Preeclampsia impacts between two and eight percent of pregnancies, according to the March of Dimes. The condition, which causes elevated blood pressure and swelling, can lead to serious complications before, during or after childbirth. Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center may have found a quicker, non-invasive way to diagnose preeclampsia—potentially saving lives.

While the test is still in the trial phase and isn’t FDA-approved for use, it’s designed to identify preeclampsia accurately in three minutes. This quick-use tool would allow doctors to identify and manage the condition earlier.

photo: John Looy via Unsplash 

Dr. Kara Rood, lead author of the study and maternal-fetal medicine physician at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center said, in a press statement, “Giving birth is the only cure for preeclampsia, but it can develop as early as the second trimester.” Dr. Rood went on to add, “The quicker we identify women with the condition, the better chance they have of carrying their babies to full term and having a healthy delivery.”

So how does this test work? A red dye reacts with the proteins found in the urine of pregnant women with preeclampsia. This allows doctors to definitively diagnose the condition, eliminating any guesswork. The study researchers are hoping to have the test FDA-approved for use within the next few years.

—Erica Loop

 

 

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Your kid is ready to tackle potty training, and you’ve got all the tips and tricks ready to go. But, what about those lingering nighttime troubles, like whether to use a pull-up or go for underwear only? Lucky for you, one Dad came up with a brilliant and style-forward way to keep your kids dry through the night. Sound too good to be true? Keep reading to find out more.

What Is It?

PEEjamas are stylish, eco-friendly and functional pajamas that eliminate the need for nighttime diapers. They’re the brain-child of dad Craig Hammond, who faced the ongoing dilemma of putting his three-year-old in a pull-up (better sleep, but longer potty training) or going with underwear and risking the inevitable cold, wet midnight wake up call.

PEEjamas blew past its original Kickstarter goal of $16,000, and the huge response means there’s now a chance to snag larger sizes too: 5T, 6T & 7T. “There has really been no new product developed for parents beyond the ‘use-once-and-throw-away disposable diaper’ in several years, so crowdfunders are proving the time is right for the PEEjamas solution,” Hammond said.

How Does It Work?

PEEjamas are made with highly absorbent (can hold up to 10x their weight in liquid!), re-washable materials that capture and contain urine over the course of a night.

They can be washed over 300 times before they lose their absorbency, which means they’re a super saver when considering the cost of disposable diapers, and they’re an extremely sustainable potty training tool. Plus, it’s a lot less hassle to toss a pair of pajamas in the wash after an accident rather than a whole load of sheets, day after day after day.

How Do You Get Them?

They’re currently still in Kickstarter mode, but a simple pledge (they start at $35) will get you and yours a pair by July 2018.

See all the details (and get a pair) by clicking here. 

Would you buy these for your kid? Share with us in a comment below.

— Gabby Cullen

 

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All images courtesy PEEjamas

photo: ndbutter via flickr

As a parent, you probably know that kids can be darn strange. But don’t worry, your little stinkers aren’t the only ones doing weird things. A thread on Reddit is going viral after a user asked the question “what is the weirdest thing you’ve caught your child doing?” Scroll down to read some of the funniest comments:

“I walked into the kitchen one day to see my 4-year-old son cleaning the counter with a piece of ham. He then went over to the sink, washed off the piece of ham and then started to eat it.”

— Link-to-the-Pastiche

“When my son was young, he would sleep walk a lot. There was one really weird instance in particular when we woke up to a noise and could not find him. We called out his name many times, but he never responded. I found him in the bathroom, behind the door. I asked what he was doing…he just smiled and went back to bed.”

— Ladyingreypajamas

“My daughter, who’s five, took a sip of juice from a straw, spit it into her hand, and then proceeded to rub it into her hair like it was hair product or something. Right after I’d given her a shower. Why?”

— marzipandancer

“I heard loud music coming from my three-year-old son’s room upstairs. When I yelled for him the music stopped and he appeared in the hall, wearing only underwear, sunglasses and a second pair of underwear on his head.

‘What, Dad?’

What do you even say to that?”

— oldforger

“When my oldest was 6-months old, my mom taught him how to bark (she was teaching him animal noises). That night, he put a blanket over his head and barked at the wall for fifteen minutes straight.”

— thelemurologist

“My toddler had just started walking and would eat random things from the floor. One day I looked over and saw the tell tale signs of him trying to hide after his newest find. I stick my finger in his mouth and pull out a dried frog. A [freakin’] flat, dried frog that he had been sucking on. Totally gave me the creeps for awhile, I have no idea where he could have found something like that. He was so [mad] when I took it away, too…”

— stranger_than_fishin

“3-year-old brought me a slug and told me it was ‘Mr. FunALug’ then she threw it into a bonfire and staring at its burning corpse, she said Mr. FunALug is dying.”

— PM_YOUR_SUNSETPICS

“My son was storing urine in shampoo bottles under his bed. He said it was like his own bathroom so he didn’t have to leave his room. His room is 10ft from the actual bathroom.”

— ieatthehardkernels

“My wife caught my three-year-old laying on his back completely naked with a toy traffic cone on his penis. When she asked him what he was doing, he looked at her annoyed and said, ‘Mommy, it was about time.'”

— teckreddit

“I was potty training my son and kept the potty just outside of our toilet. I walked into the area and saw a large poo with Mr. Potato Head arms, legs, nose and hat on it.”

— BunnyButtWaifu

“My son was probably about seven-eight months old. He was supposed to be napping in his crib but instead he reached over to the dresser and got a jar of Vaseline. He opened it and proceeded to get it all over his hair, his face, in his eyes…just everywhere.”

— ABookishSort

“Daughter was in her room singing ‘Let It Go’ and suddenly took it from sing song to death metal screaming. She was 6.”

— saketuyas

“A very recent one. We’ve tried to get my 2-year-old to stop sucking his thumb recently. He’s spent the weekend trying to suck everybody else’s instead.”

— ManQnian

“I caught my kid hastily shrinking his browser window as I walked into the room. I asked him what he was looking at. He says nothing. I just stand there.. He keeps staring straight ahead. So I ask again, what were you looking at? So he maximizes the window.. He was looking at a calculator for ‘How many llamas should your dowry be.’

He won this time…”

— Crasty

Have any to add? Tell us in the comments below!

 

Pink or Blue? One Line or Two? Cup or stream? What woman hasn’t spent countless hours sweating it out over an innocuous white plastic stick otherwise known as a home pregnancy test (whether trying to conceive or not). Not to mention the small fortune spent on multiple drug store trips to buy more tests (just in case the first one was wrong). Even the cheap dollar store tests add up pretty quickly after a few months of trying to conceive.

With the recent launch of iPeed, those high costs and frequent pharmacy trips are a thing of the past, as the new home pregnancy test iphone application offers 99% accuracy 2 days before your first missed period. Created by a pharmacist mom and her computer developer husband, the iPeed is hoping to revolutionize the $50 million-dollar-a-year home pregnancy test market. And at $2.99 a download for unlimited use, it may do just that.

After downloading the application, you simply aim your urine stream at the bullseye in the center of the screen. A complex algorithm analyzes the level of HCG (pregnancy hormone) in your urine. Sensitivity is > 12.5 mIU/mL, comparable to most tests available at the supermarket. If the test is positive, an image of a cooing baby appears (above, right). If the test is negative, an image of a martini appears.

If things go as planned, your future pharmacy trips may be limited to diapers and formula. Or vodka.

iPeed
http://www.ipeedapp.com/