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My 14-year-old son, Peter, asked me to bring him some ice when I stopped by his room to say goodnight one evening this past February. When I asked if he wanted it with water, he replied: “No, I need to put it on a pain I’m having. Can you bring it in a bag?”
This marked the start of a five-week lesson in pediatric varicoceles, which involved constant pain for Peter, embarrassment over the part of his body involved and ultimately (and unexpectedly) a great outcome right in our backyard from a skilled pediatric...
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Imagine yourself as the parent of an adorable 4-month-old baby. You’ve successfully survived the first few months of this delightful new chapter of parenthood. Then, just as your bundle of joy is sleeping long hours, expressing himself with cooing and laughing and reaching out to your smiling face, he suddenly starts to drool and chew on everything within reach, resulting in interrupted sleep patterns from bouts of unexplained fussiness. These changes might be signs of teething in your baby. In these cases, knowledge is...
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Happy Independence Day! The Fourth of July is officially here, meaning many will be out purchasing and using fireworks to celebrate tonight, and likely throughout the weekend. Fireworks are undoubtedly exciting and beautiful to watch, but it’s important to remember the dangers they pose to both adults and children alike.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 300 people visit emergency centers across the nation every day during this holiday weekend with firework-related...
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Whether you’ve had a baby in the past few years or you’re currently pregnant, some well-meaning friend has probably recommended getting your hands on a copy of “The Wonder Weeks.” Many tout this No. 1 bestselling book as the closest thing to an instruction manual on babies for new mothers worldwide, alongside the award-winning smart phone app that helps parents track their baby’s mental development with personalized weekly calendars. As a pediatrician and a...
Image courtesy of Gerrie Bourque
My son Tyler was born with Down syndrome and autism. Because of this, his verbal communication has always been limited.
When Tyler was born, he didn’t have regular bowel movements and frequently experienced abdominal distension. His pediatrician felt these symptoms were a result of the low muscle tone associated with Down syndrome. We tried various tactics to increase his mobility, but didn’t have any success. This was before the days of the internet, so I went to the library to do my own research. I found a book with one sentence mentioning that if a baby with Down...