Hypothyroidism and negative blood group in pregnancy

Motherhood is beautiful as well as equally challenging. Every lady is worried about the process of conception these days. There are a lot of myths about pregnancy with hypothyroidism and negative blood group specifically B negative blood group(as it's a very rare blood group). I'll share my experience to give some relief to the worried would be moms. These myths need to be handled very carefully to have a positive outlook during conception and pregnancy.

I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 14 years old and have B negative blood group. But I didn't face any problem during conception and throughout the pregnancy as well as delivery. If we take few precautions, these two conditions won't bother us. Lot of people think of these two factors even while matchmaking for marriage and deny alliances. That's an absolutely wrong thing to do.

I'll talk about hypothyroidism first. Hypothyroidism and fertility are directly linked by many people. But it's a misconception. Hypothyroidism if treated properly, will not cause any problems in conception. I had been mornitoring my TSH levels 6 months before I wanted to conceive. With stable TSH levels i didn't face any problem in conception. I had also maintained stable TSH levels throughout the pregnancy. It plays an important role in overall hormonal balance, metabolism of the mother and brain development of the fetus. I was monitoring my TSH levels every 6 weeks in pregnancy as advised by the endocrinologist. TSH has different limits for each trimester. The doctor adjusted my dose in pregnancy accordingly. It is a must to get your thyroid levels tested even when you're not a hypothyroid. A thyroxine tablet in appropriate dose suggested by the doctor everyday solves all your worries in case of hypothyroidism. Also maintaining a healthy diet, moderate exercise and healthy lifestyle helps in maintaining good thyroid health.

Talking about B negative blood group and pregnancy, it is absolutely safe to go ahead with conception and pregnancy even with a B negative blood group.

If the baby's blood group comes positive or vice versa, you're administered an anti D injection and you're good to go. It'll not cause any RH incompatibility and other related complications. Women with B negative blood group face no issues in pregnancy. Their partner can have any blood group, that doesn't matter.

PS - These are just my opinions and experiences. Consult your endocrinologist and gynecologist for the right opinion.

My mommyhood tales

Those two pink lines, those tiny kicks and all the dreams about my little one, 2020 was the most magical year of my life. 2020 may be synonymous to covid and lockdown for most of the people but 2020 for me was the beginning of motherhood. The most beautiful yet challenging phase of my life. Being a doctor's daughter, i consider myself lucky that I was aware of all the things.

Being mommy isn't any easy task. Arriving on the decision to be a mother itself is very stressful for most of the women of 21st century. The increased competition in career, increasing financial burden after having a kid make the decision of becoming a mother quite difficult. We mostly decide to become a mother in our thirties now.  Same was the case with me. But nonetheless motherhood is very beautiful. 

I finally decided to try conceiving after 5 years of my marriage. I was at a good stage in my career and we were financially quite stable. It was quite easy for me but it is a difficult journey for few couples due to the stressful jobs and lifestyle diseases 

Lifestyle advice 

The journey of conceiving is quite beautiful in itself. According to my experience the most important thing here is positive attitude and stress-free environment. Me and my husband kept the environment at home stress-free although the outside world was full of stress related to the pandemic. 

-Diet and exercise

Maintaining overall good health for both the partners is equally important. A healthy lifestyle plays an important role in the journey of conception.

Eating healthy and moderate exercise helped me maintain a healthy weight. I am quite healthy with regular menstrual cycle. My diet was balanced with high quality proteins such as egg, chicken, sprouts, and lentils, fibre rich leafy green vegetables, healthy fruits, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats with Omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidant rich fruits, iron and calcium rich food and other vegetables. I avoided junk food as far as i can except few cravings. Excess use of sugar, refined flour, butter and extra fats was avoided in my diet. I avoided heavy and fadistic diet and exercise. I took evening strolls for half an hour and did yoga in the morning. Drinking 8 glasses of water and other healthy fluids is necessary to stay hydrated.

 

Stress management

I had already started imagining about my baby as told by my gynaecologist. It helped me conceive without much effort and pretty quickly. The joy of motherhood is truly amazing and I started enjoying it even before conception. I avoided stress at work around that time.

Health advice

I had started folic acid tablets beforehand. Starting multivitamins will also help . I was maintaining healthy haemoglobin and TSH levels (I'm a hypothyroid since i was 14). 

I had also taken rubella vaccine(MMR booster shot) before i decided to conceive as Rubella can be dangerous in pregnancy.

I was diagnosed with gall stones and got the gall bladder removed. Gall stones can be an obstacle in pregnancy as one might be required to get operated during the pregnancy. But I have heard of quite a few successful pregnancies even with gall stones. So in case you were detected with gall stones during pregnancy, please follow your doctor's advice strictly. It can be easily dealt with due care. 

