Archive for December, 2011
For many religious families, a christening gown is a much-cherished heirloom. Through generation to generation, a family member passes it on down to the next person who has a child and will be christened.
It does seem that for parents, only a few articles of clothing are precious during a child’s first year of life. For example: the first outfit to hold any kind of significance is the going home from the hospital outfit.
In every culture around the world, there are traditions that surround a christening. Yet it is mainly an understood idea to present the baby to your community: be it the church, a tribe or even just your family.
The following is a story about a mother making her daughter a christening gown.
I wanted to do something for my oldest daughter that would be special throughout her life. Just before she was born, I decided I would make her gown that would be worn on the day of her christening.
The pattern I chose known as “The Tree of Life” seemed appropriate since she would begin her spiritual life in the church on that day. I bought loads of white fingering yarn as well as a crochet book that gave me ways to do the lacy confection I had planned. My husband bought for me as a gift a carryall that I could take my work in progress with me anywhere I went. I remember it was a bright green and yellow bag, which would stand open at my feet whenever I set it anywhere I went. It went everywhere with me.
So, the next six saw me busily working on her gown. I knitted and crocheted on the way to work, at home, family parties and even to meetings. During the breaks at work, I would draw up stitch after stitch. Co-workers and family members kept up with the progress by measuring it. As the gown got bigger, I found myself explaining to strangers in coffee houses or passersby in the park about the pattern I had chosen.
I was halfway finished with the gown when I had my daughter, Cara. I brought the gown with me and when she was only three hours old, I measured it up against her, checking on its length. It came home with us and with us for every excursion of our outings including mommy and me massage workshops. The gown was turning into a never going to end labor. Each row took about two hours to complete.
The night before she was to be christened found me putting them final touches on the gown. I placed a frothy lace in front and weaving a light green bow through a perforation centered at the waist. Although the weather was warm, she looked like an angel in the gown I had made for her for so long. I didn’t want her to be so she only wore it for two hours.
After the christening was over, the gown was never “put” away for safekeeping and past down. No, it hung in her closet as a reminder of what it was for. She used it to play dress up when she was three years old. When she was age four, Cara wore it to preschool to play the role of princess. She used it many times since.
What started out on a whim for me unraveled eventually into a wear and tear outfit. Am I mad that this happened? Not all. It was nice just for me to do something for her on my own.
The Communities of Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee, both share the services of the Huntsville Hospital, which is a very big outfit that is staffed by over six hundred and fifty doctors, over two thousand nurses and a total staff numbering over five thousand.
The Hospital is divided into three sections, with each section specializing and providing different services to its patients. The Huntsville Hospital for women and children provides specialized medical attention and services to women and children. These include and are not limited to pre-natal services, maternity services, gynecological services and pediatric services.
The Madison Medical Park is the Huntsville Hospital’s outpatient facility that is staffed by doctors specializing in different fields. This may include dentists, gynecologists and obstetricians and general practitioners. Here, when you see the doctor, you get referred to the main hospital or you get a prescription and you go home. Here they deal with the everyday medical problems that we have.
Finally, the Hospital in Huntsville also staffs a seventy bed rehabilitation center. Here, people with different problems ranging from alcohol to drug abuse are admitted and they get the help that they need.
The amazing thing about the Hospital is that it is a Not for Profit organization. So you find that this is one of the few places where people go to work because it’s something they want to do from their hearts. Like many hospitals in the United States, Huntsville Hospital is a teaching and training hospital that is affiliated to the University of Alabama – Birmingham School of Medicine and Family Practice, and Residency Program. On completion of their studies, medical students are attached to the hospital to do their residency there. The Hospital also serves as a primary research center for drugs, with around fifty projects that are currently ongoing.
Guidelines on How to Prevent Infection during Hospital Stays.
MRSA or methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus is a mutated form of the staphylococcus bacteria that is resistant to most forms of antibiotics. This means that even if antibiotics are used to treat the infection, there is no effect on the bacteria, allowing it to flourish. With this, infectious agents spread throughout the body resulting in life threatening illnesses such as septicemia, meningitis, pneumonia, endocarditis and osteomyelitis.
The Rules on How to Prevent Infection during Hospital Stays.
There are two possible victims in being exposed to the dreaded MRSA bacteria, you as the patient and the medical personnel. Both can even be carriers for others to be infected by cross contamination. Thus, to prevent infection from affecting you as the patient, the medical specialist overseeing your care, your visitors with their families and the other patients in the hospital, here are some guidelines to follow.
Respectfully request that hospital staff use antiseptic on their hands before treating you. Also ask guests and visitors to use antiseptic before leaving your room to prevent being a carrier. When your doctor is about to use their stethoscope, respectfully ask that the instruments diaphragm be wiped down with antiseptic. This is to prevent on skin transfer of the bacteria through commonly used equipment. If you are too embarrassed to ask, make sure you wipe down the area where the stethoscope touched your skin to immediately neutralize the bacteria. If you are to be inserted with a “central line” catheter, or any kind of catheter for that matter, inquire about the use of an antibiotic impregnated or silver chlorhexidine coated catheter to reduce and minimize infection-causing bacteria from entering the body. If surgery is the reason why you are in the hospital, inquire about the infection rate of the doctor to conduct the surgery. If the doctor has a high infection rate, or refuses to disclose this fact, then seek the services of another surgeon. Prepare for the surgery. This preparation can be done by showering daily with the use of 4% chlorhexidine soap. This active ingredient neutralizes the presence of MRSA bacteria on the skin to avoid entering the body with the surgery. Ask your surgeon to test you for the presence of MRSA at least one week prior to surgery. This preventive measure would be a sure way to eliminate the presence of MRSA on your skin. Quit smoking weeks before surgery. Studies indicate that patients who smoke are three times as likely to develop surgical area infection compared to non-smokers resulting in longer hospital stays and slower recoveries. Come the day of the surgical procedure, remind your medical care personnel, be it a nurse or a doctor for antibiotic medication prior to actual incision. Often this is overlooked with all the preparation needed for the surgery. Inquire from your doctor as to the process of surgery, paying special attention to the tools to be used and the temperature of the operating room due to surgery. Asking about the tools to be used would make the surgeon wary of the cleanliness of the tools and equipment. Also, keeping the room warm are found to be able to resist infection better compared to cold operating rooms. Avoid having the surgical area shaved as the blade may cause small wounds where bacteria can enter. Ask that clippers be used to remove hair instead of a razor.