This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. All opinions are 100% mine.
When you think of a hospital or an emergency room, what comes to mind? When I think of a hospital and emergency rooms I think of white walls, small rooms, stale coffee, and those curtains to divide “rooms” for privacy in the ER.
What would you think of walking into a hospital and seeing a Starbucks or a Walgreens? What about a wait time that is typically under five minutes? I know that I have your attention with that one. What if I told you that there is a hospital that looks more like a lavish hotel than a typical hospital from outside and inside? Those are just a couple of things that you can expect from Elmhurst Memorial Hospital!
Elmhurst Memorial Hospital (in suburban Chicago) is earning the reputation as the most amazing ER in the world. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital also subscribes to Planetree philosophy of care. Planetree philosophy is an approach to healthcare that looks at the experience from the patients’ perspective and offers a healthcare experience that is less intimidating and more comforting. (When you look around inside Elmhurst Memorial Hospital you can even see the sycamore leaf, the symbol associated with Planetree, designed into the glass and floor of the building.)
Did you know that RSV affects two-thirds of all infants by age one and almost 100% of babies by age two?
100% of babies by the age two?! to me that number is very scary! When my kids were little I had no idea what RSV was. It wasn’t until my sister called me and said that my niece was in the hospital with RSV that I started researching RSV to learn more about it and find out how to protect my kids.
What is RSV:
RSV disease, or Respiratory syncytial virus, is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia in children under 1 year of age in the United States. The RSV season typically runs from November through March. RSV typically causes mild to moderate cold-like symptoms, but in some babies it results in a serious respiratory infection. Those most at risk for severe RSV include premature infants, as their lungs aren’t fully developed and they have fewer infection-fighting antibodies than full-term babies.
Below are symptoms of severe RSV infection that require immediate medical care:
Coughing or wheezing that does not stop
Fast or troubled breathing
Spread-out nostrils and/or a caved-in chest when trying to breathe
Bluish color around the mouth or fingernails
Fever (especially if it is over 100.4°F in infants under 3 months of age)
An estimated that 82% of U.S. children aged six weeks to six years old, spend some amount of time in child care. Whether its one day a week or 5 days a week, the risks of spending time in a daycare or pre-school setting are the same — increased exposure to contagious germs and viruses. Daycare increases this risk of RSV spreading as children are constantly sharing toys, tables and high chairs as well as eating and napping in close quarters.
Parents of preemies should be informed of the dangers of RSV, as well as the risks that certain child care settings can present. If possible, parents of high-risk babies may want to consider alternate options, such as nannies or in-home daycare centers, where exposure to dangerous germs can be minimized. Regardless of child care settings, it’s important for parents who believe their child may be at high-risk for RSV to speak with a doctor about prevention.
Because RSV can live on surfaces (doorknobs, countertops, toys, bedding) for several hours and is often spread through touching, hugging and kissing, all parents should take steps to prevent the spread of the virus.
Here are some ways that you, your child’s caregiver and loved ones can help prevent the spread of RSV:
Wash your hands and child’s hands
Keep toys, clothes, blankets, and sheets clean
Clearly mark bottles/sippy cups by putting labels on them to help caregivers make sure that the babies are drinking out of their own bottles/sippy cups
If your baby uses a pacifier make sure it is cleaned regularly
Avoid crowds and other sick children during RSV season
Avoid exposure to cigarette smoke
For more helpful information about RSV visit www.RSVProtection.com and follow #RSVProtection on Twitter.
“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”
The holidays are over and I’m finally catching up on sleep but I’m telling you.. I look drab as drab can be until I put some effort into my hair and makeup these days.
After I’ve taken a shower and put on my new favorite lipstick, COVERGIRL® Blast Flipstick™, I look a bit more alive!
The COVERGIRL® Blast Flipstick™ was included in a package I received from P&G recently and I would love to share a package of P&G goodies with you! Read on to learn how you can win a P&G prize package.
Proctor & Gamble’s “Have You Tried This Yet?” campaign features a bundle of fabulous new products and I was sent a box of goodies try out and am able to give one goodie bag with the same products away to a lucky winner!
Inside you’ll find products including COVERGIRL® Blast Flipstick™, Tampax® Radiant™, and Secret® Outlast™ Protecting Powder Invisible Solid. While I am in no need of feminine products as I am post-menopausal, a friend of mine was very happy to take the Tampax® Radiant™ tampons and other feminine products included in the box.
There are even more products in the box as you can see in the photo to the right.
Visit PGTryIt.com to see what innovative Have You Tried This Yet? P&G products new mom, Vanessa Lachey, can’t live without including, Tampax® Radiant™ and COVERGIRL® Blast Flipstick™.
Some of my favorite new P&G products included in the box:
Glimmery lipstick and a shade recipe!
My favorite product in the package is the lipstick. I am always look for new colors to try out. I have very sensitive lips and can only use lipsticks that glide on smoothly so as to not irritate my lips. COVERGIRL® Blast Flipstick™, with two shades in each stick, fits the bill! With a creamy shade on one side and a shimmer shade on the other, it’s two wearable, blendable, lipcolors in one!
I have a yellowish skin tone and I love the 810 Glimmer COVERGIRL® Blast Flipstick™.
Here is a COVERGIRL® Blast Flipstick™ recipe I think you’ll like!
First, I applied the light shade from the 840 Stunner stick, then I applied the dark shade from the 810 Glimmer stick. The result was a fun and exciting medium-dark brownish purple shade! For every day use I wear the lighter shade from the 810 stick.
Oh, how I love the body wash!
