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Elliot's Birthday Broken Noodle Steak Salad
1 13-ounce box whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken into approx. 1-inch pieces 2 1-pound skirt steaks 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed 3 tablespoons fresh chives 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2... More
1 13-ounce box whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken into approx. 1-inch pieces 2 1-pound skirt steaks 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed 3 tablespoons fresh chives 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2... More
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The Capital Disctrict Parent Pages Features are cover stories pulled from our print edition. For ALL features, stories & more, pick up an issue at one of our many locations.
What Every Parent Needs to Know.
Posted on Tue, February 27th, 2007
Written by: Ann Marie French, Contributing Writer
email: news@cdparentpages.com
Parents of newborns, especially those experiencing the trials and tribulations of parenthood for the first time, never seem to run out of questions for the pediatrician. While questions may be very specific to the child or the family situation, area doctors say they tend to hear questions related to some general areas of concern: sleep, diet, immunizations, circumcision and taking the baby out.
“If the parents don’t have questions about these things, I go over them anyways,” said Dr. Thomas Duff of Latham Pediatrics with Community Care Physicians.
Duff said the process of immunizations for infants begins in the hospital soon after birth and continues throughout regular visits with the pediatrician. Acknowledging that some parents may be concerned about the various immunizations -- about 15 shots covering nine potential health issues -- Duff said he recommends parents keep up with the regular vaccination schedule and utilize the handouts his practice provides on the risks and side effects of each vaccine. Typically, the handouts, prepared by the American Academy of Pediatrics, can address the concerns raised by parents.
“I am a very strong advocate of immunizations of newborns and pediatric patients,” said Dr. Michael Looney of Delmar Pediatrics. He said parents can utilize the resources of the state Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control, and the Institute of Medicine for information related to immunizations. Looney encourages the parents of his patients to ask questions and bring in the articles they are reading on health matters so he can review those with them.
Diet is another frequently discussed topic in pediatric offices. Dr. Norbert Woods said he fields questions from parents trying to decide whether to breastfeed or bottle feed their new baby. Saying all pediatricians favor breastfeeding if at all possible, Woods encourages parents to utilize the hospital personnel. All hospitals in the state that have obstetrics or a neonatal unit are required by law to have lactation services on site.
“Virtually all women can breastfeed with some effort,” said Woods. Duff said parents of breastfeeding babies will notice a little bit of weight loss in the babies at the outset but should see normal voids and stools, defining normal as three to four times per day.
“The baby should be breastfeeding eight to 10 times per day,” said Duff. Formula-fed infants should be initially taking in 1 to 2 ounces of formula every three to four hours.
“We try to look at the whole family picture,” said Looney who encourages the parents to make decisions based on what will work for them as a family unit.
He said the decision to breast feed or bottle feed is a very personal issue.
Duff said parents can expect the newborn to be sleeping about 12 hours a day, sometimes more. He counsels parents of newborns to place their child on his or her back to go to sleep. This is in line with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has suggested the position lessens the child’s risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Looney said that discussions about diet and sleep should be held during regular well baby visits. If parents are experiencing problems in these areas, the doctor and the parents should engage in discussion that tries to root out the cause of the problem. Looney said some sleep issues may simply be a result of a disrupted routine.
Parents of boys often ask questions about circumcision, said Woods. There are medical reasons to support circumcisions in newborn boys, as it decreases the chance of urinary tract infections in boys and may decrease the possibility of contracting HIV as an adult. It may also decrease the passing of venereal diseases, said Woods.
“It’s a cultural issue,” said Woods of the decision to circumcise.
Additionally, some cultures and religions have an impact on the decision-making process related to bringing the baby out of the house.
Woods said he is often asked how soon the child can be brought out. Highly supportive of taking newborns out in the fresh air, assuming they are appropriately dressed for the weather, Woods said some concern should be given to exposing the child to a multitude of people.
“At any given time 15 percent of people have some upper respiratory illness,” said Woods. “Babies are born with very low immune defenses. It’s a developing system. Until 2 or 3 months of age, the baby can develop serious infections.
One question Looney often gets from the parents of newborns is related to what supplies the household should have on hand in their medicine cabinet. Surprisingly, Looney’s answer is “just about nothing.” Newborns do not take many medications, so what is necessary is as simple as a thermometer, saline drops and diaper cream.
“If the infant is sick, they need to be evaluated and shouldn’t be treated at home,” said Looney. In very young children a fever could be indicative of a serious illness. Parents should feel comfortable about calling the pediatrician to ask questions, and Lonney recommends asking them early on.
“Parents have a zillion questions in the beginning. By asking those questions you learn how to evaluate your child from the very start. You feel more comfortable as time wears on,” said Looney.
Questions related to office hours and the procedure for addressing an after-hour illness are some that doctors feel should be addressed before the need even arises.
“You want to ask these so that you are not in a panic when a situation arises,” said Looney. These questions can be asked in a pre-baby interview. New parents, and those thinking of switching practices, should be asking questions of the doctors and learning about the practice to gauge their own comfort level.
“You’re talking about your greatest treasure,” said Looney. “We want people to be really concerned about their kids.” He said while every doctor a parent contacts may sound good on paper and have the appropriate board certifications and experience level, the impression you get when meeting them is important.
