Your Child’s Health

Dear Parents: Several months ago I wrote on my blog about Sextortion.  This happens when teens are lured in via social media by someone they think is a romantic interest. In fact this person is often an adult they do not know.  They may be talked into providing pictures of themselves that are – compromising.  Once they have provided this picture, they are then harassed and bullied to provide more of the same type of pictures or risk being exposed to their friends and family.  Sometimes they are instructed to pay money, lots of money.  Often the teen cannot handle this pressure and will comply with more pictures, or they will try to comply with the monies requested. 

Today I received an email from the Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking and Slavery regarding the arrest of a person in Muscatine – right here in our own back yard! – arrested for obtaining explicit content from minors, and then threatening them if it was not sent.

There have been at least a couple of examples in our country of fatal self-injury due to this pressure. (Not in the Muscatine case) The teens who experience fatal self -harm were on their phones in the middle of the night while their parents slept.

What can a parent do? 

1.       Everyone puts their phones away at bedtime.  Many parents keep them in their rooms, plugged in so they are ready to go the next morning. There is nothing going on in the middle of the night that your teen needs to know about.

2.       Educate your children – and start early teens, or even preteens – to never, ever, ever, take a picture of themselves, exposing themselves and sending it to anyone – even another girl.  Even if they THINK it is safe with a boyfriend/girlfriend, encourage them it is not. Just look at all the breakups! Once it is out of their hands – it can be anywhere.  These can- and have - lead to self-injury for the sender, and it can lead to arrest and charges for the receiver!

We live in a very different society. Our children must be educated to avoid these traps. They think it is innocent, glamorous, they are desired – whatever. But the consequences both socially and emotionally can be devastating.

SLEEP:  New babies and tired parents seem to go hand in hand….the day they sleep all night – or at least most of the night – is much anticipated and celebrated when it arrives!  Those first few days and weeks may be especially difficult!  If you are a new mom – you have heard this already, but I say again – sleep when the baby sleeps!!  If you are a friend or relative going to help the new mother – do the dishes, laundry, vacuuming – and let her rest.

Down to the nitty gritty – First we want sleep to be safe. The new baby needs their own space to sleep in. I know there are many who continue to co-sleep; but it is not recommended.  There are ways to have the baby right next to you and yet in their own space. Check into bassinets or bedside sleepers that connect to your bed but keep baby in their own safe place. And of course, the recommendation of sleeping on the back continue to be in place.

Cribs handed down from previous generations may also not be safe.  There are many guidelines on the spacing between the bars of a crib – as you begin to prepare for the new baby, check these guidelines out.  There are also many products on the market that are supposed to help promote sleep – just because something is sold does not mean it is safe. Do your research; check with your provider.

Most newborns sleep 12-18 hours out of 24.  Some may sleep in short cycles less than an hour, and others may sleep well for 3-4 hours at a time. There is great variety – some may sleep more and some sleep less.  By about 1 months the sleep time begins to diminish and there is more awake time.  This is a good time to begin establishing a sleep routine.

Some families will fall into a routine easily, but if not, look at your work and lifestyle schedules and begin making a feeding/sleeping routine. We don’t want to be too rigid – because life happens!  But babies, and children in general, tend to thrive when they have a flexible yet regular routine. Having a little awake time and play time prior to their next feeding allows for some activity, tummy time, diaper changing, etc.  The, when baby is done eating, they are often ready for sleep.  Try to lay them down when they are still awake but drowsy. This helps them to learn to put themselves to sleep.  When sleeping during the day, try to put them down in their crib, this helps them get used to sleeping in the crib. If you find they are sleeping more during the day than at night, you can awaken them a little earlier than the expected feeding time and use play time to help them be more awake during the day and hopefully move that sleep time to the night.  Soon, all will hopefully be sleeping well and in a good routine for the family – this can help establish lifetime sleeping habits.

Let’s face it – not all babies are good sleepers. While some babies are sleeping 8 hours or more 4-6 weeks, this is not true of all infants.   If you find that you are still having difficulty after 6 months, talk to your health care provider.   

Safe Sleep

Daytime Night time reversal

 #newbornsleep #tiredparents #safesleep

Coughs and Sneezes! Is my infant sick? It is not uncommon for new parents to worry about their infant having a cough or sneeze. Babies sneeze for the same reason we all sneeze - to clear our nose of dust or other irritants that may be getting in there! The same is true for the occasional cough; a bit of mucous or saliva gets in the back of the throat or some of those nasal irritants get a little further down in the respiratory tract and - they cough to clear them out!

