Sick

Some of the most common child illnesses in 2012 are the following. First is the common cold a child could catch a cold up to a dozen times a year. The winter can give you the most occurrences. When your baby gets a cold it also gets discomfort in the nose, throat, and over all achiness. These bugs are contagious. As they begin attending daycare and school, the colds seem to spread throughout a classroom or group. Vomiting can be caused by many things but just a simple stomach virus is the most common cause. This usually has diarrhea and a low grade fever and can spread easily from one baby to another. Sore throat is usually caused by a virus or bacteria that have infected the sensitive lining of the throat leading to a red and sore throat making it hard to swallow and even to breathe. As a baby can’t tell you what is wrong, watch for your baby refusing to eat or play with their mouth more often they usually do. Also with the croup a child will sound like a seal barking when they have the croup caused by an infection that is hindering your baby’s breathing. This is not life threatening as the airways are not completely closing up, but it’s difficult to breathe. Ear infections are so common in babies. They can’t tell you they hurt, but they will be cranky, maybe have a low grade temperature, and might pull at their infected ear even going so far as to hit at it. Bronchitis is when a baby’s lungs begin to fill with fluid or mucus; the airways get blocked preventing clear breathing. This is usually caused after a prolonged cold or other virus. Meningitis infection is a very serious sickness that affects the spinal cord and the brain. This infection is also very contagious. Signs of meningitis include fever, vomiting, fatigue, sensitivity to light, stiff neck with restricted movement, and a painful cry coming from your baby. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the lower airways) and pneumonia in babies. It is an illness that often occurs in yearly outbreaks in communities and in newborn intensive care units (NICUs). In the United States, RSV is more common in winter and spring months. RSV is spread from respiratory secretions through close contact with infected persons or contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. Infection can occur when infectious material contacts mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth, or nose, and possibly through the inhalation of droplets generated by a sneeze or cough. There are a number of ways to treat these illnesses but one should always take their child to a doctor immediately after suspecting their child is ill. Let them rest. The body needs its rest to fight the bug. Fluids need to be given to replace their electrolytes. Talk to your doctor about which ones are best for your baby. Keep a vaporizer near your child. Steam is good for your child’s lungs. Try to keep your baby sitting up in a car seat or other method. Lying down restricts the lungs. Keep them warm but not too warm because too much warmth can actually raise their body temperature. Use a humidifier to help loosen up any congestion. There are many ways to prevent from contracting these illnesses. The main thing to do is wash hands. This means your hands and the baby’s hands after they have played, before they eat, after they eat, and any time they have been crawling around on the floor. They pick up everything and end up putting it in their mouth. It is recommended that all childhood immunizations be current. This information should be recorded by the child’s parent/guardian. The diaper changing area and anything else that comes in contact with a child’s feces or urine should always be cleaned and disinfected with a bleach sanitizing solution after every diaper change. Always wash your hands before handling food and after going to the toilet or changing a diaper. It is important to be careful what kinds of food and how to prepare it in order to keep children from getting food poisoning from over cooked or under cooked food. As a child I remember having ear infections a lot and they were a miserable and painful experience for me and eventually I had to get surgery to prevent them from happening so often. My parents were very supportive and would comfort me when I would cry. They would get me popsicles and treat me to ice cream every time I had to go to the doctor. If my child was sick I would have basically done the same thing. I would do everything I could to take my child’s mind off the illness and always see a doctor if I suspect something is wrong. If my child is pretending to be sick because they don’t want to go to school I would allow them to stay home because obviously something at school is scaring them or making them upset.  While they are home is would discuss with them why they are afraid to go to school, fix the problem, contact the school if needed,  and send my child back to school the following day.

http://anationofmoms.com/2012/03/9-most-common-childhood-diseases.html

http://www.stlouischildrens.org/articles/wellness/what-rsv

http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2003/com018.pdf

Dear Parents

Dear Parents,

            The most important aspect of parenting is providing love and care for your children. Children need love and support all throughout there lives and it is something that is completely necessary for the well-being of the child and also the family unit as a whole. There are going to be times when your children are going to need someone to be there for them when they become stressed out about their education, their friends, a relationship, and many other factors in their lives. As a parent it is a mother and a father’s job to see that their child gets the support he or she needs. They may feel that they cannot trust anyone and have nobody to talk to so must always make you available to talk to them whenever you feel necessary.

            From my own personal experience I know that if I did not have the support of my mother and father I would be completely lost. As a senior I recently had to make the decision on where I want o attend college next fall. I was extremely stressed out, and worried about making this decision because it is one of the most important choices I will have to make in my lifetime. I am afraid to leave home as I have never done so before and the school I want to attend in the fall is a long distance away. The stress was very hard for me to handle at times but I did have some comfort. My mother and father were very supportive of me through my college decision making process. My mother and father assured me that everything would be fine and that no matter where I go I will enjoy my college experience. They told me to go wherever I see myself living and learning for the next for years of my life. They also calmed my worries about the distance by telling me that I can be picked up often and that they would be more than willing to take the long drive to come and get me from school. My parents gave me the confidence to make the right decision for me.  Now I know that wherever I go I will be able to succeed and even though I will not be at home I will always have the support of my parents wherever I am. If I did not have my parents for support I would have never been able to go through this college decision making process all by myself.

            Parents should always support their children. There will be times when as a parent you will not agree with what your child is doing. Despite this you must put aside your opinions and support them no matter what. Children need their parents.

