News of Interest to Moms September 28, 2009

News to know:


Study: Many kids suffer medication side effects
More than half a million kids a year are treated for medication side effects in American outpatient clinics and emergency rooms, according to a study published in the October issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers analyzed National Center for Health Statistics outpatient data between 1995 and 2005. Among children up to age 18, there were 585,922 visits a year for adverse drug events (ADEs).

Forty-three percent of the visits were by children four years old and younger, followed by youngsters aged 15 to 18 (23 percent). Forty-five percent of the side-effects were skin-related, while 16.5 percent were gastrointestinal.

Are "swine flu parties" safe?
Some parents are considering exposing their children to swine flu via "parties" --parent-sanctioned get-togethers with other children.

Dr. Thomas Sandora, the director of infection control at Children's Hospital in Boston said,"Swine flu parties are a dangerous gamble and a big mistake ...
catching this novel H1N1 flu virus can be extremely dangerous ... intentionally exposing your child to a potentially fatal infection is never a risk worth taking."

Woman in embryo mix-up gives birth, faces heartbreak
Carolyn Savage, 40, gave birth to a healthy boy last Thursday after carrying Shannon Morell's son for nine months.

Last February, the two mothers, both hoping for another child, were surprised when the fertilized embryo from Morrell was implanted in Savage's womb.

Because of her Catholic religious beliefs, Savage, a mother of two from Sylvania, Ohio, agreed not to abort and to give the baby back to its biological mother.


National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: ongoing need for pediatric cancer research

News of Interest for Moms September 25, 2009

News to know:

Infants' and Children's Tylenol Products Recalled
Twenty-one children's and infants’ Tylenol liquid products manufactured between April 2008 and June 2008 have been recalled by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Tylenol's manufacturer.

According to MedPage Today, a medical news service, the recall was prompted by the discovery of possible contamination with a Gram-negative bacteria, Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia).

McNeil Consumer Healthcare informed physicians and other providers of the recall earlier this month, MedPage said. The company also said no bacteria has been found in finished products, but bacteria were detected on bulk materials used to make the medicine.

Parents and caregivers who have questions or concerns should contact their child's health care provider or Tylenol’s consumer call center at 1-800-962-5357 (available Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time).


Doctors Warn About Tricky Dosing with Liquid Tamiflu for Kids
Parents could give their children the wrong dose of Tamiflu as treatment for the 2009H1N1 flu, according to a letter published online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The dosing instructions don't always coincide with the measurement markings on the syringe that comes with the liquid medication.

The letter encourages doctors and pharmacists to watch for this potential dosing mismatch and to help parents figure out exactly how much Tamiflu to give their child.

Pregnant woman gets pregnant
A pregnant Arkansas womanwent in for a routine ultrasound and was shocked to discover she was pregnant again. She has two growing fetuses in her belly, yet the babies aren't twins. Doctors say she got pregnant twice. One baby was conceived two and a half weeks before the other.

Recession Defers Motherhood
Worries about the economy have led many American women to think twice about having a baby, according to a researchers at the not-for-profit Alan Guttmacher Institute, which studies sexual and reproductive health.

The survey found:

*Nearly half of those surveyed said they want to delay pregnancy or limit the number of children they have.

*Many women said they were skimping on birth control, switching to a cheaper method or even going without as a way of saving money.

Reality Check: practical ways to protect children from online pornography (Part 2)

For lots of practical tips on how to protect your children online, read the final article in my three-part series:
Reality Check: practical ways to protect children from online pornography (Part 2)

Reality Check: childen and the dangers of online pornography (Part 1)

Photo by Beth K. Vogt

Earlier this week I shared a link to an informational article about children, online pornography and the law.

Today I share a link to part one of an interview with Cris Clapp Logan, the communications director at Enough is Enough, a national organization dedicated to making the Internet safe for children and families.

Stay tuned Friday for the final installment in this three-part series.

News of Interest for Moms September 14, 2009

News to know:
What's the disconnect between our laws and online pornography and children? Read my article Info 101: children, pornography and the law.

Take My Child To Work Day

Christa hanging with me at a booksigning for Baby Changes Everything




I am still haunted by a conversation I had one day with my daughter, Christa:
Me: So, what does mom do?
Christa: You sit in front of your computer.
Me: No--what do I for work?
Christa: You sit in front of your computer a lot?

Somehow, Christa had never understood that her mom is a writer--despite the fact that I'm hugging her in my author photo on the back of Baby Changes Everything!

I also edit Connections, the leadership magazine for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International. Last night, as I edited a draft of the magazine, Christa walked into my office.

Here was my chance for my own version of Take Your Child to Work Day!

Christa stood by my desk while I showed her all the wonder and magic of being an editor. Somebody needed to be playing appropriate background music. The only sound I heard was my husband stifling his chuckles.

I showed her what an article looked like in it's rough, pre-edit phase. Then I explained how I put all the articles together and sent them to the graphic designer, Heather. She's the one who really got Christa's attention with her magic skills. Christa was amazed to see my basic black and white text turned into a full-color, photos-included draft of a magazine.

Then I showed Christa the fun of ADOBE ACROBAT and editing tools like highlighting, comment boxes! I won't say she was speechless, but she did pay attention.

All in all, our little at-home Take Your Child to Work Day lasted less than 10 minutes. I think Christa has a better understanding of what I do.

Of course, she immediately walked over to her dad, who was looking at a medical journal, and said, "Cool pictures, Dad! What is all that?"

Ah, well. Maybe her future lies in the medical field, not journalism.

Have a Fun Labor Day Weekend!

Whatever your doing this Labor Day--cooking out, going to the beach or the mountains, or just staying home--I hope you're having fun! I'll be getting back to a regular blog post soon.

Getting Kids Interested in Labor Day

I thought I'd share an article I wrote: Info 101: Fun ways to teach your child about Labor Day.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Latest Celebrity Mommy-Come-Lately:Halle Berry

Actress Halle Berry has joined the ranks of repeater Mommies-Come-Lately. The 43-year-old actress is reportedly three months pregnant with her second child. Her daughter Nahla is 17 months old.

Meanwhile, "Bones" actor David Boreanaz became a Daddy-Come-Lately with the birth of his second child, a daughter reportedly named Bardot. Boreanaz and his wife Jamie Bergman have a 7-year-old son Jaden Rayne.