Introducing New Nurse Practitioner Gina Wilson
We are happy to announce the addition of our new Nurse Practitioner Gina Wilson. This native of Harrisburg, N.C., holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Science in Nursing from Duke University. She has three years of nursing experience at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We hired Gina earlier this year with the knowledge that she first had to fulfill a previous commitment. She traveled to the East African nation of Tanzania for service with Helping Babies Breathe, an organization founded by the American Academy of Pediatrics and international health care agencies to train local midwives in immediate post-birth resuscitation and supply them with the equipment they need to assist babies who do not breathe on their own. “We are so lucky in America to have an abundance of resources available to assist newborns,” Gina said. “In Tanzania, newborns are four to five times more likely to die when compared to America. Difficulty breathing causes a high percentage of these deaths, which in most cases are preventable. It is an honor to work with these midwives and to be a small part of saving newborn lives. On this last trip, I was able to hold one of those babies in my arms, and it was one of the most precious and surreal moments of my life.” Participation in Helping Babies Breathe is part of Gina’s continuing education at Duke, where she is finishing her doctoral studies in nursing through distance learning until graduation in May 2016. She and her husband Ryan are enjoying their move to Jacksonville and looking forward to pursuing their careers and home life in Northeast Florida.
Check Out Photos From Our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration!
On Saturday July 18th we held our 10-Year Anniversary Celebration at our Beaches office. Over 200 patients and parents attended and everyone had a blast with our dunk booth, petting zoo, games and more. Check out the photo gallery below to see all the fun!
Common Childhood Habits
The causes of habits remain unknown. Their repetitive nature suggests that they serve a soothing or calming process for the brain. Interestingly, even in adulthood many people cling to some of these self-comforting traits during times of stress: sucking on pencil tips or their fingers, pulling their earlobes, fingering their hair. Common Self-Comforting Habits Here are some of the most common self-comforting habits of middle childhood that concern parents: Thumb-sucking Body rocking Head banging Fingernail biting Cuticle picking Hair twirling Masturbating Growing Out of Certain Habits Some self-comforting habits – such as thumb-sucking and body rocking – begin in infancy and gradually fade in middle childhood. During these middle years, most thumb-suckers will confine their sucking to the privacy of their home, at bedtime, while watching TV or when they are upset. Often, this behavior is accompanied by other vestiges of earlier years, such as cuddling with a blanket. As children mature and develop greater self-control and self-understanding, their thumb-sucking usually disappears, most often by ages 6 to 8. Also, with increases in peer pressure, children tend to assume greater mastery over their behavior. Similarly, a small number of middle-years children exhibit the normal behavior of rocking themselves to sleep in bed. They may curl into a knee-to-chest position and rock with such vigor that the bed shakes and even bangs the walls until they are fast asleep. A few children roll their head back and forth, at times banging into the wall. Still others sit up and rock. As unsettling as parents may find these unusual habits, children may exhibit them every night in order to settle into sleep. The rhythmic motion seems necessary to soothe or calm the central nervous system in the transition from wakefulness to sleep. Other “Annoying” Habits Fingernail biting, cuticle picking, hair twirling and nose picking are also very common – and annoying – habits of childhood, developing between ages 3 and 6. This behavior may continue throughout middle childhood and perhaps longer. Like other self-comforting habits, they are tension reducers, “time-wasters,” and seem to be outside of consciousness or awareness. Frequency and Intensity The frequency and intensity of these habits tend to ebb and flow, often without apparent explanation or parental intervention. Some observers have noted that the child who bites his fingernails or picks his cuticles often causes bleeding or pain; perhaps this natural consequence plays a significant role in the eventual disappearance of the habit. In any case, these habits frequently fade with time. Management vs. Punishment As a first step in the simple management of your child’s self-comforting habits, ignore them! Most commonly, they will disappear with time. When you call attention to them with harsh words, ridicule, or punishment, the tension that the habit presumably relieves will