A Mom’s Guide to Doctor Internet

Searching for answers about your kids health? 

Here are places you might find answers.

In July, 2010, we were blessed with our fourth child.  I remember snuggling with her after she was born, and teasingly referred to her as our “little Rudolph” – thinking that she had a funny light red bruise on the tip of her nose as a result of her labor/delivery.  Our amusement  quickly turned to worry  when the “bruise” started to get darker until it was deep purple.  Bruises are supposed to heal, right?  At our well-baby check-up they said it was too early to tell, but it looked like a “port wine stain” (or it could just be a bruise).   We went home and over the next few weeks watched our baby’s nose begin to grow, almost like there was a balloon being inflated under her skin. Yikes!  Time to turn to Dr. Internet.

Websites with Medical Advice:

Kids Health.  This is a great site for those moments when you wonder if what your child has, or if the way they are acting, is “normal.” Want to know how many words your tot should be saying?  What if you need to take your child into the doctor for that fever? How about: Is it normal to have a purple balloon growing off the tip of your child’s nose? Is it dangerous?  This site has great tips and advice.  It helped reassure us, once we got a diagnosis, that the growth on our child’s nose was not life threatening

Web MD.  This site is helpful for finding alternative diagnoses.  When we first saw our daughter’s skin turning to purple and thought port-wine, this site helped us with a nifty box in the left of similar conditions.   We were able to see examples of other causes for red and purple birthmarks, or hemangiomas.  We have used this site on many occasions for advice on everything to that persistent cough, to a scaley patch excema on one of our other children, to finding answers regarding what medicines are safe to take when pregnant.

John Hopkins Children’s Center.  This is where we went to find out what type of specialist we should visit – a pediatric dermatologist. The Hopkins Children’s site has lots of articles on new therapy’s that are out there regarding more complex health problems, including an article about the treatment we eventually did for our beautiful baby and her cavernous capillary hemangioma.

After researching online we were able to find a pediatric dermatologist in our area who specialized in hemangiomas.  We were also able to start our daughter on a new medication, propranolol, which “melted” the growing lump in a matter of weeks.  She still has a pink spot, but it’s flat – and while we still get questions about it, no one seems shocked, and when she’s older there are ways to eliminate the pink, too – we’ll have to research through the world wide web, when and if we ever get to that point.  For now, unless someone asks, I don’t even see a discolored nose.  When I look at my daughter I see eyes that sparkle and a smile that lights up the room!

Children’s health is at the top of every mother’s mind. My tip is to research your loved one’s health.  What’s your favorite tip for raising a healthy baby? By replying, you will be entered to win an exclusive Million Moms Challenge Gift Pack, which includes an iPad2, a custom-made Million Moms Challenge pendant and a $50 donation in your name to Global Giving.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Million Moms Challenge. The opinions and text are all mine. Contest runs November 14 to December 18, 2011. A random winner will be announced by December 20, 2011.

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