Before I became a mother, I did not realize how attached an infant can be to their pacifier (soother). Madi loved her pacifier, and we lovingly nicknamed it “soo-soo.” Madi would reach for her “soo-soo,” call out for it, and we always make sure we had it in her diaper bag. During my pediatrics rotation during medical school I learned that the sucking motion…

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common, and very contagious, viral infection.  It can be caused by several different viruses, but the most common is the Coxsackie virus.   HFMD mostly affects children under the age of 5, but it can occur at any age.  Interestingly enough, it was first described in an outbreak that occurred in Toronto in 1957.  It is now one of the most common…

Vitamin K is a substance our bodies need to stop bleeding and form clots.  Vitamin K primarily comes from the food we eat, like green leafy vegetables, or fish, meat and eggs.   Babies are born with very little vitamin K in their bodies.  This puts them at risk for very serious bleeding problems if it is not supplemented.  These bleeds can happen anywhere in the body, even…