increase, and the habit will get worse. Punishment is not an effective way to eradicate habits. Ignoring these habits, however, can be a difficult process for most parents. After all, if the mother or father finds a habit irritating or frustrating, ignoring it does not make the feelings disappear. Even so, try to withhold your negative comments and wait for the habit to pass. If your child sucks her thumb or bites her fingernails, she may be interested in overcoming the habit and thus will cooperate with your own efforts toward that goal. Try using these techniques: When you notice that your child is not doing the behavior for extended periods, reward her in some agreed-upon way. Use over-the-counter agents, such as bitter-tasting compounds that can be placed on the fingers or the cuticles, to remind your child when she begins to bite or suck her thumb. This approach has a relatively low rate of success, but it is simple and, with your youngster’s cooperation, may be an effective strategy. Ask your pharmacist about these products. Positive reinforcement is the most successful way to produce a change in behavior. Accentuate and reward the new behavior you want to see adopted. Star charts and daily rewards are very helpful. Last Updated 5/5/2015 Source Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5 to 12 (Copyright © 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics) The information contained in this article should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
When to call the pediatrician ~ Fever
The most important things you can do when your child has a fever are to improve your child’s comfort by making sure they drink enough fluids to stay hydrated and monitor for signs and symptoms of a serious illness. It is a good sign if your child plays and interacts with you after receiving medicine for discomfort. Call your child’s doctor right away if your child has a fever and Looks very ill, is unusually drowsy, or is very fussy Has been in a very hot place, such as an overheated car Has other symptoms, such as a stiff neck, severe headache, severe sore throat, severe ear pain, an unexplained rash, or repeated vomiting or diarrhea Has immune system problems, such as sickle cell disease or cancer, or is taking steroids Has had a seizure Is younger than 3 months (12 weeks) and has a temperature of 100.4°F (38.0°C) or higher Fever rises above 104°F (40°C) repeatedly for a child of any age Also call your child’s doctor if Your child still “acts sick” once his fever is brought down. Your child seems to be getting worse. The fever persists for more than 24 hours in a child younger than 2 years. The fever persists for more than 3 days (72 hours) in a child 2 years of age or older. Last Updated 11/4/2014 Source Fever and Your Child (Copyright © 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics, updated 5/2012)
Newborn Eye Color
New parents often ask what color I think the baby’s eyes are going to be. I never answer this question until the child is at least 1 year old; I mean, what if the parents believe me and use my answer to make major life decisions? When we talk about eye color, we’re really talking about the appearance of the iris, the muscular ring around the pupil that controls how much light enters the eye. After all, the pupil will always be black, except in flash photos, and the whites (sclera) should stay pretty much white, although jaundice may turn them yellow and inflammation may make them look pink or red. Gray or Blue Eyes at Birth Iris color, just like hair and skin color, depends on a protein called melanin. We have specialized cells in our bodies called melanocytes whose job it is to go around secreting melanin where it’s needed, including in the iris. When your baby is born his eyes will be gray or blue, as melanocytes respond to light, and he has spent his whole life in the dark. Eye Color Changes Over Time Over time, if melanocytes only secrete a little melanin, your baby will have blue eyes. If they secrete a bit more, his eyes will look green or hazel. When melanocytes get really busy, eyes look brown (the most common eye color), and in some cases they may appear very dark indeed. Because it takes about a year for melanocytes to finish their work it can be a dicey business calling eye color before the baby’s first birthday. The color change does slow down some after the first 6 months of life, but there can be plenty of change left at that point. Eye color is a genetic property, but it’s not quite as cut-and-dried as you might have learned in biology class. •Two blue-eyed parents are very likely to have a blue-eyed child, but it won’t happen every single time. •Two brown-eyed parents are likely (but not guaranteed) to have a child with brown eyes. •If you notice one of the grandparents has blue eyes, the chances of having a blue-eyed baby go up a bit. •If one parent has brown eyes and the other has blue eyes, odds are about even on eye color. •If your child has one