Losing Teeth

We are busy growing teeth at my house! My six-year-old just lost his first two teeth and two new ones are coming in. The baby's two bottom teeth are about half way in. I know it's old hat to a lot of people, but it is so exciting for us! My mom says by the time the baby loses his teeth, we will start forgetting to put money under his pillow. She says she had to tell my little brothers that the tooth fairy was on vacation more than once. Ha ha! I will have to remember that one in case I forget at some point!

My question to you is how much does the Tooth Fairy give your kids for each tooth? We ended up giving $2.00. Then someone said $5.00 is the going rate. Another person told me $.50. I am just wondering what is normal?

I just read that kid's teeth fall out in the order they erupted. Usually the bottom two, then the top two, the lateral incisors, first molars, canines and second molars. Interesting! So my oldest son lost his bottom two teeth the same week my youngest son started getting his bottom two teeth.

If you are new to this site, click on COMMENTS underneath this post to share your thoughts.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Have you considered breast enhancement? Soderstrom Skin Institute wants to help you make the right decision! Our knowledgable plastic surgery team will help you choose from a variety of implants and surgical techniques based on YOUR specific needs. Plus, take advantage of our limited time special pricing. Call (309) 690-6042 to schedule your FREE consultation today!

Overdosing Mistakes at Hospitals

UPDATE: I changed the headline of this article in response to a comment I got. I am more than happy to discuss topics that anger people and maybe even make changes, but I will not post comments that are aimed at attacking rather than helping. People can be so rude! Matthew- You had a good point in the middle of your ranting and attacking. If you want to re-post your comment in a more beneficial way for readers, I will post your thoughts! Jen

I think it's important for parents to know if their kids need a blood thinner for any reason that they check and double check with the nurse administering the medication to make sure it is the correct amount. This is scary stuff. I have heard of kids dying from heparin overdose, but it didn't even cross my mind when I was in the hospital with my little one last September. We are talking about human beings. They don't make mistakes that kill babies that often, but this one seems to be a common one. Lets hope the changes that have been made with the heparin packaging will help prevent babies from being overdosed.
Does anyone have a child who needed heparin? Did you worry about an overdose?

FROM CNN:The blood thinner heparin may have contributed to the death of a toddler in Nebraska last week, according to the hospital that treated her. It's not the first time the drug has been linked to medical crises involving infants.

Heparin has been associated with a number of high-profile errors, including an incident in which the newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid nearly died after receiving an overdose of the drug at a Los Angeles, California, hospital in 2007.

Hospitals are combating the issue of heparin errors with better dosage and monitoring systems. The once problematic packaging of the drug also has improved, making it harder to confuse high and low concentrations.

Heparin made headlines in 2006 when six babies in Indiana received overdoses. Three of the babies died. The drug has one of the highest risks of causing significant harm to patients when used in error, according to the nonprofit health care organization Institute for Safe Medication Practices.

"Unfortunately it's been involved in a lot of errors in hospitals, and it does have that downside that it can be fatal and cause brain injuries," said Mike Cohen, president of Institute for Safe Medication Practices. The organization has investigated cases at two hospitals where fatal heparin events have occurred.

In the Nebraska case, a 23-month-old girl had undergone a transplant for her small intestine, pancreas and liver. She had developed an infection, according to CNN affiliate KPTM. The hospital that treated her, Nebraska Medical Center, is investigating the death.

Nebraska Medical Center believes that the child received an overdose of heparin, and that it contributed to her death, but can't say more about the cause of death until the full analysis is complete, said spokesman Paul Baltes.

Since the girl's death Wednesday, Nebraska Medical Center has changed its protocol regarding administering heparin: two nurses must sign off on a written documentation when heparin is given, Baltes said. The hospital is also changing its machines for better monitoring practices, he said.

Heparin has uses in dialysis, cardiac catheterization and a slew of other procedures, said Dr. Geno Merli, chief medical officer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is commonly used to keep IV lines open and different IVs will require different concentrations, said Lois Parker, senior pharmacist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

The problem is that vials of different concentrations -- whether 10, 100, 1,000 or 10,000 units per milliliter -- look alike, Parker said.

"You can see how with all of those zeros, it's a disaster waiting to happen, and unfortunately it has happened on a number of occasions," she said.

In November 2007, Quaid's twins were mistakenly given 1,000 times the prescribed dose of heparin. Both this and the Indiana case involved drug labels that appeared similar, Cohen said.

