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Posts Tagged "Pediatrics"

8Feb2022

Stomachaches in Children

All children have been faced with stomachaches at some point in their young lives. They can range from mind and infrequent to severe and constant. Stomachaches can also be something as simple as a digestive upset to something much more severe like appendicitis. It can be difficult to pinpoint what may be causing your little one’s symptoms, but these suggestions below may help you find a good starting point and know when to seek medical attention for something more serious.

Watch Out for Specific Severe Symptoms

When children complain of a stomachache, it’s essential to first assess for any signs that may warrant an emergency room visit. Severe right-sided abdominal pain, a significant fever, vomiting, or blood in a bowel movement should be evaluated promptly. If none of these are present, try to identify what may be triggering the pain. Does the pain get worse or better after eating? Is it in the upper part of the abdomen, lower abdomen, or on the left or right side? These questions and answers may help your child’s doctor narrow down a diagnosis.

Your child’s eating and toileting habits are also helpful in trying to figure out stomachaches. A food diary – consisting of what is eaten at each meal, along with notations of if the pain is better or worse, will be helpful to your pediatrician. Likewise, a toileting log should help you keep track of your child’s bowel movements, frequency, and consistency. Both of these can be brought to your child’s appointment with your pediatrician to discuss any abnormal findings.

Pay Attention to Trends and Consult a Pediatrician

If stomachaches have been a regular occurrence for several months and have interfered with daily activities, your pediatrician may want to order further testing to rule out any serious medical conditions. This may include bloodwork, x-rays, or ultrasounds. An elimination diet may also be helpful in trying to identify any triggers that may be making the pain worse. This includes eliminating certain food groups for several days to see if those specific foods either alleviate or aggravate the symptoms.

Sometimes, stomachaches can be attributed to school avoidance, anxiety, or other emotional stressors. Talking to your child about these situations may help you identify if this may be the source. If there is a physical reason behind their symptoms, such as constipation, reflux, or any other diagnoses, working with your pediatrician will help your child get their stomachaches under control.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
8Oct2021

How to Talk About Medication with a Pediatrician

If you’ve ever spent time watching television, you’ve almost certainly come across ads that ask you to talk to your doctor about some type of medication. While this might be a tough thing to do for the average person, it can feel even more challenging if you are doing so on behalf of your child. Luckily, it’s usually simple to talk to your pediatrician about your concerns.

The Important Factors to Discuss with Pediatricians

It’s always best to go into a conversation about medication with a pediatrician with the goal of solving a problem rather than talking about a specific medication. If you’ve noticed a drug that is advertised to help your child with a particular type of illness, for example, the best way to start the conversation with your doctor is to talk about how you can better manage that illness. Talking about medication is usually a logical follow-up question to that.

You may also want to spend some time doing some research on your own before you talk to your doctor. While pediatricians do a great deal of research on their own, being able to bring up specific concerns or points of interest can be a great way to help your doctor get a bit more information about your child’s needs. The more you’re able to bring to the table in this conversation, the better.

Don’t be afraid to talk to your child’s pediatrician if you have concerns about medication. You may be able to not only get more information about the medication in question, but you may also be able to work with your pediatrician to find a way to better manage your child’s condition. In addition, if you’re willing to start the conversation, your pediatrician may be able to find a suitable course of action that can help your child to live a better life regardless of what they end up being prescribed.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
29Sep2021

How to Talk to Children About Eating Healthy

A good diet is incredibly important for growing children. It ensures that they’re not only able to grow, but that they also receive the fuel that they need to meet the challenges of growing up. While you can certainly make dining decisions for your children when they are very young, things become more complex as they get older. As such, it’s essential to start talking to your children about making healthy eating choices.

Starting Healthy Eating Habits as Children

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that healthy eating isn’t about how someone looks. Don’t bring up issues like weight with your child when you talk about eating healthy. Instead, focus on his or her health as it relates to how he or she eats. With younger children, it might be essential to talk about strong bones or a healthy heart. With older children, though, it might be best to talk about how they feel after they eat certain things.

Above all else, this process is about helping your child to understand that he or she will have to make choices. Don’t talk about completely eliminating desserts or going on diets; instead, talk to your child about how it’s important to practice moderation with certain kinds of treats. Helping your child to understand that eating healthy doesn’t mean giving up the things he or she loves can be a great way to help make the lesson stick.

Don’t forget to involve your child in helping to make healthy meal choices. For example, let your child help the family’s shopping list and discuss why you choose certain items instead of others. If you can get your child involved with his or her own diet early on, he or she will find it much easier to eat healthy when he or she is out on his or her own. The groundwork you lay now can lead to a healthier future for your child.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
28Jun2021

Getting Back to the Pediatrician

Getting your child back to the pediatrician after a long year of lockdowns and quarantines can be tough, but it’s also necessary. Though many non-necessary visits have had to be put off, many parents now find themselves making up for the lost time as they help their kids get back to something approaching normal. For many, though, getting back to the pediatrician requires a bit of extra work.

Preparing Your Child for the Visit

The first step you’ll need to take to get your kids back to the pediatrician is to contact your doctor. While things might have changed over the last year, your pediatrician still has a vested interest in making sure that your child receives the best care possible. If you haven’t been in for some time, this might mean updating yourself on waiting room procedures and expectations for patients.

It’s also a good idea to make sure that your child is ready to get back to the doctor. If you have a very young child, this means setting his or her expectations for what’s going to happen. For some, this might mean letting your child know that there might not be toys to play with while he or she waits. For others, though, it might mean talking about shots or even what it means to go to the doctor.

Ensuring Information is Up to Date

You may also need to remember to update some paperwork. Insurance changes, addresses changes, and other issues still need to be processed, and some doctors now prefer you to fill out paperwork ahead of time. As most parents know, though, filling out paperwork while watching a sick child has never been easy so this might actually be a bit of an improvement for many.

It is, however, important that you get back to the doctor when you need to do so. Though things might have changed on the outside, you should still expect to receive the same level of care that you’ve always received. While adaptation is necessary, it is always good to know that your child’s physician still has his or her best interests at heart.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
21Jun2021

Teamwork with Your Child’s Physician

It’s always important for a parent to be able to talk to his or her child’s physician. Doing so isn’t always easy, though, especially if you find yourself intimidated by the idea of talking with an expert about your child’s health. Taking the time to learn how to talk to a doctor is always a good idea, and following the steps below can help you to have a better relationship with your child’s pediatrician.

Be Direct

One of the biggest hurdles in talking to your child’s doctor is not ensuring that he or she knows that you want to talk about something. When you schedule an appointment for your child, make sure that you’re direct with the doctor about your concerns when he or she is in the room. It’s always better to talk to the pediatrician face-to-face and to be able to address things directly rather than waiting until later.

Be Specific

It’s also a good idea to bring as much specific information to your discussions as possible. If you feel like your child isn’t sleeping well, for example, you might want to specifically state about how often your child is waking up every night and how long it has been since your child has gotten a good night’s sleep. Your child’s doctor certainly doesn’t expect you to come in with a diagnosis, but he or she can always work better when he or she has more actionable information with which to work.

Remember, You Are a Team

Maybe the most important thing to remember, though, is that you and the child’s doctor are on the same team. Even if you don’t agree with him or her, you’re both working to make sure that your child is in the best possible health. As such, it’s always good to go in with the attitude that the two of you are going to work together and that your doctor’s advice is always in the interest of helping your child.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
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