take through supplements (2).

2. It’s convenient for the mother or the caretaker to feed the baby with a bottle at any given time. It also makes the father more responsible and involved to feed the child and helps in bonding between the two.

3. Feeding the baby with formula is easy. The mother need not be home-bound or do not need a private space for feeding when she is out. Once the formula is ready, the mother can give it to someone responsible to feed the baby. It gives her time to relax or involve in other activities.

4. Mothers of the babies who are on formula, need not have to eat or avoid foods based on the baby’s requirements and instead, focus on the nutrients that their body needs.

5. The best part is that your husband and other family members can involve themselves in feeding the baby.

However, before giving formula feed for your baby, you need to prepare thoroughly:

1. Do your research on various brands before you buy one.

2. Make sure you sterilize the feeding bottles and nipples properly. Keep them clean and dry before you feed your baby.

3. Your baby will feed at least eight to ten times during the day, so make sure you have enough bottles to feed him, so that he doesn’t get fussy.

4. Ensure you have enough formula packs at home. You don’t want to run to the store at the last minute.

5. Do not warm the formula in the microwave. It breaks down the nutrients in the formula and also warms it unevenly. Use a bottle warmer instead.

6. Remember that you will have to carry the formula, bottles, and paraphernalia if you are traveling or going out.

While formula foods are made to meet the nutrient requirements of babies, they cannot replace breast milk. It lacks the antibodies required for the baby and cannot change as per the changing needs of the little one.

The formula comes only next to breast milk but it is a boon to mothers who cannot breastfeed their babies due to various reasons. Whether it’s formula or breastfeeding, the one that you should consider is: what’s right for the baby.

What do you think about formula feeding the babies? Do let us know your opinion by commenting below.

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The post 5 Reasons Why I Am Thankful To Formula appeared first on MomJunction.

Image: iStock

The Maternity Bill that is passed in the Lok Sabha has definitely favored women, doubling the maternity leave period. But, not everyone’s happy! It has created quite an uproar from various sectors, pointing out the loopholes such as the requirement for paternity leave and parental leave as parenting is a shared responsibility. Sounds fair to me. What about paternity leave? Are dads entitled to it? Is paternity leave underrated?

A few companies who are progressive in their outlook do offer paternity leave (paid leave) to their male employees which range from a few days to a few weeks. Private companies in India allow five to ten days of paternity leave. Multinational companies such as Google and Star India provide four weeks, and Facebook gives four months of paternity leave, which is the highest in India. The Maternity Bill came under the scrutiny of several critics, Maneka Gandhi being one of them. She commented that paternity leave is like a paid holiday for men and wondered why men needed leaves when they didn’t use their existing leaves at all. Apparently, most companies float the same belief when it comes to paternity leave. This is a debate that will continue to go on.

But, here’s why I think paternity leave is as important as maternity leave:

1. It reassures the wife that her husband is there for her. Just the fact that the husband is around for the mother and baby makes her overcome that fatigue and aches. It helps the mother relax, have more me-time, and helps her recuperate quickly.

2. Dads should have exclusive time off to tend to their newborns and their wives.

3. It works in benefit of the employer and the employee. Imagine a newbie father missing his child at work or feeling guilty for not being able to accompany his wife with the baby to the hospital. This is surely going to affect his productivity. Instead, give him paternity leave and he will be back with renewed zeal to work.

4. The fathers have to be involved early on in parenting as it helps in bonding with the child. It makes the relationship of the family stronger as a unit.

5. Sharing the responsibilities sets a precedent to share other things in the future.

6. Studies (1) have shown that a father’s role in early childhood is very crucial, as it affects the child’s cognitive and social needs and overall well-being. Kids even go on to do better in schools and have higher IQs. Why should any child be deprived of an involved father when it has so many benefits?

7. While the newborn and the wife benefit from dad’s time off from work, the dad too benefits being away from work. He gets to unwind himself and gets a chance to take a break from work. He will willingly take on parenting as an equally important responsibility as working.

8. Most importantly, it strengthens the relationship between the couple and both can cherish the growing years of the baby.

9. There’s nothing more endearing than the mom and dad being around with the newborn until the little one is at least six months old.

Introducing paternity leave alongside the maternity leave should be mandated not just for the sake of it but for bringing about a change in the society and breaking the stereotype of the mother being exclusively responsible for parenting. Moreover, any support for a mother is welcome post delivery and when it comes from the husband it makes it all the more special. The father’s role in raising the child should be reinforced by introducing paternity leave.

What do you think about paternity leave? Let us know your opinion by commenting below.

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The post 9 Reasons Why Men Need Paternity Leave appeared first on MomJunction.

