Don’t buy these common baby myths!

If you just had a baby, you’re bound to have a lot of advice thrown your way. But keep in mind, common wisdom isn’t always wise. We know better these days. Holding a baby often or picking him up when he cries won’t spoil him. Keeping your baby from taking an afternoon nap is not going to make him sleep faster at night — it’s just going to make him overtired and cranky. If you’re breast feeding, spicy or citrus food won’t make your baby reject your milk. And the list of baby myths goes on and on….

When in doubt about advice thrown your way, double check with a trusted source — like your pediatrician. Meanwhile, we have four common baby myths we’ll debunk for you right now.

A good book to set baby myths straight is Babyfacts by Dr. Andrew Adesman. Dr. Adesman is Chief of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New York and an associate professor in the Pediatrics Department at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Here are some of the baby myths — among 200 others — he debunks in his book:

Myth: Babies need over-the-counter medication for coughs and colds.

Truth: Over-the-counter doesn’t mean safe. In fact, cough and cold medicines are not recommended for children under four years old. Children just need extra rest and fluids while letting a bout of cough or cold virus run its course. Dr. Adesman explains, “Over-the-counter baby medications have increasingly gotten ‘blacklisted’ from a pediatric standpoint. Parents feel better about doing something rather than nothing, but in reality, the medications don’t work that well and are not necessary. Accidental overdose is another serious risk.”

Myth: Herbal remedies are a safer alternative to over-the-counter medications.

Truth: Though some herbal remedies (such as echinacea) are usually safe, it is still best to consult with a doctor or homeopath before administering. Dr. Adesman says, “Data on most natural cold and flu remedies is limited at best. In some cases, you may be giving your child a substance that could cause harm. On the other hand, some natural remedies are helpful.”

Myth: All ear infections need to be treated with antibiotics.

Truth: Most babies are bound to suffer from an ear infection, but it is treatable — and not always with antibiotics. Dr. Adesman explains, “This is a big change in America because for decades, pediatricians have been very aggressive in treating ear infections. In Scandinavia, on the other hand, childhood ear infections have, for many years, been generally left untreated. The change in treatment recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics is based on the fact that 80% of all children with ear infections (acute otitis media or AOM) get better on their own, without antibiotics.”

Myth: Don’t vaccinate your child because vaccines can lead to autism.

Truth: No scientific investigation has successfully proven vaccines cause autism. Dr. Adesman says, “With respect to the autism ‘epidemic,’ it’s important that families recognize that in recent years, there has been a marked shift in the definition of autism, which makes it seem like rates have increased. Autism is now recognized as a ’spectrum disorder’ — with many more mild cases that were previously never classified as “autism.” In addition, children with other developmental disorders, such as mental retardation or language disorders, are also now being classified as having autism. This diagnostic substitution has led to a further increase in the reported number of children with autism. In reality, there may be some rise in the number of children with autism spectrum disorders, but experts are not certain there has been any increase in the frequency of what had originally been defined as autism. The benefits of immunizations to your child and the overall community far outweigh any risks.”

H1N1 and HPV shots now standard for children.

The U.S. has revised it’s official vaccine schedule for children. It is now recommended that children older than 6 months get the H1N1 influenza vaccine as standard protocol.

Dr. David Kimberlin, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases and a liaison to the Centers for Disease Control panel that helped author the recommendations, says the guidelines also say combination vaccines are generally preferred over separate injections.

“Most of these recommendations are for vaccines and boosters that almost every pediatrician and family physician knows about and already is using,” Kimberlin said in a statement. 

”The bottom line here is vaccines save lives, improve the health of all children and benefit families and communities.”

The updated schedule includes new vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Among these are the H1N1 vaccine and a human papillomavirus vaccine for girls, known as the HPV2 vaccine, designed to protect females from two strains of the virus associated with more than 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.

