2011 Mom Approved Doc, Officially

Metro Parent Mom-Approved Doc Award (2011)

Thank you for voting me to the Metro Parent’s 2011 Mom Approved Docs! I was so humbled to receive the following comment from one of the parents:

She is kind, understanding, honest and trustworthy. Although she is busy, she never makes me feel rushed and returns my calls in a timely fashion. My son had an ongoing health issue, and she gave us contacts for the specialists and made phone calls to those doctors to give information and receive updates. – Michelle, Troy

Attending the Lactation Specialist Course

Women have been helping other women breastfeed for millennia. As a pediatrician and as a woman I daily work together with mothers to prevent and solve breastfeeding problems. I feel it will be only appropriate for me to seek the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) credential. Next week (the week of November 1, 2010) I will be out of town attending an intensive 5-day Lactation Specialist Course offered by Lactation Education Consultants. This course qualifies participants for the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) certification exam.

When You Call the Doctor

It is stressful enough to be a parent of a healthy baby. It is many times more stressful to make decisions when your child is sick. What medicine to use, and whether to use any medicine at all? Take the child to the hospital now, or wait till morning and then call the office for an appointment? What food or liquid give to the baby? These questions must be answered promptly. That is why we pediatricians are available 24/7: just call our answering service and be connected to a doctor on call.

When to call?

We are here to help you, and do not mind at all midnight calls about urgent problems. Some examples include: fever in a baby younger than [Continue reading…]

Parent, Heal Your Child

Parents play a crucial role in healing their children. As a doctor, I can make a correct diagnosis and prescribe the necessary medicine, but it is the parent who does most of the work while treating the child at home. I am very grateful to those parents of my little patients who are doing their part consistently and following the plan that we decided upon during their visits.

I know obtaining and giving the prescribed medicine can be difficult – I have kids, too – but it is an essential part of the treatment. Are you concerned about the possibility of a side effect? Or maybe a friend or family member advised you against a particular medicine? In case of doubts [Continue reading…]

Biting Behavior in Children

Recently I saw a young boy who attends the same preschool as my son. At the end of the visit his mom shared with me a concern that her son started biting. I reassured her, explaining that biting is a common behavior at this age, and recommended that she should stop him if she notices it but should not make a big deal out of it.

Young children may bite for different reasons. Infants may bite when they are teething. Toddlers usually bite out of frustration, inability to use words to express their feelings or wishes, or to exert control. Children older than 3 years of age with a history of frequent biting may need to be seen and evaluated [Continue reading…]