I am sure you know the feeling of standing in the aisle in Dischem, looking at all the bottles and gummies and syrups that say: “Multivitamins for Children”… It can be very confusing to decide what your child needs. But do children even need supplements? When and how much? Let us look at some facts: … Continue reading To Supplement or Not to Supplement?
“ …A little child, born yesterday, a thing on mother’s milk and kisses fed…” Hymn to Mercury (one of the Homeric Hymns written in the 6th century), translated from Greek by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Babies have been breastfed since the beginning of time. It is interesting to read about the history of infant feeding and … Continue reading Mother knows breast – benefits of breastfeeding for baby (Part 2)
There are a few brand new babies in our friend-circle, and looking at them, I cannot believe how far my little boy and I have come on our breastfeeding journey in just 5months! I have already forgotten the difficulties of those first few days, and he is now breastfeeding like a pro! “If we wear … Continue reading Benefits of Breastfeeding
Our perfectly beautiful baby girl was born at 08:14 on a Wednesday morning. It was the most intensely beautiful moment of my life! I have always wanted to have a normal vaginal delivery. The paediatrician in me knows the advantages this has for the baby (read more here), and the mommy-side of me just wanted … Continue reading My VBAC Birth Story
On Thursday, 26 March, South Africa entered an unprecedented lockdown. That was also the day that I was 37 weeks pregnant. As a Pediatrician I wanted to know all the facts about the Covid-19 virus and how it may affect me and my kids, as a Mom, I just wanted to know how we are … Continue reading Pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding in LOCKDOWN
Eczema is a chronic disease and sadly it is not (yet) curable. It is however possible to control the symptoms. The aim is to get the acute inflammation of the skin under control (usually with topical steroids added to your normal regime), and then maintaining a healthy skin barrier by keeping the skin hydrated. It … Continue reading Eczema – Part 2 : The management
Chronic diarrhoea is diagnosed when your child has diarrhoea for most days for more than 4 weeks. That is not fun for anyone involved. While most episodes of diarrhoea are mostly self-limiting and mostly does not need any investigations, there are a few things the doctor should check for when it becomes chronic. (I repeat … Continue reading Vomit – Poop – Treat!
“All you need to know is that it’s possible.” -Wolf, an Appalachian Trail Hiker So many many hours of planning, wondering, worrying, waiting, packing and packing again finally culminated on the 26th of August at OR Tambo airport when we could check in all our baggage and go through customs. We were on our way … Continue reading Travelling to Europe with an (almost) 1yr old
In my 3rd year in medical school we had a few lectures on breastfeeding. Firstly a lecturer from the Physiology department taught us exactly how the hormones oestrogen and progesterone assists in the development of glandular tissues in the breast, and the changes that take place in the areola and nipple as you go through … Continue reading My Breastfeeding Journey
Pediatrics and Playdough 