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Monday, December 22, 2008
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In case you were wondering: yes, my kids get sick, too. A lot. The stomach bug made a brief appearance at our place last week. Thankfully, my kids seem to love Pedialyte (orange flavor is the favorite), but parents frequently report that kids don't like the taste of it. As an experiment, I made a batch of Jell-O, using Pedialyte instead of water. I followed the usual instructions on the package, substituting Pedialyte for water. It gelled up just fine, and the kids seemed to like it. It is probably better to use the sugar-free kind, as anything too sweet or sugary will tend to make diarrhea worse. You may also want to avoid the red colors -- red vomit or diarrhea can be startling and make you think of blood. It will also stain your carpet. Good luck!
After a long hiatus, the winter illness season is here in full force, and so the "Illness of the Week" feature will begin making more regular appearances. We have not seen any Influenza activity yet, but we are seeing the following illnesses:
1.) RSV is very prevalent. For older kids and adults, this can look like a common cold. For babies and younger children, RSV can be much more severe, causing wheezing and breathing difficulty.
2. ) There is a stomach virus causing lots of vomiting and diarrhea. Call if you are concerned that your child could be getting dehydrated.
Friday, December 19, 2008
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A little holiday cheer and amusement for everyone.....a big hit at our office Christmas Party!
Country Elf Dance
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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My wife Leigh has provided the following reviews of her favorite books on twin parenting and breastfeeding. Hope it helps!
Books on Multiples
1) When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads by Dr. Barbara Luke and Tamara Eberlein
Of the four books I read, this one had the best balance of medical and practical information. The medical aspects are informative without being frightening, and the focus of much of Dr. Luke’s advice is on nutrition for the expectant mom with the goal of maximizing the babies’ birth weights and reducing complications. The “layperson” who coauthors the book is a mom of twins, and her personal insights are helpful as well. I loved reading about how Eberlein napped in the car with her babies because the babies had fallen asleep in their car seats, and she didn’t want to risk waking them up by moving them into the house.
2) Ready or Not…Here We Come! by Elizabeth Lyons
I think of this book as a twins version of Vicki Iovine’s Girlfriend’s Guide to the First Year (and if you haven’t read Iovine’s first book in Girlfriend’s Guide series, The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy, buy it immediately—it’s the best book on pregnancy I’ve read). This book is written from a purely practical twin mom perspective and focuses on the first year of life with twins, with lots of “been there” tips and advice from the author and fellow parents of multiples. It was particularly relevant to me because the author also has an older child who was still a toddler when her twins were born, and that’s the same situation I was in. This is not the place to come for any medical information. It’s also not as witty as the Girlfriend’s Guide, but it’s still a fun and fast read.
3) Twinspiration by Cheryl Lage
This one is also written by a mom who is not a physician, although because Lage takes you through her own pregnancy and delivery, it describes some risk factors associated with multiples pregnancies and births. The author also provides an exhaustive first-person account of her and her husband’s first year with their twins. I found aspects of the book helpful, but Lage tended to get overly detailed at times. For example, I liked reading about how she managed to do grocery shopping with two infants in tow, but two and a half pages on getting in and out of the car was overly tedious. The book contains a helpful list of multiples-related websites at the end.
4) Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins or More! by Karen Kerkhoff Gromada
This is a wonderful book for any expectant mom who is hoping to breastfeed her multiples but isn’t quite sure if she can or should even try. The author is a registered nurse and lactation consultant who has counseled literally thousands of mothers of multiples on breastfeeding. There is a lot of detailed information on the whys and how’s of breastfeeding, but the book also contains general information on pregnancy and the first year of raising multiples. The book is published by La Leche League, but I did not find it overly preachy. Mainly, it gave me the encouragement and confidence to believe I could breastfeed twins successfully.
Friday, November 21, 2008
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Apparently, Dr. Straughn is not so great at working this blog thingy...
In these trying economic times, we are hearing the story from parents all too frequently -- "I got laid off, and I am losing my health insurance." An article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal summarizes your options. Basically, the choices are: switch to a spouse's insurance plan, apply for COBRA, buy an individual health insurance policy, or "go without." Aside from using a spouse's plan, the remaining options are either expensive or risky. The cost for COBRA has increased by about 80% since 2001. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help if this happens to you.
In these trying economic times, we are hearing the story from parents all too frequently -- "I got laid off, and I am losing my health insurance." An article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal summarizes your options. Basically, the choices are: switch to a spouse's insurance plan, apply for COBRA, buy an individual health insurance policy, or "go without." Aside from using a spouse's plan, the remaining options are either expensive or risky. The cost for COBRA has increased by about 80% since 2001. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help if this happens to you.
Monday, November 17, 2008
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At this time of year, we are always on the lookout for signs of the next outbreak of illness in our community. Knowing what is "going around" helps us give the best advice and care for your child. Google has just unveiled a new web page that tracks Flu Trends -- by analyzing Google search terms, the smart folks at Google say that they can detect increases in flu activity faster than the usual reporting from the CDC. At this time, influenza activity in Texas remains minimal. This could prove to be an interesting and useful tool in anticipating the start of influenza season. It is also interesting to look at the historical data describing the timing and severity of the flu season in past years.
At this time of year, we are always on the lookout for signs of the next outbreak of illness in our community. Knowing what is "going around" helps us give the best advice and care for your child. Google has just unveiled a new web page that tracks Flu Trends -- by analyzing Google search terms, the smart folks at Google say that they can detect increases in flu activity faster than the usual reporting from the CDC. At this time, influenza activity in Texas remains minimal. This could prove to be an interesting and useful tool in anticipating the start of influenza season. It is also interesting to look at the historical data describing the timing and severity of the flu season in past years.
Friday, November 07, 2008
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It is "prime time" for children to get the flu vaccine. Historically, influenza season has started as early as Thanksgiving, and it tends to peak in January or February. The flu vaccine is recommended for all children 6 months of age and older, as well as for household contacts of young children. A recent study published in the November issue of Pediatrics confirms the effectiveness of the flu vaccine in kids, demonstrating a reduction by half in the number of medical visits for influenza infection in kids who were fully vaccinated. This is particularly important in kids less than 2 years of age, in whom hospitalizations, ear infections, and pneumonia are more common sequelae. The younger children are also "vectors" who pass infection on to other children and adults they come in contact with. Vaccinating the kids does protect everyone else in the community. We have the influenza vaccine available for all children and adults, including the preservative-free vaccine. At this time, we have limited supplies of the nasal spray flu vaccine, Flumist, available for children 2 years of age and older. Please call now for a nurse visit appointment -- these are available througout the week and on Saturday mornings for your convenience.
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