August 5, 2014

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By Dr. Binal Kancherla

All parents run across sleep dilemmas with their child at some point. If it doesn’t happen at 5 days, 5 months old or at 5 years old, it will happen! When my two sons – now ages 5 and 3 – were younger, I would place them in their crib while they were drowsy so they could learn to self-soothe. This method, along with establishing bedtime routines early on, seemed to work well for my family…most of the time!

Recently, I came across an interesting study in Pediatrics, titled, “Infant Sleep Machines and Hazardous Sound Pressure Levels.” While sleep-inducing white noise machines can be a miracle product for exhausted parents, this study may have left many families worrying about whether sleep machines increase a baby’s risk of hearing loss.

The study proposes that during the early development of a baby, their auditory pathways are sensitive and require the appropriate auditory input. Appropriate input means sounds, such as human speech, that are regular in the baby’s environment and usually produced with an irregular frequency. White-noise machines expose babies to a noise of a very consistent frequency over long periods of time. According to the study, in the long-term this disrupts the normal processing of frequency in the brain therefore affecting the child’s ability to hear and process sound intensity.

Researchers tested the maximum noise levels in 14 infant sleep machines at three distances. All but one exceeded the current recommended noise limit for infants in hospital nurseries, even at the farthest distance.

I think the study raises some concerns, but it doesn’t provide specific evidence that these machines lead to hearing problems. Although white noise machines may be successful in lulling a baby to sleep, I believe it is important for parents to establish proper sleep patterns. This can be done by starting a bedtime routine early in infancy, placing the baby in his or her crib while drowsy but not fully asleep, and not allowing the infant to fall asleep while taking a bottle or nursing.

For those new parents out there who opt to use the white-noise method, it’s probably a good idea to position the machine farther away from your baby’s crib, more than the 6 ½ feet tested in the study. Other tips include keeping the volume set on low and only operating the machine for a short duration of time.

Ultimately, each family and each baby is different, but one thing is always true – sleep is necessary to function, to live, for both parent and child. So, find something that works for your family and consult your pediatrician with any specific concerns.

July 15, 2014

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By Eden McCleskey

Greetings all! Since I haven’t posted in a while, I’ll share a quick update. My first child, Jess, is 18 months old and doing great. His little sister, Austen Elizabeth, is 4 months old. Yep, I had another one already! Getting pregnant the second time happened FAST, but it all worked out. She arrived one day past her due date – healthy and beautiful at 8 lbs. 10 ounces and 22.25 inches long. Since we’ve been blessed with a boy and a girl, we feel like our family is complete, and now I can focus on raising these babies and getting back to normal.

For me and millions of other moms out there, that means heading back to work. It’s an intensely personal and variable experience for everyone – and it’s impossible to predict how you will feel about it until it happens. Here’s a few tips to help ease the transition back to work, which helped me a lot.

1) Focus on the benefits of going back to work
Most people work because they need and/or want money. Earning a paycheck is the trade-off for not being able to do whatever we want 100% of the time. So, don’t be shy; show yourself the money. Log in to your bank account, 403(b), cash balance pension and social security. Google a retirement savings calculator and imagine how much money you will have when you retire at 65. Total up your current financial commitments and think about how you’d pay them without your paycheck. Don’t forget about other benefits like health, dental, etc. Imagine what your life would be like 20 years from now if you never went back to work. What kind of savings would you have? What kind of house, car, vacation or college would you be able to afford?

EdenskiddosThink about your current job, coworkers and whether you like them. If you quit your job now, even if it’s just for one year while the baby is young, it’s unlikely that you will get it back. You will eventually find a job somewhere, but there is no guarantee it will pay as well or provide the type of environment that you want. The longer you’re out of the job market, the harder it will be to get a commensurate position.

