Anesthesia and the New Mom

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Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2658 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 415 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 Bake Like A Pro With 10 Easy Tips Help Kids Eat Healthy For cupcakes that look as good as they taste, use an aluminum foil–lined baking cup that’s designed to keep its pattern after baking. (NAPSA)—Whether it’s a school party, personal accomplishment or just because, every day, there are occasions that call for special treats or desserts. Even with a full schedule, busy moms can bake and decorate beautiful cupcakes that would be perfect for any gathering. The key is to use quality ingredients and products designed for the job. To help, best-selling authors and cupcake gurus Karen Tack and Alan Richardson share their best tips for baking cupcakes like a pro every day. •Start with a good cupcake pan. It should be silver colored and a little on the heavy side. •For cupcakes that look as good as they taste, use an aluminum foil–lined baking cup that’s designed to keep its pattern after baking, such as Reynolds StayBrite Baking Cups. Baking cups that are not foil lined can lose their color while baking. •Before mixing your cupcake batter, make sure to bring all ingredients to room temperature. This way, the ingredients are more likely to blend together easily. •Remember, if you mix cold items into your batter, you run the risk of having a lumpy consistency. This might lead you to over- mix the batter and overmixing can cause cupcakes to be chewy instead of moist. •Pinch the ends of your baking cup with paper clips to make your cupcakes into different shapes, like a star or a football. •Only fill your baking cup 2⁄3 to the top. They will rise to the top of the liner while baking. •Simply use a serrated knife to trim the top of your cupcakes so they are flat, rather than rounded like a mushroom cap you may find in a bakery. This makes it easier to decorate the top of the cupcake. •Chill your cupcakes before you frost them so they won’t crumble while you’re handling them. •Wipe the excess frosting off the spatula on the edge of the can before going back for another swipe. If you have extra frosting on your spatula, you will never get a clean peak on your cupcake top. •Keep frosting at room temperature before spreading it on your cupcakes. If frosting is too cold, it will be difficult to spread and can tear the cake. If frosting is too warm, it becomes runny and messy. For more tips and for fun-filled recipes, visit www.cupcakecentral. com. (NAPSA)—Good news for parents concerned about getting their kids to enjoy a healthful diet: Here are three simple steps you can take: 1. Eat together. According to research published in Pediatrics, children who eat with their families have healthier diets and are less likely to be overweight. As a bonus, they also tend to perform better in school than their peers. 2. Involve children in making their own meals. When they’ve packed their lunch for school or helped prepare a healthful dinner, they’re more likely to enjoy it. You and your family may find eating right can be fun when you get creative with condiments. 3. Dress up the meal with dressings and sauces. Mayonnaise, salad dressings and condiments are delicious ways for your family to get creative at mealtime. Hot sauce, salsas, prepared horseradish and Dijon mustard can add just the little kick to food it needs. Try salad dressing as a dip or a marinade for meats and veggies, suggest the experts at the Association for Dressings and Sauces. Learn More For further tips, recipes and information about the healthfulness of condiments, visit www. dressings-sauces.org. Note to Editors: Although to encourage families to eat nutritious meals together, October is National Eat Better; Eat Together Month, this article can be useful to your readers at any time. Anesthesia and the New Mom (NAPSA)—There could be good news for new mothers—and their babies—at what might be an anxious time. Many mothers agree that there are myriad benefits associated with breastfeeding an infant. When the mother is faced with surgery, however, she may question whether the breastfeeding should stop. In addition to the logistical difficulty of breastfeeding when a new mother is admitted to the hospital, there may be concerns about the medications the mother could receive. According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), most anesthetic drugs are safe for use during lactation, and typically only 1 to 2 percent of such medications given to the mother appear in breast milk— not enough to harm a baby. “Many studies have found that the use of general anesthesia and most commonly used medications for pain relief are safe and should not interfere with breastfeeding because only minimal traces of the anesthetic are passed on through the breast milk,” said AANA President Janice Izlar, CRNA, DNAP. “A nursing mother should be allowed to breastfeed as soon as she is awake and aware after general anesthesia.” More Information About Breastfeeding and Anesthesia •Most medications used in general anesthesia do not remain in the mother’s system and do not affect her milk. •Pain suppresses lactation. Proper pain relief will help lactation continue. •Nearly all pain medications are safe for the nursing mother. Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) and ibuprofen (such as Advil) are New mothers facing surg er y may be relieved by a few facts about anesthesia. safe. Narcotic analgesics should be used with greater caution, but in general only very small amounts appear in breast milk. Morphine has been shown to have the least effect of all narcotics on infants. Codeine should be used with caution but other medications are easily substituted for it. Demerol may cause some drowsiness in an infant but is generally considered safe. New moms who need anesthesia for surgery or another procedure should always consult an anesthesia professional about their specific situation. There are exceptions to every rule and there may be other considerations to think about. Deciding whether to continue breastfeeding is about weighing both the risks and the benefits after receiving proper guidance. Learn More As advanced practice registered nurses, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are anesthesia professionals who safely administer more than 33 million anesthetics to patients each year in the United States. You can find further facts at www.aana.com.