The Baby Who Can’t Cry

When Jody Woods and Joshua Sutterfield welcomed their baby boy Devon on October 19th, they knew something wasn’t right.

“Right when he came out he was squeaking when he cried. We thought he might have a little something that they didn’t suction out,” said Sutterfield, 24, of Cullman, Ala.

After some tests and x-rays the doctors came to dad with some bad news. Baby Devon had paralyzed vocal chords. The squeaky noise that was heard upon his birth is actually something called stridor, which is like the sound of air whistling through a blocked airway.

Vocal cords, or vocal folds as doctors call it, affect how we speak, breathe and swallow – they close to let us swallow, they narrow to let us speak and open to let us breathe, explained Dr. Steven Goudy, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Because you do have two vocal folds it could be one not working or both of them not working,” said Goudy. “We see it several times a year, but it is still very rare.”

Devon’s dad says that when he tries to cry it causes him to have breathing problems, sometimes turning him blue.

“The further it goes the less cry you hear,” said Sutterfield. “When he’d cry — he’d cry so hard that he’d lose oxygen.”

As of right now the doctors do not know what caused the paralysing of Devon’s vocal chords. This occurs to one in one million babies that are born. Unfortunately Devon’s parents have learned that this can be life threatening.

Devon is in hospital so that he can receive oxygen as he needs it and so the doctors can try and figure out how to treat him. The biggest issue is making sure that he is okay eating and breathing. If issues do arise then baby Devon will most likely need a tracheotomy.

Doctors say that between 35 and 50 % of these cases can be explained. There are many different disorders of the brain that could explain why this happened as well as a possible congenital heart problem, or even nerve damage at birth.

Yet roughly half of all children with paralyzed vocal folds are classified as having congenital vocal fold paralysis — meaning there’s no known reason for it, according to Hartnick. “Around 60 percent of the time these children will recover in the first year of life,” he said. In those cases, the damaged nerves leading to the vocal fold either slowly repairs itself or whatever was blocking the nerve is remediated.

I hope that doctors are able to figure out why Devon’s vocal chords are paralyzed and treat him as easily as possible!

Related Articles:

• UPDATE: 25 Weeker Fitted With An External Pacemaker
• Baby Slips Through Toilet Chute During Delivery and Survives
• Baby Brings Mom Out Of Coma

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Courtney Thorne-Smith and Son Jake Hike The Hills

Courtney Thorne-Smith was spotted this afternoon hiking in Brentwood with son Jake.

The nature loving mom toted her little cutie in an Ergo Baby Carrier in Black/Green.

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Study: Steep Rise In Down’s Syndrome Diagnosis, Births Remain Stagnant

Research conducted at Queen Mary, University of London, has found that the number of Down’s Syndrome pregnancies rose as women are deciding to have children later in life. The same study also revealed that despite the increased diagnoses, the number of babies born with the chromosomal disorder has remained almost unchanged because of improved screening and subsequent abortions.

Delaying motherhood is the reason for a 71% increase in the number of babies diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in the last two decades.

Stats show that in 1989/90 there were 1,075 with down syndrome and now for 2007/08 that went up to 1,843.

A woman in her 30s has a 1 in 940 chance of having a baby that is diagnosed with down syndrome. At the age of 40 this rises to 1 in 85.

Live births of Down’s babies fell from 752 to 743 –or 1.10 to 1.08 per 1,000 births – over the period of time covered by the research.

If screening had not happened, the number of babies born with Down’s would have risen by 48%.

Around 92% of women who were screened and got a Down’s syndrome diagnosis decided to terminate their pregnancy. This is a HUGE number.

Terminations of Down’s syndrome pregnancies due to an increase and improvements in antenatal screening have caused the number of live births with Down’s syndrome to remain constant.” The study used data from the Down’s register for England and Wales, published online by the British Medical Journal.”

Any thoughts on this? I know that I feel that these babies have just as much of a right to be born and live a life as any other baby. It is sad that so many parents are choosing to abort a child that would teach them so much about life that probably isn’t possible with another child. – Shannon, Staff Writer

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Jennifer Garner and Her Girls Stroll in Boston

Jennifer Garner was spotted out walking in Boston yesterday afternoon with her two girls Seraphina, 10 months and Violet, 4 (December 1st).

The down-to-earth mama was recently named as the new spokesperson for Save the Children’s Make Time For CHANGE campaign.

