June 17, 2009

Oh Baby! Baby mysteries and crying

JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News

At the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic in Seattle, Dr. Ben Danielson and his team make the rounds to see babies here for a check-up.

The majority of Dr. Ben's appointments today are "well child" visits, preventive care to keep kids healthy.

Moms have lots of questions.

Should Katie's mom fret over the white patches on her tongue? Nope, it's just a mild case of thrush, a common yeast infection.

In a neighboring room, the blemish on the head of Isabella unnerves her mother. Reassuring words from Dr. Danielson confirm the spot is not unusual.

But, from a parent's perspective, the weird blotches, jaundiced skin and funky diapers can be alarming, and that's just for starters.

"All babies throw up," said Dr. Danielson. "Some of the time it's because their eyes are bigger than their stomachs, they drink eight ounces, but they have only a four-ounce stomach."

As Dr. Danielson explains to our panel of parents, a baby's list of "normals" is a lot longer than abnormals.

Dr. Danielson says there are a lot of things that look kind of concerning. Baby's heads "come out squished and crooked and a little cone-headed and mushy and slightly alien-like," he said.

That's normal, he says.

And those pasty, cold and purpled hands and feet are normal, too.

Another thing that's normal is baby acne.

"Baby acne happens to every baby for some period of time," said Dr. Danielson. "Drooling and pooling and causing some redness in the neck and some peeling along there happens to every baby for some period of time."

Eyes and hearing

Through the eyes of a baby the world appears fuzzy and out of focus. They can see shapes and facial features, but, for a five-month-old like Mary Ficca, that's about it.

"They can tell where the eye is and the nose is, the mouth, but they can't make out details," said Dr. Avery Weiss, Chief, Ophthalmology at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Mary fixates on Dr. Weiss' face and follows his movements. That's a sign of good vision, and it's something parents can observe at home.

"Because if they observe the child fixes and follows to the environment then they are usually fine and it's my best indicator of the child's vision. If they are concerned then I'm concerned," said Dr. Weiss.

Another valuable test recently recommended for babies at birth is the "red reflex eye exam."

In a darkened room, Mary gets the simple exam as a follow-up. A light illuminates her pupil and shines through the layers of her eye.

"And then it's reflected from the retina and you're observing that reflectance of the color, the clarity and the intensity," said Dr. Weiss.

The red reflex eye exam is used only as a screening tool, but the American Academy of Pediatrics says it's critical to catch eye disorders early, before they become irreversible.

As for the ears, at birthing hospitals in Washington, newborns routinely get screened for hearing loss.

If a problem is detected, doctors encourage early intervention, saying it can dramatically improve a baby's language and academic skills.

For Dalton McKittrick, the test revealed he was deaf.

So at seven months old, as soon as possible, he is surgically outfitted with cochlear implants, high tech, electronic devices that will help him hear by stimulating the auditory nerves in his ears.

On activation day, Dalton's world of silence turns into a world of sound. For the first time, he hears a rattle, then, a bell, and his dad.

Dalton now has the ability to hear, and his doctors say with this early intervention he will be on track with his hearing peers by the time he starts kindergarten.

Preventing shaken baby syndrome

Baby's non-stop crying at ear piercing levels can push mom and dad over the edge, beyond their ability to cope.

A new DVD, tested in Seattle, called "The Period of Purple Crying," aims to help frustrated parents by sharing experiences and suggestions about what to do when the screaming becomes unbearable.

The goal is to prevent SBD, shaken baby syndrome.

"Shake the baby like this the head is going to bob back and forth, and what happens is the brain inside the skull is moving back and forth, and that ends up leading to seizures, kids can stop breathing and die," said Dr. Fred Rivara, Professor of Pediatrics at Seattle Children's and University of Washington.

Dr. Rivara says with the stress of today's economy, the loss of homes and jobs, now is the time to inform caregivers about SBS.

"I think it's important to know that at Children's Hospital in the last year the number of children that have been admitted for serious brain injuries from abuse has nearly tripled," he said.

Currently, the DVD is only available through some local hospitals and on-line, but it shares a universal message.

"Crying is normal and it can be three or four hours a day," said Dr. Rivera.

And it's OK for parents to take a time out.

For the video coverage, please click here to be redirected to King 5.