It's also advisable to get a pelvic scan done in case of irregular menstrual cycles to check for lifestyle diseases such as PCOS.

I had conceived within 3 months fortunately. I'm really happy to share my journey of a healthy yet challenging pregnancy with you all. This is the first blog of the series. Please stay tuned to listen to my mommyhood stories😀

P.S. Consult yojr gynecologist for any advice. Im just sharing my experiences. Also please don't take advice from Dr Google😉

A Wedding To Remember :)

 The last couple of months have been difficult for the whole world. My family was eagerly looking forward to my younger brother's wedding which was planned by the end of 2020 in India. Being away from family for the last five years, it was a really special occasion for him and his fiancee. But the pandemic made them make a really difficult decision. They mutually decided to get married in the USA in presence of a few friends and the virtual presence of their families. But nevertheless, it turned out to be a very memorable day in our life. 

The beautiful ceremony took place in the naturally beautiful Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. On the pleasant morning of 6th September 2020, Neel and Asmita vowed to be together forever. It is always said that friends are the family you choose. Their beloved friends helped them arrange a warm yet cozy wedding in spite of their busy corporate jobs. Their close friend Radha was their officiant. The beautiful cake was baked by their friend Juhi. All the other arrangements and decorations were being taken care of by Surabhi, Suhrud, Aditya, Anagh, Nischala, and Grishma. The flower decorations in the dining area were done beautifully by their gang of friends. Not to forget their cute furry friend who was the ring bearer. 

The family of both the groom and the bride participated virtually. Both side families sent their blessings in the form of recorded messages and the holy mangalashtaka. The celebration in India was no less with a wedding cake and a special lunch from Hotel Shreyas. Thank you for these wonderful moments. That day was like a breath of fresh air for all of us.

The most special thing about this wedding was a noble deed by the newlywed couple. There is a custom of wedding gift registry at such weddings. Neel and Asmita appealed to the people attending the wedding to donate for a very noble cause instead of gifts. Jnana Prabodhini foundation from Pune is collecting funds for various noble causes in the pandemic era. These causes include children's education, COVID relief, women empowerment, and many more. The wedding expenses were reduced at various levels to be able to donate more towards this noble initiative. They surpassed the aim of their fundraiser by collecting much more money. The organizations they are working for helped them in contributing equal amount from the company's side.

It requires courage to think differently. I am really proud of you Neel and Asmita for your noble gesture. I hope this encourages more couples to think differently. A true inspiration indeed. :) 

Natural ways to boost immunity.. other than any drinks and kadhas

The pandemic has changed the world in all ways. People have started realising that they were taking their body for granted. I've seen lot of people making different type of kadhas and drinking different types of waters to boost immunity. But have we  really changed our lifestyle that actually helps in boosting the immunity and being healthy? The answer isn't positive for sure.

The lockdowns have given rise to different types of anxieties. Poeple have found their own ways to kill the abundantly available time. Lot of new recipes are being tried.  But almost all of them are not very healthy. 

Being a doctor's kid, I have always been taught to have a healthy lifestyle since my childhood. Simple things such as balanced diet, enough sleep, moderate exercise and overall balanced mind help in boosting the immunity. So I'm enlisting few things which would help not just in short term but long term in leading a healthy life. I'm not against any kadhas, but according to me these thing matter more.

1. Diet

Having a healthy and balanced diet. Having all the vitamins, minerals, proteins and enough fats and carbs in your diet is necessary. I'm not a very big fan of fad diets such as keto or a total no carb diet. Eating green leafy vegetables atleast once in a week is(twice in a week ideally) preferred. A fresh fruit a day keeps the doctor away. I would always prefer fruits over fruit juices 😬. A variety of fruits with different vitamins would make more sense. 

Balancing the fats and proteins in the diet is the key too. I would suggest to keep the fried items in the diet for cheat days. I myself prefer shallow fried over deep fried items. Proteins can be balanced by sprouts, lentils and eggs and meats for non vegetarians. Although I'm a non vegetarian, I eat it very occasionally. Addition of lemons, guavas, goosberries to your diet will work wonders in all senses. Curd is also a magical item for me for the natural probiotics it gives. A handful of black raisins and almonds soaked overnight can be eaten in the morning 😃.

Junk and readymade foods are to be avoided as far as possible.

2. Moderate exercise is the second thing which I feel is absolutely necessary. A brisk walk for 30-45 mins a day or some floor exercises for 25-30 minutes will help in keeping the body fit. I'm again not a fan of too heavy exercises. I believe in balance for all aspects of my life.