2) Weigh the pros and cons of being a stay-at-home parent
As a child/teenager, I assumed that I’d eventually become a stay-at-home mom and I’d make spectacular dinners and crafts, and Martha Stewart herself would envy my home. What was I thinking?!?! I don’t like house cleaning. I have the urge to cook a fancy dinner about once a year. Even though I love my children with every ounce of my being, I don’t want to be with them all day, every day. By the end of a weekend (especially a long weekend), I’m exhausted and depleted. It’s haaaaard. Yes, I know I had mine very close together and they’re still very young. It probably will get easier as they get older. But, then again, it might get easier in some ways and harder in others. If I stayed home with them all day, there would be more fights, more power struggles and more TV, no doubt. No one can be a “Fully Engaged Parent” ALL. THE. TIME. The dynamics of my marriage would change. I would be needier of my husband’s time, help and conversation. Also, I would probably have tunnel vision on my kids and struggle with my identity outside of them.

Besides, I really like daycare and so do my kids! At 3 months old, I could tell my babies were bored hanging around the house all day. They like being around people. While I could get a nanny for the same price I’m paying to put two kids in daycare, we still prefer daycare. Jess is more social, empathetic and patient than some kids his age who aren’t in daycare. I realize there are amazing benefits to being a stay-at-home mom too, and I’m not putting that down by any means. But it makes me feel better about being a working mom to realize that staying at home isn’t necessarily the one-and-only “gold standard.” Both arrangements have pros and cons; it’s just a matter of what works best for your family.

eden23) Be happy with your child care arrangements
It is impossible to go back to work if you don’t feel comfortable about where you are leaving your child. Research child care options. Use trusted, first person recommendations, yelp reviews and this site. Think about the vibe you get from the teachers, the facility and the administration. If you’re choosing a nanny, have detailed conversations with their references (meet the families in person, if possible), or go through a service (like The Motherhood Center) that does background checks and extensive vetting.

Do not “make do” with something that feels “OK.” If you found a place that is awesome, convenient and right in your price range, but you are on the wait list, don’t despair. You will eventually get in, but in the meantime, you need to find somewhere that feels just as good. It might be a little further or pricier or it might not have the playground or facilities you want. As long as their care is top-notch, sign up and move to your ideal place when the spot opens up.

4) Establish a routine
Life works better with a system. In my family, my husband usually drops off the kids in the morning and I pick them up in the afternoon. We follow the same bedtime routine every night, which starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m., with both kids asleep.

I used to be fairly lax about chores, but with two kids, that just does not fly. Every night, the kitchen, family and play rooms are cleaned and everything the kids will need for the next day is washed and ready to go. Even if (like me) you’re not a naturally ordered and routined person, you’ll need to become one eventually to keep yourself and your family sane. Do yourself a favor and establish a routine early. It can always be tweaked as necessary.

5) Communicate (A LOT)
When you reflect on the enormous parental responsibilities of raising a tiny infant from “scratch” all the way to adulthood, it can be overwhelming. Even if you are an amazing parent or part of an amazing parent team, you’ll somehow feel guilty and alone much of the time and second guess your choices. Don’t bottle it up! Communicate with your partner – all the time – about everything. Clear up any budding mutual resentments. Talk about how amazing your kid is. Talk about the Baby Center article you just read. Talk about other parents you know and what you think they’re doing wrong and doing right. It’s not just an interesting, “adult” form of gossip (that can help long car rides fly by in a jiff), it also helps you form an identity as a parenting unit and make decisions about how you want to handle certain things before you actually get there.

Talk to your friends, family and coworkers, too. Most parents love talking about being parents, whether their kids are itty bitty or long grown. In the old days, it took a village to raise a child. Today’s “village” is more virtual (friends, family, books, internet) than “hands on,” but talking with them and using their advice is helpful and makes you feel much less alone and afraid of messing up.

 

July 8, 2014

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By Dr. David Wesson

As the head of Texas Children’s Level 1 pediatric trauma center, I have treated many children with severe head injuries sustained from vehicle crashes, sudden falls and recreation-related mishaps. One injury that is particularly heart wrenching to witness is abusive head trauma in infants. One of the most important missions of our trauma center is to prevent these injuries from happening in the first place.