This has been the pride of Kidsstoppress and we have watched it grow every year. KSP Awards has been a property that has constantly revealed the best brands, products and services available in the parenting and baby care space and we could not be more proud of it. This year Kidsstoppress did something it had not done before and that was host its first ever awards show! KSP Awards is the only one to honour excellence in the baby care and parenting space and we wanted to bring all the players under one roof and have the conversation that matters to parents today. We did it. It was grand. It was a super success and we are so chuffed about it.

So when we announced the Kidsstoppress 4th Annual Awards 2016, it created quite a buzz. Everyone was eagerly waiting to see what’s in store this year. We received 280 nominations in 33 categories and 60,000 votes later we had our winners.

The entire baby care and parenting fraternity were there to cheer us on and make this awards function an absolute success. We couldn’t have done it without the support of our sponsors and partners and we thank them immensely for standing by us.

We give you a sneak peek into the action behind the scenes and you can see how hard the entire KSP team has worked to put together the KSP Awards Function 2016 in under three weeks. This was the first live event of its kind and kudos to the team for being on top of their game. Stay tuned as we bring you a lot more of the action from that smashing evening called KSP Awards 2016.

You may also like: Here is a complete list of KSP Awards 2016 winners!

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest or subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more information.

Mutton Rezala is a popular Bengali non vegetarian dish made with bony mutton pieces marinade in yogurt and curried with cashew and poppy seed paste with Indian spices. An amazingly flavorful and aromatic mutton dish, best enjoyed with paratha or naan. The poppy seed and melon seed paste gives an amazingly creamy and nutty flavour to the curry.

In my home i have grown up eating Mutton Rezala but never got a chance to make one. The dish has now topped the menu of all leading restaurants and hotels. Rustic flavors with an exotic aroma, Mutton Rezala is definitely a show stopper in every dinner parties.

Serve this delicious Mutton Rezala along with Whole Wheat Lachha Paratha and Onion Salad for a weekend meal with your family.

The post Mutton Rezala appeared first on Spoon Fork And Food.

Oh yes, the theme is tightly woven around the English Alphabetical A to Z series on Baked Dishes around the World. While the logo might miss that important information, that’s exactly our sub theme.

If you are landing here for the first time, just to update you, we are a group of Food bloggers doing a Blogging Marathon every month for 4 weeks doing 3 days each month. However, during April and September, we do 26 days of nonstop blogging, with Sundays off.

We have been doing the Mega Blogging Marathon since April 2013,

April 2013 was weekly themes.
September 2013 was ABC Cooking
April 2014 was Indian Food Odyssey
September 2014 was Around the world in 30 days
April 2015 was Fire up our Ovens
September 2015 was a Buffet On Table
April 2016 was a Journey through the Cuisines
September 2016 was Cooking Carnival!

April 2017 is special as its going to be the 75th Edition as well.  We met during Feb to celebrate 75 months of doing Blogging Marathon.

I am known for twisting the themes and coming up with hard clauses. Well just to keep up my image, this Mega Marathon Edition revolves around Baking around the world, in Alphabetical order.

We will be baking from different countries, each day starting with an alphabet in sequential order. The dish name can be in English or in native language. We can bake two days from the same country, last moment request came in for including 3 bakes from 1 country. Well, I am known to be quite generous as well. So I gave in to my friends request.

Other than the above, the usual exceptions for hard alphabets are given to be used with adjectives or anything appropriate.

This theme was announced in the group a year back. But then, you know how it is right, all of us started just a month ago. In fact, I started just a week back, with impending oven problems, I just prepared for initial few days. After that, it is surely going to be hectic running around!

I initially had all breads from different country, in fact my entire list was sort of ready. Given how early I began, I had to rework on making the list, a bit easy to bake at the last moment. Imagine baking breads daily! Then I decided I will do only cookies, again I faced a roadblock and couldn’t get certain alphabets as I seem to have done those already.

So for the first time, I end up having a mixed categories and that is good as well. My kids have been enjoying all these, so I think I made a wise decision.

Let me invite you all to join me in the fun ride.

The post Join me for a Bake around the world in A to Z order! appeared first on Spice your Life!.

Image: iStock

Dear husband,

Men are men, they say. But you are not.

Before you get intrigued, let me clear the air. You are not a ‘man’ because you don’t have a male ego, you are not a man because you are not a male chauvinist, you are not a man because respecting women comes NATURALLY to you.

Let me begin from the beginning — Our wedding

When I told you we should opt for a simple wedding in a temple, you didn’t think twice before saying yes. Though yours was the last wedding in your family, you convinced your parents that we couldn’t have it lavishly (all because you respected my views).

Quite unconventionally, you have borne the entire expenditure of our wedding. You didn’t ask for a contribution from my side even once, making people wag their tongues. In fact, I remember how your neighbors and relatives have asked about what the new bride brought to the family (referring to the dowry and gifts that are usually demanded by the groom’s side).