The charity’s CHANGE program (Creating Healthy, Active, and Nurturing Growing-up Environments) has teamed up with Frigidaire to donate $1 to every pledge made on the official website to raise funds to help at-risk children in need in the United States.

“I grew up in West Virginia, which is a state that has struggled a lot,” Garner told People.com. “It needs so badly the exact kind of support that Save the Children offers, which is helping kids perform better in school … because they are healthier and not worrying about food.”

Jennifer pushes a MacLaren Grand Tour LX Stroller.

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RECALL: Halloween Flashlights Sold Exclusively at Target Due to Burn Hazard

Target is recalling about 600,000 halloween flashlights because they can overheat and melt, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

The firm has received eight reports of flashlights overheating and melting, including one report of burns to the hand.

This recall involves two types of Halloween-themed flashlights: the mini flashlights and flashlights sold with stencils.

Mini Flashlights – The mini flashlights have a key ring extending from the bottom and were sold in a pack of three colors: orange, green and black. The orange and purple packaging has “Mini Flashlights (3 Pack)” printed on the front and “DGI”, “Made in China” and “DPCI# 234-02-1813” printed on the back.

Standard Size Flashlights – Also included in the recall are standard sized flashlights with a black handle and an orange top. The flashlights were sold with six stencils in various colors and images: a pumpkin, ghost, spider, cat, witch and skull & cross-bones. “Flashlight with Stencil” is printed on the front and “Tien Hsing,” “Made in China” and “234 02 1838” is printed on the back of the packaging.

The flashlights were sold at Target stores nationwide from August 2009 through September 2009 for $1 for the mini flashlights and $2.50 for the flashlights with stencils. They were made in China.

Consumers should immediately stop using the flashlights and return the product to any Target store for a full refund.

For additional information, contact Target at (800) 440-0680 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm”s Web site at www.target.com.

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Crayola’s Lights, Camera, Color (Access Code and GIVEAWAY)

Crayola has introduced a cool new application called Lights, Camera, Color. By logging onto the company’s website kids can spend hours creating their own customized coloring pages.

While no purchase is necessary if you want to just look around and create a project, you will need a special code to print your work. Crayola’s 64, 96, 120-ct., and the 150-ct. Crayon Tower all have an access code under that lid to give you 6 months of Lights, Camera, Color play.

Once on the site, your kids will have the opportunity to customize their coloring pages three ways.

1. By uploading a favorite picture – then Crayola’s color removing vacuum takes the color out leaving
2. Using the Body Builder tool to create a character or monster just in time for Halloween!
3. Using the Gizmo Gears application to design a cool car/truck

Lights, Camera, Color is a great way for kids to feel like they have created a piece of art from start to finish. I love Crayola. They have been a arts and crafts staple in our house for a few years now. My son really enjoys using this program. He loves ‘vacuuming’ pics of our dog and his little brother.

Try it! Crayola has given us an access code (below) so that our readers can use Lights, Camera, Color for 24 hours.

We have 2(two) 150ct Crayola Crayon Towers(includes access code for 6 months) to giveaway!

This would make a great Holiday gift for some lucky little one.

To enter, please what your favorite Crayola Product is.

Extra Entrants:

• Blog about our giveaway! Tell your readers about our giveaway and then send us the link in a separate comment for an additional entrant to the giveaway.
• Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/growingyourbaby or ‘Tweet’ about our giveaway
• Regardless of outcome – ALL bloggers who blog about our giveaway will be linked back in our winners post.

*All comments are moderated and may not appear immediately*

Giveaway Rules

Giveaway Closes Thursday November 5th, 2009

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Snazzy Baby Knee Pads For Active Kids

Snazzy Baby was created by Australian mom Cyndy Mundy after she needed to find a way to protect her active tot’s tender knees from a day of crawling on the carpet.

When I met with Cyndy last month she noticed how active my son was and suggested I may need a pair of her knee pads. I agreed. Because our first floor is a combination hardwood and ceramic, my little guy constantly has bruises on his knees from whipping around.

Snazzy Baby’s knee protectors are great because they have an easy fastening system that can be adjusted as my son grows and Non-slip “traction beads” embossed on to the Neoprene to give him better traction on our slippery floors.

For the longest time he would do the military crawl when crawling on our ceramic floors because he couldn’t get proper traction. Wearing the Snazzy Baby knee pads over his pants has helped him learn how to crawl properly and safely.

I always thought that knee pads for babies was an unnecessary product until my own son developed war wounds from learning how to get around.