brown eye and one blue eye, bring it to your doctor’s attention; he probably has a rare genetic condition called Waardenburg syndrome. Cross-Eyed? Parents also often note that their newborns’ eyes appear to cross from time to time. For the first 6 months of life this can be normal. To begin with, to look at something the brain has to know where to point the eyes. For the first 2 to 4 weeks of life vision is not accurate enough for the baby’s eyes to find a target a lot of the time. Parents often feel like their newborns are looking past them rather than at them, because they are. By the fourth week of life, however, your baby will focus on your face if you’re cradling him. Most visual development occurs in the brain, not in the eyes themselves. One of the greatest challenges for the developing brain is to coordinate visual signals from one side to the other. Nerve signals from the eyes travel through optic nerves and split off to both sides of the brain. To make sense of those signals, the 2 sides of the brain have to cooperate, comparing information and coordinating eye movement in the desired direction. Until age 2 months you may notice your infant will follow your face or a toy a little way, then lose it as it crosses from one side to the other. By 2 months, however, he should be able to track from right to left and back again. The next big visual milestone occurs at 6 months of age. By this time the 2 sides of the brain are on good terms with each other. Until this point the eyes track together as long as they both have something to look at, but if one is deprived of input (from being covered by a hat, for example), it might drift off in its own direction. By 6 months of age the eyes should continue looking the same direction even if one of them is covered temporarily. We test this in the clinic by covering 1 eye for 3 seconds, then suddenly uncovering it and looking to see if it’s still tracking with the opposite eye. We call this test the cover-uncover test. Sometimes the shape of a child’s face makes it look as though the eyes are crossed even when they are not. A child with a broad nasal bridge may appear to have an inward-looking eye, when in fact he’s just looking off to the side. You can check this by watching the light reflection in your child’s eyes from a window or lamp; if it falls in the same place on each eye, the eyes are working together. Even with office screening, however, we don’t always catch an eye that tends to deviate. Deviations occur more often when the child is tired. If you ever notice that your 6-month-old or older child has an eye that doesn’t always look the same way as its partner, alert his doctor. It’s critical that an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) examine the child. What some people call a lazy eye (amblyopia) may be a sign that one eye doesn’t see as clearly as the other. When the brain is forced to make 1 picture from 2 very different inputs, it starts to ignore the signals from the worse eye. Over time this process becomes irreversible, leading to partial blindness in the weaker eye. In most cases, you should address the problem before the child turns 3 to ensure he’ll grow up with normal depth perception. Treatments for amblyopia vary based on the cause and severity of the condition. Some children require
November Employee of the Month ~ Lallaine Villegas
How long have you worked for Pediatric Care Center? I started working for Dr. Benitez at his old practice in 1999. When he opened Pediatric Care Center I naturally went with him. So, a grand total of 15 years! Do you have any pets? No Where did you go to high school? I went to St. Augustine Catholic School in the Philippines, 9-11th grade. My senior year I attended Sandalwood High School. Tell me what degree you are getting? I’m currently taking classes at FSCJ and hoping to get a degree in nursing. Do you have any hobbies? How do you spend your time off? NO, I spend my day off cleaning my house, studying and taking care of my children. Side note ~ Lallaine has four school age children including a set of twins and is married to a wonderful, active duty sailor serving in the Navy! What is the favorite part of your job? I like everything about my job, especially my co-workers because they’re fun and easy to work with.
Employee of the Month – Tyeisha Ross
Congratulations to Tyeisha for being selected October Employee of the Month! How long have you worked for us? 1 year and 10 months Do you have any pets? No Where did you go to high school? William M. Raines What degree are your working toward? I plan to start a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program in May 2015. Eventually, I will become a Registered Nurse. What is your favorite part of your job? Interacting with the kids brings me so much joy! I also love my co-workers. They are easy to work with and very entertaining! It feels good to work for a company that supports its employees and makes you want to strive for even more!
