Here are some tips to keep you and your kids out of the doctor’s office this holiday season:

• Stay Home. For real, avoid unnecessary trips.  Junior doesn’t need to wait in line with you at 6AM on Black Friday to get that $249.99 laptop at Walmart.  Also, with H1N1 (swine flu) flying around everywhere, this would be the year to tell your extended family that you really don’t care for them and you want to spend Christmas at home with the wife and kids.
• Take the Meds. If your child is over 6 months old, get a flu shot.  With the H1N1 hype happening right now, most people are losing site that the regular flu tends to get nasty in late December.  Protect yourself and your kids and get both types of shots.
• Tell your friends and family to get shots. As adults, our immune systems have been strengthened by shirtless football games in January and the barrage of germs, viruses and parasites that are ingested during spirited beer pong play…your kids on the other hand have not led the cultured life that you have and can’t handle exposure like you can.  Avoid exposure by (putting on some pants) asking your relatives to get flu shots before you come and visit.  If grandma really wants to see her granddaughter, she can take her butt to the pharmacy for a shot.
• Keep them clean. I saw a kid pick up a chicken bone from the floor of a restaurant and put it in his mouth once.  Gross right? I swear, the little buggers will touch and eat anything…ANYTHING.  Keep their hands clean and keep an eye out for what they’re touching.  Grabbing Uncle Randy’s wooden leg is one thing, sucking on a handrail at the mall (I literally just gagged) is another. 
  
• Teach them how to sneeze and cough. I keep telling my 6 month old that if she doesn’t start covering her nose and mouth when she sneezes that I’m not going to let her talk to boys until she’s 50.  Lucky for me, she’s not covering up.  If your kid is old enough to get it, teach them how to cover their mouth/nose and teach them to wash their hands afterward.  A sick kid is bad enough, being known as the family that’s spreading the outbreak can get you run out of some places.

Do you have any tips?  Please comment!

WASHINGTON—Plum Organics of Emeryville, Calif., is recalling some of its apple and carrot portable pouch baby food because of concerns over possible botulism contamination.

The product was sold individually throughout the country at Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us stores. The recalled product is sold in 4.22-ounce pouches, with a “best by” date of May 21, 2010, and UPC 890180001221.

FULL STORY

Hubby: Do you want something to eat?
Me: um…no thanks. I don’t really have an appetite.

Hubby: Are you upset with me?
Me: No…I am just feeling this overwhelming sense of sadness, and I don’t know why. I just know that I need you here with me.

Hubby: Do you want to talk about it?
Me: I don’t know how to put into words what I’m feeling…I just know that I feel lousy but so in love…all at the same time. I could cry at any moment.

Hubby: Can you tell me what you’re feeling?
Me: All I can say is that I feel this profound sense of emptiness and there is no rational explanation for this grief. I am overjoyed and I truly have the perfect life. I have a husband who loves me, a beautiful newborn daughter, who is the love of my life, and no stress or drama and yet, I feel such an indescribable sense of loneliness and feelings of inadequacy. I’m miserable that you are going back to work, and I’m miserable that I have to return to work in a few months. I just want to be with her all the time. I look at our daughter and I am overwhelmed with love. It’s more intense than anything I have ever felt in my life. Beyond these thoughts, i can’t explain the origin or why i am in this state. It is as though my hormones have taken over, and I am completely out of control with my emotions, and if I continue talking about it…I’m going to cry once again.

For anyone out there who has ever experienced these feelings, this was my entire second week of motherhood. No one tells you that this overwhelming sense of loss / grief / emptiness / sadness is looming, or that you’ll experience a seesaw of emotions ranging from bliss to tears all within minutes…nor does anyone explain how to handle this hormonal state of utter distress. I am here to tell you that these feelings are all normal and completely natural. This my friends is Postpartum Blues.

It is as if you are fine one day, elated, on a huge cloud of bliss, celebrating this new life, then you turn around and the next minute you are crying and feeling completely out of sorts. You have no idea how to make these erratic feelings stop and your husband / partner is completely helpless, unsure of how to comfort you. Additionally, you don’t know if it will end and you don’t know if there is a light at the end of this bleak tunnel. You feel like you are going on an uphill battle with your child by your side and you don’t know how to handle these new feelings and emotions.

What I wish someone would have told me is that it’s ok to feel these things, and that you should never feel embarrassed to discuss your thoughts. I was so ashamed that I felt such profound sadness, that I tried to suppress my feelings, and even told my closest friends and family members that I was not experiencing anything hormonal. In fact, even when my mother expressed that she had a bad case of postpartum blues, I did not share my experience with her. I’m ashamed to say that I thought people would view me as weak, or that it was a sign that I was not a good mother. Especially when I had so much to be thankful for, and had such intense feelings of love for my family.