"If you use the wrong concentration and you flush it into the system, which is what happened with the babies, their blood vessels in the brain are very fragile, and unfortunately they can burst very easily," Cohen said.

Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, sued Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and one heparin maker, Baxter Healthcare Corp. The hospital reportedly settled for $750,000, but the suit against Baxter was dismissed.

Baltes could not immediately identify the maker of the heparin in his hospital's case, but said it was not made by Baxter.

"We're very confident that this was not a manufacturing issue," he said.

Before the incident with the Quaids, Baxter had changed its label for heparin to help doctors identify the right drug and dose, Baxter spokeswoman Erin Gardiner said. The hospital, however, wasn't using heparin with those newer labels.

The new labels have larger text, and it is "unlikely that there would be confusion," Cohen said. But the labeling is just one possible source of error: Lookalike vials and lookalike syringes can also be culprits, he said.

To address the much-publicized cases, the Joint Commission, a nonprofit that accredits health care organizations, put forth a National Patient Safety Goal in 2008 regarding blood thinners. The guidelines included standardizing how the drugs are administered, screening patients beforehand and taking into account possible interactions.

Other recommendations include not using "u" for units, Cohen said. Some health care practitioners may misread the "u" as a zero, delivering 50,000 units instead of 5,000, he said.

Some hospitals are also prefilling syringes so nurses don't have to draw up their own, and putting barcodes on vials of heparin, Cohen said. Massachusetts General Hospital uses barcodes. The caregiver can scan the medicine and scan the patient's wristband to check that the patient has been matched with the right concentration of heparin.

There are also hospital infusion pumps called "smart pumps" that can be set to limit the amount of heparin dispensed, Cohen said.

At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, a computer system assists with dosing and monitoring, Merli said. The computer tells the correct dose, usually based on the patient's weight, and provides information about interactions. The patient also receives information about the drug.

There were also contamination issues with heparin in 2007-2008. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched an investigation and then Baxter, which manufactured the product, recalled some forms of the drug.

In October 2009, the FDA set a new standard for how the amount of heparin is determined in U.S. products. This made heparin sold in the country about 10 percent less potent. Patients may receive more monitoring after heparin treatment than before, the FDA said at the time. Doctors may also prescribe a higher dose than normal.

In early 2008, Baxter stopped selling vials of heparin, and the company now sells heparin only in a premixed bag, Gardiner said. The bag form ensures a better standardization of the dosing process, as the drug will have a uniform potency, although vials are typically used to flush IV sites, Merli said.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Have you considered breast enhancement? Soderstrom Skin Institute wants to help you make the right decision! Our knowledgable plastic surgery team will help you choose from a variety of implants and surgical techniques based on YOUR specific needs. Plus, take advantage of our limited time special pricing. Call (309) 690-6042 to schedule your FREE consultation today!

Breastfeeding Saves Lives :)

You all know I am a proponent of breastfeeding. I am certainly not out to make anyone who chooses not to feel guilty. I just want to make sure every new mom is making an informed decision. This new research may help more women breastfeed their babies longer because it could make the whole process easier. I hope so! My little guy is 7 months old now. This weekend he decided he wasn't going to nurse much because we were out of town. Even in a dark room, he couldn't stop looking around to see where he was. What a little stinker. So I had to pump and make him rice cereal to get him to take the milk. I just hope he isn't trying to ween already! That would be crazy!

FROM NBC:You've heard for years that breastfeeding is good for your baby. But did you know it can also save lives, and billions of dollars? That's what new research from Harvard suggests. Harvard found breastfeeding for at least the first few months could benefit both baby and mother.

Right now, 3 out of 4 new mothers start breastfeeding, but 6 months later- Just over 1 in 10 are still doing it exclusively. Harvard researchers report if 90 percent of all mothers breastfed that long, it could save 900 lives and 13 billion dollars a year.

Dr. Melissa Bartick, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School :"Women are just not getting the support that they need and people should not be blaming women and women should not be blaming themselves. We need to do much better for our moms and families in America." Like allowing women to breastfeed immediately after birth and providing time and space for mothers to pump breast milk at work.

The study says breastfed babies have a lower risk of asthma, diabetes, diarrhea, ear infections. And claims their moms are healthier, too: Dr. Melissa Bartick, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School :"The longer a woman breast feeds the lower her risk of heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and cardiovascular disease in general."

