All Search Results
-
Easing your child’s anxiety about the new school year
“Are you excited about going back to school?”
-
A miraculous first year: Myles’ story
Written by Katie Murillo
-
Emergency contraception: what every parent of a teenager should know
In the United States, recent news about teenage sexuality is promising. Fewer teens are having sex, down 3% since 2001. Approximately 44% of girls have sex before they graduate high school according to the 2011 data from the Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey of high school students. Teen pregnancy rates are also falling; there has been a 48% decline in teen pregnancy rates since 1988, probably due to a combination of fewer teens having sex, better long-acting contraception options such as DepoProvera, and condom use by teens. In spite of this great news, the United States still has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy among developed countries. Nearly 80% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, a result of contraception failure or nonuse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
-
My Baby’s Crying Again — What Does It Mean?
For new parents, figuring out the cause of a baby’s cries can be a daunting challenge, especially since one sob can sound quite different from the next. Still, this is hardly an impossible task. You just need to keep in mind that babies don’t cry only because they’re hungry. Each of these outbursts offers an opportunity to learn more about your child’s needs.
-
Does My Child Have an Upset Stomach or Appendicitis?
You’re driving back from a family outing and each time your car rolls over the neighborhood speed bumps your youngest child cries out. When you ask what’s wrong, they whimper and struggle to explain. Then you recall how earlier that day when the kids were playing outside, your child abruptly stopped and complained of a sore belly. Is it an upset stomach or could these complaints point to something more serious – like appendicitis?
-
Does Your Baby’s Head Have a Flat Spot?
If you’ve noticed what appears to be a flat spot on your baby’s head, the first thing you should do is take a deep breath and realize it’s probably temporary and no danger to your child’s health. Babies’ brains nearly double in size during the first year of life. Their skulls are designed to accommodate this, along with that passage through the narrow birth canal during delivery. But that malleability also makes it possible for head shape abnormalities like flat spots to develop.
-
What does health care reform mean for kids?
Just those three little words - health care reform - have the potential to give me a headache. That’s not because of my personal political views one way or the other, but because of the ongoing debate that continues to rage in the public forum. The sensational news headlines, the talking heads on television, the doomsday predictions: it’s simply too much. I don’t want to argue or hear others argue about it.
-
Signs that your child may have a hearing loss
Did you know that May is “Better Hearing & Speech” month? When I became an audiologist many years ago, it was considered a great success if a child with hearing loss had been fitted with hearing aids by 2 years of age. Awareness of audiology and better hearing has come a long way since then. Now, we routinely work with parents and infants with hearing loss who are 1-2 months old!
-
My child has a heart murmur; what does that mean?
As I finished taking care of my patients last week, I smiled at the relief that overcomes a parent when they learn that there is indeed nothing wrong with their child’s heart.
-
Does your child need the Hepatitis B vaccine?
Written by David Sunnenberg, pediatric hospitalist at Arnold Palmer Hospital