Dads / partners, postpartum blues are very real. They are overwhelming and unexplainable. What your wife needs, is not answers or solutions or the old “baby, you are such a strong woman!” pep talk. What your wife needs is a hug, a kiss, a smile, some cuddle time, and your undivided attention. Do not make the mistake of telling your wife that she should be positive and strong for the baby. What woman wants to hear that she is not living up to an imaginary standard? What she really needs is your comfort, support and understanding. Without that, it is a slippery slope from postpartum blues, which may last from one day to 2 weeks, to postpartum depression, which can persist for months and years. Take it from me, I needed my husband to be in sync with me, to protect me and make me feel loved and comforted by telling me what every mom wants to hear – that I am the most amazing and loving mom on this earth.

SOME TIPS:

• Be sure that the house is in complete order (cleanliness / ample food / nursery is set up, etc.) before you arrive from the hospital with your little bundle of joy.
• Arrange for loving friends and family to stop by. As much as you may want your privacy, it’s nice to feel loved and appreciated after going through such a huge transition. It’s also nice to keep her distracted from only focusing on her sadness.
• SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP! All new moms need their sleep. This is a rejuvenation period for mom, so be sure that she is taking care of herself!
• Allow your wife / partner to cry – encourage it! Do not let her feel like something is wrong or let her feel like she should be worried. Allow her to cry on your shoulder and let out all of her feelings. This is such a great way to cleanse her system and feel a sense of catharsis. This is all part of a normal pregnancy postpartum.
• Get mom out of the house everyday, even if it is for a short walk or car ride. Being out in the real world can be refreshing.
• Avoid Isolation. Be sure that your wife / partner has a support group available at all times. Be it her best friend or sister in law, be sure that she always has someone readily available if you are not accessible.

RESOURCES FOR POSTPARTUM BLUES:

• Baby Center – Postpartum Blues / Depression
• March of Dimes – Postpartum Blues / Depression

Again, this is my take on postpartum blues. If you notice that your wife is experiencing more prolonged symptoms over an extended period of time (longer than 2-3 weeks) you should seek professional help immediately! This is not shameful and is completely treatable! I know someone who experienced postpartum depression for over a year. She is now back to feeling like herself again.

RESOURCES FOR POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION:

• Great book for Mom – It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita
• Great book for Dad – The Postpartum Husband: Practical Solutions for living with Postpartum Depression

This is definitely not kid’s stuff…no pun intended.

Keep up on all of the nasty cases of the media’s favorite illnesses from the comfort of your own germ free bunker. Now when your kids ask why they can’t go out and play, you can show them all of the H1N1 cases within 50 miles of the playground. Lock them in folks, nothing worse than a kid with a well developed immune system!

In all seriousness though, if H1N1 (swine flu) or some other nasty little bug gets out of hand, this is a good resource to keep a tab on where it’s causing the most damage.

About HealthMap

HealthMap brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified and comprehensive view of the current global state of infectious diseases and their effect on human and animal health. This freely available Web site integrates outbreak data of varying reliability, ranging from news sources (such as Google News) to curated personal accounts (such as ProMED) to validated official alerts (such as World Health Organization). Through an automated text processing system, the data is aggregated by disease and displayed by location for user-friendly access to the original alert. HealthMap provides a jumping-off point for real-time information on emerging infectious diseases and has particular interest for public health officials and international travelers.

Crazy talk, not so much:
How Antibiotics Work
Antibiotic Resistance
Super Bugs!

I know what you’re thinking…why is this jerk writing about antibiotics and bacteria in a post with a title about flu shots?

I’m making a point.  Look, there are some people in this world that choose to not over medicate every time their general practitioner hands them a prescription.  For me, this meant not taking the Vicodin just because I had them after a surgery, not asking for antibiotics because I had a runny nose, and passing the flu shot bandwagon every fall.

Until this year.  Yes, a man who has passed on all things preventative is getting a flu shot.  Why you ask?  Because my pediatrician told me to.  I mean my daughter’s pediatrician, I started seeing a grown-up doctor the day that I turned 20.

Outside of the sticker and smile yielding child healer’s recommendation, I actually feel like it’s the responsible thing to do.  As a stubborn know it all in my 30s, I can handle a few days at home with the flu.  Hell, I might even catch up some reading, some Tivo and drop a few lbs.  My baby daughter however, does not need to be sick.  In fact, it would kill me knowing that I brought home some flu bugs because I didn’t wash my hands after opening that door at work and then discretely picked my nose as I walked to the kitchen to score some free donuts.

So Dads, get a flu shot and wash your hands regularly.  I don’t want to have to say “I told you so” when you’re trying to watch the Steelers next Sunday and junior is sick as a dog.