The Flu Shot for Baby-Is it Necessary?

In our house, we have always been big proponents of the flu shot. We all get them every year. And, it is that time of year again. My husband works in the medical field, and in past years, he has had to be in contact with flu patients regularly. Since our children are young, we have always been cautious. In his current job, he is not in close contact with patients infected with the flu, although he does still work in a hospital. So, I found myself asking him if it was really necessary. I had never really questioned it … Continue reading →

Baby’s 9 Month Well Visit

So, yesterday, my baby had his 9 month well child visit at the pediatrician’s office. The 9 month visit is usually an easy one because no vaccines are involved. So, there was a lot of just talking and visiting with the pediatrician. My baby put on the charms. He was laughing and smiling like crazy at the doctor who has a habit of working hard to get the smiles out of my kids. He acts pretty silly at times, and that is something my kids love. We also discussed eating. Solids have been a little bit of a challenge for … Continue reading →

Do You Love Your Pediatrician?

In the last year, I had to switch pediatricians because of moving. I really liked my last pediatrician and was sad about having to make a change. I asked him for a recommendation, and he knew of a pediatrician that “a lot of people seem to like” that was super close to my house. So, I decided to go to him. Little did I know that my baby would have so many complexing issues. I’m kind of a stressed out mama a lot of the time, so his personality fit perfectly with me in that he is very laid back, … Continue reading →

A Dr.’s Visit Gone Bad

I was talking to a friend today about a recent doctor’s visit that left her feeling upset. As a parent, you quickly learn that not all doctors are the same, and bad doctors visits do happen. My husband is in the medical field, and I’ve learned from him as well that not all doctors are good doctors. When I was on vacation last week, I had a bad experience myself. I was out of state, and my son woke up one morning with pink eye. Since we were staying with family, I was worried about him passing it to the … Continue reading →

When an Ear Infection Strikes!

Recently, my son was battling your typical winter cold. He seemed to be on the mend. So, we took him to church, with just a little bit of a residual runny nose. About halfway through the services, he became a crazy child. It was bizzaro! He was crying, upset, and restless. We left early not sure what was going on. That night was horrible. He literally did not sleep most of the night. He may have gotten in 3 hours total, and we were baffled by what it could be! Luckily, he gave us one clue. He kept saying, “Ear!” … Continue reading →

A Trip to the Eye Doctor

I don’t know about your kids, but my youngest has definitely figured out that he does not like doctors. The instant we walk through the doors of the waiting room, into the office, he will sit down on the floor and start to cry. He knows that he does not like the whole experience! So, he is not very cooperative either. At our last well child visit, his pediatrician had some concerns. I mentioned to him that my son had extreme light sensitivity. And, when I say extreme, I mean EXTREME! He would scream in the car like he was … Continue reading →

Good and Bad News About Your Baby’s Ear Infection

When my daughter came down with her first ear infection as a baby she was in a tremendous amount of pain. Back then I did what most first-time moms would do, I high tailed it to the pediatrician and expected the doctor to help alleviate my baby’s discomfort and help heal her infection. However, instead of leaving the ped’s office with a handful of prescription antibiotics and a list of tried and true pain relieving techniques, all I went home with was a super cranky baby. My daughter’s doctor has a wait-and-see policy to avoid over-prescribing antibiotics to their young … Continue reading →

It’s Official: She Has Thrush

After debating whether my baby had thrush and trying natural, preventative measures just in case, I finally took her to the doctor. The spots in her mouth weren’t spreading, but they also weren’t getting better. In addition, I had been warned by midwives and lactation consultants that thrush, if passed to the mother’s breast, can be extremely painful for the mother. So off we went, and, sure enough, it was thrush. Luckily, her pediatrician told us that we caught it very early. We went straight from the doctor to pick up prescriptions for Nystatin – one for her mouth, one … Continue reading →

No, That’s Not Cottage Cheese In My Baby’s Mouth

I love when my daughter smiles, and I love making her laugh. She has yet to pop a tooth, and her gummy grins are almost too cute to take. It was during a smile-fest last week that my husband and I thought we noticed a little white spot on one of her gums. At first we thought it might be a tooth, but realized it was something else. My first thought was that it might be thrush, and we decided to keep a close eye on her mouth. Sure enough, a few days later, we noticed another white spot, this … Continue reading →

Did You Have to Get Sick on a Sunday?

Does it ever seem like your child gets sick more often on a Saturday or Sunday than any other day of the week? It has seemed like that at our house lately. Two Saturdays ago, I was sure our daughter had an ear infection, so I made an appointment for her. Luckily, despite the fact that it was Saturday, a pediatrician was available to see her. We entered the nearly empty waiting room, and I questioned whether it was a good idea for us to be there. The only other people in there were a mother and teenage daughter, who … Continue reading →