I’m a pediatric hospitalist, and I know that most days in the hospital are routine. But every once in a while, a patient pierces through your armor, and touches your heart in totally unexpected ways. Willow did that to me. Willow was five days old and …
Category: Pediatrics
A pediatrician’s 5 ways to curb kid’s digital media consumption
During the winter months, it’s common for many families to spend more time indoors due to colder weather and fewer daylight hours. Unfortunately, children may also end up spending an increased amount of time using electronics to entertain or dive…
Getting a terminal diagnosis for my baby
I knew things weren’t right when a nurse called me on my cell phone just a few minutes after she sent me to pump milk in a private room and said that the medical team wants to meet with my husband and me immediately in a conference room. My suspi…
A physician who has her name butchered on a daily basis
“S as in Sam, I, E, C as in Charlie, Z as in zebra, K, O, W, S as in Sam, K, I.” “A, O, W?” “No. K, as in kite. K, O, W.” “Is that your married name?” “Nope. This is my maiden name. I kept it.” “What is that? Polish?” “Yes. Yes, it […]
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How ocean plastic picking made me a better pediatrician
It has been over a month since I started this new hobby. I told my middle-school-aged daughter tonight, “I am going to write a post about how ocean plastic picking has made me a better pediatrician.” She replied, “You mean better than other pediatricia…
Would you buy a smartphone if it had this warning label?
Imagine if every “device” (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) had the following warning label: This device is not intended for any individuals under the age of 16. Purchasers of this device frequently cite their child’s “safety” as a r…
Patients with severe autism: medical and dental care in the community
The pediatrician kept on telling me that everything was fine. What could possibly be wrong? His motor skills were right on time, if not a little early. He even had emerging problem-solving skills. He did things like push a chair up to a shelf to climb…
A neurosurgeon asks: Is your child’s backpack hurting her spine?
Running late for school in the morning. Again. You yell upstairs to your daughter, “Hurry up.” While she’s slipping on her sneakers and hustling out the door, you grab her backpack from the chair in the dining room. “Wow,” you think. “That’s heavy.” Ev…
“How are you doing?” A simple question with a big impact.
From October 25 to October 29, 2019, more than 10,000 pediatricians from all over the world gathered in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, to attend the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition. As the world’s larg…
Maybe being a physician was just not enough
Do you ever see other people in their careers and think to yourself, “Maybe I could do that?” I am a board-certified pediatric physician with over 25 years of experience in private practice, and I recently decided to try my hand at acting. …
