Tips For Infant Feeding During Holiday Meals

All the Holiday Goodies!!

Everyone loves holiday gatherings and if you have a little one this holiday season, it can be tough to know what is ok to feed at these special mealtimes. Here are some tips for infant feeding during holiday meals:

Is your baby under 6 months old? If yes, breastmilk or formula are the only recommended and acceptable food. These recommendations are straight from the World Health Organization, the CDC, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Breastmilk and/or formula provides a complete nutritional profile for your growing infant, so foods at this time are unnecessary and may even contribute to tummy issues after feeding.

If your baby is over 6 months old AND is ready for and interested in foods, let the party begin!

  • Food comes AFTER milk feeds. Breastmilk and/or formula is the primary source of nutrition until age 1. Your baby can not physically eat enough foods to get all the nutrition they need for the physical growth that occurs during the first year. 
  • Always stay with your baby while feeding
  • Avoid excess spices and salts
  • Limit sugars and desserts
  • Water only with meals – no juices or teas
  • Small, bite-sized, well cooked and easily mashed foods like potatoes,sweet potatoes, and green beans provide nutrients like vitamins A, C, B complex, and minerals like potassium, zinc, and magnesium.
  • Shredded dark meats and leafy greens are rich in iron
  • Small bites of deviled egg filling are good source of healthy fats
  • Fresh bite sized fruit is always a compliment to any meal

If this is your baby’s first time with foods, remember to introduce new foods slowly, one every 3 to 4 days to monitor for any intolerances. Always discuss your baby’s development and readiness to start foods with your pediatrician.

 

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Let’s see some pictures of those first bites!! Tag us with your photos on Facebook and Instagram: @abcpediatricsdunn

stephanie glover, lpn

Post Author:

Stephanie Glover, LPN, IBCLC (Board Certified Lactation Consultant)

Contact Stephanie:  Send a Portal Message

Phone: 910-892-1333

Visit our Breastfeeding Services page

Breastfeeding and Illness During Cold and Flu Season

Breastfeeding and Illness During Cold and Flu Season

Cold and flu season is upon us. Getting sick while being a mom is never easy and breastfeeding while you or the baby is sick can have challenges. Here are some ways to get you through this year’s cold and flu season while breastfeeding:

Consider the flu vaccine and wash your hands!

Children under 6 months of age aren’t eligible to get the flu vaccine but pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, siblings, and other family members are. Getting your flu vaccine while pregnant or breastfeeding and encouraging other family members to do the same is the best way to help prevent the flu in younger babies. Hand washing and general hygiene measures are other effective ways to prevent germ sharing.

If you do get a cold or the flu

Symptoms of the flu include sore throat, nasal congestion, dry cough, fatigue, muscle aches, weakness, headache, and fever greater than 100.4. You may be contagious up to 24 hours before symptoms appear and up to 7 days after symptoms develop. 

If you develop cold/flu symptoms, you should continue to breastfeed using extra precautions like handwashing, sanitizing surfaces, and using tissues when coughing/sneezing. You can not pass a cold or flu through your breastmilk to your baby. In fact, breast milk contains millions of immune cells, even more when you are sick and your baby is getting those extra germ fighting cells with every feed! This is nature’s way of protecting the baby while breastfeeding continues.

Taking care of yourself

In most healthy adults, treatments for the cold and flu are comfort measures. Making sure you take in plenty of fluids and eat nourishing foods. Use saline sprays and humidifiers for nasal congestion and throat lozenges for sore throat and cough. If you are sick enough to need antiviral medications, Tamiflu is preferred for breastfeeding mothers over other antiviral medications. 

If you need to take over the counter (OTC) medications to help treat symptoms, most OTC medications are compatible with breastfeeding but some medications are preferred over others. Choose shorter acting medications (medications you need to take every 4-6 hours) over medications that last longer. Medications containing Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) may cause a decrease in production and should be avoided if possible. Always nurse your baby or pump immediately prior to taking medications to limit passage into breast milk. Contact an IBCLC or use LactMed’s online database to look up medications and their compatibility with breastfeeding.

If your baby gets sick 

Even when your baby is sick, breast milk provides all the hydration and nutrition your baby needs. Breast milk is easy to digest and provides protection (remember those immune cells?). Saline drops with gentle nasal suctioning, using a humidifier, with smaller, more frequent feeds may help with congestion during feeds. Contact your pediatrician if fever develops, feeding difficulties last longer than 24 hours, or if you notice a decrease in the number of wet diapers your baby is having in 24 hours. 