Whether accidental or not, Shaken Baby Syndrome, the most common form of abusive head trauma, happens more frequently than you think. Just looking at the statistics from our pediatric trauma center, it is the number one cause of injury-related deaths in children during the first four years of life. As you can see from this pie chart, the largest child abuse age group comprises infants less than six months old.

childabusestatsShaking a baby can lead to severe injury or even death. Just a few forceful shaking motions in a period of just a few seconds can cause tremendous brain damage where the child may never be normal again.

Abusive head trauma is a community-wide problem that permeates all socioeconomic backgrounds. I believe the most effective way to address this epidemic is through public awareness, universal parental education and community involvement.

I encourage everyone concerned with child health to support The Period of PURPLE Crying, a broad-based initiative to increase awareness about the effects of Shaken Baby Syndrome. I first learned about the full extent of this program and its scientific rationale in April when the program’s founder, Dr. Ronald Barr, a pediatrician and world expert on infant crying, came to Houston to deliver the seminar.

The PURPLE acronym stands for the six characteristics of a newborns’ behavioral activities in the first few weeks and months of life. While incessant cries from a newborn can be frustrating and anger provoking, it’s important for parents and other caretakers to remember that this is a normal and temporary phase in their child’s development.

I am grateful to our physicians and nurses at the Pavilion for Women for implementing The Period of Purple Crying program to educate new parents before they leave the hospital about the dangers of shaking a baby as well as providing them with helpful information on child development, crying and managing parental stress.

In partnership with Dr. Charles Cox, medical director of the pediatric trauma program at Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital, our goal is to ensure all birthing hospitals in the Houston area adopt this program and to increase public awareness of the problem of abusive head trauma with the help of our local public health departments, child abuse prevention experts, city leadership and other community stakeholders.

But, our mission doesn’t stop there. We need everyone’s participation. Spread the message of The Period of PURPLE Crying initiative to your colleagues, family members, new parents, grandparents, caregivers, neighbors and anyone else you come across.

“Our newborns’ lives are at stake. Will you join me on this mission?,” says Dr. David Wesson.

July 1, 2014

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By Julie Griffith

My role at Texas Children’s is to develop programs and services that support our employees in achieving optimal health and well-being. From the moment I learned I was expecting, I felt a sense of personal responsibility to provide the best possible environment for my baby to flourish. I have outlined the key dimensions of wellness that I have focused on throughout my pregnancy.

Stock up on sleep
I cherish my sleep! I am a solid eight hours of sleep person. Yes, I am aware that I am in for a rude awakening once the baby arrives! The biggest piece of advice I have been hearing lately is to “stock up on my sleep now while I still can.”

Adequate hours and quality sleep is essential for our physical, mental and emotional well-being, and this is especially true for pregnant women. I have made a point to establish a bed time routine in a restful environment that is cool and dark. Experts also say that limiting screen time and keeping electronics out of the bedroom are beneficial in improving your sleep quality. Although I don’t always abide by that rule, I do try to make it the norm. I will give some credit to my body-size pregnancy pillow that has come in handy as my belly has grown.

Eating well
After the realization of being pregnant sank in, I felt that eating a nutritious and well-balanced diet as one of the greatest gifts I could give to my growing baby. The food we eat affects how our bodies work, how we feel and heal, and how we maintain our energy. It also determines the basic nutritional health that our children are born with, and provides a model for their eating habits during childhood and beyond. I can’t say that my pregnancy diet has been flawless, but I focused on maintaining a wholesome diet of lean proteins, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, eating a healthy breakfast every day and moderately indulging (usually on chocolate) on occasion. The USDA Choose My Plate site is a wonderful resource with meal plans, snack ideas, and weight gain guidelines for pregnant women.

Raise your water glass
It is estimated that pregnant women’s blood volume increases by as much as 50 percent. Water helps transportation and absorption of essential nutrients into our cells and is essential to meet this growing demand. It’s these nutrient-rich blood cells that reach the placenta and ultimately the baby, all with the help of good old fashioned H2O. It was recently described to me that “drinking water is like giving your cells a bath.” I now visualize every sip of water I take as an opportunity to cleanse our systems!

