By Lisa Pecos
Binky, dummy, choo-choo—regardless of what you call a pacifier, parents have long debated whether or not they’re a godsend or a mistake when it comes to a baby’s health.
Babies naturally have a strong sucking reflex, which is why many even begin sucking their thumbs and fingers in the womb. Besides sucking being the way they get their nutrition when feeding, babies also find sucking calming and soothing. But are there any other benefits to pacifiers?
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By Jamell Andrews
When you find out you’re expecting, your priorities shift instantly and from that moment on, your love for your baby takes center stage. This is the time when many women begin thinking more about their health and the things that they can do to ensure that their baby is healthy as can be. For many expectant moms, this includes making the change to a healthier and even organic diet.
The Difference between Organic and Conventionally Farmed Foods
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By Lisa Pecos
With food allergies on the rise and peanut allergies in particular affecting approximately 2 percent of U.S. children, it’s natural to be weary of exposing your baby to peanuts. Up until recently, parents were told to not give their babies foods containing peanuts to avoid triggering an allergy. The recommendation was to avoid feeding peanuts to high-risk babies until the age of 3. Two recent studies, however, suggest that feeding babies peanuts and other known allergy-inducing foods is more likely to prevent an allergy.
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By Lisa Pecos
Who doesn’t love a chubby baby? While round cheeks and soft rolls are often considered cute on a baby, too much weight can increase your baby’s risk of obesity by the time they become toddlers, according to a new study by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia…
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The APGAR score (also called “newborn scoring”) is the first test that your newborn baby will ever be given. It is performed in hospitals throughout the world by the doctor, midwife or nurse. It is usually done twice, at 1 minute after birth, then again at 5 minutes. Occasionally, if the baby does not appear to be doing well, or the score was low at 5 minutes, the test may be done a third time 10 minutes after birth.
The APGAR scores are simply a way for the healthcare provider to quickly assess a newborn’s physical condition, and determine whether extra medical or emergency care is needed. The tests indicate if the infant needs help breathing or is having heart trouble.
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Babies come into the world helpless and completely dependent on others to protect them and care for them. That much, we all know. But it turns out that newborns come equipped with a number of instincts — reflexes that will help insure a baby’s survival from the start, even before the infant has had a chance to learn how to do anything. Doctors test reflexes as a way to assess how well infants’ nervous systems are developing.
Most newborn reflexes start fading by the second month, and they’ve generally disappeared by the fourth month. Doctors caution that if baby reflexes continue beyond the fourth to sixth month, parents should tell that to their pediatrician, as it could possibly indicate that there is a neurologic concern.
Newborns’ Characteristics that May Alarm Parents, but Are Normal
As new parents, you and your spouse are beside yourselves with joy over your new baby. Everything about your newborn seems magical and thrilling. But some characteristics that are perfectly normal in newborns may perhaps make you wonder if they’re something that’s peculiar to your baby, and if you need to do anything about it.
Let’s review a number of characteristics that are common among newborns, to help you decide whether your baby is in the normal range, or you should consult your pediatrician.
Swimming is the most popular summertime activity for children, according to the American Red Cross. But sadly, drowning is the leading cause of death for American children younger than 5. And according to emergency room doctors, children are more likely to drown in a backyard pool than in any other body of water.
A group might gather poolside for a party or other social event, but if no one is watching the children, it can result in tragic consequences. To avoid such needless danger, it is imperative that parents take necessary precautions whenever their children are in or near the water.
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Increasing numbers of couples are experiencing infertility problems these days, finding that they are unable to conceive, or that the mother is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term. Though estimates vary, most fertility experts say that 10 percent or more of all couples in the United States experience infertility problems.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources, about one-third of all cases of infertility involve only the woman, one-third of cases involve only the man, and the remainder of cases involve both partners or are of unknown cause.
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A report released earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that close to one-third of all American women of reproductive age got an opioid painkiller prescription filled each year from 2008 to 2012. This is of concern to health authorities because these medicines are known to cause serious birth defects.
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