Skin to Skin Contact with Your Premature Baby
When you find out you’re pregnant, the last thing you want to do is plan for a less than ideal birth. You want to share 40 weeks of blissful pregnancy, followed by a four hour labor and five minute delivery, then hold your newborn in your arms and bond. I hope that’s your experience.
But it may not be. And if it’s not, you’ll likely experience a range of emotions from fear to anger to grief. But remember, even if things don’t go as you’d hoped, you can still have a perfectly healthy baby.
One possible change in your plan is a premature birth. Sadly, when baby comes early, there may need ...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 13, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Dr. Alan Greene Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Prenatal Prenatal Preparation Top Prenatal Source Type: blogs
Finding the Good in our Frazzled Lives
It was THAT day. You know the day.
The day began when I woke up precisely the moment after I had finally fallen asleep. I had only just fallen asleep because I had been very busy all night checking hot foreheads and cleaning up kids and administering ibuprofen and lying there worrying if maybe I shouldn’t have put the sleep sack on my daughter because I knew she was going to wake up with her fever raging and the sack might make her too hot.
I woke up and I knew I had to get up and check on the kids and then try to get them to eat something and then wash sheets and blankets and get to the store for more crackers and ibup...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 13, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Joelle Wisler Tags: Perspectives Parenting Source Type: blogs
My Green Mama Confessions
I live in organic kale smoothie, non-BPA, gluten-free, cloth diaperin’, homebirthin’, breastfeed them till they go to college, crunchity green land. That is, we live in the mountains outside of Boulder, which is like Boulder, but one step closer to your friends living in an Ashram and serving up their placenta for Thanksgiving dinner. And I am an active participator in this culture. Well, not the whole placenta-eating-part.
But I do have some confessions to make to my friends and neighbors: I had an epidural…twice…the very moment that I could and I would never ever ever consider the possibility of n...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 12, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Joelle Wisler Tags: Perspectives Parenting Source Type: blogs
How A Family Grows
Our big one stretches flat against the wall….taller taller. The lines that show his growth have been made with smudged pencil, or blue pen, or red pen. They are probably surrounded by a chocolate fingerprint or two.
Our little one follows 5 years behind him and her lines have just started to merge into his. Her lines are straighter, quieter.
Their lines are different because their lives have been different.
During his early years, we were always moving and working. His Dad had made a leap of faith, quit his job, and started a company. And then the company failed. So he…started another company. I rushed aroun...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 11, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Joelle Wisler Tags: Perspectives Parenting Source Type: blogs
Fear Less
I started this experiment in fear facing over a month ago and today when I am facing writer’s block on writing about fear, it is partially because I’m not scared of much right now. So, mission accomplished?? I’ll let you know. I don’t know the half-life of my fear-facing batteries.
There are still things I am scared of like car mechanics, and hospital food, and older carpeting, but I’ve faced some of the biggest fears in the last month. So, the hardest work is done.
Get Started with One
I’m hoping you can do this. Start with a list of the things you are scared of—even the ridiculous ones (like lipstick). You ...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 8, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Celia Sepulveda Tags: Perspectives Mental Health Source Type: blogs
Fear of Bigness
This one is an emotional one. I was trying to think back the other day on where my fear of success might come from. I hit some pretty scary skeletons, and since we all have a similar story, I’ll share mine with you.
When I was little, I remembered three distinct times where I was silenced or ridiculed for being genuinely excited about something.
1) At a family wedding. I am 8 ish and though we did not have much growing up, I somehow have this beautiful crushed red velvet dress that I’m so excited to wear. I don’t think of shoes until the morning of the wedding. The only shoes that are in the house that fit me are a...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 7, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Celia Sepulveda Tags: Perspectives Mental Health Source Type: blogs
Fear of Lipstick
I am hyper aware that taking the challenge of swimming in the dark night water is a much different fear than being afraid of lipstick, yet these two things live side by side inside of me. I won’t spend any mental energy thinking about how they might be related, but I will take a break from some pretty hefty topics like the number of days left in your life and facing the unknown to talk about the fear of lipstick.
The Problem
Lipstick smells weird. And there are too many choices. It looks like candy, but it melts fast—all over your face. I get a little excited when I talk and I’m sure there is eating involved and my...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 6, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Celia Sepulveda Tags: Perspectives Mental Health Source Type: blogs
Fear of Aging
I had a birthday recently and to be trite and predictable, I had to admit I have a fear of aging. I tend to live a pretty full life, but there is more where that comes from, thank you very much, and I would like a little more time on this planet to get all of this stuff done. We can go deep with this one, or we can go light, but in my worst times, I am in physical pain thinking about what I may not be able to accomplish.