M8Let’s get physical
Recently, Alysia Montaño made headlines as she ran in the 800 meters race at the US Track and Field Championship while 8 months pregnant with the support of both her midwife and doctor. Although the media response was mostly positive it raised questions about exercising during pregnancy. After discussing this with a health care provider, it is generally considered safe to continue your pre-pregnancy exercise routine and adjust appropriately over time. My personal goal was not to run a marathon or 100 percent commit to my typical workout routine, but to be active most days of the week through exercise classes, walking and prenatal yoga and be in tune with my body as my pregnancy progressed.

Don’t leave before you leave
Last summer I read Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” and the chapter “Don’t Leave Before You Leave” has been a driving force throughout my pregnancy and leading up to my maternity leave. Sandberg said women start thinking about balancing work and family life before it is truly necessary and often scale back on job responsibilities in preparation for having children. Integrating my new family and career is very important to me. I have no doubt that my life priorities will shift and that returning to work will be challenging. However, by accelerating or “leaning into” my career now with such a dramatic life change on the horizon, I feel that I will return to work that is both professionally and personally rewarding and that will make for a smoother transition.

June 24, 2014

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One of the greatest joys in my life is helping couples achieve their dream of having a baby. My career has been dedicated to helping advance our medical understanding of infertility and treating couples with the most complex fertility issues.

To help carry out this mission, I am honored to officially announce the opening of The Family Fertility Center, our new state-of-the-art lab and in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic located on the third floor behind the gift shop at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women.

The Family Fertility Center has been a vision of mine for many years now. Throughout my career, I’ve helped design two other labs, one of which has demonstrated world-class scientific achievement, but I can proudly say that due to advancements in our field, this is the best facility. The Family Fertility Center has only been possible because Texas Children’s Hospital approached this new facility in the same way it approaches every new program, to make it among the very best in the United States. To accomplish this, we utilized the expertise of world-renowned consultants and assembled a nationally prominent team to assist in the design and implementation of our lab. What many couples may not be aware of when selecting an IVF clinic is that the technology, embryologists and equipment in the lab are important components to helping would-be parents achieve their dream.

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Our new lab has the latest state-of-the-art equipment, including the EmbryoScope, an embryo monitoring system that provides continuous moving time-lapse images of embryos as they grow. This technology allows us to identify the healthiest embryo to transfer to the patient, which has been shown to improve IVF success. We are the first in Houston to offer this technology and are among the early adopters in the United States. We also have micro-incubators that are equipped with fiber-optic, real-time pH monitoring to protect the quality of the embryo environment.

Providing the highest level of patient comfort and safety is very important to us at Texas Children’s, so another unique aspect of our IVF clinic is that our team is comprised of highly-skilled obstetric anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists. Each patient discusses their pain management options with someone from the anesthesiology team before they undergo their procedure. We offer the full scope of anesthesiology services, from sedation to general anesthesia. Offering this level of coordinated care is a game-changer and an important part of the patient experience in our clinic.

We are also working in partnership with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide young women facing cancer the option of preserving their fertility before they undergo cancer treatments. After a devastating diagnosis like cancer, many women fear that they can never have children since treatments like chemotherapy, radiation and surgery can affect fertility. We counsel these women before their treatment begins to discuss their options and offer them the chance to one day have a child of their own.

Fifty percent of patients who seek treatment at our facility are Texas Children’s Hospital employees. Full-time Texas Children’s employees receive up to $20,000 in fertility benefits, which includes medication and additional IVF cycles if necessary.

I’m looking forward to offering the latest and most advanced fertility treatments available in our new state-of-the-art facility at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. Building families is what our mission is all about.

Click here to learn more about The Family Fertility Center at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. Click here to take a video tour.