The new schedule also encourages doctors to recommend the earlier HPV4 vaccine for boys ages 9 and older, offering protection from four strains of the virus and reducing the likelihood of male genital warts. Children at-risk for meningococcal disease should get a booster shot of meningococcal conjugate vaccine three years after their initial MCV4 dose at ages 2-6, the guidelines say.

Pewgnant women and young kids are considered high risk for the flu virus.

In related news, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending that public education campaigns should encourage patients at high risk for severe influenza to get vaccinated.

The CDC and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released last week said it is crucial that medical providers offer early anti-viral therapy for children under age 2 and to patients with underlying risk conditions.

In addition to young children and pregnant women, those at most risk of H1N1 include those with:

• Asthma.
• Disorders of the brain, spinal cord, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, stroke, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injury.
• Chronic lung disease.
• Heart disease and blood disorders such as sickle cell disease.
• Diabetes mellitus.
• Kidney disorders
• Liver disorders.
• Weakened immune system due to disease, medication, HIV, AIDS, or cancer.
• People under age 19 who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy.
• People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The report says that last spring, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found of the first 99 patients hospitalized with H1N1, 59 percent were age 17 or younger and 74 percent had one or more underlying medical condition that increase risk of complications from influenza, putting them at greater risk for developing severe illness. Among hospitalized patients, 48 percent had asthma and some 60 percent of adults and 18 percent of children were obese.

One flu shot, double protection.

Expecting? Then please seriously consider getting vaccinated for the flu. Your newborn can be also be protected from the influenza virus if you get yourself a flu shot. A study shows that mothers who were vaccinated during pregnancy had newborns with significantly less chances of getting the flu – along with other serious respiratory illnesses like pneumonia.

The study was conducted by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and is the first to demonstrate that the influenza vaccine protects both the mother and baby. Results were published just this month by the New England Journal of Medicine.

What researchers discovered may really convince you to get those flu shots.

Researchers saw a 63 percent reduction in influenza among babies born to mothers vaccinated during pregnancy. As for other serious respiratory illnesses, that dropped 36 percent for both mothers and their babies. There is also a trend for catching less cough and cold viruses.

And there’s more reason for vaccination. The inactivated influenza vaccine is not licensed for infants below 6 months. Babies can’t take the nasal flu vaccine either since that is only given to children above the age of 2. Doctors say, if you are pregnant it’s your chance to take the shot for baby – and get her some protection.

And babies could definitely use the protection. Dr. Mark Steinhoff senior author of the Johns Hopkins study says, “infants under six months have the highest rates of hospitalization from influenza among children in the US. These admission rates are higher than those for the elderly and other high-risk adult groups.”

I’ll let Dr. Steinhoff say it: “Pregnant women should be encouraged to be vaccinated for the flu to protect their infants and themselves.”

We’ve talked about this before and I am encouraging you again… please take your flu shot if you are expecting. The vaccine is safe. Even the Obama’s at the White House are taking the H1N1 vaccine. That we’re in the midst of the flu season is all the more reason to do it ASAP.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that this October, rates for lab-confirmed flu are higher than expected for this time of year. The proportion of deaths due to pneumonia and influenza is also higher than usual. Remember that babies are in the high risk group.

Last thing you need when you’re caring for a newborn is to be sick, or for your new baby to be sick. Knock on wood. Better yet, get that shot.

Hold the Tylenol after getting a vaccine.

Children typically get fevers after certain vaccination shots. The rise in body temperature is a sign that the child is developing an immune response to the vaccine. In other words, a fever post-shot (if it occurs) is a sign that the vaccine is kicking in.

Dr. Robert T. Chen at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control explains that a child’s immune system is processing the immunization and providing them with the best protection. Since this post-shot fever happens to many children, they are often given acetaminophen (Tylenol is a popular brand) to avoid the fever response all together. Trying to stop this fever-response may actually be counter-productive.

A study shows, this fever preventive protocol given by some doctors can decrease the effectiveness of the vaccine they had just administered.