Changing surname was never on the agenda

Did we even talk about this? It was never a point of discussion at all. I never saw the need to change my surname and surprisingly you never bothered to suggest that I should! After several years of our marriage, I am proud to continue with my maiden surname, and that reflects how different you are from other men.

You have embraced vegetarianism

“I won’t allow non-vegetarian food in my house,” I remember telling you this haughtily before our marriage, and you were hurt. Hurt not because of the non-vegetarian part but the way I conveyed the message to you. It’s been a decade sweetheart, and never did you breach this arrangement.

What’s more, you helped me make our children vegetarians!

Every time I meet my old male friends, they make it a point to ask me about this: “Did your husband stop eating non-veg? Don’t your children ever ask for non-veg?” And I always observe them for their reaction. They are disappointed that I changed my husband’s eating habits and influenced my children’s too.

Those yummy recipes you dish out for me

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. What’s the way to your woman’s heart? The stomach of course!

You remember the last time I went for a college get-together? We were discussing cooking, and when I told them that you make amazing food, they were taken aback! When I asked them why it should shock them so much, each one of them said they don’t cook at home. And don’t find cooking manly.

My dear, I am glad you are not like them. And you have magic in your hands. You are my Michelin-star chef and no wonder I don’t see the need to go to restaurants anymore. In fact, why would I go to a restaurant and pay VAT and other taxes when I can order everything at home and get it done in my kitchen under hygienic conditions?

The magic goes beyond the kitchen

Did I say you have magic in your hands? Yes. And that is not limited to your culinary skills. You are a carpenter, plumber, electrician, and technician all packed into one and above all an artist as you unleash your creativity in everything you do. The best thing is you love doing those jobs.

My mother says I am lucky to have a craftsman at home. While others have to wait for months for a plumber to come home and plug that leaky tap, all I do is simply tell you the tap is leaking!

And here’s the most important part

When we had our first child, I didn’t even know how to hold the baby. Giving him a bath, dressing him, and putting him to bed, everything was a challenge. But you did them with such dexterity that I still do not understand how you could pull it off. I remember how skillfully you would put the little one to bed when he used to get up in the middle of the night crying for no apparent reason.

By the time our second child came into this world, we were both pros in bringing up children. But I am still amazed how our daughter goes to sleep in a jiffy the moment she rests on your chest! Hey bagpiper, what magic do you do that our children simply dance to your tunes?

Now you know, my husband, why I said you are not a man as defined by our society. You are much more than that, and I am happy you belong to me.

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The post Dear Husband, I Am Glad You Are Not A 'Man' appeared first on MomJunction.

Image: iStock

When I was in school, I remember how my biology teacher simply skipped through the human reproduction chapter. “It doesn’t come in the exams,” she told us. Maybe she was uncomfortable to talk about it in a co-ed class.

But the times have changed and so has the need to talk about sex. We are in an era where children ought to be taught about physical attraction to the opposite sex, and the same sex too. Yes, because people are coming out openly about their attraction to same sex people.

Sex education will help children confront any sexual abuses, and also make them come out of their inhibitions.

The Government of India understands these changing needs. Therefore, the Health Ministry has come up with a resource kit to educate millions of adolescents across the country about the thousands of questions they have about sex. So, what’s this resource kit all about?

Developed in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, the ‘Saathiya kit’ aims to educate the teenagers and answer their queries such as:

‘Why am I attracted to the same sex’
‘What does safe sex mean’
‘Is masturbation bad’
‘What if I get pregnant and need abortion’

The ministry plans to have 1.6 lakh peer educators called ‘Saathiyas’ to explain things to the teenagers and answer their queries.

The resource kit highlights the importance of consent and respect while having sex, and explains why a ‘No’ strictly means ‘No’.

Most of the topics covered in the material are considered a taboo among Indian families. For example, the resource material says, “Getting attracted to the opposite sex is a fact, and the same attraction towards the same sex is also ‘normal’.”
It positively dismisses gender stereotypes and bats for gender equality by statements such as, “It is OK for boys to be involved in cooking or designing, and it’s alright for girls to dress up like boys or play games like boys if they want to. It’s inappropriate to label them otherwise.”

The section on reproductive health is worth mentioning. It not only has information about HIV and STDs but also has exhaustive details on options for birth control (pills, condoms, IUCDs etc.,) for both the sexes. It stresses on the importance of having ‘safe sex’ of which masturbation tops the list.

It also covers aspects of abortion and the need for parental support for teenage girls who want to undergo an abortion. Another forbidden topic, menstruation, which leads to drop-out among girls from schools, has been dealt with deftly with supporting material.
The resource kit will be distributed under the health programme Rashtriya Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) for all adolescents across the nation.