The picture above shows the protective effects of breast milk against germs. The “cloudy” parts of the plate are where germs are reproducing and growing. The white dots in the center are drops of breastmilk. The clear area surrounding the breast milk is the “protected” area surrounding breastmilk. Science experiment shows the amazing powers of breastmilk

Check out these other resources:

Influenza (Flu) | Breastfeeding | CDC

Influenza Season Recommendations for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers | InfantRisk Center

stephanie glover, lpn

Post Author:

Stephanie Glover, LPN, IBCLC (Board Certified Lactation Consultant)

Contact Stephanie:  Send a Portal Message

Phone: 910-892-1333

Visit our Breastfeeding Services page

Breast Cancer Awareness and Breastfeeding

Are Mammograms safe while breastfeeding?

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women of reproductive age. Although breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer, routine screenings are important in early detection and treatment. Recently, the recommendations for breast cancer screenings have changed and routine screenings (mammograms) are now recommended once yearly beginning at age 40 for all women. Insurances are required to cover these annual screening mammograms. With these changes to begin screenings at an earlier age, more women find themselves breastfeeding at the time when annual screenings begin. 

Can you get a mammogram while breastfeeding? Yes, you can! Mammograms are safe to get while breastfeeding. You will need to nurse or pump immediately before the mammogram and you want to make sure the radiologist reading the mammogram is aware you are breastfeeding and as the lactating breast is more complex in structure.

Self breast exams are no longer recommended as a screening tool as they have not been shown to reduce breast cancer deaths, however, they are useful for you to learn what your breasts feel like and with regular use, you may notice changes. Self breast exams should never replace breast exams by your provider or annual screenings. 

Links for breast cancer data:

 

stephanie glover, lpn

Post Author:

Stephanie Glover, LPN, IBCLC (Board Certified Lactation Consultant)

Contact Stephanie:  Send a Portal Message

Phone: 910-892-1333

Visit our Breastfeeding Services page

Breastfeeding is never “All or Nothing”

Breastfeeding is never "All or Nothing"

“This isn’t how I thought this would be”. Have you ever found yourself thinking as much? Breastfeeding doesn't always go according to how you planned. Maybe you planned to latch only and didn’t want to pump but found latch was difficult and you had to pump. Perhaps there was a birth trauma and the baby wasn’t able to latch and you had to pump to establish production. What if medical complications required supplementation? You may have returned to work earlier than you planned. Whatever the reason, it's important to understand that breastfeeding doesn't have to be "all or nothing." Every drop of breastmilk counts, and you are a breastfeeding parent by providing breast milk no matter how long you are able to do it, no matter if you latch or pump, and no matter whether you supplement or not. How you feed your baby does not define your success as a parent. 

Those early days and weeks are important to establishing breast milk production so early education and intervention is key. Take prenatal breastfeeding classes, in person or online. Learn techniques for latch and positioning. Locate your resources ahead of time. Find pediatricians that support breastfeeding and have breastfeeding resources available in their office for moms. And last, find your support team. Navigating the world with a new baby can be tough. Having support is crucial to success. 

Whatever your breastfeeding journey looks like, we are here for it all - latching, pumping, supplementing, and weaning. 

 

stephanie glover, lpn

Post Author:

Stephanie Glover, LPN, IBCLC (Board Certified Lactation Consultant)

Contact Stephanie:  Send a Portal Message

Phone: 910-892-1333

Visit our Breastfeeding Services page

Miranda McGee, PA-C

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Miranda McGee, PA-C

Miranda McGee, PA-C was born and raised in Knightdale, North Carolina. She graduated from Campbell University with a Bachelors in Biology and then a Masters in Physician Assistant Practice making her a “double hump” camel. With experience in family medicine and pediatrics, she feels called to continue working in pediatrics. Miranda is honored to work with families providing care for their children as if they were her own. She enjoys spending time with her wonderful husband, serving at church, and traveling.

Kayla R. Darkow, PA-C

picture of Kayla R. Darkow, PA-C

Kayla R. Darkow, PA-C

Kayla R. Darkow, PA-C was born and raised in Norwood, NC.  She attended Campbell University for her undergraduate degree in Biology as well as her Masters of Physician Assistant Practice. She joined ABC Pediatrics in August, 2023 with previous experience in outpatient psychiatry. She looks forward to serving the pediatric community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and being with friends.

