By Southwest Children's Clinic
September 21, 2021
Category:
Children's Health
Tags:
Cleft Lips
Cleft Palate
The day your child is born is one of the most exciting moments in a parent’s life. Of course, finding out your precious newborn has a cleft lip or palate can make things a little more complicated. Luckily, a pediatrician can help you determine the best way to treat your child’s cleft lip or cleft palate to put your mind at ease.Why should a cleft lip or cleft palate be treated?
A cleft lip and palate can present many challenges if left untreated including serious hearing, speech, and swallowing problems. As you can imagine, a cleft lip or palate can affect a child’s speech. Children born with these birth defects are also more likely to deal with recurring ear infections and even hearing loss. By repairing this birth defect as soon as possible we can minimize these issues.
Most children will undergo a cleft lip repair between 3-6 months old, while children will often get a cleft palate repair within the first 12 months. Consequent surgeries may be required later on depending on a variety of factors, including the severity of the defect.
How is a cleft lip and palate treated?
Surgery is the only way to correct a cleft lip or palate. The goal of this surgery is to not only improve your child’s appearance but also make it easier for them to speak, chew, or hear. This surgery is performed under general anesthesia, so your child will be asleep throughout the procedure.
To repair a cleft lip, a surgeon will make incisions on both sides of the defect and then stitch the two pieces of tissue together to close the gap, which will greatly improve the shape and appearance of your child’s lip. A cleft palate repair is also performed under general anesthesia and involves making incisions on both sides of the palate to restructure and rebuild the roof of the mouth.
If your child is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate and you want to talk to us about their treatment options, then turn to your pediatrician to learn more. Your pediatrician is always here to provide you and your little one with the best care possible.
By Southwest Children's Clinic
September 02, 2021
Category:
Child Safety
Tags:
HFMD
Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease
Hand, foot and mouth disease isn’t a childhood infection that’s often discussed but should be. After all, this communicable viral infection is more common in young children than most people realize. If you are concerned about hand, foot and mouth disease, or would simply like to know more, your pediatrician can certainly provide you with the information you need. In the meantime, here are some FAQS that can help you get the facts on this contagious infection.Is hand, foot and mouth disease dangerous?
While the name might make this condition sound rather frightening, the truth is that many kids under the age of five develop this illness. This is because these viruses are quite contagious. Even though this most often impacts young children, this infection can also present in older children, teens, and even adults.
What are the symptoms?
The incubation period for hand, foot and mouth disease is about 3-6 days from exposure. At first, symptoms may appear mild and look similar to the common cold (e.g. runny nose, fever, and sore throat); however, blisters will then start to develop within the mouth and on the body (often the palms of the hands and soles of the feet).
How is it diagnosed?
A diagnosis is often made by a pediatrician through a simple physical evaluation. They will go through your child’s medical history, examine the blisters and ask questions about your child’s symptoms to determine whether this could be hand, foot and mouth disease. Some testing may be performed to rule out other conditions.
How is hand, foot and mouth disease treated?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a medication that will get rid of hand, foot and mouth disease. Like most viral infections, the infection just has to run its course; however, there are certain things your pediatrician may prescribe or recommend that you do to ease your child’s symptoms. For example, ibuprofen may be recommended to help ease the pain as well as your child’s fever. Of course, it’s always a good idea to speak with your pediatrician before you start your child on any medication, even over-the-counter medications.
If your child develops symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease it’s important that you see your pediatrician as soon as possible for an evaluation, as they will want to make sure that this is truly what’s causing their symptoms.
Noticing rough, scaly patches of skin on your newborn’s scalp? If so, this is a sign of cradle cap. This condition (also known as infantile seborrheic dermatitis) is fairly common in newborns and typically isn’t anything to worry about. It’s similar to dandruff for adults; however, while it might not be harmful or painful for your little one, you may be curious to know how to get rid of it. While it will go away on its own, there are things you can do from the comfort of your own home to treat symptoms of cradle cap.First, is it actually cradle cap?
It’s important to be able to pinpoint the signs and symptoms of cradle crap. This condition most often occurs within the first 2-4 weeks of a baby’s life. This condition is characterized by oily, scaly, white or yellow patches that may crust over. While it might look unpleasant it isn’t painful and shouldn’t itch, but may be slightly red. You may also find these scaly patches on other parts of the body including the nose, ears and groin.
If the patches are itchy or painful, this could be a sign of another skin condition that will warrant seeing your pediatrician for an accurate diagnosis.