3. Getting enough and sound sleep is very important. Reducing the screen time in the night is very important for this. 

4. Mental peace and well being is equally important for a healthy body. Everyone has their own way of achieving mental peace. Meditation, pooja or even a call with a loved one can bring the much needed peace sometimes. Spending time with your family and friends always helps.😃

5. Spending half an hour per day for yourself doing the activity you love is extremely important. It can be anything, from watching your favourite series to reading your favourite book. It can add a happy half an hour to your day full of work otherwise 😃.

I hope these tips will help everyone in these difficult times 🙏

Survival of the fittest... How fit are the Indian unicorns?

When the world is trying to come in terms with the unexpected pandemic, another quite expected challenge awaits all of us, the economic crisis! Nobody knows the depth of this crisis but everyone is trying to ready themselves to face this crisis! 

All the new statistics and future predictions about the economic crisis are confusing and scary at the same time! The most affected businesses would be the MSMEs and startups who are yet to establish a strong base! 

From what I have studied about the investments perspective of Indian startups, they are mostly dependent upon the cash flow from VC firms, PE funds and to some extent angel networks! The huge investment coming from a South Asian giant is critical for almost all the Indian unicorns. But lately that particular South Asian enterprise has landed in trouble with its few investments. 

It would be really interesting to know how these unicorns keep themselves floating amid this crisis. It's being said that, survival is all the more important than anything else. The cash left with most of these unicorns is only sufficient for a couple of months. They have to plan their strategy quickly yet effectively to stay in the business.

When we try to think logically, what alternatives do we think of? The usual answers would be, business diversification, a possible pivot or effective marketing gimmics which won't cost the company much but would fetch more customer base. But don't you think all these are extremely risky especially in the time of this severe crisis? It would be extremely critical for a startup to decide their business strategy for the near future. It's a do or die game! 

Talking about some of the best unicorns, who were an integral part of the lives of people in most of the Indian metros are now diversifying into totally new lines of business. Food delivery giants like Swiggy and Zomato have ventured into online grocery delivery. Swiggy particularly has been preparing itself to be a last mile delivery game changer. It recently acquired Suprdaily, for the daily delivery of milk, bakery and other essentials. But Dunzo is giving a tough competition to Swiggy already. The fittest of them would survive and eventually win this last mile delivery war. 

Swiggy is few steps ahead, trying to venture into online alcohol delivery. On the other hand, it has closed its cloud kitchen business recently with the aim of saving on the expenses. A diversification along with a closure, what does their startegy really indicate? Would it be purely demand based in future?

Amazon is currently piloting food delivery in India, it would be a huge competition for the food delivery unicorns if Amazon is successful. And one of them might want to get acquired by Amazon, let's see what future has in store for these last mile delivery companies.

Zomato on the other hand has recently acquired UberEats, India. Without much of diversification, what would be Zomato's change of startegy? Would significant changes be coming up in their subscriptions and memberships in future? It is being predicted that, dining in restaurants is going to pick up pace very slowly in the post Covid 19 era. Where do Zomato subscriptions stand in then in post Covid 19 era? 

On the other hand, ride sharing services such as Ola and Uber offered their services for emergency and essential travel during the first few phases of the lockdown. That temporary pivot helped them in atleast keeping the moral of their drivers high. It would be really commendable of them if they decide some employee centric business model to sustain this crisis.

When all the other startups were struggling for survival, the grocery ecommerce companies have struck gold. Apart from struggles of manpower management, companies like bigbasket and grofers have been doing extremely well. Does this mean, that essential service companies would definitely survive the crisis? Customer panic buying is definitely responsible for this sudden surge in demand. 

Consumer behaviour and psychology need to be very carefully studied before formulating any critical business decisions and strategies in the coming times. Taking calculated risks might be the success mantra. Time can only answer which startups would survive this crisis and how? But till then, it would be fun to see and analyse their new business strategies...

P.S. A unicorn is a startup with a valuation more than  or equal to $1B.

To do or not.. A doctor's dilemma...

Doctors are considered equal to god! They care for your health! But they have to go through biggest dilemmas and emotional turmoil while making some decisions where human emotions are involved! I'll be presenting to you few of the unique medical experiences through a series of blogs. Few of them are actual experiences of Dr Rajeev Joshi and Dr Mrs Padmaja Joshi while others are experiences of world famous doctors! 

Here in my first blog, a heart touching experience of a world famous plastic surgeon is presented. A doctor is also a human. This story is a perfect example of a doctor's dilemma. The plastic surgeon was practising in Europe at that time. The war atmosphere made it quite difficult for the doctors to practice.

One fine morning, a young girl in her early twenties came to him as a patient. For him she was one of his patients. But she had come to him with a great hope.