This is our Why! Celebrating National Breastfeeding Month 2023

This is our Why! Celebrating National Breastfeeding Month 2023

Breastfeeding is a personal feeding choice, and yet it is often a topic of public discussion. Although natural, breastfeeding may come with challenges, some we prepare for and some we can’t. From the first time mom to the mom who has breastfed before, every pregnancy and every baby is different and therefore every feeding journey is different. Everyone, from our family, our neighbor, and even a stranger in the supermarket, loves to give advice on how, when, and what to feed those cute new babies but often that’s where the support ends. Over the past 70 years, the support women receive after childbirth has changed.  At one time, a new mom, regardless if it was her first child or her 10th, had a village of support with other mothers, grandmothers, aunt, sisters, and neighbors who supported her in those early days to rest and establish that coveted breastfeeding bond. Over time and with changes in society and culture, that level of support is no longer guaranteed and is often considered a luxury. And with those changes, support for new moms is more valuable than ever, regardless of feeding choice. 

 

August is National Breastfeeding Month,  with August 1st-7th designated as World Breastfeeding Week. The theme for this year is “This is Our Why”. This month we celebrate our successes, no matter how small, we share our driving force, our motivation to push through those early challenges to continue breastfeeding in any form. We share our resources and empower families to make informed feeding choices. Join us in celebrating our successes and challenges by visiting our Facebook page and sharing your why! You can also comment directly on this blog post.

 

stephanie glover, lpn

Post Author:

Stephanie Glover, LPN, IBCLC (Board Certified Lactation Consultant)

Contact Stephanie:  Send a Portal Message

Phone: 910-892-1333

Visit our Breastfeeding Services page

Stephanie Glover, LPN, IBCLC

picture of stephanie glover, IBCLC

Stephanie Glover, LPN, IBCLC (Board Certified Lactation Consultant)

Stephanie is a Harnett County native and a previous patient at ABC Pediatrics. She attended nursing school at Central Carolina Community College and began work at ABC Pediatrics in 2008. She has worked beside many providers during her 14 years as a nurse at ABC Pediatrics. Always a breastfeeding advocate, she attended Wichita State University in 2011 and NC State University in 2022 to earn her board certification as a Lactation Consultant. As a board certified lactation consultant, her special interests are with first time moms, extended or natural term breastfeeding, infant oral rehabilitation, infant movement and bodywork, and infant feeding and development. Her other areas of interests are in holistic and natural/alternative therapies in breastfeeding.  She works with all breastfeeding mothers and babies throughout their time breastfeeding. She is a certified yoga instructor and loves to spend her time with family on road trips and adventures when not at work. She has been a member of the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition since 2019.

All About The ABC Patient Portal

THANK YOU ABC FAMILY!

We are so excited to announce nearly 3,500 patient portal accounts have been activated! Thank you for the confidence you've placed in us and for allowing us to communicate with you in a new way!

As you might know, calls have drastically increased for our office due to an increase in sickness in the community. And, while our multi-line phone system is very nice and allows many more calls to come in, busy signals have been replaced by longer hold times and voicemail pickups. To assist in alternative, efficient and secure communication, the patient portal was implemented to maximize our ability to respond efficiently to our  families.

Users of our PATIENT PORTAL are able to do the following:

  • View LAB RESULTS
  • Request an APPOINTMENT
  • Review Upcoming APPOINTMENT DETAILS
  • Send MESSAGES/QUESTIONS to our staff
  • SEND/RECEIVE FORMS
  • Make PAYMENTS to your account
  • And MUCH MORE!

View our Patient Portal FAQ's below

picture of ABC patient portal on desktop

View on Desktop

picture of patient portal on mobile

View on Mobile

If you have a current patient portal account or plan to activate one, the following Questions and Answers might help.

Q~ How do I request an INVITATION to the patient portal?
A~ > Complete a PORTAL INVITE FORM.  Click here: https://abcpediatrics.org/forms/

> Submitting your invite form from the link securely submits your request to us. We'll respond quickly.

> Wait for your portal invitation from us via email. Once received, parents/guardians or patients over age 18 should verify their details as prompted. Example: If Mom is requesting an invite for her child(ren), the platform will require Mom's first and last name, date of birth and zip code.  DO  NOT use the PATIENT's Name.

> Once proper verification is made, a username and password is set up by the user.

> That's it! The new portal account is ready to use!


