Anencephaly is a tragic and shocking disease for any parent to have to come to terms with.  Because of the nature of the condition, babies born with it will not survive.

Anencephaly is a neural tube defect.  The neural tube fails to close properly early in pregnancy, leading to a lack of normal brain development.  A major part of the brain may be missing; in the most severe cases, the brain may be completely absent.

This condition is extremely rare in babies that are carried to full term.  In 99% of cases, fetuses with this birth defect are naturally miscarried.  Our bodies may recognize that this is a life that cannot be supported.

It is not possible to treat this condition.  All of the systems needed to sustain life are damaged or negatively affected.  Unfortunately, all that can be done for a baby born with anencephaly in to keep them comfortable. 

Parents who deliver a baby with this condition should attend grief counseling to help them deal with their loss.  We so often need answers in a situation like this but unfortunately little is known about why anencephaly strikes some fetuses.

In the past, clubfoot was thought to have been caused by Baby’s position in the uterus.  Experts now believe that it is caused by environmental factors; heredity; nerve diseases; spina bifida; or muscle diseases.

This condition that affects 1 in 400 babies, and boys more often than girls, occurs in three forms.  The first and most common is called calcaneal valgus.  This type of clubfoot causes the foot to turn upward and upward from the heel. 

The second and most severe type of clubfoot is called equinovarus. This causes the foot to twist inward and downward.  When both feet are affected, the child’s toes will actually point towards each other.

The third and mildest form of clubfoot is called metatarsus varus.  The front of the foot turns inwards. 

Clubfoot is not painful, but it can impede your child’s ability to stand or walk to different degrees, depending on the severity.  The foot cannot move up and down as it should in a normal walking motion.  With early treatment, your child may receive an exercise regimen, surgery, or plaster casts and go on to walk normally. 

 

Babies and toddlers are very susceptible to frostbite.  So while we try our hardest to protect them from the elements you may, at some point, find yourself wondering how to treat frostbite.

Baby’s fingers, toes, cheeks, ears, and nose are most likely to be damaged by extremely cold weather.  Frostbite causes the skin to become cold and a white to yellowish grey color.  If you notice that your child has developed frostbite, it is crucial to begin treatment immediately to prevent further damage.

Get the baby to the hospital immediately.  If this is not possible, take them into a warm room immediately.  Do not set them beside a source of heat such as a stove, fireplace or open fire; this could actually cause the skin to burn and suffer further damage.  Likewise, do not place the baby in hot water.

Begin a gentle re-warming process by holding the baby directly against your own skin.  Your body temperature is enough to help their skin thaw.  Frostbitten fingers and toes may be soaked in water that is just slightly warm to the touch, or a few degrees above body temperature.

Do not apply pressure to the frostbitten areas.  As your child’s skin warms, they may develop blisters.  Do not try to pop or drain these blisters; get medical help immediately. 

The way that you treat a child’s burns depends on the type of injury that they have suffered.

Sunburns- Apply cool (not ice) compresses to your child’s skin for 10 to 15 minutes.  Calamine lotion, applied between cool compresses, helps to dry out any blisters that may have formed.  Never apply butter, Vaseline, powders, or other fatty or oily lotions to the skin.

Chemical burns- When your child has been burned by a chemical agent, it is important remove any contaminated clothing immediately.  If the burn was caused by a powder, gently brush away any traces of the substance.  If you know what type of chemical caused the burn, follow the burn treatment directions on the container.  Rinse the affected area continuously with cool water.  Call emergency services immediately if the damage is severe, or of your child is having trouble breathing.

Electrical burns- If your child is being electrocuted, use a non-metallic object to remove the power source from your child.  Take your child to the emergency room, or call emergency services if they are not breathing.

First degree burns- Hot water or steam can cause a first degree burn, which is characterized by a red, inflamed area on the skin.  Apply cool (not ice) compresses and use pure aloe lotion to treat.

Second degree burns- If blisters form on the affected area, your child has experienced a second degree burn.  Apply cool (not ice) compresses and calamine lotion.  Do not use any oily, powdery, or fatty substances to treat.  Do not pop any blisters.  If your child is under a year old; or has burns to their face, feet, genitals, or hands (at any age) they should be taken to the emergency room.

Third degree burns- These are very serious injuries.  The sensitive inner layers of skin and nerves are damaged.  Remove any clothing that is not stuck to the wound.  Call emergency services immediately and apply cool, wet compresses to the affected area.  DO NOT immerse your child in cool or cold water; they must be kept warm and comfortable until help arrives.  Unless your child’s mouth has been burned, give them water or clear liquids to drink.

