To Vicks or NOT to Vicks

Before you rub....

Please read this article



Could It Be the Formula?

Here at TLC, there have been quite a few phone conversations over the years about infant formula and the effects it's believed to have on a baby's digestion.  Parents want their babies to be content and happy so when they seem to be experiencing pain, they become (understandably) worried.  Then begins the search to stop it!  Here's a good article to read before you change the formula... again....

Fish For Your Health

                                      

Pregnant or nursing women who eat fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids will pass these nutrients to their babies and support healthy brain and eye development.

How Much Fish to Eat?

Health experts recommend that women eat 8-12 ounces per week and children (ages 2-6) eat 2 ounces per week. Three ounces of fish is about the size of a deck of cards.

Best Choices (Lowest in Mercury and Highest in Fats)

Eating as little as 6 ounces per week of these fish provides the recommended amount of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
anchovy, herring, mackerel (Atlantic, jack, chub), rainbow trout (farm raised), salmon (wild or farm raised), sardine, shad (American), whitefish.

Excessive mercury can pass through the placenta or mother's milk and harm your baby.  Do not eat fish from the high mercury category.  If you eat 4 ounces from the moderate category, don't eat any more fish from this category until the next week.

Lowest Mercury Contamination (12 ounces per week)

catfish (farm raised), clam, cod, crab, flatfish (flounder, plaice, sole), haddock, herring, mackerel (Atlantic, jack, chub), mullet, oyseter (cooked), pollock, rainbow trout (farm raised), salmon (wild or farm raised), sardine, scallop, shrimp, squid, tilapia, tuna (canned Skipjack or Light), whitefish. 

Moderate Mercury Contamination (4 ounces per week)

bass (saltwater, black), buffalo fish, carp, grouper, halibut, lobster (northern, Maine, Atlantic), mahi mahi (Dolphin-fish), perch (freshwater), Pompano (Florida), sablefish, sea trout (weakfish), snapper, Spanish mackerel (S. Atlantic), tilefish (Atlantic), tuna (canned Albacore, Yellowfin, or White), white croaker (Pacific).

High Mercury/PCB Contamination (Do Not Eat)

bass (striped), bluefish, Chilean sea bass, golden snapper, jack (Amberjack, Crevalle), king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, sea lamprey, shark, Spanish mackerel (Gulf of Mexico), swordfish, tilefish (Gulf of Mexico), tuna (all fresh or frozen), walleye (Great Lakes)

Before Eating Fish that You Catch

Do Not Eat Raw Fish

When pregnant, avoid eating raw oysters, raw fish (sushi) or refrigerated smoked fish.  Do not feed raw fish to infants or children.

Sum-Sum-Summertime Sunscreen Tips

In Florida, we may use sunscreen throughout the year, but now it's a must.  Summer is coming quickly and carrying a bottle of sunscreen everywhere just follows along with the air conditioners kicking on full-time. 

Having fun in the sun with baby is a wonderful experience... but the joy quickly diminishes when a baby suffers with sunburn.  Older children need to be protected too... and don't forget about yourself!

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has okayed the use of sunscreen for babies under 6 months in minimal amounts on the face and neck and back of hands BUT advises that these young ones be kept in the shade instead if at all possible.  Their skin is thinner and the protective tanning response hasn't kicked in yet.

Here's a couple of links for quick reading to be sunscreen savvy this summer:

Testing Your Sun-Safety IQ

Safety and Prevention

Now go have fun!

Who Knew?

Cavity causing bacteria can pass from mom to baby through the transfer of saliva, such as sharing utensils, blowing on food, and yes even kissing that sweet little bundle of joy on the mouth.

Weird Things Babies Do

Seven seemingly odd (yet normal)

things babies do

from finding themselves funny

to shaking and hiccups

Local Organic Vegetables

For anyone wondering, there is a local certified organic farm vegetable source in the area, Osceola Organics.  For more information go here.

If anyone knows of others in the Indian River County area, please leave the info... thanks!!

Brain Abnormality Linked to SIDS

Infants who die of sudden infant death syndrome have abnormalities in the brain stem - part of the brain that controls heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, temperature and arousal.  Innate differences in a specific part of the brain may place some infants at increased risk for SIDS.