Q~ How do I access my secure PATIENT PORTAL ACCOUNT?
A~ Log in with your username & password at: www.myhealthrecord.com

Q~ How do I COMMUNICATE with the ABC Pediatrics' staff?
A~ Click the "My Messages" Icon.
> Click "NEW" to create a message to us.
> Select "NO PREFERENCE" in the provider field.
(This ensures the message always goes to a member of the healthcare team logged in to our EHR software at the time that the message is sent. Selecting specific healthcare team members might delay messages because if that provider or healthcare team member is not in the office at the time that the message is sent, the message would not be reviewed until that provider or team member is back in the office.)
> Choose from the pull down menu for  "I would like to...."
> ask a medical question
> request a medical record
> ask an insurance question
> ask a general question
> Provide a few words about your request in the "How can we help you? field.
> Provide any additional information in the "Anything else you would like us to know?" field.
> Attach a file? Ex. picture of a rash, school form
        (Blue button directly below the two fields above.)
> Click SEND to submit the message to our staff.
> Monitor your email for our notice that we have responded to your request and there is a message waiting for your attention in the portal.

Q~ How do I request a PRESCRIPTION REFILL?
A~ > Under "My Health", click Medications then "Request Medication Refill"
     > Select the appropriate medication from the history.
     > Confirm Pharmacy
     > Provide any additional information in the "Anything else you would like us to know?" field.
     > Click Submit to send your refill request to our staff.
     > Monitor your email for our notice that we have responded to your request and there is a message waiting for your attention in the portal.

Q~ How do I request an APPOINTMENT?
A ~ > Click My Appointments, then "Request", then "New"
      > Complete prompts: Provider?,  How soon?,  Day of the week?,  Time Preference?
      > Select from the "What is most important to you?" field.
        > Physician
          > Day
          > Time
      > Complete the Reason for visit field.
      > SUBMIT your request.
      > Monitor your email for our notice that we have responded to your request and there is a message waiting for your attention in the portal.

Q~ How do I pay a bill?
A~ > Click "PAY MY BILL"
     > Click the blue "pay my bill" button to transition to our payment partner, Instamed.
     > Complete the "Make A Payment" window:
        > email
        > patient ID
        > last name
        > zip
      > Click PAY NOW.
      > Monitor your email for our notice that we have received your payment.

Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mom and Baby

Happy World Breastfeeding Month!

Every year in August we celebrate World Breastfeeding Month! In addition to the full month, there's also a Breastfeeding week that runs the first week in August traditionally. This year it ran August 1th through August 7th. In order to raise some awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, ABC Pediatrics' own Dr. Mary Ann Chiodo provided some benefits of breastfeeding for both Mom and Baby!

Breastfeeding Benefits for BABY:

- access to nutrients that strengthen baby's immune system
- breast milk contains perfect nutrition- exactly the right proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals and other elements for baby's growth and development
- better response to immunizations against Polio, Tetanus, Dipththeria and Haemophilus influendza
- better oral development due to jaw movements, nutrients in breast milk decrease risk of tooth decay
- lowers risk of allergies
- lowers risk of obesity and diabetes
- lowers risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
- lowers risk of ear infections and gastroenteritis
- enhances baby's brain development
- better protection against respiratory infections including those cause by rotaviruses
- reduced risk of hospitalizations with pneumonia and bronchiolitis
- enhance performance on cognitive development tests

Breastfeeding Benefits for MOM:

- reduces mom's risk of ovarian, uterine and breast cancer, as well as osteoporosis
- helps mom burn up to and extra 500 calories a day
- reduces post-delivery bleeding and the chances of mom developing anemia
- breast milk is free, convenient, sterile, the correct temperature and environmentally friendly

picture of baby and mom

Breastfeeding is a commitment and investment in health for both mom and baby. ABC Pediatrics offers support through specialized education, encouragement and expert staff. Please reach out to us for all your breastfeeding questions!

Call: 910-892-1333


ABC’s “Star of the Week” Program on Social Media!

Hey Abc Fam! We are starting a new program where we will highlight members of our ABC Family’s achievements on social media. 💫📸 They will be recognized as our “ABC Social Star of the Week!” 🤩
✳️ Here’s how it works:
1. Submit your child’s achievement using our form located here:
https://form.jotform.com/221984778487983

2. We will post one kid a week on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If they happen to have their own social media, provide those links using the form and we can try to tag them and/or you the parent(s) as well.

3. Achievements can include really anything you are proud of, so long as it took place RECENTLY and outside of your home activities. Additionally, your child should have been awarded or selected by someone other than yourselves. (Unless you’re a Coach or Teacher, for example, that was responsible!)

4. Please understand that we will work on posting each child, but the posts will be organized by the time they were received and also, at times, the accolade they received.

