Northflex

🙄

TECHNEWS:

Microsoft is negotiating with AI startup Anthropic to supply its in-house Maia 200 AI chips, which would mark the first time Microsoft provides its own semiconductors to an external AI model developer. If finalized, Anthropic would become the first major AI model developer to use all three cloud providers' in-house AI chips Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, as companies seek cost-efficient alternatives to Nvidia GPUs for inference workloads.

- Northflex

TECHNEWS: Nvidia CEO Concedes China AI Chip Market to Huawei Amid US Export Restrictions.

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang stated the company has largely conceded China's AI chip market to Huawei as US export restrictions reshape the semiconductor landscape. China formerly comprised about a fifth of Nvidia's data center revenue, but Huang told investors to expect nothing in sales to China going forward, while noting Huawei had a record year and its local chip ecosystem is doing well.

- Northflex

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: Wall Street opened lower on Thursday as oil prices rose on fading peace hopes . Meanwhile, Nvidia beat earnings expectations and announced an $80 billion buyback.

- Northflex

BREAKING NEWS:

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon have killed at least 29 people . The UN condemned Israel's establishment of military facilities at a UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem.

- Northflex

BREAKING NEWS:

US-Iran Negotiations: President Trump states the US is in the "final stages" of talks with Iran, giving diplomacy "one last shot" to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz . However, a report that Iran's leader opposes sending uranium abroad has raised doubts, causing oil prices to rebound.

- Northflex

ALLAH YAYIWA KAKAN HAFSAT ABDULLAH RASUWA, MUNA BARAR ALLAH YA JIKANSA🙏

When It's BW..
🤕

HEALTHCARE: Cholestasis of Pregnancy.

You are in your third trimester. Your belly is stretched tight. You expect some itching. Skin stretches, it itches. Everyone tells you this is normal.

But this itch is different. It starts on your palms and the soles of your feet. Then it spreads to your arms, your legs, your belly. It gets worse at night. You cannot sleep. You scratch until you bleed. You take cold baths. You try every cream in the market. Nothing helps. The itch is deep, under your skin, like something is crawling inside you.

This is cholestasis of pregnancy. It is not normal. It is a liver problem that can kill your baby.

Here is what happens. The hormones of pregnancy slow down the flow of bile from your liver. Bile is a digestive fluid. When it cannot flow out, it builds up in your liver and spills into your bloodstream. The bile salts irritate your nerves from the inside, causing that terrible itching. And those same bile salts can cross the placenta and poison your baby.

The itch is the main symptom. Sometimes the only symptom. You might not look sick. Your eyes might not turn yellow. You might feel fine otherwise. But the itch tells you something is wrong. It usually starts after twenty eight weeks, but can come earlier. It is worse at night. It is worse on the palms and soles. It can be so severe that women think about ending their pregnancy just to make it stop.

The danger to the baby is real. The bile salts can cause the baby's heart to stop suddenly. Not during labor, when people are watching. At home, in the middle of the night, when you are sleeping. A stillbirth with no warning. The risk goes up the longer you go without delivery. That is why cholestasis is treated by delivering the baby early, often at thirty six or thirty seven weeks.

How do you know. You tell your midwife or doctor about the itch. You do not downplay it. You do not let them tell you it is normal. You say the words: the itching is keeping me awake at night. It is on my palms and feet. You ask for a blood test called a bile acid test. If your bile acids are high, you have cholestasis. Sometimes the test comes back normal the first time but the itch continues. You need to be retested. The bile acids can rise over time.

What happens next. You will be monitored closely. Twice weekly non stress tests to check the baby's heartbeat. Ultrasound to check the baby's size and fluid. Medication called ursodeoxycholic acid may help reduce the bile acids and ease the itching. But the only cure is delivery. Your doctor will recommend inducing labor or performing a cesarean section as soon as the baby is mature enough to survive outside, usually between thirty six and thirty seven weeks. Do not argue to wait longer. Every extra week increases the risk of stillbirth.

After delivery, the itching goes away within days. For most women, it never comes back in future pregnancies. But for some, it does. If you had cholestasis before, tell your doctor early in your next pregnancy. They may start monitoring you from the first trimester.

The itch is not in your head. It is not a sign of a weak personality. It is not caused by something you ate or did. It is a real medical condition with real risks. Do not suffer in silence. Do not let anyone dismiss you. If you are pregnant and itching all over, especially on your palms and feet, especially at night, go get tested. Your baby's life may depend on it.