Pregnancy and Oral Health

Did you know the health of your teeth and gums plays an important role in the health and well being of your unborn baby?  Daily brushing and flossing is always important but it is particularly so during pregnancy.  Bacteria from your mouth can actually travel through your bloodstream to the placenta and begin colonizing there.  So put regular flossing and brushing on your daily schedule to protect your health and that of your baby.  Click here to see the complete article.

Pregnant Women and the FLU - H1N1 and Seasonal

Visit the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology website to see their latest recommendations for pregnant women and swine flu.  And if you have not already done so, please get vaccinated - the shot, not the mist, is safe for you and your baby during pregnancy. 

Public Vaccination Clinics Begin in Indian River County

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Contact: Larry Macke

IRCHD Public Information Officer

772-794-7400, ext. 2130



INDIAN RIVER COUNTY H1N1 PUBLIC VACCINATIONS BEGIN NEXT WEEK WITH CLINICS FOR SIX MONTHS OF AGE THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL



October 27, 2009 – The Indian River County Health Department (IRCHD) will begin H1N1 influenza public vaccination clinics for residents in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) target groups, starting with clinics for children on November 3, 4, and 5, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM, at the Health Department’s Vero Beach facility at 1900 27th Street. There will be a mass vaccination clinic for the five CDC target groups on November 14 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Indian River County Fairgrounds. A second public mass vaccination clinic will be held later in November if IRCHD receives sufficient quantities of vaccine.

Next week’s clinics will be open to all children six months of age to school age and those children attending Indian River County schools through high school age. Those younger than 18 years of age cannot sign the required consent form and must be accompanied by a family member or legal guardian authorized to provide consent. The vaccination is voluntary and free. Children represent one of the groups identified by the CDC as being at highest risk for complications related to H1N1 influenza. Children aged six months through nine years need to receive two doses of the H1N1 vaccine separated by an interval of 28 days (minimum 21 days) in order to develop the same level of immunity that older people attain from a single dose.

A second round of children’s clinics is planned for December 1-3, 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM, at the IRCHD Vero Beach facility. All clinics are subject to vaccine availability.

Indian River County received its first shipment of H1N1 vaccine on October 8, and so far it has been targeted to pediatricians and obstetricians. Pregnant women are another CDC priority group; others include household and caregiver contacts of children younger than six months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, persons aged six months through 24 years of age, and persons aged 25 through 64 years who have medical conditions associated with a higher risk of influenza complications such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and kidney disease.

Production complications have limited delivery of H1N1 vaccine to the public health entities responsible for distribution. IRCHD will have 400 doses available for each of the clinics for school children on November 3, 4, and 5, and 1,500 doses for the public clinic on November 14.

“Because we currently have limited amounts of vaccine, we are asking people to be patient and to understand that our first public mass vaccination clinic on the 14th is for those in the CDC’s priority groups: those who are at higher risk of disease or complications, those who are likely to come in contact with novel H1N1, and those who could infect young infants,” said Miranda Swanson, health department administrator.

8 Commonly Missed Medical Problems in Babies

Ailing babies can't tell you where it hurts, when it started, what would make them feel better, or what makes them feel worse.  In short, a sick baby is a blank slate for diagnosis.  And getting the diagnosis wrong - missing a possibley serious condition, or treating it improperly - is potentially more dangerous for little patients than it is for older kids.  Even garden-variety childhood illnesses, the kind pediatricians see every day, often manifest themselves very differently in babies than in older kids.  Here are some of the most common and commonly missed, medical conditions that affect children under age 2, and how to make sure you and your doctor get the diagnosis right.

Handwashing VS Germs

Washing your hands well and often is your best defense against disease.

H1N1 Swine Flu and Pregnancy

From The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "We know that pregnant women are more likely to get sick than others and have more serious problems with seasonal flu. These problems may include early labor or severe pneumonia. We don't know if this virus will do the same, but it should be taken very seriously." Follow this link to the CDC website for up to date, correct information on how to protect yourself and your family from the H1N1 Swine Flu.

CDC's Priority Groups for Vaccination Against H1N1

All people 6 months through 24 years of age

People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age

All pregnant women

Healthcare and emergency services sector personnel

People aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza