Infants

New Mother-New Baby

Each baby is unique: some are quiet; some are more active. Each has their own eating and sleeping patterns. Watch and listen and you will learn what your newborn needs. Please remember, for specific questions or concerns always call your baby's doctor.

Click on the link below for a printable version of a handout that will help you learn about your new baby and how to care for him/her:

PDFs are readable with Adobe Acrobat Reader, 5.0. Download it for free from Adobe.

Immunizations are one of the best means of protecting your child against contagious diseases.

News Alerts: May 27, 2005 -- Meningococcal Vaccine Recommended at Age 11

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced May 26 that it is now recommending vaccination of children ages 11 to 12 years, or before adolescents enter high school at about age 15, with the newly licensed meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4). It is also recommended that college freshmen living in dormitories be vaccinated. Meningococcal disease is particularly common in young people and is potentially deadly, with 10 to 12 percent of those who contract it dying and another 15 percent suffering long-term permanent disabilities such as brain damage. The disease is dangerous because it begins with symptoms that are often mistaken for common illnesses such as the flu and then progresses rapidly, with death often occurring within hours. The new vaccine, a single shot, is manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur as Menactra. Talk to your child's doctor.

( http://www.healthinschools.org/2005/may27b_alert.asp)

Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule

United States, January-June 2005

There are no major changes from the 2004 immunization schedule, but the Academy of Pediatrics notes that licensure applications have been submitted to the federal Food and Drug Administration for a meningococcal (meningitis) vaccine and two new preparations of diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DtaP) vaccine. The AAP is considering recommendations for use of those vaccines in adolescents, and if new recommendations emerge, they will be included in a revised midyear schedule.

The annual immunization recommendations are a unified statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

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