In new policy starting this month, breastfeeeding may be considered in whether a hospital receives accreditation. And the new health care law requires large employers to provide private space for women to pump breast milk.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Have you considered breast enhancement? Soderstrom Skin Institute wants to help you make the right decision! Our knowledgable plastic surgery team will help you choose from a variety of implants and surgical techniques based on YOUR specific needs. Plus, take advantage of our limited time special pricing. Call (309) 690-6042 to schedule your FREE consultation today!

Women Work Hours

I completely think this is true. My husband used to work 60 hours a week, sometimes more. I totally thought about downsizing our minivan and our house ( not that they are extravagant by any means) and quitting my job. I didn't like that we weren't home with the kids every night. I still don't like that I am not home at night and I do have to work 10 hours more a week now (which stinks), but it does make me feel better that my hubby is at home with the kids at night instead of a babysitter. It's tough being a dual income family! Do you and your husband work? How is that working for you?

FROM NBC: A woman's career may be derailed if her husband works long hours. Cornell researchers looked at data on more than 26-thousand employees in dual-income households.

Overall -- women were more likely to quit their jobs when their husbands worked more than 60 hours a week. The likelihood of quitting was even greater among working mothers.

Researchers found that working women still carried much of the burden of household cleaning, cooking and caregiving duties... and didn't have as much time for paid work. Men's careers didn't seem impacted at all by the amount of time their wives spent at the office. they were no more likely to quit whether their wives worked 5 or 50 hours per week.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Have you considered breast enhancement? Soderstrom Skin Institute wants to help you make the right decision! Our knowledgable plastic surgery team will help you choose from a variety of implants and surgical techniques based on YOUR specific needs. Plus, take advantage of our limited time special pricing. Call (309) 690-6042 to schedule your FREE consultation today!

People with Autism have an edge

April is Autism Awareness Month. Parents and community activists have known it for years: people with autism have special qualities that will actually allow them to perform better at some tasks. Now one business owner and dad is taking that thought to the next level. I just think it is wonderful and amazing and I hope something like this happens in every community in America. Please don't discount or ignore people with autism if you own a business. There are many jobs were they will outperform those who are typically developing.

FROM ABC: Some people -- told by one company after another they couldn't cut it -- that they had nothing to offer -- were finally given a chance by one man who knew how valuable they could be. Now the workers-- and the company-- are proving everyone wrong.

Corridors. Keyboards. Colleagues talking computer talk. It's any thriving software company. Only here the names on the doors - these colleagues - to get hired - had to meet a certain job requirement. They had to have autism.

J.D.: How good are you at your job? Michael: Really good.
Hille McGuinness: I could only get work in a supermarket before
And Mads Zucker: Most of my colleagues are like me - we share the same experience ..."

The experience of previously being considered unemployable too disabled to keep focus professionally too out of sync socially with say the office lunchtime crowd. Only now Mads who hadn't worked in 20 years can say with a touch of humor.

SOT: So we have in common to be weird. JD: You have in common that you're weird.Mads :Yeah. SOT: JD talks with company founder Thorkil Sonne TS: We don't all have to fit into these boxes. JD: You're talking about actually changing the box. TS: Yes.

Thorkill Sonne founded Specilisterne in Copenhagen. It means - Specialists - and they test software - a tedious click by click process where most of us would lose focus and make mistakes. But Sonne - turning DISABILTY on its head - hired for their ABILITY - employees with high functioning autism whose brain wiring he says gives them an edge..

SOT: They have a good memory, they have very strong attention to details, They are persistent within their area of motivation and they follow instructions. And this is no charity. To survive...they have to make a profit.

JD: At bottom it's a real business -YES. You need to please your customers with a service or you are out of business. - EXACTLY. But his primary goal with making a profit is to show the world it can be done with employees like his. And he has a good reason.

SOT: Lars is my inspiration. Lars-his son-who has autism too and gifts like great memory. And dad hopes he won't endure wasted years as Mads did before things changed for him here.

MADS: And here I'm treated like a normal - so yes JD And you like the job Mads: I like the job Yeah - JDAnd it's a job that needs to be done Mads: Yeah SOT:TK: - That's really what I hope and foresee see for my son as well - it can be done. JD You've really improved the odds for him.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Have you considered breast enhancement? Soderstrom Skin Institute wants to help you make the right decision! Our knowledgable plastic surgery team will help you choose from a variety of implants and surgical techniques based on YOUR specific needs. Plus, take advantage of our limited time special pricing. Call (309) 690-6042 to schedule your FREE consultation today!