Mama Doc Medicine: Finding Calm and Confidence in Parenting, Child Health, and Work-Life Balance

by Wendy Sue Swanson

Overview

“Parents want to do what’s right,” explains Mama Doc blogger and physician Wendy Sue Swanson. Yet many parents find that defining what’s right can sometimes be elusive, so Dr. Swanson has created this innovative guide to help.
Pediatrician, mother and blogger Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson helps decipher today’s conflicting medical opinions, offers helpful online resources, and shares what she’s learned over many years from her patients, friends and family in this enlightening guide to parenting.

Based on the popular SeattleMamaDoc blog, Mama Doc Medicine is a timely collection of almost 100 entries grouped under the following headings:
1. Prevention for Infants and Toddlers
2. Social-Emotional Support
3. Immunizations
4. Work-Life Balance/Mothering

Using Dr. Swanson’s experience as a mother and physician, this book provides simple answers to the “how,” “what,” “why,” and “who” questions of parenting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581108378
Publisher:	American Academy of Pediatrics
Publication date:	03/04/2014
Pages:	389
Sales rank:	1,102,009
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE, FAAP, is a practicing pediatrician living in Seattle, WA, with her husband and 2 young boys. Partnering with her patients and their parents fuels her passion to improve health care. As executive director for Center for Digital Health at Seattle Children’s Hospital, she works to revolutionize health care delivery using social media and digital tools to bridge the gap between parents and doctors. In her blog Seattle Mama Doc, Dr Swanson tackles issues ranging from vaccines to work-life balance, providing a voice of reason to help parents gain clarity and eliminate fear when making decisions for their children. Dr Swanson is an executive committee member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media. She is on the Board of Advisors for Parents magazine and the Advisory Board for the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xv

