The Magic of Breastfeeding

With all the wonderful advances that have been made in science, there remains one thing that science cannot now, and will likely never be able to replicate: human breastmilk.  Did you know that each mother’s breastmilk is amazingly individualized for her own baby?  For example, the breastmilk that a mother produces for her term baby is different from the breastmilk she would have produced had her baby been born prematurely.  Similarly, the breastmilk that a mother produces for her one-week-old infant is different from the breastmilk she will produce when her infant is three-months-old or six-months-old or eighteen-months-old.  Not only does the nutritional content of breastmilk vary, but the infectious protection it provides varies as well, as the mother produces protective antibodies to germs she encounters on a day-by-day basis in her own (and thereby her baby’s) environment. Studies have shown that babies who are breastfed have a decreased incidence of gastrointestinal infections, respiratory infections, ear infections, allergies, asthma, eczema, diabetes, urinary tract infections, obesity, leukemia, and childhood cancers — all leading to decreased doctors’ visits, hospitalizations, and mortality.  Breastfeeding infants also have improved cognitive development, including increased vision and hearing function and possibly increased IQ.  Breastfeeding mothers benefit too, with decreased rates of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis.  In addition, breastfeeding results in decreased stress hormones in both baby and mother, and it improves mother-baby bonding.  And let’s not forget that breastfeeding saves families approximately $1000 over formula-feeding during the baby’s first year of life.  Truly, a mother’s magic!

La Leche League: www.llli.org

American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement on Breastfeeding

Baby Moon: www.baby-moon.org

Dr. Michelle Bennet

Choosing a Pediatrican

While you are checking out the color scheme for your babies room and sorting all the baby clothes, start to think about who you will choose to be your pediatrician.  It is worth taking the time to sort though your choices before the baby is born, rather than in the hospital.

 

Your pediatrician should be considered a resource for your family and not just the doctor who sees your child yearly:   A resource to answer your questions as a new parent, a resource to help you parent, a resource to give information in many areas regarding child-rearing. 

 

While you are pregnant, you can call different offices to ask if they offer prenatal visits. During this visit you can have your questions answered.   At this time, they can give you the low down on what to expect from them in the hospital after the baby is born to what to expect when going home.

 

I suggest you ask about board certification which indicates the level of training they have. A Board Certified Pediatrician has been to 4 years of Medical School and 3 or more years of Pediatric Residency to learn how to care for children.  Board Certified Pediatricians typically only see children, not adults too, which is desirable as they will have lots of experience with kids.  Medical care for children, particularly babies and young children, varies greatly from adult medicine.

 

During the visit, discuss their availability after hours and on weekends and holidays. At PAA, our office is open 364 days a year so we can see your baby if he or she is sick on New Year’s Day or the 4th of July and every other day except December 25th.  Also, ask about their vaccine policy.  With the increase in concern by the public about vaccines, it is important to know and understand this issue, as well as the pediatrician’s recommendations for vaccines.  During the prenatal visit, we can explain why vaccines are so important to your child’s health.  Check out this website for more information on vaccines and vaccine safety:   http://www.cispimmunize.org  

 

Bottom line, putting in effort into the choice of your pediatrician, in advance of delivery, can open the door to an amazing relationship between your child and his or her doctor.  As a pediatrician, this relationship is what keeps me coming to the office with a smile on my face everyday. 

 

See this article for more information:  http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/choosing_a_pediatrician.pdf

 

Katrina M. Hood, MD, FAAP

Pediatric & Adolescent Associates

www.paalex.com

Wintertime changes for your kids

As we watch the daily temperatures truly reflect wintertime, we should also remember a few things about winter that affect our kids.  One of these is less activity.  We are seeing such an increase in obesity leading to blood pressure problems, sleep disturbance from snoring and deposits of fat in arteries, we need to keep our kids active year round.  I suggest making use of your churches gyms, turn on music and dance, bundle up and take a brisk walk or go to your local schools playground.  If possible have your children take part in sports that can be played indoor, like swimming, basketball, soccer and others.  Join the Y and go 3 times a week or more.

