The internet – and the limitless wealth of information it provides – is an immeasurably useful tool for more reasons that anyone can list.
Yet though there’s seemingly no end to the advantages it brings to our daily lives, it’s perhaps the fact that it’s a bottomless well of shаrеd knowledge that makes it arguably the greatest invention of recent centuries.
There is no topic that you can’t read up on, no answer that’s beyond your reach if you know where to look. Mysteries that would have remained elusive in all the decades up to now can be solved quite literally with a few clicks of a mouse, a few stabs at a keyboard.
Over the years we’ve seen many old myths debunked online, just as we’ve seen life-hacks and helpful hints become common knowledge, whereas once they would have been wisdoms held by only a small few.
Have you ever wondered, for example, why your underwear ends up looking likе it’s been stained by a bleach spot? If you have, you’re apparently not alone, with the question being posed online by women seeking answers.
And answers they found. As it turns out, said patches of coloring have absolutely nothing to do with your machine (as some have speculated).
Dr. Vanessa MacKay, with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, explains: “The vagina has a self-cleaning mechanism through natural secretions. It contains beneficial bacteria that serve to protect it.”
As per the National Institutes of Health, the usual vaginal pH ranges between 3.8 and 5.0, making it moderately acidic in relation to the naturally neutral pH level of 7.
Dr. MacKay adds that it’s perfectly normal and healthy for women to have clear or white discharge from their vagina, while disturbing the natural balance can lead to infections.
A baby girl who ‘never stops smiling’ is living with a rare skin condition that makes her skin crack
Those nine months a mom carries her baby are filled with joy, anticipation, and a dose of uncertainty. What the new parents hope for is their bundle of joy to be healthy. Sadly, that is not always the case.
Jennie Wilklow, from Highland, New York, couldn’t wait to meet her daughter. She and her husband were over the moon to hold her in their arms. All the ultrasounds and doctor’s appointment suggested the baby was healthy, so they were eased and never thought sweet Anna would be born with a condition that would change all of their lives forever.
Jennie delivered Anna via C-section at 34 weeks. Doctors told her she looked beautiful and that was all Jennie needed to hear at that point.
Shortly after, the proud mom heard her daughter cry, and that was just another sign that everything was right with her little jewel.
When her husband visited Jennie, he was strangely silent and looked worried and puzzled.
“My husband’s silence scared me; he just sat in shock as the doctor left, and I prodded for more info,” Jennie shared with Cafe Mom.
“He just kept saying, ‘It’s bad.’ What does that even mean? I thought in my head. He told me, ‘Jennie, I looked in her eyes, and she has the most beautiful soul.’”
Anna was diagnosed with harlequin ichthyosis, a rare condition that causes thick diamond-shaped plates that are separated by deep cracks. “As they tried frantically to help her, her skin hardened within seconds (of birth). After hardening, it began to split, causing open wounds all over her body,” Jennie told Cafe Mom.
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Although doctors weren’t sure she would survive, Anna beat the odds and is thriving. “She was beauty in the purest form,” her mom said.
There isn’t cure, and the treatment is quite demanding as it requires constant baths and keeping the skin as much moisturized as possible. “Every couple of hours I covered her with Vaseline and bathed her for many hours of the day. I had dreamed for years about the things my baby would wear, and though it seemed so trivial, it was what I struggled with most,” Jennie said.
In an attempt to raise awareness about this condition, Jennie posts photos of Anna on her Instagram page harlequindiva. She opens up about the everyday struggles and what it is like to have a child with harlequin ichthyosis.
“Anna captured everyone’s hearts because she is the purest form of perfection. Doing the work every day is simple when I’m doing it for her, and with every new accomplishment, the world celebrates with me,” Jennie told Cafe Mom.
She adds, “I now understand that I was given her because of the love I already carried in my heart for my daughter. Anna was meant for me, and I for her, and together we will show the world what true beauty is.”
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