So how do you know if it is just the normal reflexive cough/sneeze or an illness? Take a look at the whole general condition! Is there a lot of mucous coming with that sneeze? Is their nose so stuffy they are having a hard time breathing? Does it appear normal or do they seem to be having difficulty? Is the cough frequent and barky or deep sounding? Does it sound wet - like there is a lot of mucous behind it? Are they eating well? Babies are generally nose breathers, but if their nose is stuffy, they will breath through their mouth - this makes it difficult to suck on the bottle or breast and breathe - so they may not be drinking/eating well. Other indications of trouble breathing you may notice is breathing that is faster than normal for your infant.

Watch for fever - any infant under the age of 3 months with a temperature over 100.4 needs to be seen by a health care provider.

Tummy Time! It has been over 30 years since we started turning babies over onto their backs to sleep. Very quickly there was a drop in the rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) - however, there was also another drop!! Babies were experiencing delayed gross motor development! They were also getting mishapen heads!

It is important for infants to have tummy time, as soon as possible. Various providers may have different times frames, but all will want you to start pretty early - I encourage parents to start providing some supervised tummy time by 2 weeks of age. I like to start early because the longer you wait, sometimes they don't like it.

This tummy time should occur while the infant is awake and preferrably happy. Place them on a light blanket on the carpeting or if you don't have carpeting, you may want a sligthly thicker blanket - they will likely bump there head down a time or two - so this provides a little cushion.

Many babies love this time, however some do not. It is imortant that they get it! So if they don't like it and cry, then just give them a few minutes more frequently through the day - often they learn to enjoy this time.

It is helpful if you can lay down next to them and talk to them, provide soothing music or other objects for them to look at. Also, the time is supervised because if the infant falls asleep - then they need to be turned over to their back.

Lying on their tummy helps them work at lifting their heavy heads, strengthening their neck, back, arm and leg muscles, progressing to get them ready for rolling, crawling and sitting up. These activities can become delayed if they are not provided with this tummy time.

Providing this time also helps avoid those flat areas on the back or the side of the head. If you notice your infant having a noticeable flat area on the head, be sure to talk to your health care provider about it!

REMEMBER! Back to sleep- Infants should be placed in their own sleeping area, no other objects in the bed, on their back for sleep.

Next up - those baby coughs and sneezes!

CONSTIPATION? Constipation seems to be a concern from the youngest to the oldest! Just a few hints!

Babies can get red in the face and make all kinds of grunting noises when they poop!! Even when it comes out loose! Some babies will poop every time they eat. Others may go several days with no poop! And the same infant can vary day to day and week to week!

The first stool is thick and blackish to dark green in color. This is known as meconium. This happens in the first 24-48 hours. After this, poop usually changes over to a greenish yellow, then yellow. Formula babies will have poop that is more mushy mash potato consistency while breast fed poop is more loose and “seedy”. Frequency of stooling will vary. If the poop is soft when it comes, they are not constipated.

As the infant grows the stools will change in size, frequency and consistency depending on their diet

Constipation is generally characterized by hard, dry little marbles of poop. Baby may be less hungry and more fussy than usual.

Diarrhea is poop that is very watery and usually a lot! It can be any color! Usually it smells very bad. Anyone can have one big watery stool and be fine. But if there is more than one, check with your health care provider.

It’s always good to look at the babies general condition as well. Are they happy? Eating/drinking well? Peeing normally?

Sometimes there are problems. A small percentage of babies have milk protein allergies; some will have issues with lactose. Stools that are red, black or white are not normal. There may be other medical issues. As always, if you have concerns, check with your health care provider.

#constipation #babypoop #diarrhea

CRYING: Did you know that 1-2 hours of crying for unknown reasons is normal for infants? In addition, they will likely cry when they are over tired or it is time to eat. As we get to know our infant, we will be able to distinguish between hurting cries, hungry cries, and fussy cries.

If the baby is very fussy, crying hard and long, we want to make sure there is no injury, no illness and baby is fed. Then we can look at other possible causes and calming techniques. Reasons a baby may cry include being hungry – or overfed, being over tired, or over stimulated. Ways in which over stimulation happens include when there are too many people around, baby is passed around a lot, others want to keep talking to the baby or maybe a breast-feeding mom has too much caffeine. Signs of overstimulation include looking away, yawning, squirming and yes – fussing.

Colic comes on usually in the first month. We look for the rule of 3’s – 3 or more hours a day, 3 or more days a week, and lasting for more than 3 weeks. If you think your baby has colic, check with your Pediatric Nurse Practitioner or Pediatrician.

