How to Care for a Pregnant Mother in Labor

The day of delivery has finally come for the mother-to-be. Her husband stands watching and waiting for the blessed moment with a look of uncertainty and a little anxiety. How can he step up and be the comforter that his wife needs during this trying time?

The most important thing that a man can do for his wife while she is in labor, even more important in some cases than offering to make her comfortable, is to let her know how much he loves her and to give her emotional support. Labor is a trying time for both parents and for the newborn child, and the mother has some strong forces working on her body as well as her emotions.

When things start to heat up and the contractions become stronger, it is important that the husband remains calm and focused on his purpose for being there. Be sure your wife has all the comforts of home. If she's cold, get her blankets. If she's hot, turn on the portable fan that you brought and apply some wet washcloths to help cool her down. Try to take her mind off the situation by showing her some old photographs or by watching a movie together. Use lotion or massage oil and give her a foot massage and/or a back massage.

Try hard to remove all distractions from the room. Keep visitors to a minimum. Post a sign on the door that directs visitors to the nurse's station and ask the nurses to check with you before sending people in. If you have a mobile phone with you, be sure to switch it to vibrate and put it in your pocket. If someone calls, step into the hall to speak with them. Allow your wife to rest as much as possible and don't let small annoyances keep her awake. Be attentive to her and be sure to ask her how she's feeling often. Don't stay away from her room for too long and do not, under any circumstances, eat in front of her even is she says it's OK!

After the baby is born, take some time and spend these precious moments with them and with your wife. Although the moment won't last forever, it will be one of the best of your life. Wait a little while before letting friends and family into the room. Encourage them to visit your baby when you've gone home and had time to settle. After you leave the hospital, continue to do thoughtful things for your wife and make every day special for her.

Tips

• Ask her how she's feeling and be a good listener.

• Keep the temperature in the room comfortable for your wife no matter how uncomfortable it makes you.

• Don't be afraid to ask the nurses for anything that she needs.

• Use the call button in your room to summon nurses if an emergency situation occurs. Do NOT run down the hall screaming for help! This makes an uncomfortable situation for everyone. Most nurses are well-trained and will respond appropriately to any situation. If you have an emergency, they will arrive quickly.

• Be sure to wash your hands often and insist that anyone who touches your newborn does the same. If they ridicule you or refuse to wash their hands, be strong and deny them the privilege of holding your child. This is a good way to start developing your parenting skills by teaching discipline and not backing down.

How to Secure Your Home While Away on Summer Vacation

Keep your home safe.

Summer time is the perfect time to go away for a relaxing vacation.  An unguarded home, however, is a perfect target for thieves.  Take a few precautions before you leave for vacation to provide you peace of mind and true relaxation

Secure your important information.  Purchase a removable or external hard disk drive for your computer.  Save all important files and financial records on this hard disk drive only and not on your primary hard drive.  This portable drive should be removed from your home when you are away for extended periods and may be stored in a safe deposit box.  All important hard copies of deeds, licenses, birth certificates, social security cards, unused credit cards, etc. should be kept secure in an off-site safe deposit box as well.

Secure the perimeter of your home.  If you have a sliding glass door, place a broom handle or stick in the track of the door to prevent it from being opened.  The latch on a sliding glass door is very easy to bypass.  Drill holes in an upper corner of all lower wooden window panes and insert a long nail, which will make opening the window difficult from outside the home.

Ask a friend or trusted neighbor to collect your mail each day while you are away and to walk around your home and look for anything strange.  If possible, leave at least one car parked in your driveway and leave a few lights on inside the home.  Purchase several timers and set them to turn on at dusk and turn off around the time you would normally go to bed.  If a crook is watching your house, this may fool them into believing that someone is home.

Perform a walk-through of your entire home and film everything using a video camera.  Store the tape along with all other important items in your safe deposit box.  This evidence will be useful to provide to the police and your insurance company if someone does manage to break in and steal or damage items in your home.

Walk around both the inside and outside of your home one last time before you leave.  Unplug any dangerous or energy inefficient appliances and raise the temperature slightly on the thermostat.  Check that your oven is turned off.  Close all blinds or curtains, making it difficult to see into the home from outside.  Make sure all exterior doors are locked and place padlocks on all gates, storage buildings, and crawlspace doors.

Protecting Older People from Scams

I was taught to always respect my elders, but unfortunately, there are people in this world who do not feel the same way. Do you know if your older friends and family members are safe from becoming the victims of scams?

In order to help an older person protect themselves from fraud and scams, they first have to trust you and be willing to cooperate with the advice that you give them. If someone is reluctant to comply, do not let it upset you and do not become angry with them. Tell them that you are just trying to look out for their best interest. Some people are independent and are offended when other people try to offer them help. Respect their wishes.

If they do trust you and they do want your help, the first place to start is in their home. There are four areas of concern that many people leave vulnerable; their mail, their phone, their computer, and the doors to their home. Each area maintains the potential for scammers to gain entry and wreak havoc.

To make a person’s mail more secure, purchase a mailbox with a locking mechanism and key so that the mail delivered to them is safe and cannot be removed by anyone else. Check with their local post office and see how close to the person’s house the mailbox can be mounted. The further away from the street the box is, the safer the mail will be and it makes for a shorter walk. If possible, the person should drive outgoing mail to a mail drop box to send it, but if this is not possible, be sure they write any checks in permanent ink that cannot be washed from the check. Also they should not put outgoing mail into the mailbox until close to time for the mail carrier to pick it up. Online bill payment is a preferred method for the elderly to pay their bills if they have Internet access.

For telephones, Caller ID is an important feature to help someone know who is calling. They can use this feature to avoid irritating sales people and scammers. Visit the website for the “Do Not Call Registry” and add their number. A mobile phone may actually be a good alternative to a land-line phone for the older crowd because it can be placed in their pocket and taken wherever they go. If the person is hearing impaired, the vibrate feature of the mobile phone can help them to know when someone is calling. Also, they can use text messages to communicate if they are unable to speak. Mobile phones typically include Caller ID and the phone number is usually harder for scammers to acquire. If they do invest in a mobile phone or if you buy one for them, instruct them not to give the number to anyone. Another good rule of thumb is to have the attitude that “If I didn’t call someone, then I probably don’t want what they have to offer.” Be sure that the person you are assisting knows to never give personal information to someone over-the-phone unless they are sure that person is legitimate.

If the older person owns a computer with Internet Access, there are several precautions to take. They should have a good antivirus package as well as a firewall, email spam program, and a phishing filter for websites. Many of these tools are included with certain operating systems. Verify that they are equipped and functioning. Have a training session with the older person and discuss with them the techniques that scammers use to try to get information from people. Show them a few example emails and be sure they are able to identify threats for themselves. If they cannot, ask that they forward suspicious emails or websites to you.

Secure all entryways into the home with deadbolt locks and either a peephole or a security camera so that the occupant will always know who is knocking at their door. When strangers come to the door, instruct the person to ignore them unless they know them. No matter what the visitor says, tell them not to be intimidated and to call the police if the person persists. Securing all entrances will help them to avoid pushy salespeople who have no business bothering the elderly to begin with.

One last idea is to install a set of photoelectric sensors across the person’s driveway and connect the output to a buzzer or bell inside the home. This will let the person know they have a visitor well in advance of the person standing at their door and give the older person time to prepare.