CAUTION:

This media space is not a hospital. I am not your doctor. What you have read is about cholestasis of pregnancy, but it does not replace real medical advice from someone who can order your blood tests and monitor your baby. If you are pregnant and have severe itching that will not go away, especially on your palms and feet, go to a health facility. No online post can measure your bile acids or listen to your baby's heartbeat. Only real medical care can do that. Do not scratch and wait. Go.

- Northflex. | Cc: Narayana Health.

HEALTHCARE: Your Water Breaking Early.

You feel a small trickle of fluid running down your leg. Not a gush like in the movies. Just a little wetness. You are thirty two weeks pregnant. You think maybe you peed a little. It happens, right. You change your underwear and go back to what you were doing.

This is a mistake that costs babies their lives.

Your water breaking before labor starts is called premature rupture of membranes. When it happens before thirty seven weeks, it is called preterm premature rupture of membranes. And it is one of the most dangerous things that can happen in pregnancy, even though it often feels like nothing.

The fluid that leaks out is the baby's protection. That clear or pale yellow liquid cushions the baby, keeps the umbilical cord from being compressed, and prevents bacteria from reaching the baby. Once that bag breaks, the baby is exposed to the outside world. Bacteria can travel up through the opening and infect the baby, the placenta, and you. The baby can develop sepsis, a overwhelming infection that kills quickly. The umbilical cord can slip down through the opening, a cord prolapse, which cuts off the baby's blood supply. The baby can be born too early because once the bag is open, labor often follows within hours or days.

But here is the thing. The leak can be so small that you barely notice it. You might feel a trickle when you stand up or cough or sneeze. You might feel damp but not soaked. You might think it is urine. You might think it is normal discharge. You might be too embarrassed to tell anyone. And all the while, the clock is ticking.

The signs to watch for. Any fluid that leaks from your va**na that is not thick and white like normal discharge. It may be clear or pale yellow. It may have a sweet or musty smell, different from urine. You cannot stop the flow by squeezing your pelvic muscles the way you can with urine. If you lie down for twenty minutes and then stand up, you may feel another trickle. This is because the fluid pools in the back of your va**na when you lie down and then runs out when you stand.

If you think your water might be leaking, do not wait. Do not finish your chores. Do not go to work and see if it stops. Go to a health facility immediately. The test is simple. A nurse places a speculum in your va**na and looks to see if fluid is coming from the opening in your cervix. They may touch a test strip to the fluid to see if it turns blue, which means it is amniotic fluid. They may look under a microscope. All of this takes minutes.

What happens next depends on how far along you are. If you are near your due date, they will probably induce labor. If you are earlier, they will try to keep the baby inside as long as it is safe. You will be admitted to the hospital. You will be given antibiotics to prevent infection. You will be given steroid shots to help the baby's lungs mature faster. You will be watched closely for signs of infection. If infection develops, or if the baby is in distress, or if labor starts on its own, the baby will be delivered, no matter how early.

The hardest part is that you may feel fine. You may have no fever, no pain, no sign that anything is wrong. But infection can start inside you without any symptoms until it is very advanced. A baby can go from healthy to dead in hours. This is not something to watch and wait on.

Who is at risk. Women who have had a previous baby born early. Women who have had an infection in their uterus or va**na. Women who smoke during pregnancy. Women who are underweight or malnourished. Women with too much amniotic fluid. Women carrying twins or triplets. Women with a short cervix. Women who have had bleeding during pregnancy. But like many things in pregnancy, it can happen to anyone.

What you can do. If you feel wetness, put on a clean pad and go to the hospital. Do not use a tampon. Do not have s*x. Do not put anything in your va**na. Do not take a bath, because bathwater can carry bacteria inside. A quick shower is fine. The pad you wore can be tested by the doctor to confirm the fluid is amniotic.

And do not let anyone tell you that you are overreacting. Do not let a nurse or a family member say it is probably nothing. Insist on being examined. Insist on the test. Your baby has no voice. You must be that voice.

CAUTION:

This media space is not a hospital. I am not your doctor. What you have read is about premature rupture of membranes, but it does not replace real medical advice from someone who can examine you. If you are pregnant and you feel any fluid leaking from your va**na, no matter how small, go to a health facility immediately. No online post can test your fluid or listen to your baby's heartbeat. Only real medical care can tell you if your water has broken and what to do next. Do not wait. Do not hope it is nothing. Go.