Parents of special needs children will also appreciate that Snazzy Baby knee pads are endorsed by medical professionals and can be used with children with special needs such as hemophilia, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and muscular dystrophy.

Snazzy Baby’s knee pads are $20.99 or $24.99 with a pair of leg warmers.

Designed for kids from 4 months to 4 years.

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Liv Chases An Excited Milo

An excited Milo Langdon blew off some energy and gave his mom a run for her money after getting picked up from school today.

The two got extra silly as they were hit by the heavy winds which blew threw LA today!

Liv carries Milo’s Crocodile Creek Kids Pocket Lunch Box with a stegosaurus on it.

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Kingston Slays Pumpkins in LA

With just a few days left to get ready for Halloween, the Rossdales dropped by LA’s famed Pumpkin Patch, Mr. Bones to pick out the perfect pumpkins to carve for the big night.

Kingston ran around the patch slaying pumpkins in his Lightning McQueen costume, while Zuma was content to hang out with his parents.

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Featured Product Review: Peg Perego Si Stroller

Peg Perego’s Si Stroller is an awesome lightweight stroller that has many full size stroller features. Weighing in at just under 17lbs, this compact, easy to operate stroller is a great fit for parents who need a product that will accommodate their growing needs. From birth it can be used as a travel system with an infant seat, then a regular day to day stroller that folds up nicely for traveling.

For the last few weeks we have been testing it from one side of the country to the other – literally!

Here is what we found.

Installation – Out of the box the Si was pretty much ready to go. All I needed to do was clip on the storage basket and open it up.

If you have problems, the Si also comes with a great booklet that shows you everything your need – step by step.

Getting Started – Unfolding this stroller is really easy. All you need to do is unclip the lever on the left side of the stroller, give it a bit of a shake and then lock the bracket in the back.

Comfort and Features – The Si offers a lot of great features not normally seen in this stroller weight class. For safety, it has a five-point harness with the 2010 version adding a bumper bar. There is a 3 position(almost flat) seat recline, height adjustable handle bars and a 2 position foot rest.

For older children, the Si has a good size seat (13inches wide) and a high canopy that will keep taller toddlers(up to 45lbs) comfy without brushing their head. When opened fully, the Si’s canopy offers some of the best coverage I have seen on a lightweight stroller. Moms who want to keep track of their little ones will also like the peek-a-boo window.

Underneath the seat is a good size storage basket big enough to hold a large sized diaper bag. The only problem with this is that the basket will drag if your bag is too heavy. For this I suggest you strap your diaper bag to the handle bars and use the storage basket for lighter purchases, if out shopping. This works well if your child stays in the stroller. But not so great if you need to carry your baby. Because the stroller is so light, a weighted handle will cause the whole thing to tip backwards once your child is removed. While this sounds simple, it’s easy to forget. I have tipped this stroller quite a few times leaving the mall trying to rush.

Travel System – 2 cables that come with the 2009 version stroller allow the Si to be converted it into a travel system. While Peg Perego strollers are normally only compatible with the Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30 Infant seat, the Si will accept most car seats that have a belt path on each side.

Folding – To avoid confusion, Peg Perego has numbered the two levers needed to close the stroller. I love this! No guess work – just pull here first and then here. Once closed, this stroller stands independently and it also features a carrying strap on the side.

This makes the Si a dream to travel with.

Cleaning – While on a recent trip, one of our contributors spilled her breakfast over the seat of the stroller. Surprisingly enough, for the amount of food that landed on it, the stroller fared quite well. When I got home and started to take it apart to fully clean it, I was surprised to find that it doesn’t come apart. It looks like it comes apart, but it doesn’t. At this point all I can do is spot clean, which has worked for the most part.

Improvements – With anything, there is always a wish list of thing you would like see improved.

I personally would love Peg Perego to make a good cupholder. The tiny one that comes with most of their strollers doesn’t many beverage cups, including my re-usable water bottle.

I like this stroller and I would recommend it to any parent who wants a nice looking stroller that pushes nicely.

$232.00 on Amazon

Peg Perego Si Specs:

• Width – 20″
• Seat Width – 13″
• Seat to top of Canopy – 25″
• Ground to Handle – 41″
• Stroller Length – 33.5″
• Folded Dimensions – 39″ x 13″ x 13″
• Front Wheel Size – 6.5″
• Weight – 16.8lbs – to get this I weighed myself holding the stroller and then subtracted that number from my weight alone

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