Purple crying is a type of crying that comes on usually after 2 weeks and lasts until 3-5 months. This is often a developmental phase, though some will experience more or less crying.

Crying can cause parents a lot of frustration if they don't know the reasons and aren't able to calm the infant.

Methods of soothing the very fussy baby include swaddling, holding skin to skin, walking them around, listening to music or humming to them. Have you seen the 2 year old who is over tired and completely out of sorts? An over tired and overstimulated fussy baby may just need to fuss it out a bit as they fall to sleep. If after 1-2 minutes they are still fussing, try some soothing techniques and then lay them down again.

It is a matter of intensity and what you are comfortable with. Remember, if you need a break - take one. Parents often feel if they can't calm the baby they are failing somehow - they aren't. Babies cry. If all else is well, baby is safe in their crib while you take a little break, turn on some music, do some deep breathing and calm your anxieties.

Is it Purple Crying? Is it Colic? Or is it just normal? See the websites below for further assistance. As always, if you have concerns, talk to your health care provider.

Our next topic will be sleep….

Purple crying

Colic

Crying Baby

#Baby #cryingbaby #colicbaby #fussybaby

Depression and Anxiety Too often, we want to jump to medication. But there are many things we can do for ourselves and our children for anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that depression and anxiety in children/teens is associated with social media. So cutting that time and all screen time is one place to start. Next is good nutrition. Many of our neurotransmitters are produced by our microbiome. These can directly effect our mode. Poor diet poor microbes poor neurotransmitters. And finally, activity. Exercise is a great way to get those feel good hormones working! It doesn't have to be hard - just move! Walking, biking, stretching!

CARE FOR SMALL CUTS AND ABRAISIONS:  Summer is here! While cuts and abrasions can happen any time of the year, they seem to be more common when children are playing outside!

After calming your child, gently cleans the area with soap and water – no scrubbing!  Rince the area with clear cool to warm water. If you can’t get the area under a faucet, stand the child in the bathtub and pour the water over until it is rinsed well.

No alcohol or peroxide! These products of your youth do sting!!  They also destroy new tissue and delay healing.

Pat dry with a clean cloth and evaluate the wound: If it is over ½ inch long, gaping – especially over a joint like fingers, knees or elbow, won’t stop bleeding, has debris you can’t get out – it needs to be evaluated for further cleaning and closure with stitches/staples/glue. This needs to occur in about 6-8 hours, the next day will be too late for closure! So if you feel closure is needed or are uncertain, take them in.

If you have decided you can care for the wound at home, apply a small amount of Vaseline or antibiotic ointment. This helps protect the wound and keeps the wound bed slightly moist – helping with healing. Cover with a bandage, allowing the bandage to be slightly loose to allow a little air in. While we want the area to be moist, we don’t want it to be macerated – wet, slimy, pruning.  The bandage should be changed daily and whenever dirty.  Reapply the ointment each bandage change.

Watch for signs of infection:  Redness, oozing, streaking.  Have your child seen if these symptoms occur.

MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE:  You may have heard about this on the news in recent days. 

This is not a new cause of pneumonia but we are seeing increased activity this year, especially in children. 

This infection is respiratory, and generally exhibits mild respiratory symptoms.  Sometimes, the infection may present as pneumonia and have more serious complications that require hospitalization.

As with many respiratory infections, this bacterium is spread through respiratory droplet.  The same measures you would use to prevent other respiratory infection spread can also be used for Mycoplasma:  Good handwashing, covering coughs, and staying home when sick. 

The incubation period is long – 1 to 4 weeks.  And the bacteria may live in the respiratory tract for months.  The cough may be prolonged.  A nasal swab from the nose or throat can be used to diagnosis, or a blood test. Antibiotics are used to treat the infection.

Mycoplasma Pneumoniae is often referred to as “walking pneumonia” because it often has very mild symptoms, causing people to not stay home. Young children may have other symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhea, or along with the other respiratory symptoms they may have wheezing.

In addition to Mycoplasma, RSV is also active in Scott County, Iowa.  Prevention is the best protection!  Good handwashing, cover those coughs, stay home if ill. Good nutrition (avoiding processed foods), fluids, adequate sleep and vitamin D are also important for maintaining good health.

Mothers of young infants: The holidays are coming. Families will be getting together. Often there are other children, or even adults, who may be ill.  Be alert for any who are coughing and/or sneezing, and keep your babies away.  Insist on handwashing before others hold the baby!

Sources: CDC and Iowa Department of Health