Not all fevers need care and treatment.

I’ve got three kids so you’d think I’ve spent hours and hours at the pediatrician’s office over the years. For well-kid check-ups, that may be true. But I can only remember one or two trips to the doctor’s for anything other than weigh-ins and shots.

Which is not to say my kids are never sick. They’ve suffered all the colds and sometimes flus every October to March season brings. There was even a two-week stretch where we battled the nastiest kid sickness I’ve ever witnessed, hand-foot-mouth disease (I think the name makes it worse).

When my kids start showing signs of fever, I pull out a thermometer for confirmation and start squirting Advil into whomever’s mouth is open. Then I pat myself on the back for not wasting time and a co-pay at the doctors. Turns out, I’m probably doing it wrong. Continue reading »

Tweet

0

Pin It

Pediatricians urged to screen for postpartum depression

Earlier this year, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a recommendation in which they strongly urged ob-gyns to begin routinely screening new mothers for depression during and after pregnancy. However, when such screenings do happen, they usually take place in the hospital, shortly after birth, or six weeks later at an after-delivery checkup.  But because postpartum depression often shows up in the first week or two after giving birth, many women suffering from depression are still not being diagnosed.

And diagnosing depression in a new mother is important.  In addition to mom’s suffering, studies have shown that left untreated, postpartum depression can have a negative impact on a infant’s cognitive, neurologic, and motor skill development.  What’s more, depression can interfere with mother-child attachment bonding, which can lead to behavior problems, anxiety and mood disorders through childhood and adolescence. Continue reading »

Tweet

2

Pin It

Is it okay to treat a fever in kids over six with aspirin?

Can newborns eat honey?

Most of us assume that when we turn to our family’s pediatrician for answers to these and other questions, they’ll give us helpful advice. But a new report shows that just the opposite could be true.

In some cases, a child’s safety and well-being could be jeopardized because of dangerous misinformation and reliance on “old wives’ tales,” according to a new study led by Andrew Adesman, MD, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York. Continue reading »

Tweet

0

Pin It

Most pediatric experts like to discourage parents from co-sleeping with their children. They say it’s unsafe: the bedding is a suffocation risk. The kid could fall off the bed or become trapped between the edge and the wall. A crib, they insist, is the best place for a baby to sleep.

Still, what’s more soothing than nodding off next to your warm and loving Mom or Dad?

Bringing together the best of both worlds are crib co-sleepers.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP Continue reading »

Tweet

2

Pin It

If you’re thinking about opting out on vaccines, you might want to check with your doctor. No, not about whether it’s a good idea. Whether the practice will let you keep bringing your kid.

Pediatricians who are fed up with the anti-vaccine movement are beginning to show patients the door. Continue reading »

Tweet

0

Pin It