I love the scent of the Olay® Vanilla Winter Retreat Body Wash. I have very dry skin in the Winter and Olay body wash is the only brand that has been able to alleviate the dryness over the years. I usually take a shower in the evening, after a long day of work, taking care of the kids, running around, etc. and this body wash always leaves me feeling refreshed and relaxed.
Win a P&G Prize Pack!
You can win a box of P&G products including those I’ve listed above! You must be a subscriber in order to be eligible to enter this contest. Subscribing is quick and easy.. click this link! Then leave a comment below letting me know what your favorite holiday memory was from the 2012 holiday season. Entries can be submitted through 11:59pm EST January 20th. We’ll name a winner (drawn by Random.org) right here on January 22nd. Entrants must be at least 18 and prize will only be shipped within the US.
This has been a trial for me and my family. It all started with a tonsillectomy at 38 years old, two weeks ago. I was aware that the chance of a bleed out was 2-4% for two weeks after surgery. 13 days after surgery at 11pm I started bleeding. A lot. Was taken to hospital by ambulance where my surgeon performed emergency surgery for hemorrhaging. All details about the hemorrhaging and emergency surgery are on my Facebook page.
Please keep me in your thought as as you can read from my Facebook posts I am very scared. I lost 1/5 of my blood during the hemorrhaging and am weak and my heart is racing still. I’ve been on IV fluids since surgery. I am most worried about Madelyn and Sebastian. They don’t know what to think of it all.
I posted a more info about my day to day recovery then during the hemorrhaging (asking for prayers) on my Facebook wall for those of you who want more details on what’s going on.
My husband, myself, and my two kids all have allergy issues and three of us have asthma.
My husband and I have accepted the fact that we need to take allergy medicine on a daily basis but the kids, 12 and 6, are a bit more hesitant to accept that fact. They are often worse off than we are, so it’s hard to watch their eyes turn bright red, hear them sniffling, coughing, wheezing, and feeling lethargic because their allergies are getting the best of them. Despite their hesitancy, they are in a regular routine of taking allergy medicine at bedtime but if they miss a day or two, BAM!, the symptoms come right back with a fierceness that only an allergy can.
Our two lovely guinea pigs have caused an allergy attack or two.. or three. You get it. We have put off having a family pet for years because we didn’t want to exasperate any of our allergy issues. With the kids being 12 and 6 years old, and begging for a pet almost every day for the better part of four years, I compromised and let them get guinea pigs. I am well aware that some people have allergic reactions to guinea pigs just as they would with cats or dogs. But I also learned that the chances are smaller. Ironically enough, it’s actually the hay that they eat that causes allergy attacks more than holding them.
Fellowes AP-300PH Air Purifier
Because of the natural air pollutant factors and the pets in our home, it is very important for us to have a good air purifier. The two main rooms we congregate in are about 20×12 feet making them over 250 square feet each. There are not many affordable air purifiers that cover than kind of square footage.
That’s why I was thrilled when I received a AP-300PH Air Purifier from Fellowes to try out.
In the process of reviewing the air purifier, I learned that an air purifier is the best way to reduce the risk of illness and allergies by fighting invisible indoor air pollutants. Studies show that indoor air pollutants are responsible for half of all illnesses. Filtering and purifying the air in your home and office environment can provide a healthy solution to invisible problems.
Back to the air purifier..
Besides covering an area of 300 square feet, this air purifier includes an air purity sensor that monitors the air quality and automatically adjusts the fan speed to keep the air cleaner! How fabulous is that?
Carbon filter removes odors and captures large airborne particulates
The AP-300PH Air Purifier goes through 4 steps to purify our air:
Step 1 – The carbon filter removes odors and captures large airborne particulates.
Step 2 – The Sanitized Stage >; Effectively reduces the development of bacteria, fungi and dust mites on carbon filter.
Step 3 – The True HEPA Filter captures 99.97% of particles and impurities as small as 0.3 microns, including mold spores, pollen, dust mites, allergens, bacteria, cigarette smoke, pet dander and odors.
Step 4 – In the final stage of purification, Fellowes®PlasmaTRUE™ Technology safely removes airborne pollutants at the molecular level instantly neutralizing viruses and germs in the air.
Here are some of the features of the AP-300PH Air Purifier:
The air purifier includes an air purity sensor that monitors the air quality and automatically adjusts the fan speed to keep your air cleaner
Purifies large sized rooms up to 300 square feet
Ultra quiet operation
Filter change indicators signal when the True HEPA and Carbon filters need replacing
True HEPA and Carbon filters included with air purifier
User-friendly display panel on air purifier effectively communicates machine performance
5 year limited warranty
Video about Fellowe’s AP-300PH Air Purifier:
Do you know what items can actually cause air pollutants in your home or office?
Upholstered Furniture – Dust particles on upholstered furniture can contain textile fibers, decomposing insect parts, pet dander and the flakes of human skin-all of which is released into the air anytime anyone sits down.
Air Vents – Central air handling systems can become breeding grounds for mold, mildew, and other sources of germs such as viruses and bacteria, which can then distribute these contaminants throughout a home or office.
Click here to find out what other items in your home could be causing air pollutants.
The Fellowes AP-300PH Air Purifier helps keep your home air fresh! Using air purifiers to keep your household environment cleaner is your first step to better indoor air. Air purifiers with a True HEPA Filter will safely remove 99.97% of airborne pollutants as small as 0.3 microns from your air.
The AP-300PH is available at Amazon.com for an estimated retail price of over $200 but Amazon.com is selling this air purifier for just over $100 now (as of August 27th, 2012), here!
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Fellowes and received a product sample to facilitate my review.
Wash your hands and child’s hands
Glimmery lipstick and a shade recipe!
Oh, how I love the body wash!
