This is Nicki Cripses !!!!!!! Welcome to Lifestyle Ripples..........

The expected norm for most couples is to conceive right after the wedding... Everyone usually seem interested in the first bulge so they all look to the woman with great expectations. The woman's anxiety tends to build up 'cos they never stop asking questions... She anticipates a  bulge as quickly as possible and when it's not forthcoming, the buildup deepens. The waiting time is a very delicate time for women and I wish to share some tips on some fertility boosting methods which I think would help increase the odds... I read about them a while back and I would love to share them with you... Get Checked: The presence of underlying infections could greatly hamper your chances of getting pregnant. It is advisable that women with a history of regular douching, infections or STD's visit their gynecologist for a thorough examination and for those who may not have had a history of infections, it's just necessary to get checked up. Having good knowledge of the prese...

I was watching a documentary on the spread of zika virus and I grew really inquisitive. I got to read up some facts which I would love to share with you.  So if you planning a trip to a Zika infected area, it's important you take note of these things. A particular mosquito specie called Aedes which is commonly know for the spread of the dengue fever virus is mainly responsible for the spread of this virus. The most common symptoms are fever, rashes, conjunctivitis (Redness of the eyes) and joint pain. People infected with this virus usually do not get so sick as to need a trip to the hospital and there are rarely any records of death due to the virus and this is the tricky part because most people infected do not even know that they carry the virus. The virus can be spread through mosquito bites or through sex.  Of particular importance is the effect of the virus on pregnant women. Men who has worked or lived in areas with the Zika infections are advi...

Having full knowledge of your body makeup is essential to your health and in continuation of the previous blog where I spoke about C-sections, I would be discussing the pelvic floor. In trying to picture what the pelvic floor looks like, imagine the elasticity of the base of a bouncing castle seen at most children parties, it's ability to stretch when pressure is applied on it by the kids and bounce back up again. The PF is a broad string of ligaments and sheet-like tissues that stretch from the pubic bones at the front of the body to the base of the spine at the back.  It's ability to bear weights for a long time and still stretch back to its normal position makes it so amazing but over time the muscles and tissues may become over stretched and weakened. Hey guys, just when you thinking this post is strictly for the ladies, it would please you to know that the pelvic floor supports the bladder, bowel and uterus (womb) and this is what gives you control over when you e...

Hello Mums... Welcome to another awesome Monday on the blog... We are in love with our expecting mums and so we would love to share some tips that would keep our mums  healthy throughout the waiting period.... Pregnancy is a 9 months journey and you sure want to keep healthy on this trip and even after wards. Having a baby is something most of us women-and even men look forward to. This period requires extra care of yourself as what you do or do not do will most times not affect just you but your unborn baby as well. Having being on this trip thrice, here are some thoughts I will like to share… 1.       Early Visit to your health care provider: This is important as an early check up can prevent an unwanted unforeseen circumstance if there is any. An early detection of abnormal location of the foetus can be handled with less complication. An early scan, the radiologist will say, gives a more accurate Expected delivery date (EDD) than the later sca...

Hey love... Happy Holidays..... its another blog day and I'll be talking about the girl child's first visit to her gynecologist.  In the previous blog post we discussed extensively on the need to raise the girl child with a lot of caution and utmost care and I made mention of the need for her first visits to the pediatrician gynecologist while she is between 13 - 15 years of age.  This in my opinion is very important for two main reasons: Firstly, as a way of developing a bond with her  doctor (gynecologist) and secondly as an avenue to help her know more about her body.  I usually would recommend a female gynecologist for these checkups but your discretion would be most important - Simply get a gynecologist whom you are most comfortable with and one whom you can trust but remember as always that in making this selection, her opinion counts.. Most mums disagree on the need to have their babies visit a gynecologist at their early adolescent stages because the...

Hello Crushes... Welcome to another awesome Monday on the Nickicripses blog!  I was recently called upon to speak to a group of young girls on abortions and it's consequences, a topic I found rather interesting and eager to deliver due to the recent happenings around me at the time I was to deliver the talk. Fortunately, I ended up not talking to the girls on the said day because I was unavoidable absent but I have never stopped thinking about it since then..... Where have we gone wrong as a family, as parents,  as siblings, as pastors, or as friends? Long gone with the wind were the days when virginity was GOLDEN and It's so hard relating to this.. According to the WHO statistics, adolescent pregnancies remains a major contributor to maternal and infant mortality and to the cycle of ill health and poverty.  Every year some 3 million girls aged 13 - 19 undergo unsafe abortions and babies born to these adolescent mothers face a substantially higher risk of d...

Hello everyone.. We can not deny the fuss these days about getting married.. I have only been married for a little over a year but long enough to know that there are keys that unlock healthy relationships which eventually leads to a healthy marriage.  Getting married is one of the biggest decision you would ever make and so you might have to really choose wisely... Some people base their relationships on lies and deceits  and I keep wondering what good would ever come out of such relationships... You must remember that you are completely entrusting your entire life to this one person.. You must take your time ! You hear some couples say they wish they had waited a little longer.. A much older aunt of mine once said these words to me... and only recently upon joining an amazing book club..I read a book by Mike Mudrock on recognizing the spouse meant for you and it was an eye opener! Just before you take that huge step ...let's discus...