- Northflex. | Cc: Mother Rising.

HEALTHCARE: Gestational Diabetes.

You go for a routine test. They make you drink a sweet drink, draw your blood, and send you home. You think nothing of it. Then the phone rings or you go back for your results and the doctor says something you did not expect. Your sugar is high. You have gestational diabetes.

Your first thought is panic. Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Does this mean you have it forever. Your second thought is guilt. Did you eat too many sweets. Did you cause this. The answer to both questions is no. Gestational diabetes is not your fault. It is not caused by eating sugar or being lazy. It is caused by your placenta.

Here is what happens. The placenta makes hormones to help your baby grow. Some of those hormones block the action of insulin, the chemical your body uses to move sugar from your blood into your cells. Your pancreas works overtime to make more insulin to keep up. For most women, the pancreas manages the extra demand. But for some, the pancreas cannot keep up. Blood sugar rises. The baby gets flooded with that extra sugar. And the baby grows. Too much. Too fast.

The baby's pancreas also makes extra insulin to handle all that sugar. That extra insulin makes the baby grow larger, especially around the shoulders and belly. A very large baby is harder to deliver. Shoulders can get stuck, a nightmare called shoulder dystocia. After birth, the baby's sugar can crash because they are still making all that insulin but the sugar supply from you is suddenly gone. They may need to go to the NICU. They have a higher risk of breathing problems, jaundice, and being overweight later in childhood.

You may not feel any different. That is the scary part. Gestational diabetes often has no symptoms. You cannot tell your sugar is high by how you feel. That is why the test is so important. Every pregnant woman should be tested between twenty four and twenty eight weeks. If you have risk factors, you may be tested earlier. Risk factors include being overweight before pregnancy, having a family history of diabetes, being over twenty five, having had gestational diabetes before, or having had a very large baby before.

If you are diagnosed, you can manage this. Most women can control their blood sugar with changes to what they eat and how they move. Cut out sugary drinks completely. No soda, no sweet tea, no juice. Reduce white rice, white bread, white flour. Eat more vegetables, beans, whole grains, and protein. Eat smaller meals more often instead of three large ones. Walk for thirty minutes after eating. That walk helps your muscles pull sugar out of your blood without needing as much insulin.

You will need to check your blood sugar at home. Prick your finger with a small needle, put a drop of blood on a test strip, and read the number. You will do this four times a day. Fasting when you wake up, and one hour after each meal. If the numbers stay within the target range, you continue with diet and exercise. If the numbers creep up, you may need medication. That is not failure. That is biology. Some placentas are just more aggressive than others.

The medication is usually metformin, a pill, or insulin, which is given by injection. Insulin does not cross the placenta to the baby. It is safe. Do not refuse medication because you are afraid of needles. Uncontrolled high sugar is more dangerous to your baby than any needle.

You will need extra monitoring. More ultrasounds to check the baby's size. Non stress tests to check the baby's heartbeat. Your provider may recommend delivering a week or two early if the baby is getting too large. You may need a cesarean section if the baby is estimated to be very big. Listen to these recommendations. A baby with stuck shoulders is an emergency. The maneuvers to free the baby can break the baby's collarbone or damage the nerves in their arm. In the worst case, the baby can die.

The good news is that gestational diabetes almost always goes away after delivery. Your blood sugar will be checked in the hospital and again six weeks after birth. For most women, it returns to normal. But your risk of developing type two diabetes later in life is higher. This is not a license to go back to eating carelessly. This is a warning to keep eating well, keep moving, and get your blood sugar checked every one to three years for the rest of your life.

And for the mothers who are told they have gestational diabetes, take a breath. This is not a disaster. Millions of women go through this every year and deliver healthy babies. You just need to take it seriously. Check your sugars. Eat the right foods. Take your medication if you need it. Go to your extra appointments. Your baby is counting on you.

CAUTION:

This media space is not a hospital. I am not your doctor. What you have read is about gestational diabetes, but it does not replace real medical advice from someone who can order your tests, review your numbers, and adjust your treatment. If you are pregnant and have not been tested for gestational diabetes, ask your provider about it at your next visit. No online post can measure your blood sugar or monitor your baby. Only real medical care can do that. Do not skip the test. Do not skip the follow up. Your baby's health depends on it.

- Northflex