When babyproofing your home, it is important to ensure that all outlets are covered; cords are stored safely; and appliances are well out of reach.  But on occasion, electrical shocks do happen.  Would you know what to do?

Babies and young toddlers are unaware of the dangers posed by electrical outlets and appliances.  As parents, it is our job to make sure that they are in good working order and do not pose a risk to our children.  An extension cord strewn across the floor, for example, is an easy target for a curious baby to chew on. 

When a child is electrocuted, they are often unable to break free of the power source.  Quick action is necessary.  Use a dry, nonmetallic object to remove the source of the current from the child, such as:

• a broom
• a wooden ladder
• a kitchen chair
• a long wooden spoon
• a couch cushion

If your child is not breathing, call emergency services and begin CPR immediately.  Even a child who does not appear to be injured should be taken to the hospital immediately.  Apply a cold compress to any burns.

No matter how hard we try to protect them, our children always manage to find one way or another to get into something!  Small objects such as nails, bobby pins, and insects are just the right size for Baby to insert into their ear canal.

If you can see the item lodged in your child’s ear, the manner in which you remove it depends on what they have actually managed to put in there.  One rule remains the same: if you cannot easily remove the object, do not probe the inner ear.  Doing so could push the object farther in, possibly damaging the eardrum.  First, try turning your child on their side so that the affected ear is facing down.  Lightly shake the head (very, very gently) to see if the object will come out on its own. 

A metal object might be removed by using a magnet to draw it out. Insects can often be drawn out using a flashlight.  Other than this, never use an instrument such as a pair of tweezers, or even your finger, to remove the object.  You will need to take your child to the doctor or emergency room to have the object removed.

If the ear is bleeding from inside the ear canal, or your child has difficuly hearing, they may have already sustained an injury to the ear and should get medical help immediately. 

The Apgar is a test developed by anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar to assist doctors in making uniform observations about an infant’s overall health just after birth. 

The test is performed one minute after the birth, then again at five minutes.  The doctor will be giving the baby a score of 0 to 2 in each of five different categories, making the total possible score 10. 

The first test is a look at Baby’s general appearance.  A pale or blue baby will receive a score of 0; one with a pink body but blue extremities will get a 1; and a healthy pink baby gets a 2.

The next test is the pulse.  A baby with no detectible pulse is a 0; with a pulse below 100 is a 1; and over 100 is a 2.

The doctor will test the baby’s grimace, or reflex irritability.  If they do not respond to stimulation, they will receive a 0; a grimace warrants a score of 1; and a hearty cry is a 2.

They will observe Baby’s level of activity, or muscle tone.  Flaccid, weak muscles will get a 0; some movement in the extremities a 1; and a lot of activity a 2.

Respiration is the last consideration in the Apgar test.  A baby with no signs of breathing will be graded a 0; one with slow, irregular breathing is a 1; and a crying baby is a 2.

Babies scoring between 7 and 10 are considered to be in good to excellent shape.  Those scoring between 4 and 7 may need some resuscitative measures.  Babies who score under 4 are considered to be in poor condition and need immediate lifesaving measures. 

It is important for parents to understand that the purpose of the Apgar test is to give doctors a uniform set of standards by which to evaluate a newborn.  Their condition at this very early stage has nothing to do with how successful, how healthy, how strong, etc they will be later in life.

Bedwetting is an extremely common problem that many children face each night. In fact, about 15% of six-year olds wet the bed. This can continue into the pre-teen years.

No one knows what causes bedwetting. It carries with it a stigma; some people mistakenly believe that bedwetting is a symptom of some deep emotional distress. This is rarely ever the case. Bedwetting does seem to have a genetic factor, as children of former bedwetters are much more likely to wet the bed themselves.

This can be an embarassing and traumatic experience for a child, but it doesn’t have to be. Your child shouldn’t be made to feel that they are in trouble, or that you are disgusted with them, when they wet the bed. They really have no control over this action.

Instead, reinforce your love for your chid and speak positively to them about the day that they will grow out of their habit. It might make your child feel better to hear stories about relatives who outgrew their bedwetting. They should begin to understand that this is a normal part of growing up.

If your child is uncomfortable at sleepovers, don’t force them to go. It is not necessary (and is actually very disruptive) to wake your child during the night to urinate in the toilet. This will not stop the bedwetting, and will only result in a lack of sleep for all involved.