Category: Health

Baby Poop 101: What’s Normal and What’s Not

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baby poop

By Eirian Hallinan

Chances are that on more than one occasion you’ll find yourself asking “is this normal?” when changing your baby’s diaper. Baby poop, though not as pleasant as some of the other surprises you’ll encounter as you settle into parenthood, is something that can send a new parent into a panic when you see something that doesn’t look quite normal.

This easy guide to baby stool will give you an idea what to expect and what is and isn’t normal when it comes to your baby’s poo.

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Teething Symptoms and Remedies

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baby crying teething

By Jamell Andrews

As sweet a first milestone as baby’s first tooth may be, teething can be hard on both parents and baby. Some babies make it through teething with next to no symptoms, while others don’t have it quite so easy and experience all of the common signs of teething. Knowing what the signs and symptoms are and what to do about them can make teething easier on your baby and you.

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Your Body after Pregnancy: What to Expect

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Post Pregnancy
Post Pregnancy

By Eirian Hallinan

A larger family and fewer full nights of sleep aren’t the only changes you can expect once you’ve given birth. A woman’s body goes through big changes before the baby is born as well as after. The following are some of the things that you can expect from your body after pregnancy.

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Arsenic in Your Baby’s Rice Cereal and Other Rice Products

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By Lisa Pecos

Rice isn’t just a staple in most adult diets, but it’s also a big part of many infant’s diets too, commonly by way of rice cereal, which many parent’s use when introducing their babies to solid foods. Parents may want to look for a better alternative to rice cereal based on mounting evidence connecting inorganic arsenic in white and brown rice to immune system damage and intellectual development in children.

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Pacifiers: Good or Bad?

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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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More Evidence that Early Exposure to Peanuts May Prevent an Allergy

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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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Pregnancy Nutrition

Jesse Fulton 1 Comment
Pregnancy Nutrition

by Alicia Kenny

Hello New Mom! It’s you and Baby now, so you’ll want to eat what’s best for both of you. Keep in mind that while you are eating for two, only one of you is a full grown adult so you will probably only need to take in an extra 200-300 calories per day while pregnant. The bottom line? Do eat for two, but don’t overeat.

In general, you should eat a healthy, well-balanced diet full of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, foods rich in vitamin C, iron and calcium plus plenty of water. While you don’t need to eliminate salt and fat from your diet, you should take care to eat salty foods and high-fat foods only sparingly.

Also, as an expectant mom, you’ll want to make sure to take the prenatal vitamins prescribed by your physician and pay attention to your intake of folic acid in particular. Folic acid is a member of the B vitamin family and occurs naturally in orange juice, green leafy vegetables, beans and lentils. The synthetic form of folic acid, which is more easily absorbed by your body, can be found in fortified breakfast cereals, enriched grain products and vitamins. Folic acid helps prevent and decrease the risk of several common birth defects and supports rapid growth of the placenta and fetus.

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Finding the Right Pediatrician for You and Your Baby

Jesse Fulton
finding the right pediatrician

Congratulations, you’re pregnant. As the count-down to the birth of your new child approaches, you should consider finding a pediatrician who will work the best with your soon to be expanding family. Having a pediatrician on-hand though the formative weeks and years of your child’s life is in the best interests of both you and your child. Waiting until your child gets sick or needs a check-up is absolutely not the time to be going through the selection process, which can be stressful even when everything is going according to plan.

Beginning Your Search

There are several sources you can tap into to locate qualified pediatricians in your community.

  • A good place to start is the “American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)”. A pediatrician who is certified by them will have will have graduated from four years of medical school, received three years of resident training, and passed their written examination. They provide pediatrician search service on-line.
  • Another source is the “American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)”. They also provide a referral database of participating members.
  • Certain health plans require you to choose a pediatrician from their approved network.
  • You can also ask is your obstetrician. Obstetricians and pediatricians often interact to oversee the care of both mother and baby.
  • Ask other moms in your neighborhood including friends, family or co-workers. They may be able to relate their personal experiences about specific individuals.
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