 

All people tend to eat more in the winter, so make a conscious effort to not make fast food a part of your dinner routine.  Keep fruit and veggies on hand for snacks.  Make your own 100 calorie pack snack bags with little sandwich bags instead of spending lots of dollars on prepackaged ones.

 

And when it is just too cold to go out, make use of any found time to be together.  Read to your children, if older kids.  Turn off the TV and play board games.  We recently pulled out our 1970’s version of life and had a great time on New Years Day.   There are only two and half months until April and the feel of spring coming. 

OTC Medications

Following warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other federal agencies about the safety of over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold products for children, leading drug companies voluntarily withdrew 14 infant oral medicines in October. Questions have been raised about the safety of these products and whether the benefi ts justify the potential risks they pose, especially in children younger than 2 years of age. The move does not
apply to medicines intended for children older than 2.

An OTC cough and cold medicine can be harmful if a child is given more than the recommended amount, given the medicine too often, or given more than one cough and cold medicine containing the same active ingredient. To avoid giving a child too much medicine, parents should carefully follow the directions and read the “Drug Facts” box on the package label.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, several studies indicate that these products are not eff ective in children younger than 6 and can have potentially serious side effects, even when given as directed. Further, dosage guidelines for cold and cold mixtures are based on adult data and thus may be inaccurate for children.

The following are a few things parents should know about using cough and cold products. (For a complete list, visit http://www.aap.org/new/kidcolds.htm)

- Do not give cough and cold products to children younger than 2 years old unless your healthcare provider specifically directs you to.
- Do not give children medicine that is packaged and made for adults. Use only products marked for use in babies, infants or children (sometimes labelled “for pediatric use”).
- If your child is taking other OTC or prescription medicines, make sure your healthcare provider reviews and approves their combined use.

From Cooler Weather is Coming, and Maybe a Cold, Too, 2008/10/15 at 11:59 PM

Cooler Weather is Coming, and Maybe a Cold, Too

It’s 6:30 on Tuesday morning and your child gets up saying, “I don’t feel good.” How do you decide whether to send him to school or keep him home? It’s not an exact science, but the guidelines below will help.

1. Take your child’s temperature. Though a child may not have a fever and still be sick, a temperature of 100.4o or over is a sure sign to keep your child home. Giving a fever reducer and sending him to school will almost guarantee a call from school when the medicine wears off, as well as exposing other students to whatever your child has.
2. If your child vomited or had diarrhea during the previous evening or night, please keep him home. If symptoms continue for more than 48 hours or worsen instead of improving, consult the doctor.
3. Read the full report.
   

 

 

Flu Shot – Should You Get One?

SHOULD MY CHILD GET VACCINATED?
Influenza (“flu”) is a potentially serious disease caused by a virus that spreads from infected persons to the nose and throat of others.  Influenza can cause fever, cough, sore throat, headache, chills & muscle aches.  The flu vaccine can prevent influenza but is not 100% protection against the flu.

The PAA website (http://www.http://www.paalex.com/ych/) has numerous other related documents in the “Your Child’s Health” section.

Pediatric & Adolescent Associates / PAA / Lexington, KY

About PAA

This is the Healthy Child Blog from PAA, Pediatric & Adolescent Associates of Lexington, KY. Pediatric & Adolescent Associates was founded over 45 years ago on the principle of excellent medical care in a warm, friendly environment. We strive to offer the best pediatric care and to be very accommodating to our patients. Through the years, we have grown in personnel and facilities without sacrificing personal qualities. Our physicians are all Board Certified Pediatricians and trained at some of the finest medical schools in the country. Because of the longevity of the practice, we are now being rewarded with the ultimate compliment: 2 and 3 generations of PAA families!