Getzwell Pediatrics

Throughout 2011 we gave you the whys and hows of maintaining healthy eating habits for you and your baby. With the holidays fast approaching and a brand new year just around the corner, now is as good a time as any to get your household on a healthy track. Eat healthy this during the holidays [...]

We’re all familiar with the old adage ‘you are what you eat’. Well, that’s not all. New studies shed light on just how influenced your baby is by what you eat, too! This fascinating article from NPR reveals exciting research about how what you eat during your pregnancy can help shape your baby’s taste buds [...]

Did you know that at birth your baby can make out most of your facial features right from your arms? The topic of infant vision is always on new parents’ list of questions and is now better understood than ever, as ongoing research has continued to shed light on what infants are able to see [...]

This past January Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin announced the The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding.  Due to mounting evidence of breastfeeding’s myriad health benefits she declared its promotion a national priority.  Indeed, most people have heard about the passage of immunities from mothers to their breastfed infants, but few parents have [...]

Morgan, Hugh D. et al. “Epigenetic Inheritance at the Agouti Locus in the Mouse.” http://www.genetics.wustl.edu/bio5488/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Morgan1999.pdf Barker, D.J.P. “Fetal Origins of Coronary Heart Disease.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2550226/pdf/bmj00601-0037.pdf Giscombe, C. L. & Lobel, M. (2005). Explaining disproportionately high rates of adverse birth outcomes among African-Americans: The impact of stress, racism, and related factors in pregnancy. Psychological Bulletin, 131(5), 662-683. [...]

Researchers in the field of “fetal origins” propose that the 40 week gestation period may be one of the most significant times of our lives.  The 9 months before birth may shape our susceptibility to disease and the functioning of our major organs as well as influence our temperament and intelligence.(1) Over the last fifty [...]

Cold Hard Facts Colds are caused by viral infections of the nose and throat. The average healthy child will experience between 6-10 colds a year. While colds are not serious, about 5-10 % of children will develop a bacterial complication (e.g. ear infection). Typical Cold Symptoms Runny or congested nose—it’s okay for mucus to be [...]

Parents often ask if they should premedicate their baby before immunization in order to prevent fever and discomfort that’s associated with the shots. In fact, a study published last year in The Lancet suggested that acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) blunts the immune system’s response to the vaccines. At GetzWell, where we often vaccinate [...]

Q: I need some guidance on starting my infant on solids. Can you help? A: My goal in counseling parents about solids is to emphasize healthy eating and to teach them how to positively shape their child’s taste preferences. A growing body of research shows that babies’ palates are influenced before birth. Maturing in the [...]

One of the most common questions we get relates to what kind of a thermometer to use and how to use it properly.  Here’s a link to some sound information on how best to take your child’s temperature: temp.