Congratulations on you new arrival! You are about to begin one of life's great adventures, watching your infant grow and develop into a strong and healthy child.

During the next few days, most of your time will be spent in resting and regaining your strength. You can put this time to good use by getting to know some of the simple things that will help to make your life with baby easy and fuss-free.

Your child is an individual from the day he is born. We will be happy to give you guidance and answer your questions while you are in the hospital and later by phone and during your visits in the office. Do not depend on friends and relatives for advice, no matter how well meaning. Conflicting opinions and advice can only confuse you, and make the first few months of your infant's life more stressful than it needs to be.

Allergies

An allergen is a material which is capable of provoking an allergic reaction, such as a pollen grain, dust particle or animal dander. Cat allergen - the allergy causing material from cats- is not cat hair, but a protein present in the dander and saliva of cats. The allergens become airborne as microscopic particles, which, when inhaled into the nose or lungs, can produce allergic symptoms. Although individual cats may produce more or less allergen, there is no relationship between the pet's hair length and allergen production, and no such thing as a non-allergenic breed.

Cat allergen is present in largest amounts in homes with cats, but has also been found in homes where cats have never been present and in offices or public spaces where animals are not allowed. Cat allergen is particularly sticky and is carried on clothing. It is almost impossible to not be exposed to some level of cat allergen. Of course, levels of exposure will be much higher where cats are present, and these levels are more likely to cause allergy symptoms.

Soft furnishings - carpets, upholstered furniture and mattresses - will hold cat allergen
even after a cat has been removed from the home or banished from the bedroom. This allergen then becomes airborne after the soft material is disturbed. It can take as long as 20 weeks for cat allergen in carpets to decrease to levels found in homes without cats, and years for cat allergen in mattresses to do so. Removal of the bedroom carpet and encasing of the mattress will eliminate the continued exposure to these reservoirs of allergen. If the carpet can not be removed, it should be thoroughly vacuumed and then sprayed with a solution to help denature the remaining allergen.

When carpet containing allergens is vacuumed, the tiny allergen particles pass through the standard bags of many vacuum cleaners and are blown out the exhaust into the air. Use a vacuum shown to have high allergen containment. Furnace filters help to trap the allergen. Finally, allergens also adhere to vertical surfaces such as walls, which should be cleaned.

Studies have demonstrated that washing cats with water removes much of their surface allergen. However, it is not clear if this reduction persists long enough to reduce symptoms. Recent studies have shown that wiping cats with detergent emollients does not significantly alter cat allergen levels.

Asthma

If you or a loved one has asthma, you're not alone. In the United States, over 14 million people have this lung disease. One-third of them are children.

Asthma is a lung disease that can be treated. Asthma can be very different from one person to another and from one episode (attack) to another. For some, asthma causes only mild symptoms once in a while. For others, every day can be a struggle to breathe. Some asthma attacks last only a few minutes-others go on for days, others quickly become life-threatening.

When a disease is as unpredictable as asthma, it can be hard to understand and control. But with proper education millions of people with asthma lead full, active lives with little disruption of work, school, family, and social activities.

Vaccine Information

Preventing disease is the greatest accomplishment of modern medical care. Pediatricians have always been the most active pracrtitioners in this area. VACCINATING YOUR CHILDREN PROMPTLY IS THE SINGLE BEST THING THAT PARENTS CAN DO TO INSURE THEIR CHILD'S GOOD HEALTH!

If you have questions about the risks and benefits of vaccines, contact us.