SIDS

1. What is the first thing and most important thing mom can do to decrease the risk of having a baby die of SIDS?

One of the most important things you can do to help reduce the risk of SIDS is to put a healthy baby on his or her back to sleep. Do this when your baby is being put down for a nap or to be for the night. Many parents may have been told that babies should sleep on their tummy. Now, doctors and nurses believe that fewer babies will die of SIDS if most infants sleep on their backs. But a few babies have health conditions that might require them to sleep on their tummy. If the baby was born with a birth defect, often spits up after eating, or has a breathing, lung or heart problem, be sure to talk to a doctor or nurse about which sleep position to use.

2. What is the cause for SIDS?

Doctors and nurses don't know what causes SIDS, but they have found some things you can do to make your baby safer. After 30 years of research, scientists still cannot find one definite cause or causes for SIDS. There is no way to predict or prevent SIDS.  There are however, steps one can take to reduce their child’s risk.

3. List two of the three risk factors related to SIDS:

Make sure that the baby sleeps on a firm mattress or other firm surface. Don't use fluffy blankets or comforters under the baby. Don't let the baby sleep on a waterbed, sheepskin, a pillow, or other soft materials. When your baby is very young, don't place soft stuffed toys or pillows in the crib with him or her. Some babies have smothered with these soft materials in the crib. Also babies should be kept warm, but they should not be allowed to get too warm. Keep the temperature in the baby's room so that it feels comfortable to you.

4. Why is smoking the strongest risk factor related to SIDS?

Create a smoke-free zone around a baby. No one should smoke around the baby. Babies and young children exposed to smoke have more colds and other diseases, as well as an increased risk of SIDS. The increased risk correlated with how much the mother smokes. Several studies have demonstrated that passive tobacco smoke also significantly increases the risk for SIDS. The risk for SIDS is increased, in normal birth weight infants, about two-fold with passive smoke exposure and about three-fold when the mother smokes both during the pregnancy and the baby continues to be exposed to tobacco smoke after he/she is born

5. What is the safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy?

There is no safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy. No woman should drink any amount of alcohol when she is pregnant. Drinking during pregnancy can cause a number of health problems for both the child and mother.

6. What percent is the risk of SIDS increased when a mother takes drugs?

Most babies who died from SIDS were born after normal pregnancies, from healthy mothers who were not sick and who did not use any illicit drugs during their pregnancy. Thus, exposure of the baby to drugs during pregnancy is not a cause of SIDS.
However, SIDS is the most common cause of death in infants between the ages of one month and one-year, yet its etiology remains unknown. It has been noticed that infants born to mothers who abused drugs during pregnancy (infants of substance abusing mothers; ISAM) have an increased risk of dying from SIDS compared to babies who were not ISAM. In general, the risk of SIDS in an ISAM is 8-10 times increased over that of the general population. Thus, the majority of babies who die from SIDS are not ISAM, but if a baby was exposed to maternal drug use during the pregnancy, the risk for that baby is markedly increased.

7. Why was it recommended that a baby sleep on their belly?

 A few babies have health conditions that might require them to sleep on their tummy. If your baby was born with a birth defect, often spits up after eating, or has a breathing, lung or heart problem, be sure to talk to a doctor or nurse about which sleep position to use. Some mothers worry that babies sleeping on their back may choke on spit-up or vomit during sleep. There is no evidence that sleep on the back causes choking. Also some babies at first don't like sleeping on their back. A baby can be placed on his or her stomach when awake. Some "tummy time" during awake hours is good for the baby.

8. How has that recommendation changed?
Now, doctors and nurses believe that fewer babies will die of SIDS if most infants sleep on their backs. Although back sleeping is the best sleep position, your baby can be placed on his or her side. Side position does not provide as much protection against SIDS as back sleeping, but it is much better than placing your baby on his or her tummy. 
9. What should parents do to make a crib or bed safe?

1. Make sure that your baby sleeps on a firm mattress or other firm surface

2. Don’t use fluffy blankets or comforters under the baby.

3. When a baby is very young, don't place soft stuffed toys or pillows in the crib with him or her.

10. Why is clothing a concern when it comes to SIDS?

 According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, overheating is also a SIDS risk factor. And now that temperatures are dropping and the heavier clothing and blankets are coming out, it’s an important risk factor. Instinct may make you want to turn up the heat and bundle up your baby in heavy clothes, heavy blankets, and multiple layers of clothing now that it’s colder outside. However, the American SIDS Institute warns that going overboard can increase the risk of SIDS because your baby may overheat. While adults are able to regulate their own body temperatures, infants aren’t yet able to do so and they’re more sensitive to extreme temperatures

11. To decrease SIDS should you bottle feed or breast feed?

If possible, you should consider breast feeding your baby. Breast milk helps to keep your baby healthy.

 A new review of recent research studies shows that infants who were breastfed were about 60% less likely to die from SIDS than infants who didn't receive any breast milk. This protective effect increased the longer the baby was breastfed and if the baby was exclusively breastfed.

12. Should you allow your baby to sleep in your bed?

Your newborn can sleep in a bassinet or a crib in a parent’s or sibling’s bedroom, or in the newborn’s own bedroom. The American Academy of Pediatrics 2005 Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend against having your infant sleep with you in your bed due to the risk of suffocation, strangulation, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The baby may be brought to the parental bed for feeding but should be returned to the crib after this is done. Important: your newborn should sleep on his or her back to reduce the risk of SIDS “Breastfeeding to any extent and of any duration is protective against SIDS,” researcher Fern Hauck, MD, of the department of family medicine at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and colleagues write in Pediatrics

http://www.claiborneone.org/help/babies.html
http://sids-network.org/experts/smok.htm
http://sids-network.org/experts/drugs.htm
http://www.inhabitots.com/too-much-warm-clothing-and-blankets-increase-sids-risk/
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/news/20110613/breastfeeding-cuts-sids-risk
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/sleep_disorders/hic_sleep_in_your_babys_first_year.aspx