September 30, 2006
If you're new to the e-zine, there are 3 sections:
- additions and changes to the site
- new questions from visitors - and the answers, of course
- news and updates from the pediatric and child health world
Please read and enjoy.
Additions and Changes to the Site
There are new pages on eczema, cradle cap and impetigo - all with photos of the skin rashes.
There are new sections on Diarrhea and on Constipation.
There are new sections on Growth, Growth charts and Feeding.
Go to my Baby Blog page and get the latest updates.
If you can't find what you want via the navigation bars, you can search the site.
New Questions and Answers
Question: My 2 1/2 year old toddler has mucus with bad oder from one nostril. What could be the cause?
Answer: It sounds a bit like your 2 1/2 year old has got a foreign body in his nose. Toddlers often put small objects up a nostril and this can cause bad odor and mucus. It is important that someone, your doctor, looks up your toddler's nose and removes any object seen. It has to be done with care so any object that is there is not pushed further down.
Question: When teething is it normal for the gum around the tooth comming through to turn white and swollen? The first bottom teeth didn't do this and this is the top one and it is painful for him. It looks like the tooth is through.
Answer: Generally, teeth just appear. Sometimes, infants can get cysts on their gums - we call them Epstein's Pearls. They look like shiny white collections (or swellings). They are not usually painful and they eventually go away by themselves. http://www.usc.edu/hsc/dental/opfs/OC/48bb.html is a link with a picture of an Epstein pearl.
Occasionally, infants can get abscesses on their gums and these would be painful. If your baby is in pain with the swelling or it has any pus discharging from it, you need to see your dentist.
Question: What is a branchial cleft cyst? How is it detected,& how is it taken care of?
Answer: Branchial cleft cysts are cysts that occur in the head and neck region as a result of an abnormality when the embryo was forming before birth. Branchial cleft cysts are usually detected because a swelling is seen under the skin and further investigation confirms a cyst. Branchial cleft cysts can get infected when children get upper respiratory infections and the swelling becomes more pronounced. Branchial cleft cysts are treated by surgical excision. If the abnormality is noted in the newborn period, surgery is often delayed until the baby is 3 to 6 months of age.
For further information, try http://www.bcm.edu/oto/grand/21193.html
New and Updates
Have you seen this website:
'Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website'.
I really like the Parenting in Pictures pages.
A recent publication in the Lancet suggests that codeine may not be a safe painkiller for all women who are breast-feeding. Some women have a genetic make-up that means they convert the codeine to morphine which is transferred to the baby via breast-milk. So if you are breast-feeding, it is wise to avoid codeine-containing painkillers if you can. If they are required, seek medical attention if your baby becomes drowsy or difficult to feed.
Reference: Gideon Koren, James Cairns, David Chitayat, Andrea Gaedigk and Steven J Leeder. Pharmacogenetics of morphine poisoning in a breastfed neonate of a codeine-prescribed mother • SHORT COMMUNICATION. Lancet August 2006; 368 (9536): 704
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To go to Baby Medical Questions and Answers