The Equation That Changes Everything
This next aging exercise that I found in one of my books both scared me and kicked me into gear: Multiply your age by 365 (this gives you your current age in days). The...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 5, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Celia Sepulveda Tags: Perspectives Mental Health Source Type: blogs
Facing the Dark Water
31 Days of Fear Facing
This past October I decided to face a fear every day. If it sounds hard, good — you are right. However, the benefits far outweighed the actual fear. This week I’ll be sharing some of my experiences and highlighting the insights I gain – some are massive insights.
Today’s Fear
Last night, I decided to face a fear that I did not conquer (after two attempts) in the last month: Swimming in the ocean at night.
I am not scared of many things—like public speaking or conflict, or singing or dancing in public, or snakes, bears or cockroaches, or never being loved. I am not scared of being broke, obe...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 4, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Celia Sepulveda Tags: Perspectives Parenting Source Type: blogs
Easy Ways to Increase Healthy Omega-3s in Your Child’s Diet
When MsGreene was pregnant with my youngest in 1995, she craved tuna sandwiches. She could tell you where there was a good one within a mile of just about anywhere we normally visited.
Later studies were release showing tuna, and many other ocean fish, may contain mercury and PCBs. She was horrified at what she might have done to our son. For years she lamented, “I was just responding to what my body craved because my body knew it needed omega-3 rich food to build my baby’s brain.”
If you are like her, you’re probably looking for healthy ways to feed your unborn baby, children, and yourself omega-3...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 1, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Dr. Alan Greene Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Healthy Family Eating Nutrition Source Type: blogs
What do the Early Childhood Experts say about Screen Time for Toddlers?
Are you confused about whether you should let your toddler use a touchscreen? It’s understandable if you are because the experts have varying views on the subject as well.
Here’s what some of the early childhood experts say:
*The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discourages media use by children younger than 2 years.
*The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity also discourages any screen time for children under 2 years of age.
*For children over 2, The Center on Media and Child Health suggests “Try two fifteen-minute sessions in a week if your four- to five-year-old shows interest.”
*A joint position sta...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - November 1, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Ann deSollar Hale Tags: Perspectives Toddler Toddler Education Toddler Fun & Play Source Type: blogs
IPAD in Nursery School
My Kid’s Teacher is Using an IPAD in his Nursery School Classroom. Will That Hurt Him?
Many early childhood classrooms around the country are beginning to introduce technology into their curriculums. Some parents have reservations about exposing their children to digital devices so early in their educations. Will their children only be interested in activities on a screen? Will screen time take over their learning time altogether? Will that lead to children who are unable to interact with their peers on a social and emotional level?
These are fair questions. Your best bet is to investigate before you sign your child u...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - October 31, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Patti Wollman Summers Tags: Perspectives Toddler Toddler Childcare Toddler Education Toddler Fun & Play Source Type: blogs
IPAD Tantrum
My Child Has a Tantrum Whenever I Take The IPAD Away. What can I do to Stop this Behavior?
This is a question we hear frequently. In fact, we named our book Toddlers ON Technology to emphasize the addictive appeal of digital devices. This is true for all ages, including teenagers and grown-ups. (I have heard some teenagers say they would rather take public transportation than drive a car to school because that way they can keep texting!) But the tantrums of children under 6 require special attention.
Young children behave best when they know that the rules of behavior are clear and consistent, in their home as well as thei...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - October 30, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Patti Wollman Summers Tags: Perspectives Toddler Toddler Discipline Toddler Education Toddler Fun & Play Source Type: blogs
HELP! My Child Wants To Know About Digital Technology – and He’s Only 2!
As we sat by a computer, my 22 month-old granddaughter uttered her first complete sentence to me. It was: “Grandma, you have to double click.” That’s when I knew I was in a different universe. And now it is clear: our digital toddlers, whom we call Digitods, are here to stay.
Why? It’s not surprising. Infants are very interested in the world, and especially in the people around them. In fact, one of the ways a baby can tell us what he or she is thinking is via their gaze. Watch babies and see how often their eyes are glancing at a piece of digital technology in their parents’ or siblings’ hands. It is not sur...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - October 29, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Patti Wollman Summers Tags: Perspectives Parenting Toddler Toddler Education Toddler Fun & Play Source Type: blogs
A MOM’S STORY: Go Ahead, Judge Me
To say that I was slightly irritated by my under-caffeinated and over-jostled condition that wet winter morning in the overcrowded coffee shop would have been an understatement. Working types elbowed aggressively past me, perhaps assuming from my disheveled appearance and whining 3 year-old toddler in his stroller, that I somehow had fewer responsibilities than they did.
The glacial pace of the coffee line, coupled with the screeching of the barista’s espresso machine and agitated buzz of the packed café’s patrons, was beginning to take its toll on Toddler. As if infected by the frenzy, Toddler was beginning to whine ...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - October 28, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Heather Ibrahim Leathers Tags: Perspectives Parenting Toddler Toddler Education Toddler Fun & Play Source Type: blogs
