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Greetings!
Fall has arrived and the Holidays are just around the corner. It's the season to celebrate and enjoy the company of friends and families. Unfortunately, for many of our children, it is also the season for wheezing and other respiratory symptoms.
This is the time of year when we are all exposed to many of the respiratory viruses, such as influenza (the flu virus), parainfluenza, and RSV. All of these viruses can cause inflammation and mucous production in our lungs. Why are children more susceptible to the effects of these viruses? The answer is that children have smaller airways than adults. It is very easy for their tiny airways to get "plugged up" with mucous. The irritation on their airways from the inflammation and the mucous produced by these viruses further adds to the problem because the muscles around the airways then reflexively constrict. Their airways are tiny to begin with, and add mucous and further narrowing due to muscle tightening, and it is easy to see why a child's breathing can be severely compromised when they get sick as a result of these viruses.
How do we prevent these illnesses? It starts with good hand washing and covering our mouths and noses when we cough or sneeze. These viruses can live on surfaces, so it is also important to disinfect our countertops and work areas and any objects that are touched by multiple people throughout the day (pens, door knobs/handles, light switches, etc.) If you feel like you are getting a cold and you have a small infant or your child has asthma or other chronic medical condition that may be significantly affected by a respiratory illness, remember you can wear a mask when you are with them. A mask can be purchased at any pharmacy and can go a long way in preventing the spread of these respiratory illnesses.
Hopefully, this information will help keep your children healthy or help you to know when to come see us at the first signs of illness. The sooner your child gets care, the sooner he or she will recover. This will help us all have a happier holiday season!
Dr. Jose D. Jimenez
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| Cost of Raising a Child |  Cost of Raising a Child Calculator:
When you were planning your first, second child, did you have a good idea how much it was going to cost you to raise your him or her?
As an example, a two parent home making between $60-$105k a year, living in the South will have an average cost of around $14,000 a year for their first child. If they have multiple kids, it averages out to just over $9,200 each per year.
Find out what it costs your family
Click Here to see how much you should be budgeting to raise your child!
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 50 Things To-Do with your kids before they grow up!
By Izzy Dean
I've lived in Tampa Bay for over 20 years and I have to admit, I do take a lot of what's good about my city for granted and had honestly forgotten just how much there is to do here, especially when you have kids. Sooo, to prevent other parents from forgetting or overlooking the awesomeness that can be found right here under our proverbial noses, I did some research and compiled this tidy list of "50 Things to do in Tampa Bay with Your Kids Before They Grow Up."
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Baby Center
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 Curious about Underwater Births and Natural Births
Have you ever been curious about having your baby in a nice relaxing warm bath, or thought of experiencing how your ancestors gave birth back in the Dark Ages? Here are two stories of women who agreed to share their experience with you by video.
Underwater Birth
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