A. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before on my blog, so I wanted to give a big shout-out to a website/podcast that saved me during my pregnancy (and is even helpful now). I listened quite religiously to PregTASTIC podcasts before, during, and now after my pregnancy. Basically the concept of PregTASTIC is: on a weekly basis pregnant women get together and talk about the ups and downs of their pregnancy from the week... then, an expert in some pregnancy related topic comes on and talks about that topic. The ladies ask questions, the show ends. The topics are wide ranging: Breastfeeding, Maternity Clothing, Baby Gear, Baby Blues, I'm Pregnant now what do I eat?!, etc, etc. Oh, and after the women on the show have their babies, they come back and talk about the birthing experience (my favorite episodes!). If you are pregnant, or thinking about getting pregnant, I highly recommend checking out PregTASTIC, through the iTunes store (free) or online at: http://www.pregtastic.com/ (also free)
B. Elena's doctor told us about an immunization against the virus called Rotavirus. I had never heard of it. I looked it up on WebMD and here is what I found.
1. What is rotavirus?
Rotavirus is a virus that
* Causes severe diarrhea, mostly in infants and young children.
* Is often accompanied by vomiting, fever, and dehydration.
* Is the leading cause of diarrhea in infants and young children in the United States and worldwide.
* Infects almost all children in the United States before their 5th birthday.
2. Should we be concerned about rotavirus?
Each year in the United States, rotavirus is responsible for
* More than 400,000 doctor visits.
* More than 200,000 emergency department visits.
* Between 55,000 and 70,000 hospitalizations.
* Between 20 and 60 deaths among children less than 5 years of age.
Worldwide, rotavirus
* Accounts for about 527,000 deaths annually among children less than 5 years of age.
* Causes about 1,600 deaths each day among children less than 5 years of age.
3. How is rotavirus spread?
Rotavirus spreads easily.
* Large amounts of the virus are shed in the stool of infected persons and can easily be spread by contaminated hands and objects.
* Children can spread rotavirus both before and after they become sick with diarrhea, and they can pass the virus to household members and other close contacts.
* Among adults in the United States, rotavirus infection causes gastroenteritis (severe diarrhea, often with nausea, vomiting, and cramps) primarily among
o Travelers returning from developing countries.
o Parents and persons caring for children with rotavirus gastroenteritis.
o Immunocompromised persons.
o Older adults.
Just yesterday we took Elena to the doctor's office and she got to drink down this little vial of stuff. The doctor said that it could cause diarrhea, and sure enough, this morning she was screaming her head off. She had diarrhea in her pants, and she could not be soothed until I started feeding her. Right now she is sleeping in her baby swing, and I hope that her tummy ache has gone away. I guess a day of grumpiness would be better than a day spent in the hospital.
I'm just curious... is immunization against Rotavirus common in your area?
2 comments:
Here, at least, Rotavirus is one of the 5 immunizations that is given at the newborn, 3, and 6 month shots (they don't give shots at 9 mos...you just wait until they're a year old and then go back). Each time Max has gotten his shots, he drinks the little syringe of stuff for the rotavirus (that's usually the easiest part! Though he's been very good about shots overall). So, I don't know if it will be in his 12 mo. immunizations or not, but I do know he's gotten it every time up to now. Hope Elena's tummy feels better!
I don't think our boys were ever immunized for rotavirus, but we did spend three days in the hospital with Charlie for diarrhea and vomiting when he was 4 or 5 months old. I think it's probably worth it if you can avoid having a very sick baby. I hope Elena is feeling better soon! You take such great care of her :)
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