"Doctor, please help me. I'm getting married next month. But I'm not a virgin. It is compulsory for a would be bride to be a virgin. It is also checked by the groom's family before marriage. I want to get a hymenoplasty done. You are my last hope in this regard. If you say no, my marriage will break! Please help me", the startled girl requested the doctor.

The doctor was in a fix. Being the world famous plastic surgeon, he had his own set of ethics. He told the girl, "But this is against my ethics. It is like betraying your would be husband and in laws. Sorry but I can't help you!".

The girl was very intelligent. "But doctor, it is mandatory to ask the history to the patient. You didn't ask me my history before saying no to me." she exclaimed! 

"You're very brave and intelligent. I accept my mistake. So how did you lose your virginity? Please tell me." said the embarassed doctor.

"My luck was not in my favour doctor! A soldier from other country raped me during the war time!" She broke into tears! 

The doctor unfortunately belonged to the winning group of countries! What was the fault of the girl? Nothing! So the doctor had to stand for her! The soldier from his own country had done this crime to this innocent girl. Was it her fault that, her country belonged to the group of losing countries ? Absolutely not! The doctor operated her for hymenoplasty the next day!

Don't you think, he did the correct thing! Humanity came much before for him than his ethics!

A praiseworthy cleanup drive by Silver County Road Residents, Harlur, Let us create the Change

Bangalore has become synonymous with polluted lakes, dirty surroundings, roads full of trash and potholes. The citizens are bearing the burnt. But here is something which every citizen should do and take inspiration from. This would set an example of being a proactive, socially responsible citizen actively contributing to the betterment of the environment.

I am myself a resident of the silver county road, Harlur, south Bangalore. The silver county road residents group( Silver County Live Wire) took up a really inspiring cleanup drive of the silver county road recently. This area consists of 4-5 small to medium sized lakes. The road was a nightmare for motorists and bikers in the rainy season. The absence of street lights would add to the inconvenience of the residents and commuters of this area.
But the residents' group acted very promptly. The cleanup drive took meticulous planning. Hats off to the people leading the group for the efforts and perfect planning!

We are good at planning, budgeting and execution :D

It began from raising funds for the cause. The total cost of lifting the garbage and dumping was about 25000( total of 15 trucks and 1 JCB was required each day and the cost of dumping each truckload was around 700). The campaign was planned on every Sunday and would require sufficient funds.
The team planned a social media campaign for raising funds and every resident contributed a small but considerable amount to it.

Inspiration from Genext: :)

The kids of Sobha Cinnamon Saffron were the real inspiration for all the elders. They showed the utmost dedication and honesty. They collected around 22000 by selling lemonade and actually visiting people door to door. Kudos to their efforts.

Leaders make the difference :D

The group leaders were busy spreading the word about the cleanup drive on social media to get more volunteers. They also made accessories like gloves, masks available for the volunteers.
The cleanup drive took place for total 4 Sundays. Those 4 Sunday mornings were mornings full of inspiration, dedication, collaboration and team efforts.

Work for the community by the community

This drive was organised by the community for the community. The best thing about living in a community is that you get to learn and share really great things. This cleanup drive was a classic example of dedicated team efforts working selflessly for the community.
The efforts are bearing fruits. The surroundings are clean. The people want to maintain that cleanliness because they have cleaned the surroundings themselves. They are creating awareness about it too.

Let us smile bright with the new lights :D

The area is getting street lights too. The poles are already in place. We are looking forward to a well lit Silver County Road :)

Nothing stops us!

On 19th May 2019, BBMP didn't do arrangements for sending the tractors. But when people were determined nothing could stop them. The tractors were arranged by the people.
These kinds of group activities need to attract more attention. The silver county lives wire group is seeking support for creating a better surrounding and neighbourhood for the residents. Their efforts are also for making the commute safe for everyone. They are driven by passion, social responsibility to protect the nature around. Many people supported them directly or indirectly. But they need more support.

Let us do it ourselves before telling others:
They are an inspiration for all Bangaloreans. It takes courage to come on roads for actually cleaning the roads. They have begun. Now it is everyone's responsibility to take this forward. They need more support in all respects for future work.
Let's do our share...

The link for the fundraising page is as follows

https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/silver-county?utm_source=campaigner&utm_medium=whatsappShare&utm_campaign=silver-county&utm

The great work is illustrated in a creative video on YouTube. Do have a look

https://youtu.be/cpcZC0Ar24M

Let us do our bit for livable and green surroundings. After all, it is for our greener future where we would breathe fresh air, enjoy the clean neighbouring lakes.

Lessons learnt are:

Being together for such a noble is the biggest strength of this activity. The site is very soothing and satisfying for the volunteers. This is the foundation for many such successful drives in future.
Let us strive for better results in the future. Let us collaborate, cooperate and achieve greener and cleaner environment. 

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