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  • The true meaning of holiday traditions

    December has become a very special time for me. Yes, there’s Christmas, which is wonderful. But for me, it is also a special time because it is when my daughter was born.

  • The vaccine schedule is safe and effective

    Pediatricians often hear from parents that they are worried about giving too many vaccines at one time and “overloading the immune system” of their infant. As a result, parents ask to “spread the vaccines out more.” As pediatricians, we know that the vaccine schedule outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and recommended by nearly all pediatricians is safe and effective. We don’t understand how some rogue physicians and some well-meaning, but ignorant public figures can contradict good science and suggest that the vaccine schedule that we use is unsafe.

    All scientific evidence says that the vaccine schedule

    is indeed safe and very effective.

    Many people draw the conclusion that it must be dangerous to give vaccines all at once. But in fact, that could not be further from the truth. There are very specific reasons that we use each vaccine the way that we do, both when they are started, and how and when they are repeated. What I will give you in this post and in subsequent posts is hopefully a clear, understandable explanation of the design of the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule.

    The Hepatitis B Vaccine

    The hepatitis B vaccine is the one immunization that we routinely give as soon as a baby is born. This is for two reasons. First, it works that early. Newborns’ immune systems are already up and running and are able to respond to the hepatitis B vaccine and make antibodies right away. This is a very fortunate thing, as many of our vaccines don’t work in a newborn body. What we know about hepatitis B is that almost all cases in children are caused by spread from an infected mom during birth. Many moms who are carriers of hepatitis B are missed during pregnancy or in the hospital, either due to lack of prenatal care, lab error, or lack of communication. The amazing thing is that the one dose of hepatitis B vaccine, if given right after birth, is essentially perfect in preventing infection of the newborn. The birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine saves lives every day. The other nice thing about that vaccine is that there are essentially no relevant side effects, not even fever or discomfort.

    The Two-Month Wellness Visit

    We start our next routine vaccines at the two-month wellness visit. When we immunize we want to be sure that enough of mom’s antibodies are out of the newborn’s system and that the newborn’s immune system has matured enough to respond to our vaccines. We know that in the first month or more, some of the vaccines don’t work well yet. However, by six to eight weeks they work very well; this is why the DTaP, Polio, HIB, rotavirus, and pneumococcal vaccine series start when they do.

    This is NOT because the immunizations would

    “overwhelm” the immune system if given earlier.

    They just would not be effective.

    Of note, the most common and relevant side effects of the vaccines given to infants are a little bit of diarrhea or throw-up from the rotavirus vaccine, and maybe a little fever, fussiness, or local reaction in the thigh muscle for the others.

    The MMR Vaccine Controversy

    The MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is one that has received a lot of attention since it was wrongly accused of causing autism.

    In fact, vaccines have clearly and repeatedly been shown

    not to cause autism or other developmental disabilities.

    And yet, many parents still believe that we wait to give the MMR until a year of age because it might be harmful if given earlier. They then wonder if waiting even longer might be even better. The problem is that the younger you are when you get the measles, the sicker you get and the more likely you are to die. Our goal with the MMR is to protect small children as young as we possibly can, and to reduce the spread of disease in our communities.

  • Can infant sound machines harm your baby’s hearing?

    You may have heard some talk lately about sound machines used for white noise and the possibility that it could damage a baby’s hearing. If your house is like mine, white noise is an absolute must- a small house with multiple children and bedrooms close together means that white noise helps everyone sleep better. But, is that okay?

  • Car Seat Safety Guidelines: what you need to know.

    There are few things in parenting as complicated as the rules and regulations of car seats. And yet, there are few things as important for the safety and well being of our kids.

  • Preparing your child for surgery

    Hearing that your child needs surgery is difficult for many families to digest, and can often result in increased stress and anxiety leading up to surgery day. For many parents and children, the fear of the unknown leaves them with many questions relating to the preparation for surgery, the surgery procedure, and recovery after surgery. Sometimes for children, the unknown is their best coping tool in preparation for surgery as they think, “If I don’t know the details of the surgery, then I don’t have to think about it and therefore it won’t happen.” For many children and parents alike, denial and avoidance is a common stress relief tactic. However, the child is probably thinking about surgery day as he/she overhears conversations between adults about the surgery, and is likely picking up on their parent’s stress. The child has also been going to doctors’ appointments that are necessary before surgery, making it that much more real to the child. Knowing what to expect on surgery day can actually help ease those feelings of stress and anxiety, and help to eliminate misconceptions that the child may be envisioning.

    How do we help ease a child’s fears of surgery at Arnold Palmer Hospital?

    At Arnold Palmer Hospital, we offer a free, educational program called Project P.L.A.Y., which is designed to help your child understand what to expect before surgery and during their hospital stay. The program is led by a child life specialist who will walk your child, siblings, and you through what to expect leading up to surgery, as well as what to expect after surgery.

    What does the program entail?

    For younger children, our child life specialists use a teaching doll to explain what’s going to happen before and after surgery – all on an age-appropriate level. This can include things such as: IVs, catheter, and any other tubes or medical items they may see on their bodies before or after the procedure. They also show the child what an anesthesia mask looks like and explains that “sleepy medicine” helps them so they won’t feel anything during surgery.

  • Tips for buying safe toys for your kids this holiday season

    This post was originally published in December 2013.

  • What is a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)?

    If you’ve ever felt a little confused about what exactly midwives do, or how they’re different than other healthcare professionals, don’t worry! Between physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse-midwives, there’s a lot to keep straight.

  • How a donor milk bank helps save the lives of premature babies (and how you can, too)

    Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. No one knows that better than parents whose child has been cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

  • Healthy breakfast cereals for the whole family

    How would you feel if your child ate cookies for breakfast? I am sure most parents would not approve. Surprisingly, many breakfast cereals have just as much sugar as a cookie, brownie or other desserts. Breakfast cereals are a great choice to provide our body with energy for the upcoming day, but it is important to make wise choices in the cereal aisle. A healthy cereal should be able to fuel your body with necessary nutrients that will help it grow and stay strong. Our body, just like a car, needs good quality fuel to keep it going throughout the day. When we put not-so-healthy food in us, we often feel run down, tired, cranky, and very hungry. In order to make wise choices, there are three key nutrition criteria that we should look for when purchasing cereal.

  • Is It Croup or Whooping Cough?

    It can be frightening to hear your child coughing or struggling to breathe. Both croup and whooping cough can cause these symptoms, but one of these childhood illnesses is much more serious than the other. Determining the cause can be confusing, and waiting too long to seek medical care can cause additional complications.