Awesome Parent

Breast Milk Oversupply and Overactive Letdown

If breastfeeding sometimes feels like you are trying to feed a baby from a fire hydrant, you are not alone. Oversupply and an overactive letdown can be intensely uncomfortable for you and surprisingly frustrating for your baby. The good news is that most families can dial things down with a few...

CMV in Newborns: Screening, Breast Milk, and Next Steps

If you have just heard the words cytomegalovirus or CMV next to your newborn’s name, take a breath. CMV is common, and most babies who are exposed after birth (including through close contact or breast milk) do very well. And even with congenital CMV (infection during pregnancy), most babies are...

Newborn Hearing Screening “Refer”: What It Means and What Happens Next

If your newborn’s hearing screen came back as “refer” , I want you to take one slow breath. In the hospital world, “refer” is a frustrating word because it sounds like “failed,” but it really means: your baby needs a repeat screen or a more detailed follow-up test . It is not a...

11-Month Sleep Regression

If your baby is 11 months old and sleep has suddenly gone sideways, you are not imagining it. This age is famous in my house for what I call “pre-toddler wobbles” where your baby’s brain is busy learning to stand, cruise, maybe take a step or two, and also rediscovering their deep opinion...

5-Month Sleep Regression: Short Naps and Early Wakings

If your baby hit five months and sleep suddenly got weird, you are not imagining it. I have talked to so many parents in triage who swear their baby used to nap like a champ, then overnight it turned into 32-minute naps, 5:12 AM wake-ups, and a new hobby of practicing rolling at bedtime. The good...

Group B Strep in Pregnancy

If your prenatal lab results just came back with “GBS positive,” take a breath. I know it can sound scary in the middle of an already intense season of life. In pediatric triage, I saw a lot of parents spiral after reading late-night internet horror stories. The truth is this: Group B Strep is...

Postpartum Preeclampsia: High Blood Pressure After Birth

Most parents expect the tough stuff to happen during pregnancy and delivery. Then the baby arrives, you go home, and everyone assumes the danger zone is over. But there is one postpartum complication I always want families to have on their radar: postpartum preeclampsia . It can show up after...

Caffeine and Breastfeeding

If you are reading this with a mug in your hand and a baby on your chest, you are in good company. Caffeine is one of the most common breastfeeding worries I heard as a triage nurse, and now as a mom who has nursed while functioning on very real sleep deprivation. Here is the reassuring headline:...

7-Month Sleep Regression

If your baby hit 7 months and suddenly sleeps like they have a side hustle, you are not imagining it. Around this age, brand-new motor skills, separation awareness (often tied to object permanence), and sometimes teething can turn a previously decent sleeper into a frequent night waker. As a...

Infantile Spasms: Subtle “Jackknife” Movements and When to Get Help

If you have ever watched your baby do a quick little crunch, a head bob, or a sudden “folding” at the waist and thought, Was that… a seizure? you are not alone. Some seizure types are obvious. Infantile spasms often are not. They can look like tiny movements that come and go in clusters,...

Breast Abscess While Breastfeeding

When you are breastfeeding, it is normal to wonder, Is this just mastitis… or is something more going on? Most breast infections improve with the right plan. But sometimes a pocket of infection forms that antibiotics alone often cannot fix. That is called a breast abscess , and it deserves quick,...

Breast Milk Storage Rules Parents Actually Use

If you have ever stared at a bottle of pumped milk at 2 AM thinking, Is this still good? you are in excellent company. Breast milk storage is one of those topics where the internet can make it feel complicated and scary. In real life, most families just need a few clear rules, a labeling system...

Flu in Babies Under 12 Months: Red Flags and When to Call the Doctor

If you are reading this with one hand while the other holds a warm, fussy baby, I see you. Flu season can feel extra scary in the first year of life, not because you are doing anything wrong, but because babies have tiny airways, less ability to compensate when sick, and they dehydrate faster than...

Postpartum Anxiety: Racing Thoughts, Panic, and When to Get Help

There is a particular kind of “awake” that hits at 2:47 AM when you have a newborn. Your body is exhausted, but your brain is sprinting. You replay the day, you imagine a hundred terrible possibilities, you google one symptom and suddenly you are spiraling. If that sounds familiar, you might be...

COVID-19 in Babies Under 1: Symptoms, Feeding, and Care at Home

If you are reading this at 2 or 3 AM with a warm little baby on your chest and a cold knot in your stomach, take a breath. Many infants who get COVID-19 have mild symptoms and recover with supportive care at home, but very young babies can get sick faster than older kids. The tricky part is that...

Nipple Confusion vs. Flow Preference

If you have ever typed “nipple confusion” into your phone at 2 AM, you are in good company. Parents are often told two totally different stories: one says any bottle will “ruin breastfeeding,” and the other says “babies switch back and forth easily.” The truth is more reassuring and...

Is Your Baby Too Hot?

At some point, every parent has done the midnight hover: one hand on baby’s belly, one eye on the monitor, brain whispering, Are you too hot? Too cold? Am I ruining sleep forever? Take a breath. Overheating is a real concern, but it’s also one of the most fixable ones. This guide will help you...

Childhood Scoliosis: Ribs, Asymmetry, and When to Check a Spine

If you have ever stared at your child’s back while they brush their teeth and thought, “Are those ribs uneven?”, welcome to a very normal parenting moment. Sometimes what you’re seeing is posture, growth, or muscle tone. Sometimes it is scoliosis, a true curve of the spine that can change...

Testicular Torsion in Boys: When Sudden Scrotal Pain Is an Emergency

If your son has sudden testicle or scrotum pain, I want you to hear this clearly: this can be an emergency that needs surgery within hours . Testicular torsion is one of those rare parenting moments where “wait and see” is not the safe move. I know that is scary. It is also empowering, because...

Laryngomalacia: Noisy Breathing in Newborns

If your newborn makes a high-pitched squeaky sound when they breathe in, you are not alone. As a pediatric nurse and a mom who has done plenty of 3 AM "is this normal?" listening sessions, I can tell you this: noisy breathing can look dramatic and still be harmless . One of the most common reasons...