“Parents should think about how comfortable they feel with this individual,” said Looney. “You are talking about a long term relationship. Ask yourself ‘is this the kind of person that I’m going to develop enough trust with?’”
You can contact news@cdparentpages.com with any questions. Also, feel free to post comments below.
Readers had this to say
Nobody has made any comments about this yet... you could be the first. Comment about this article.
Posted on Tue, February 27th, 2007
Written by: Ann Marie French, Contributing Writer
email: news@cdparentpages.com
Parents of newborns, especially those experiencing the trials and tribulations of parenthood for the first time, never seem to run out of questions for the pediatrician. While questions may be very specific to the child or the family situation, area doctors say they tend to hear questions related to some general areas of concern: sleep, diet, immunizations, circumcision and taking the baby out.
“If the parents don’t have questions about these things, I go over them anyways,” said Dr. Thomas Duff of Latham Pediatrics with Community Care Physicians.
Duff said the process of immunizations for infants begins in the hospital soon after birth and continues throughout regular visits with the pediatrician. Acknowledging that some parents may be concerned about the various immunizations -- about 15 shots covering nine potential health issues -- Duff said he recommends parents keep up with the regular vaccination schedule and utilize the handouts his practice provides on the risks and side effects of each vaccine. Typically, the handouts, prepared by the American Academy of Pediatrics, can address the concerns raised by parents.
“I am a very strong advocate of immunizations of newborns and pediatric patients,” said Dr. Michael Looney of Delmar Pediatrics. He said parents can utilize the resources of the state Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control, and the Institute of Medicine for information related to immunizations. Looney encourages the parents of his patients to ask questions and bring in the articles they are reading on health matters so he can review those with them.
Diet is another frequently discussed topic in pediatric offices. Dr. Norbert Woods said he fields questions from parents trying to decide whether to breastfeed or bottle feed their new baby. Saying all pediatricians favor breastfeeding if at all possible, Woods encourages parents to utilize the hospital personnel. All hospitals in the state that have obstetrics or a neonatal unit are required by law to have lactation services on site.
“Virtually all women can breastfeed with some effort,” said Woods. Duff said parents of breastfeeding babies will notice a little bit of weight loss in the babies at the outset but should see normal voids and stools, defining normal as three to four times per day.
“The baby should be breastfeeding eight to 10 times per day,” said Duff. Formula-fed infants should be initially taking in 1 to 2 ounces of formula every three to four hours.
“We try to look at the whole family picture,” said Looney who encourages the parents to make decisions based on what will work for them as a family unit.
He said the decision to breast feed or bottle feed is a very personal issue.
Duff said parents can expect the newborn to be sleeping about 12 hours a day, sometimes more. He counsels parents of newborns to place their child on his or her back to go to sleep. This is in line with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has suggested the position lessens the child’s risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Looney said that discussions about diet and sleep should be held during regular well baby visits. If parents are experiencing problems in these areas, the doctor and the parents should engage in discussion that tries to root out the cause of the problem. Looney said some sleep issues may simply be a result of a disrupted routine.
Parents of boys often ask questions about circumcision, said Woods. There are medical reasons to support circumcisions in newborn boys, as it decreases the chance of urinary tract infections in boys and may decrease the possibility of contracting HIV as an adult. It may also decrease the passing of venereal diseases, said Woods.
“It’s a cultural issue,” said Woods of the decision to circumcise.
Additionally, some cultures and religions have an impact on the decision-making process related to bringing the baby out of the house.
Woods said he is often asked how soon the child can be brought out. Highly supportive of taking newborns out in the fresh air, assuming they are appropriately dressed for the weather, Woods said some concern should be given to exposing the child to a multitude of people.
“At any given time 15 percent of people have some upper respiratory illness,” said Woods. “Babies are born with very low immune defenses. It’s a developing system. Until 2 or 3 months of age, the baby can develop serious infections.
One question Looney often gets from the parents of newborns is related to what supplies the household should have on hand in their medicine cabinet. Surprisingly, Looney’s answer is “just about nothing.” Newborns do not take many medications, so what is necessary is as simple as a thermometer, saline drops and diaper cream.
“If the infant is sick, they need to be evaluated and shouldn’t be treated at home,” said Looney. In very young children a fever could be indicative of a serious illness. Parents should feel comfortable about calling the pediatrician to ask questions, and Lonney recommends asking them early on.
“Parents have a zillion questions in the beginning. By asking those questions you learn how to evaluate your child from the very start. You feel more comfortable as time wears on,” said Looney.
Questions related to office hours and the procedure for addressing an after-hour illness are some that doctors feel should be addressed before the need even arises.
“You want to ask these so that you are not in a panic when a situation arises,” said Looney. These questions can be asked in a pre-baby interview. New parents, and those thinking of switching practices, should be asking questions of the doctors and learning about the practice to gauge their own comfort level.
“You’re talking about your greatest treasure,” said Looney. “We want people to be really concerned about their kids.” He said while every doctor a parent contacts may sound good on paper and have the appropriate board certifications and experience level, the impression you get when meeting them is important.
“Parents should think about how comfortable they feel with this individual,” said Looney. “You are talking about a long term relationship. Ask yourself ‘is this the kind of person that I’m going to develop enough trust with?’”
You can contact news@cdparentpages.com with any questions. Also, feel free to post comments below.
Readers had this to say
Nobody has made any comments about this yet... you could be the first. Comment about this article.