Paul Roumeliotis - Baby Comes Home: A Parents Guide to a Healthy and Well First 18 Months

COMES HOME

A Parents Guide to a Healthy and Well First Eighteen Months

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, M.D. CM, MPH, FRCP(C)

Contents

COMES HOME

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Roumeliotis, Paul, 1957-, author

Baby comes home : a parents guide to a healthy and well first 18 months / Dr. Paul Roumeliotis M.D.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-77141-072-4 (pbk.).--ISBN 978-1-77141-076-2 (html)

1. Infants--Health and hygiene. 2. Infants--Care. I. Title.

First Published in Canada 2014 by Influence Publishing

Copyright Dr. Paul Roumeliotis M.D. & Autograph Communications Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Book Cover Design: Marla Thompson
Editor: Nina Shoroplova
Typeset: Greg Salisbury
Author Portrait Photographer: Jean-Marc Carisse

DISCLAIMER: The information provided in this book is designed to be an educational aid only. It is not intended in any way to replace other professional health care or mental health advice, nor is it intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. If you suspect that your child has a medical condition, always consult your healthcare provider. Readers of this publication agree that neither Dr. Paul Roumeliotis M.D. nor his publisher will be held responsible or liable for damages that may be alleged or resulting, directly or indirectly, from their use of this publication. All external links are provided as a resource only and are not guaranteed to remain active for any length of time. Neither the publisher nor the author can be held accountable for the information provided by, or actions resulting from accessing these resources.

This book is dedicated to the loving memory of my father, Petros Roumeliotis. He was a great man and an even better dad.

Dr. Paul, an expert in pediatrics, has written a groundbreaking book about the importance of childhood/infant health in preventing illness and ensuring wellness later on in life. An accessible and valuable resource for doctors, psychiatrists, paramedics and parents around the world, this book should be used by organizations to further global initiatives relating to pediatric health on the international stage, the main specialized bodies of the United Nations, UNICEF and WHO in particular. If you are one of the believers of my own quote on this very subject: A sound mind can only be found in a sound body, then I strongly recommend that you carefully read and digest this innovative book by Dr. Paul accordingly.

His Excellency, Ambassador Doctor Waheed Waheedullah, United Nations Chief Trouble Shooter, Mother Theresa Peace Prize Winner

Baby Comes Home highlights how important the first few months of a babys life are. From delving into the science of the developing brain to exploring the daily routines of infant care, Dr. Paul has written an informative and engaging book about ways to invest in your babys current and lifelong health and wellness. I wish Dr. Pauls book had been around when my five kids were growing up! He has anticipated the questions parents have and gives answers in a clear no nonsense way. He even makes the science understandable. This will be a well-thumbed book by all new parents and frequent late night reading!

Dr. Jean Clinton, MD, FRCP(C), Infant and Child Psychiatrist & Assistant Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University

I would like to first and foremost acknowledge the unwavering support of my wife Diana, my daughter Helen, and my son Peter. It was only through their understanding and patient encouragement that I was able to complete this book. I also wish to thank my parents for the sacrifice they made to immigrate to Canada over half a century ago that offered me an otherwise unattainable opportunity to obtain a first-rate education and pursue my passions and aspirations.

During my more than thirty years in the medical field, I have had the privilege of training and working with countless exceptional physicians and teachers, many of whom are world leaders and pioneers in their respective fields. However there are three colleagues in particular that I would like to recognize, who collectively have influenced my career journey that ultimately led to the conceptualization, preparation, and completion of this book.

Dr. Jean Clinton, Associate Professor at McMaster University and member of the Offord Centre for Child Studies, is a renowned infant and child psychiatrist who inspired me to focus this book on the first eighteen months. I have the pleasure of working with her presently, as she is a true champion for early child development and support. Her devotion and strong advocacy for the provision of a loving, caring, and nurturing environment to babies is indeed contagious. She continually reminds her audience, be it politicians, decision makers, or health professionals, that a babys brain needs to be continually stimulated in order to develop to its full potential. I admire her ability to passionately communicate this information and I attribute a lot of what I wrote about in the first part of the book to her teachings.

Between 1986 and 1987, I had the privilege of spending most of my final year as a pediatric resident at the Montreal Childrens Hospital working with Dr. Ron Barr, who is currently Professor of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia and Head, Developmental Neurosciences & Child Health, Child and Family Research Institute at the BC Childrens Hospital. As my mentor, he taught me a tremendous amount about developmental and behavioural pediatrics. Equally importantly, by observing his interactions with parents and colleagues, I learned about the value of compassion and kindness in pediatric practice that he demonstrated so well. Serendipitously, now decades later, I have the pleasure to work with Dr. Barr once again in raising awareness about his work on infant crying patterns and the prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Dr. Nicolas Steinmetz, former Executive Director of the Montreal Childrens Hospital is the third colleague that I would like to mention. When I became an attending staff at the Montreal Childrens Hospital, he provided me unequivocal support as I established the hospitals outpatient Asthma Program in 1990, one of the first of its kind in North America. The Asthma Centre re-grouped a then novel, dedicated multidisciplinary team that formally embedded parent/patient education into the treatment protocol. The success of this pioneering approach was proof of my belief that that the more parents know, the more comfortable they are with their childrens health and wellness. This experience also reinforced to me the vital role of communication and education in the everyday practice of medicine. In addition, Dr. Steinmetz was one of the very few colleagues who understood and recognized the relevance of my health communications vision, back when digital media and the internet were in their infancy.