That’s it for now! We will see where the program goes from here. We are looking forward to seeing some submissions!
Sincerely,
The Abc Staff and Team 🩺😊

Schedule your Wellness Visits for the 2023-24 School Year!

It’s School Preparation Time at ABC Pediatrics!

Our staff is READY to help school-age students complete all the requirements for their health assessments for the 2023 – 2024 School Year!

Every year we face a flood of appointment requests in the two to three weeks leading up to the first day of school for physicals, medication management, and immunization updates. Unfortunately, we cannot often accommodate the last minute requests because our providers schedules fill up quickly as the new school year approaches.

Why would I do this now!?

  • If you come in now, it's a major step out of the way when school is closing in, taking this off your plate.

  • If any potential issues arise from the checkup, you've got more time to resolve them!

  • Because patients are less sick during the summer months, our providers are less busy at the moment. This ensures you will be able to schedule with who you want to see, and most likely, choose the time and day that works best for your family.

  • Insurance companies are becoming very strict about ensuring patients get preventative services every year. Summertime is the absolute best opportunity to get this requirement taken care of.

Not sure when your child is due for a physical or a maintenance visit?  Our staff is available to check your child’s visit history, immunization status, and discuss just what he/she may need for the upcoming school year.

Call TODAY!  (910) 892-1333

Below is a list of services provided by our ABC Pediatrics’ Health Care Team that may be performed to ensure he/she is ready for school!

  • Check to see how tall he/she is
  • Check his/her weight
  • Check his/her Blood Pressure  
  • Obtain a urine specimen and a small sample of blood from him/her for lab testing
  • Test his/her hearing
  • Check his/her ability to see by performing acuity and depth perception vision assessments
  • Review responses to age-appropriate questions to evaluate and confirm his/her readiness for school
  • Review current medication regimens and if needed, provide refills
  • Perform an EKG (measures heart activity)
  • Perform Spirometry (lung capacity and function) test
  • Perform a complete physical exam to make sure he/she is healthy
  • Make recommendations that will allow for the best possible school year performance
  • Administer any necessary and required vaccines
  • Complete his/her required school forms
  • Give stickers, hugs and best wishes to him/her for a fantastic year in school!  

New Phase Update Effective 03.10.22

NEW PHASE EFFECTIVE Thursday, March 10th, 2022

OFFICE HOURS: Monday thru Friday, 7:45am until 4:15pm

For nearly two years, the ABC Pediatrics’ team has kept you informed of the ever-changing global COVID pandemic. We’ve monitored transmission and case rates for COVID-19 and its variants and made adjustments to our workflow while remaining committed to ensuring our patients received well care, immunizations, medication management, mental health care and allergy immunotherapy. Simultaneously, we invested in In-Office COVID PCR testing capabilities and COVID antibody testing capabilities as well as COVID vaccine administration as soon as the services could be made available to our area. We effectively processed sick patients and provided In-Office COVID related services in isolated areas of our office to mitigate the possibility of spread.


The last two years have presented us with extreme challenges. Every challenge was approached head on, analyzed and managed based on data and common sense. These challenges provided our team with increased knowledge and confidence. To you, our patient family, THANK YOU for trusting us and navigating through each phase of this pandemic cycle with us. Your kindness, support, and ability to conform to our various workflow changes have provided our staff with strength, courage, and reassurance.

With North Carolina’s transmission and positivity rates well under 5%, ABC Pediatrics will eliminate some of the strict protocols we have had in place for nearly two years.

● ALL PATIENTS will once again be welcomed through our front entrance.
● ALL PATIENTS will be processed face to face by our Front Office staff and directed to either the SICK or WELL waiting area.
● NEWBORN INFANTS will be prioritized and processed in a separate triage area and roomed in only designated newborn exam areas.
● Exam rooms will continue to be sanitized after patient visits.

Charles Sawyer Duval White, PA-C

Charles White, PA-C web picture

Charles Sawyer Duval White, PA-C

Born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Mr. White attended Northwood Temple Academy from kindergarten through his senior year of high school. He did his undergraduate program in Human Biology at North Carolina State University and earned minors in Psychology and Russian Studies. He obtained clinical hours by shadowing, volunteering in emergency rooms, working as a Certified Nursing Assistant and as a Pharmacy Technician until he was accepted into the Physician Assistant Program at Methodist University. He graduated in December of 2021. He goes by "Sawyer" and his special medical interests include pediatric neurology, and psychiatry. He enjoys running,  hiking, reading and writing in his spare time.