In the October 17 issue of The Lancet, Dr. Chen adviced that “unless your doctor specifically recommends it, do not give fever-reducing medicines at the same time as vaccination to prevent your child from developing a fever. “

It is still okay to use fever-reducing medications (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen) to treat an existing fever. Just do not give it to prevent the fever.

The studies that shed light on all this was done by a team of researchers led by Dr. Roman Prymula from the University of Defence in Hradec Kralove, the Czech Republic. The team conducted two studies – one when children got their first vaccination, another when they got their booster shot.

The vaccines involved in the studies: pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), diphteria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, polio and rotavirus.

459 babies were observed. Some were assigned to get acetaminophen every six to eight hours for 24 hours after vaccination. Some were given no acetaminophen at all.

Those who received the anti-fever meds had less incidence of fever, but they also had a decreased immune response to the vaccines given. Lab tests showed that these babies developed less antibodies – specifically to Hib, pneumococcal disease, diphteria and tetanus toxoids and an antibody for whooping cough.

The theory is, acetaminophen’s anti-inflammatory properties interfere with the healthy immune system’s antibody responses. The result is weakened immunization.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Marc Siegel at the New York University of Medicine explains that “the conclusion that Tylenol not only suppresses fever, but also decreases immune response is plausible. After all, what is an immune response? It’s an inflammatory response.”

Something to bear in mind, next time we take a trip to the pediatrician’s office for the next round of vaccinations. Talk to your doctor about this as each child is different. Some children with a history of febrile convulsions (convulsions brought on by fevers), may need a fever-preventive protocol. Most kids may be better off not stopping the vaccine-response fever. Your trusted pediatrician should know what’s best for your child.

Paranoia over the H1N1 flu strain may have died down a bit, especially since the latest flu vaccine can now protect against it. What doctors are urging the public to do now is to get the vaccine, especially for young kids and pregnant women.

H1N1 is a virulent strain of the flu virus. Those who are sick and old have always been especially vulnerable. Now doctors are saying young children and pregnant women are most susceptible to it’s effects as well. Pregnant? Get vaccinated as soon as possible. Have young kids? Get them to the pediatrician for a flu shot pronto.

H1N1 starts like the typical flu, but it is particularly dangerous as it spreads easily to the lungs. When that happens, the flu can turn deadly if it develops into full-blown pneumonia. So while the paranoia has died down, the dangers of the virus are still real.

Pregnant women are especially vulnerable because typically their lungs don’t expand as well. During pregnancy, our immune systems are also not one hundred percent. Besides, if you’re pregnant the vaccine won’t just protect you, it will also protect your baby.

In fact, some doctors don’t test for H1N1 anymore and just give pregnant patients Tamiflu medication as soon as they have flu symptoms. This is because many pregnant women who have died from H1N1, tested negative from the virus at the early stage of their sickness.

As for the little ones, most of us know how easy they can catch colds and coughs – especially if they’re already in daycare or preschool. They’re immune systems are immature to begin with. Add to that, being with a whole bunch of kids throughout the day leaves them openly exposed to all sorts of viruses – H1N1 among them.

Speaking of kids and shots…

A little tip from pain experts: When you take them in for that flu shot, bring along a bottle of bubbles. As they’re getting the injection tell them you are “blowing away the hurt” as your are making bubbles.

Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer, director of the Pediatric Pain Program at Mattel Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles says: “I have seen babies stop crying mid-cry because they were distracted by the bubbles.”

Dr. Zeltzer has more advice: As a rule of thumb, never lie to them about the injection. Or any injection for that matter. He says, “No one likes to get poked with a needle, but if you reassure your child that there are ways to make the hurt go away, then you can help them achieve a successful, less painful experience.”

I’d second Dr. Zeltzer. It is best to be honest to your kids, even about an upcoming ordeal with the injection. In the end, that crying fit at the doctors office will be worth the price of gaining their trust.