Should I seek treatment from a pediatrician?
Your baby’s cradle cap should go away on its own with a few weeks or months. You can care for cradle cap by simply using a mild shampoo and by shampooing your baby’s scalp every few days, which can help to remove scales. It’s important that you don’t scrub or become too aggressive with the scalp; however, if your child’s symptoms are severe or aren’t responding to home care, then it’s time to turn to a pediatrician who can prescribe a special, medicated cream or shampoo.
If you ever have concerns about your child’s health or any symptoms they may have, even minor ones, it’s important to bring it up with a qualified pediatrician that can address these concerns and also provide a fast diagnosis. No concern is too small when it comes to the health and wellbeing of your child.
How your pediatricians in West Jordan, UT, can keep your child healthy
You want the best for your baby, and that means you need to seek out the best medical care for your child too. Pediatricians are specialists in children's medical care. They have expertise in treating illnesses and diseases common in children.
The pediatricians of Southwest Children's Clinic in West Jordan, UT, offer comprehensive medical services for children and they can help your child stay healthy too.
Pediatricians perform routine services including:
- School physicals to make sure your child is healthy before attending school
- Sports physicals to make sure your child has no medical issues before playing a sport
- Treatment of acute illnesses such as a cold, fever, the flu, and others
- Treatment of acute infections such as ear infections or strep throat
- Emergency and after-hours care to provide services right when you need them
Another important service your pediatrician can provide is helping your child with required and recommended immunizations. Immunizations are required to attend daycare and school. Your pediatrician can help your child remain current with immunizations.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends these vaccinations from birth to age 18:
- (Hep B) Hepatitis B
- (Dtap) Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis
- (Hib) Haemophilus influenza type B
- (IPV) Polio
- (PCV13) Pneumococcal conjugate
- (RV) Rotavirus
- (MMR) Measles, mumps, rubella
- (Varicella) Chickenpox
- (HepA) Hepatitis A
- (HPV) Human papillomavirus
- (MCV4) Meningococcal conjugate
- (Influenza) Flu
When you bring your child to visit a pediatrician, your child will enter a warm, welcoming, kid-friendly environment, not a sterile, cold medical facility. Your child's comfort is important, especially when it comes to medical care.
Your child will also get to know the pediatrician and pediatric medical staff, developing a bond of trust. This bond of trust makes future appointments easy and productive for your child.
To learn more about the benefits of visiting a pediatrician, talk with the experts by calling the pediatricians of Southwest Children's Clinic in West Jordan, UT, at (801) 563-1975. Call now!
By Southwest Children's Clinic
July 30, 2021
Category:
Children's Health Care
Tags:
Glasses
Vision Screenings
We all want our children to be healthy and to have the best chance for success, especially once they start school. Of course, your child must be getting regular vision screenings with their pediatricians. After all, vision is critical to your child’s ability to learn, communicate, and understand, and vision problems can impact your child’s school performance and quality of life. Could your child need glasses? Here are some telltale signs.You Catch Them Squinting When Reading
When your eyes have trouble focusing on an image, squinting may actually help your child see or focus better. Your child may squint when reading anything far away such as a menu behind a restaurant counter or when reading the chalkboard at school. Your child’s teacher may even let you know that your child needed to move closer to the front to see what was written on the chalkboard. This is a telltale sign that your child needs to have their vision evaluated by their pediatrician.
Sitting Close to the TV
Another sign that your child may have trouble with their vision is if they put phones and other electronic devices close to their face to see it. Your child may also sit really close to the TV. These could be signs of nearsightedness.
Nightly Headaches
If your child’s eyes have been overworked and straining all day your child might complain of frequent headaches, particularly in the evening.
Difficulties in School
When parents and teachers notice that their child is having trouble focusing on work they may immediately think that they have ADHD, but sometimes bad vision is actually the culprit. If your child can’t properly see the board, it’s no surprise that their attention focuses on other things. This is when you should talk to your child and find out if they are having trouble seeing the board. It might not be behavioral issues, it might just mean that they need to get an eye exam.
If you are noticing changes in your child’s vision, or if your child mentions having blurry vision or trouble seeing, you must schedule an appointment with your child’s pediatrician as soon as possible. While your pediatrician does have the tools necessary for hearing and vision screenings, they can also refer your child to a pediatric optometrist who can provide further and specialized vision testing and fit them with glasses, if necessary.
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