By Dr. William Gibbons

June 17, 2014

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By Veronica Love

I remember the birth of my daughter, Logan Love, as if it were yesterday. Our little girl, almost 5 months old now, arrived two weeks early on January 30, 2014. Logan’s grand arrival was extra special for our family as she was born about three years after my triumphant battle against breast cancer.

Here’s a little rewind for those of you who may not be familiar with my story. When my son, Declan, was two and a half years old, I was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or cancer in the milk ducts. Hearing the “C” word was a tough pill to swallow. For those of us who have battled cancer, we all know how it feels when you find out your diagnosis and what surgery entails (scared to death).

Luckily, my cancer was caught early and it didn’t spread. It took two surgeries including a bilateral mastectomy to remove the cancerous cells along with radiation treatment to keep them from coming back. Through it all, I was so fortunate that I didn’t have to undergo chemotherapy because my husband, Justin, and I still wanted to have more children.

The road to recovery was a slow, bumpy one. Radiation completely zapped my energy and left burns on my skin. I couldn’t hug my son as much as I wanted to because the burns on my fragile body caused too much pain. I spent most of my days in tears. It was by far one of the lowest points in my life. Looking back now, my recovery is nothing short than a miracle. Yes, I can confidently say, “I survived this bump in the road called cancer.”

Fast forward three years later, we are the proud parents of a beautiful, healthy baby girl named Logan who was born at the Pavilion for Women. We absolutely adore her to pieces and so does her big brother, Declan, who is now 6 years old. She has brought so much joy to our family.

Logan is truly a miracle. After completing my surgeries and radiation treatments in 2011, we were a little apprehensive that I would even get pregnant. Our oncologist recommended we wait two years after the radiation treatments to even try. To our surprise, we were pregnant with baby #2, or so we thought.

Our excitement quickly turned into sadness when we found out it was an ectopic pregnancy and not viable. With the immense pain I felt from the loss, I wasn’t sure I would be emotionally ready to try again. Half a year flew by and my husband and I decided it was time to take a chance and be grateful no matter what happened knowing we already had a beautiful son.

Today, we are the proud parents of two wonderful, healthy children. We are truly blessed.

Here’s the point of my story. Despite the challenges we may face on this journey called life, and no matter how bumpy and twisted the road may be, we must always stay positive. Yes, I know it’s easier said than done, but trust me on this.

Every challenge you encounter only makes you stronger, and sometimes wonderful things happen at the end of it all.

June 10, 2014

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Many hospitals have Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), but not all NICUs are the same.

Texas Children’s Newborn Center is one of the only level IV NICUs in the Houston region that is able to provide babies with the highest level of care. In fact, many area hospitals with less advanced NICUs transfer infants to us when more experience and specialized care is required.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics differentiates between units by defining levels of care based on the complexity of medical conditions the facility is equipped to treat. We hope this will help you better understand the different levels of care in the NICU:

Level I: Regular nursery care available at most hospitals that deliver babies

Level II: Intensive care for sick and premature infants

Level III: Comprehensive care for more seriously ill newborns

Level IV: Major surgery, surgical repair of serious congenital heart and anomalies that require cardiopulmonary bypass and/or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for medical conditions. Level IV units include the capabilities of level III with additional capabilities and considerable experience in the care of the most complex and critically ill newborn infants and should have pediatric medical and pediatric surgical specialty consultants continuously available 24 hours a day.

Many area hospitals have level II or III NICUs, but are not equipped to provide the most advanced level of care some newborns need. Our combined level II and III NICUs offer specialty care for newborns. An additional level IV NICU located across the connecting bridge gives babies more extensive support and access to dozens of pediatric subspecialists.

Texas Children’s Newborn Center was recently ranked no. 2 in this year’s U.S. News & World Report survey, a gain from last year’s no. 17 ranking. As you know, U.S. News ranks the top 50 pediatric centers in 10 specialty areas, so being recognized within the top two is no small feat.

Our commitment to improving neonatal outcomes is really something to be proud of, and I am grateful that our diligent efforts are making a positive impact in the lives of so many babies.

For more information about Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women and our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, visit here and to take a video tour of our NICU, visit here.