Well, that’s positive and reassuring.
The Saathiya Resource Kit is one of the efficient ways to drive home the point to adolescents and their parents as well. This helps the teachers and parents to break their silence on sex education and encourages them to talk to the children about the taboo topics in detail. The success of the health programme depends on the willingness of adolescents and their parents to discuss the issue with each other.
The mobile app Saathiya Resource Kit and Saathiya Salah can be downloaded from the Google play-store.

Do let us know what you think about this health programme for young adults. Leave your comments below.

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The post This Sex Advice By Our Government Will Leave You Thinking appeared first on MomJunction.

This dish is so easy to make, anyone can do it! Spicy shrimp seasoned with Cajun spices, Andouille sausage, and rainbow colored vegetables are baked together in foil pouches. They are fast and easy to make, and can be made ahead and kept in your freezer. When you’re ready to cook them, just pop them in the oven – perfect for busy weeknights!

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A truly magic cheesy sauce that comes together in the blender in under 10 minutes, has just eight ingredients, and tastes awesome, whether you dunk in a baked vegetable fry, or drizzle it on a salad. I could just slurp it all up with a spoon.

If you dream of smooth, creamy sauces that you can drizzle over just about everything to make them uber-delicious, you are in the right place.

Because this sauce, guys, is the cheesy sauce to end all sauces. It’s even better than dessert.

We are so addicted to it in our home right now that the other day, when Desi packed his brown bag lunch of vegetable pilaf, he drizzled this magic cheesy sauce over it. Sounds strange, I know, but it works.

I came up with the recipe one day trying to find a savory, smooth dressing for my salad that would also do double duty as a dip for roasted veggies or the occasional chip. I really am not a big salad eater, but give me a good dressing and I can chow down like a cow.

Not just any dressing, though: it has to be savory and creamy, not oily or sweet. Cheesy is even better.

This dressing/dip hits all the right spots. It’s cheesy, yes, and also savory, salty, and creamy. And it has umami from the miso. The sauce has no added fats, although cashews do pack in a good deal of fat — heart-healthy fat, may I add? Don’t glug it straight from the blender, and you will be fine. Although, I confess, you might want to.

**

A conversation I recently had with a neighbor while walking Leo:

She (smiling): “What a cute puppy! We are adopting a puppy too!”

Me (smiling): “Congrats! That’s great news!”

She (smiling): “We’re SO excited! But with three kids at home, it’s going to be a riot!”

Me (smiling): “How old is the puppy?”

She (smiling): “Six weeks.”

Me (surprised): You’re adopting a puppy from the shelter who is just six weeks old? I didn’t realize shelters adopt out puppies so young.

She (still smiling, a tad impatient): No, no, we’re adopting him from a breeder.

Me (definitely not smiling): “You mean, you are buying him from a breeder.”

She stops smiling and walks away.

So I now have one neighbor who will never talk to me again, but honestly people, if you’re buying a puppy from a pet store or a breeder, please do not say you’re “adopting” him or her. Better still, do adopt– from a shelter. Millions of cats and dogs who would make perfectly wonderful companions are put down each year because so many “dog lovers” are still buying puppies.

**

More sauces and dips from the archives:

The Best Vegan White Pasta Sauce

Roasted Squash Dip with Za’atar

Roasted Eggplant and Tofu Dip

Azuki Bean Dip

The post Magic Cheesy Sauce for dipping, dressing, and more appeared first on Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes.

It is Thursday and that means we are back with a news wrap! With temperatures expected to soar this summer, hope you are staying cool and keeping your wits about you.

We are at the end of March and we tell you all about April Fool’s Day! So get your prank ready and tell us how many people you were able to prank! We tell you what April Fool’s Day is and how old this concept is.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram or subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more information.

Mughlai Kheema Paratha is stuffed flat bread where minced mutton is cooked in spices and filled with eggs to shape a thick fat square packet and served with tangy mint and coriander chutney. Best for any festival or special occasions! Mostly Kheema paratha is mad with white dough that is mad using All purpose flour but here i used both APF and wheat flour in equal quantity. But you can any day use both or any of the one, the technique shall be the same.

Kheema paratha is rich, spicy and heavy and certainly not for the faint hearts. Not advisable to all who are watching calories but yes if you aren’t a weight watcher then one Kheema paratha is enough to keep you fill whole day. Make it for your breakfast, serve it in your dinner parties or simply pack it in your hubby’s lunch box, Kheema paratha is something that is loved by all and shall definitely make your earn accolades.

Serve Mughlai Kheema Paratha along with Dhaniya Pudina Chutney and Boondi Raita for a weekend lunch or dinner.

The post Mughlai Kheema Paratha appeared first on Spoon Fork And Food.