Newborn
Depressed Dads
Dads matter. When people think about depression soon after a baby is born, they often forget about fathers. But many new dads do get depressed, and you can read their depression in their children's be…
Swaddling and Sleep
To reduce crying in irritable babies and to prolong sleep in babies who seem to wake up all the time, parents in many parts of the world swaddle their babies when putting them down to sleep. This cust…
A Colic Diet
Imagine for a moment the sound of 3 hours with a peaceful, happy baby. And imagine the opposite! About ¼ of babies will experience colic, defined as at least 3 hours of crying per day on at least 3 da…
Skin to Skin Care for Preterm Babies
When a baby is admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), life can be quite stressful for the baby - and for the parents. Mothers often report that being separated from their babies, especiall…
Cord Blood Banking
Cord Blood I love being able to help my children give gifts. For Mother's Day and for my wife's birthday, it's a treat for me to get a sense of what the kids want to give, and to provide what they nee…
Simple Dimples
Dr. Greene's take on dimples... Many healthy babies have small dimples on their lower backs. A mother who had just graduated from nursing school came to my office hours chat this week at DrGreene.com.…
Born at Home
For some parents, the idea of planning to have their baby born at home feels natural and normal; for others, especially in high-tech countries, the idea of a home birth may feel frightening and unnece…
Obesity and the First Week of Life
How a baby eats during the first week of life may set lifelong eating patterns that could lead to obesity, according to a fascinating study from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, published in t…
Screening to Prevent SIDS?
Italy is considering a new screening program for all newborn babies, based on the impressive initial results of a pilot study, suggesting this program could prevent the anguish of 30 sudden infant dea…
Kangaroos and Premies
Dr. Greene's take on premies... Newborn kangaroos are not ready to face the outside world: they are kept warm and safe by full-body contact within the pouches of mommy kangaroos . an ideal environment…
The Power of Waiting: Optimal Cord Clamping
The timing of clamping and cutting the umbilical cord can make a difference in babies' health - especially for babies born early. Clamping too late can lead to blood thickening, lung problems, and can…
Cabbage Leaves and Engorgement
Painful breasts are the second most common reason that women give up breastfeeding in the first two weeks. Engorged breasts can hurt! And this can happen both at the beginning and ending of the nursin…
Early Multivitamins, Asthma, and Food Allergies
We know that the first months of life are a very impressionable time when it comes to the developing immune system. Even brief breastfeeding in the first few months of life, for instance, may give lon…
Breastfeeding and Saving Lives
Many studies have demonstrated a variety of benefits from breastfeeding, including lowering the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The first study linking breastfeeding with overall lower in…
Postpartum Depression and the Pediatrician
Dr. Greene's take on postpartum depression... It's not unusual for women to become depressed at some point during the first year after having a baby. Often this depression sets in sometime after the r…
Baby Waking at Night?
A SIDS Silver Lining Breastfed babies have longer sleep cycles than formula-fed babies, according to a study in the January 2004 Archives of Diseases in Childhood, but the breastfed babies are also mo…
Breastfeeding and Protection from Obesity
A huge study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed a total of 177,304 low-income children at public health clinics from birth to age 5. Breastfeeding for more than 6 months was as…
SIDS and Sleeping Arrangements
SIDS rates have fallen dramatically since the 1990's when we learned that putting babies to sleep on their backs could save lives. To understand the SIDS situation today, researchers conducted studies…
Breast-fed Babies Breathe Easier
The longer that children breastfeed, the less likely they are to wheeze when they reach their first birthdays, according to a study published in the October 2003 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immuno…
Baby Bath Seats
Some baby-baths are times of giggling delight; some are frustrating fits of crying ? for the baby and the parents. Baby bath seats are one attempt to make bath time easier, safer, and happier, but the…