Differences in Organic, Natural and Health Foods
Differences in Organic, Natural, and Health Foods Although these terms are often used interchangeably, they have different meanings. Organic foods are grown without artificial pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides. Organic meat, eggs, and dairy products are obtained from animals that are fed natural feed and not given hormones or antibiotics. Natural foods are free of synthetic or artificial ingredients or additives. “Health foods” is a general term that may be applied to natural or organic foods, or to regular foods that have undergone less processing than usual, such as stone-ground whole-grain flours. Although some have claimed that organic foods have a higher concentration of some nutrients, the evidence is mixed. The nutritional content of foods also varies greatly according to when the food was harvested and how it has been stored or processed. Unless they are fresher, there is also no evidence that organic, natural, or health foods taste better than regular foods. However, taste is determined by plant genetics, rather than by whether the crop is organically or conventionally grown. Harvesting and handling also affect taste. A peach or tomato that is picked when it is too green will never develop the full taste of fruit that is allowed to ripen on the tree or the vine. Although the type of fertilizer may not affect taste or nutrition, it does have an effect on the environment. Many people prefer to pay premium prices for organic foods because their production does not cause environmental damage from pesticides and herbicides, and composted fertilizers help restore soil and are not as damaging to the environment as artificial fertilizers. However, simply stating “organic” does not protect the food from being contaminated from field to market. Last Updated 7/9/2014 Source Nutrition: What Every Parent Needs to Know (Copyright © American Academy of Pediatrics 2011)
Sports Injury Prevention Tips
More American children are competing in sports than ever before. Sports help children and adolescents keep their bodies fit and feel good about themselves. However, there are some important injury prevention tips that can help parents promote a safe, optimal sports experience for their child. Please feel free to use them in any print or broadcast story, with appropriate attribution of source. Click here for the Spanish Version. Injury Risks All sports have a risk of injury. In general, the more contact in a sport, the greater the risk of a traumatic injury. However, most injuries in young athletes are due to overuse. Most injuries occur to ligaments (connect bones together), tendons (connect muscles to bones) and muscles. Stress fractures can also occur from overuse. However, the areas where bones grow in children are at more risk of injury during the rapid phases of growth. In a growing child, point tenderness over a bone should be evaluated further by a medical provider even if there is minimal swelling or limitation in motion. Most frequent sports injuries are sprains (injuries to ligaments) strains (injuries to muscles), and stress fractures (injury to bone) caused when an abnormal stress is placed on tendons, joints, bones and muscle. Contact your pediatrician if you have additional questions or concerns. To reduce the risk of injury: Time off. Plan to have at least 1 day off per week from a particular sport to allow the body to recover. Wear the right gear. Players should wear appropriate and properly fit protective equipment such as pads (neck, shoulder, elbow, chest, knee, shin), helmets, mouthpieces, face guards, protective cups, and/or eyewear. Young athletes should not assume that protective gear will protect them from performing more dangerous or risky activities. Strengthen muscles. Conditioning exercises during practice strengthens muscles used in play. Increase flexibility. Stretching exercises before and after games or practice can increase flexibility. Stretching should also be incorporated into a daily fitness plan. Use the proper technique. This should be reinforced during the playing season. Take breaks. Rest periods during practice and games can reduce injuries and prevent heat illness. Play safe. Strict rules against headfirst sliding (baseball and softball), spearing (football), and body checking (ice hockey) should be enforced. Stop the activity if there is pain. Avoid heat injury by drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise or play; decrease or stop practices or competitions during high heat/humidity periods; wear light clothing. Sports-Related Emotional Stress The pressure to win can cause significant emotional stress for a child. Sadly, many coaches and parents consider winning the most important aspect of sports. Young athletes should be judged on effort, sportsmanship and hard work. They should be rewarded for trying hard and for improving their skills rather than punished or criticized for losing a game or competition. The main goal should be to have fun and learn lifelong physical activity skills. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Pediatrics – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/news-features-and-safety-tips/Pages/Sports-Injury-Prevention-Tip-Sheet.aspx#sthash.ZhqXakkz.dpuf
August Employee of the Month – Norma Carrangian
Our Employee of the Month for August is Norma Carrangian! Norma was the first employee Dr. Benitez hired when he opened his very first practice in Neptune Beach in 1987! She was his nurse, receptionist and billing department! Dr. Benitez likes to say she looked after his money better than he did. In the early years, when he would try to give her a raise she would tell him, “no, he couldn’t afford it”! She now works in billing and is an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to coding, claims and insurance. Thank you for all you do! How long have you worked here? 27 years Tell us about your family? My husband Rey is retired from the Navy. I have two daughters and one son and three grandchildren. What is your education? I went to Calauag Central College in the Phillipines and I received my Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. What do you like to do when you are not working? My husband and I socialize with our friends, go to parties, play mahjong and baby sit our grandkids. What do you like best about your job? I love all aspects of my job and I will miss those when I retire.