It was just drizzling when I came out of the house this afternoon for a doctor’s appointment. My husband was calling when I came out from the clinic . He was worried because it was raining hard and flooding and no vehicle could come out from the garage. Since the building is just a walking distance from our apartment he came out on-foot to fetch me.

We passed by Vito Cruz Extension that was heavy with traffic. And when we got to our turn, I was surprised to see the high level of flood water. My husband forced me into wearing the boots he brought for me. I felt I would look silly on it but i couldn’t decline. The water’s too high. It was knee-deep and impossible for me to swim my way through the apartment, of course. And as we course through the flooded streets I was laughing. But it was not funny, and it’s dirty. Even with the boots on, I think it’s gross. It was not like walking in the beach and so not like trudging rivers in the province. Imagine the spits, dog poops and unattended garbage bags on the sidewalks.

Improper waste disposal could be the cause of this effect, aside from the streets that were forever under construction. How difficult it is for people to realized that were going to pay high for our being irresponsible. On TV you’ll see some people don’t care, in fact they have happy faces watching after their children swimming in dirty puddles. A pity to their ignorance of good hygiene and cleanliness. They could get many diseases from this graying, polluted waters that is surely contaminated with different types of harmful bacteria. Should this be learned in school? Or maybe the barangay health workers could educate this people? Or maybe city government should look into the area’s drainage and the wastes disposal management?

The irony of it all. We are living in Makati, the business district of the Metro with high rise buildings of offices and residences. But the sewerage system of the city seemed poorly maintained, maybe not in Ayala Ave., but we’re just a few blocks away.

I never experienced walking along flooded streets until this afternoon.

I am a Catholic. I am a mother. And an issue was raised.

I am not a pro-abortion. I am a Christian at heart. I do not use Artificial Contraceptives. But I believe that the Catholic Church has been so harsh and shallow in their stand against contraceptives and surgical interventions like tubal ligation and vasectomy. They launched a campaign against reproductive health bills in Congress. And Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus Dosado’s pose denying communion to politicians whom the Church perceived to be pro-abortion is hypocrisy. Do they have blind eyes to the present reality and the rationale of things?

It seems they relate reproductive health rights with abortion. Abortion is murder. It is taking the life away from an already breathing fetus in the womb. Of course, I’m talking in figurative language, babies take their first breath when they are born. And these contraceptives are just to prevent a woman from getting pregnant. Thus, not taking life because there’s no conception yet.

The truth is we are suffering of great consequences.The root of almost every problem our society faces is due to the rapid growth of the population.

Couples bear children they could not afford. These children they could not send to school. Little babies suffering of malnutrition and other illness because their parents don’t have money to buy them food and proper nutrition. Kids wandering the dangerous streets of the city living the life of a vagabond. At a very early stage in their lives, some became criminals and prostituted. Their unchosen fate forced them to embrace this kind of existence.

We all have choices no matter what. We can change the world if we want to. But can we really?

Each of us may have our own great thoughts of how to save the world. It’s just a matter of understanding each one’s thoughts. It may seem absurd for everybody to understand everybody. But we can always start in little steps, in a few heads, in certain boundaries, or in the middle of all logical and humane opinion.

For the love of God and compassion to mankind. Let there be enlightenment. The church should be the candle in the dark for our people and should not be as hostiles as Jesus Christ’s adjucators were.

I’m afraid I am not very much of a health conscious person. I love to eat vegetables and all. I do some steps once in awhile, not to keep me in shape, but as I should just keep my muscles flex after hours of sitting in front of the computer. I never smoke, and I drink alcohol no more than what I can take. But these are not enough, I supposed. More to add my guilt, I cared less on what I eat. Yes, I eat veggies and fruits but I also love other food that may not be healthy.

I go to the grocery and get just anything that looks appealing to me. My cart would then contain meat, fish, vegetables and fruits, and milk and eggs, and a lot of other food and non-food. What could these other food be? These includes cornflakes and cereals, chocolates, cookies, ice cream, cheese and bread and the list goes on. And the processed products, too.

I, sometimes, read the back labels of what I took out from the grocery shelves. Could i just make it all the time slash always rather than sometimes? I am trying too. Reading food labels is important not only to health-conscious people but to everyone else. Whether we like it or not, we should do the same, or our body will suffer eventually. And not only our body but our family as well. We all eat the same stuff, right? Unless we cook different meals for each one at home.

Learning how to read food labels is important. It gives us the nutrition facts of the food that helps us ensure our family is eating right. Thus our children having a nutritious and balanced diet.

Food labels have two parts. The nutrition information and the ingredients list.

First, read the nutrition information. Check the amount of saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and calories in a serving of the product. Compare products of the same kind and get the product with the least amounts. And if you have high blood pressure, do the same for Sodium.

Then, check the ingredients. All food labels list the product’s ingredient in order by weight. The ingredient in the greatest amount is listed first, and the ingredient in the least amount is listed last. So limit the products of that with listed fats and oil first, or the lists with many of these ingredients.

Read and be healthy.

Healthy babies are happy babies.

But, there are times, no matter how we took good care of the baby they get sick. What could be more painful than having to see your child suffering and ill? Common diseases seem not common at all. A little child is so helpless even to a simple cold, what more to chickenpox, mumps or typhoid fever. It could be common because it happens to every baby every now and then. But the thought of your baby suffering could be frustrating. It is difficult to accept why your baby got it. Blame it on the weather , pollution, and other things.

Here’s a list of common diseases we would not want our babies to get:

• Chickenpox
  • When it appears: 12-16 days after exposure
  • Symptoms to watch for: Fever; pink, blister-topped lesions appear for several days on body, face and scalp. Blisters break and form scales or crusta. Condult your doctor at once.
  • How long it last: 8-14 days

• Measles
  • When it appears: 10-14 days after exposure.
  • Symptoms to watch for: Fever; running nose; red watery eyes; harsh, dry cough; Koplick’s spots (small, white, milk-like spots) in the mouth; red rash around the hairline, ears on the 4th or 5th day, then spreading gradually over the body. Consult your doctor at once.
  • How long it last: 5 days

• Meningitis
  • When it appears: 1st week, variable after
  • Symptoms to watch for: Sudden fever, headache , vomiting. Occasional red exposure dish skin spots in the eyelids, body and extremities. Consult your doctor immediately.

• Mumps
  • When it appears: Third week, increased 1 week after
  • Symptoms to watch for: Pain in the cheeks when chewing, swelling; moderate exposure body weakness. Consult your doctor at once.

• Typhoid Fever
  • When it appears: 1-2 weeks after exposure
  • Symptoms to watch for: Fever, diarrhea, vomiting, stupor; delirium and low pulse rate. Consult your doctor at once.
  • How long it last: 2-4weeks

• Whooping Cough
  • When it appears: 1-2 weeks after exposure
  • Symptoms to watch for: Sever cough increasing in severity and frequency. Due to prolong coughing child may get very red in the face; often vomits. Consult your doctor immediately.

The best gift a mother can give to her baby is a good start in life.

 
For optimum nutrition, consume foods rich in folate, calcium, iron, vitamins and minerals.  The best source of iron is red meat. Folate can be found in green leafy vegetables. However since folate is easily destroyed by heat, try to supplement your diet with food products that are high in folate like milk.

 
            During the course of pregnancy, you and your baby require energy and nutrients. Thus, this should not be the time to try to lose weight or go on a diet. Good nutrition is vital for a healthy pregnancy.

 
            Eating the right food     can ultimately affect your health and the health of your baby.