Foreword xvii

Introduction xix

Part 1 Prevention 1

Infographic: Keeping Calm About Crying 2

Introduction 5

1 Science of the Soft Spot 7

2 A Spoonful of Bacteria for Baby? 11

3 Mix and Match: Goldilocks Formula 15

4 Colic, Crying, and the Period of PURPLE Crying 21

5 Reading a Growth Chart 29

6 100 Calories 33

7 Why Broad-spectrum Sunscreen? 37

8 Protecting Babies From the Sun 41

9 If It Were My Child: No Television in the Bedroom 43

10 What Does Television Do to My Kid's Brain? 47

11 What Your Child Watches on Television Matters 49

12 Why No Television Before Bed Is Better 55

13 Asking About Guns in Your House 57

14 About Violent Video Games 61

15 Going Back to School Monday After Newtown Shootings 65

16 Less Is More: Pinkeye, Fever, Ear Infections, Teething, and Computed Tomography Scans 69

17 Drowning: Quieter and Faster Than You Think 83

18 Why I Hate the Bouncy House 85

19 Seven Truths About the "Stomach Flu" 89

20 New Bike 93

21 Helicopter: You Betcha 97

22 Understanding Risks for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome 99

23 Why I Hate Sleep Positioners 103

24 Two Is the New One: Rear-Facing Car Seats Until at Least Age 2 107

25 Can We Prioritize Sleep? 111

26 If It Were My Child: No Texting and Driving 115

27 How Do Doctors Screen for Autism Spectrum Disorders? 119

28 When Not to Worry About Autism Spectrum Disorders 121

29 Five Ways to Avoid Cavities 123

30 Read the Most Devastating Article 125

31 Prepare: Make a 3-Day Disaster Kit 129

32 What to Do About a Lice Infestation 135

Part 2 Social-Emotional Support 141

Infographic: Social-Emotional Growth 142

Introduction 145

33 BPOD: Best Part of Day 147

34 Helping Your Anxious Child: Blowing Colors 149

35 Children With Gay Parents 151

36 Love: Unequal and Incomparable 155

37 Mindful Parenting 157

38 Teasing Out Self-talk: Our Inner Critic 161

39 New Rule: Be Without a Ceiling 163

40 Learning to Lose? 165

41 Plan a Vacation, Star 167

42 Why the Pony Doesn't Win 169

43 Anything for a Nap 171

44 Surviving Tantrums: The Anger Trap 175

45 Surviving Separation Anxiety 179

46 I Hope He Never Reads It 183

47 The Saturday 8ox 185

48 Play 187

49 Soccer Mom 193

50 Inspiring Generosity in Our Children 195

51 Miserable Preschool Drop-offs 199

52 No More "Clean Plate Club" 201

53 Digital Sabbatical and Digital Sabbath 203

54 Dr Google 207

Part 3 Immunizations 211

Infographic: What's the Real Story on Vaccines? 212

Introduction 215

55 Cocoon a Newborn: Only an E-mail Away 223

56 What Is Whooping Cough? And What About the Tdap Shot? 225

57 Measles in America 229

58 Do You Believe in Vaccines? 233

59 Pediatricians' Conditional Comfort With Alternative Vaccine Schedules 249

60 Pediatricians Who Refuse Families Who Don't Immunize 255

61 Most Parents Avoid Alternative Vaccination Schedules 257

62 The Injustice of Immunization Interviews: Vaccines on the News 261

63 Pile on the Paperwork: Vaccine Exemption 265

64 Keep the Book 269

65 Fear of Needles 271

66 People Are Dying From the Flu 275

67 Varicella Vaccine: It Works 279

68 Hepatitis A: A Vaccine for That 283

69 Chickenpox Parties 285

70 Don't Make Promises: Yearly Immunization Update 289

71 Human Papillomavirus 295

Part 4 Work-Life Balance/Mothering 299

Infographic: Keeping the Balance 300

Introduction 303

72 Competitive Parenting 307

73 The Working Mom Wonders, "What Am I Doing?" 309

74 Only One Decision 313

75 Doctor, Daughter, Mother, and Wife: 4 Corners 315

76 She-Woman Wednesday 317

77 Every Illness, a Love Story 319

78 The Juggle: Working and Breastfeeding 321

79 Complex Problem: Raising a Child 325

80 Nothing I Learned in Medical School: On Parenting 327

81 Four Hours on a School Bus 331

82 When Parenthood Exceeds Expectations 335

83 "Having It All": Stumbling 337

84 The Tiger Mom 341

85 "The Wife" 347

86 Magic 349

87 Open Letter to Marissa Mayer 351

88 One Mother's Day Gift 353

89 Getting It "Right": Birthdays in Mommyland 355

90 Tina Fey's Triannual Sob, the Mommy Wars, and a Truce 357

91 A Single Moment 359

92 I Love Being a Working Mom 361

93 Baby Elephants and the Working Mom 365

94 Time Magazine and the Mommy Middle Road 369

Online Resources for Parents 373

Index 379

Editorial Reviews

01/20/2014
Pediatrician, mother of two, and “Seattle Mamma Doc” blogger Swanson combines some of her most popular blog posts with new information in this helpful guide for parents. Swanson has a busy pediatric clinic schedule, so she understands the struggle to balance family life and professional responsibilities. Arranged in four sections (“Prevention,” “Social-Emotional Support,” “Immunizations,” and “Work-Life Balance/Mothering”), her guide is practical as well as personal. Swanson shares her vulnerabilities and fears: admitting to “helicopter parent” tendencies, she frets about her baby’s soft spot, and panics at the thought of the bouncy house and a certain bike her son rides. In addition, she writes with candor about her (ultimately unfounded) doubts that she could love a second child as much as the first. Wearing her doctor hat (and partnering here with the AAP), Swanson devotes an entire section to defending immunizations; while recognizing parental concerns, she is a strong proponent of their use. She supports technology and encourages parents to seek information online, from reputable sources. Parents looking for current research as well as friendly advice will appreciate Swanson’s centered approach to doctoring and parenting. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Dr Wendy Sue Swanson is a brilliant pediatrician, but she is a mom first. She has an unmatched talent for conveying important health-related information with compassion and empathy by providing the data, offering her opinion, and empowering parents to make informed choices. This collection of blog posts and stories is for parents who want to join other parents in understanding the true science behind pediatric recommendations and the struggles we all face with work-life balance.
- Alanna Levine, MD, FAAP

A funny, irreverent, compassionate, and timely guide to how to raise a child in an era when misinformation often rules the day.
• Paul A. Offit, MD, FAAP; Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases; The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Author of Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure

I first discovered Wendy Sue Swanson as @SeattleMamaDoc on Twitter. I loved seeing her take on the most important children's health issues of the day. From there I found her terrific blog. Here in one collection is the best of Seattle Mama Doc, evidence-based advice on so many of the questions parents raise. It is packed with practical information; loaded with facts and tips to let you make informed decisions about your child's life. It also contains great advice on balancing your role as a parent with the other things you do in your life. A must read for new parents!
• Richard Besser, MD, FAAP; Chief Medical Editor, ABC News; Author of Tell Me the Truth, Doctor

In Mama Doc Medicine, Dr Swanson effortlessly tackles some of the most difficult and controversial parenting topics with guidance, facts, and real-world examples – leaving you informed and inspired. Life would have been a lot less stressful if my wife and I had had this book when we were starting our family.
• Seth Mnookin; Associate director, MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing; Author of The Panic Virus

I dare you to read this book and NOT immediately incorporate several new techniques into your parenting style. You’ll find yourself continually quoting “Mama Doc” to family and friends over the course of any given day.
• Michele Borba, PhD; Internationally recognized parenting expert; Today show contributor; Author of 22 books including The Big Book of Parenting Solutions and Building Moral Intelligence

Dr Swanson has used the tools of the digital age to define herself as one of this generation’s most genuine and influential physician voices. Mama Doc Medicine delivers actionable, evidence-based information with the type of transparent, reassuring authority that only she can deliver.
• Bryan Vartabedian, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital; Blogger at 33charts.com

I wish I had this book when I was a new mom! Filled with humor and compassion, Mama Doc Medicine is a great guide for helping parents navigate all the stages of childhood and not forgetting their own health in the process!
• Laurie David; Author of Stop Global Warming: The Solution Is You!; Producer of An Inconvenient Truth

From the Publisher