New research shows touch is very powerful for baby For many years, I have believed in the power of touch when caring for babies. Back in 2013, I published an article on the positive effects of touch, including improved brain growth, digestion, behavior and self-esteem. Recently, there has been a wave of new research demonstrating […]
5 Ways to Set the Stage for Mindful, Supportive Diapering
Guest article by: Felicia Fitzgerald, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, Perinatal Outreach Educator, Chicago, Illinois. Last revised: May 15, 2017 While each of your baby’s “first” moments are exciting and memorable, some activities, such as feeding, bathing or diapering your baby, can turn into every day, habitual tasks over time. However, it’s important to keep in mind […]
Cool Gear for Dads
Many times I hear from my patients about the roles they each play at home and ways they are stuck, feeling inefficient and exhausted. With labor and nursing for mom, and overall household for Dad, along with tech and gear purchases we think are “cool”…I try to encourage Dads to look for ways they can […]
Mommy Brain & Daddy Brain
How Parenthood Changes Your Brain for the Better Over my 45 years as a pediatrician, I’ve become increasingly convinced that the term “mommy brain,” and in a different way “daddy brain,” are realities of parent life. Actually, that makes sense. For babies to survive and thrive, parents, especially mothers, would develop an extra radar system […]
My Mother the Nurse
Martha Sears Discusses Nursing & Motherhood by Lauren Sears As a kid, I would usually forget that my mom was a nurse. I never saw her in scrubs, or loop a stethoscope around her neck. In fact, I rarely heard about her nursing days. It was more my dad who reminded me of my mom’s nursing profession by […]
Debunking Diapering and Wipes Myths
Note: This article first appeared on BabyCenter’s Blog here, as a Featured Expert post written by Dr. William Sears and sponsored by Huggies®. Nothing is more important than the health of your baby, so it’s natural to worry when something unfamiliar appears – that’s a parent’s instinct. The more you know and learn about […]
How to Eat for a Healthy Pregnancy
Graze, Sip and Dip for a Healthy Pregnancy What’s going on in there? Every mother wonders how her habits affect how her baby is growing. Once upon a time it was thought that a baby in the womb grew according to a predetermined genetic blueprint, and as long as a mother took reasonably good care […]
ASTHMA: IT’S NOT ALL JUST ABOUT THE INHALERS
Are inhalers the best solution? One of the aspects of asthma and allergy treatment we discuss in The Allergy Book is the important of lifestyle changes. Inhalers certainly help reduce asthma symptoms when needed, but to solve some of the more underlying causes requires a deeper level of intervention that doesn’t always have to involve […]
Advice for New Parents
Good Advice for New Parents A new baby coming home is a time significant change in the dynamics of the relationship between mom and dad. You can never truly be ready for how this will affect the two of you. Often in this circumstance dad can wind up feeling left out. Mother and baby are […]
Infant Sleep Patterns
Infant Sleep Patterns are Different One of the great challenges of early parenthood is waking up during the night to attend to baby. Many new parents feel exasperated (and exhausted) at the fact that baby will not sleep more than an hour or so without waking up. You should not to try to change baby’s […]
Choosing a Pediatrician
6 Tips for Choosing A Pediatrician Thirty-five years ago when I (Dr. Bill) was finishing my pediatric training and was about to hang out my shingle and open a practice, one of my professors advised me that there are three qualities parents look for in a pediatrician- the three A’s: affability, ability, and availability. Choosing […]
Sleeping While Pregnant
The Challenge of Sleeping While Pregnant As your pregnancy progresses and your little passenger starts taking up a lot more room, sleeping while pregnant becomes more of a challenge. You get more tired and need more sleep, but the changes of pregnancy can keep this from happening. Here are some explanations as to why sleeping while […]