You really can get your baby to sleep through the night. You can sleep too. There are some simple methods that have worked for parents for years. But recently some people suggested that teaching infants to fall asleep is bad for their brains– that it teaches babies “learned helplessness.” I don’t think so.Read more
Many expecting moms hope to breastfeed. It’s covered briefly in many childbirth education classes and there’s often a sense of, “Well, it’s natural, so it should be fairly easy.” In the hospital, in the whirl of childbirth and immediate postpartum care, breastfeeding may or may not come instantly easily – but nearly all new parentsRead more
I’ve heard many horror stories about flying with breast milk, from security agents that forced moms to dump out milk to broken bottles. I’ve also made a few mistakes myself, once causing me to throw out several days of expressed milk. I’ve taken countless business trips while breastfeeding my four children, and these are myRead more
I used to believe we should leave medicine to the doctors and faith to the Church. Now, sixteen years later, I am the co-founder of MyCatholicDoctor. Yes, I have changed my mind. So, as a pediatrician, a wife, and a mother of 7, here are my top 7 reasons why you need a Catholic healthRead more
My two year old had a fever the other day, so I went digging under the bathroom sink for a thermometer. To my surprise, I found eight thermometers, each of a different type. I have been a parent for seven and a half years, and I have four kids.* This means I have bought, onRead more
A parent once brought up this common potty-training issue to me: “My 3 1/2 year old son will urinate in the toilet but will not poop. We put a pull-up on him and THEN he goes. Is there anything to help speed his toilet training along?” 3 1/2 — isn’t that a bit old forRead more
“Is 18 days too long to go without pooping?” a mom of a 3-month-old asked. Believe it or not, yes, sometimes this is okay. How long is too long for an infant to go without pooping? The answer depends on age and diet, but most of the time babies that won’t poop are fine withRead more
I recently cared for a nine-month-old baby girl who came to our emergency room with a dog bite that had ripped her face and scalp into pieces. As soon as I entered the room her father’s first words were, “It wasn’t the dog’s fault.” He went on to explain how this crawling infant had provokedRead more
