Archive for primary care alliance
More than the blues: Navigating postpartum depression
Whether you’ve given birth to your first child or you’re adding a member to your growing family, childbirth is a profound experience. After that, caring for a newborn is a round-the-clock endeavor — even if you’re prepared. The transition from pregnancy to parenthood is called the postpartum period. For insight on what parents can expect ... Read More
Helping your child cope with separation anxiety
When your baby can’t seem to fall asleep in their crib after weeks of trying, or daycare drop-off always sparks a toddler tantrum, your child may be experiencing separation anxiety. “Separation anxiety is very common,” says Angelica Espinosa-Louissaint, MD, a pediatrician and co-founder of Commonwealth Pediatrics in Boston Children’s Primary Care Alliance. “It often starts ... Read More
How to help your child rekindle friendships at any age
A new school year is often full of promise, but a lot hangs in the balance this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is endorsing a return to full-time in-person learning with proper COVID-19 precautions. Some of the motivation for returning to in-person learning stems from the toll in-home learning may have ... Read More
Practice positivity: Navigating body image with your child
Children receive thousands of messages every day about ‘how the world works’ and the role of kids and adolescents in it. Sometimes they learn things explicitly, but they also receive cues from mass and social media, family and peers. Body image is no exception. In young people, negative messages about bodies and appearances can contribute ... Read More
Finding a nutrition plan that works for your family
Every day, millions of people follow specialized diets for myriad reasons. These can include religious or ethical beliefs, allergies or sensitivities, or meeting individual health goals. Be it vegetarianism, veganism, gluten-free, paleo, or “clean eating,” nutritional lifestyles can be different everywhere. While diets like these and countless others do provide health and wellness benefits, most ... Read More
How lactation specialists can help you find answers to your nursing goals
Even if you’ve done it before, feeding a baby can be hard — especially breastfeeding. Research has shown that almost 60 percent of women in the United States who breastfeed stop before they intend to. This happens for a number of reasons: difficulties producing milk, including low supplyslow infant weight gain (sometimes called “failure to ... Read More
You’re not alone in asking: Five common questions about your baby’s first year
Having a baby often comes with a lot of two things: love and questions. While every infant and family are different, many pediatricians agree that there are common themes in what parents want to know in their child’s first year. We spoke with providers from Briarpatch Pediatrics and Wareham Pediatric Associates of Boston Children’s Primary ... Read More
Behavioral health: What parents should know
Even before a worldwide pandemic uprooted life as we knew it, our children have been grappling with an unprecedented health crisis. In the span of 10 years, emergency rooms have seen a 60 percent increase in mental-health-related visits in patients under age 18. COVID-19’s disruption of routines and social outlets has only worsened this problem. ... Read More
Ten questions to ask when choosing a pediatrician for your family
Selecting a pediatrician is an important decision and one that parents shouldn’t take lightly. Pediatricians specialize in caring for children from birth until young adulthood, so families maintain a relationship with their pediatrician (and their practice) for years. Your pediatrician will quickly become your partner and advisor when caring for your child. Your pediatrician will ... Read More
HPV vaccine: What families should know
Nearly 80 million Americans are currently infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). For most, HPV goes away on its own. If it doesn’t, it can lead to certain cancers. HPV can be transmitted sexually or by nonpenetrative skin-to-skin contact. Often, HPV does not have signs or symptoms, so you can have and spread HPV without even ... Read More