Connecticut Children's Blog

Calling the first half of 2019 a challenge is downplaying the many obstacles Ava, 13, and her family faced. Within a four month span, Ava learned to navigate a new school, her mother Emilia lost a job she loved and – due to a routine sports physical exam – they soon discovered Ava was dangerously […]

With no family history of kidney issues, Jessica Martin was shocked when her son, Guthrie, was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome at age three. Having never heard of this condition, she had some research to do. Nephrotic syndrome is a condition in which a person loses large amounts of protein through their urine, increasing fluids to […]

For one afternoon every month Jillian Duffy, Miss Connecticut 2019, visits Connecticut Children’s and makes her way room-to-room meeting with patients. The visits are part of the partnership between the Miss America Organization and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and they connect directly with her platform “Jillian’s Journey: Pediatric Cancer Research and Awareness.” Some of the […]

By Claire Dalidowitz, RD If you’ve looked at a nutrition facts label recently, it may look different than you remember. Food companies have begun rolling out updated nutrition facts labels to comply with new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. One of the biggest changes you’ll see on the label is a new category called […]

By Lisa, Josh’s mom  My son Josh is 17 years old and going into his senior year of high school. He loves participating in musical theater. In fact, he recently co-starred in Meriden Youth Theatre’s two-week production of “Camp Rock.” When he’s not on stage, Josh loves hanging out with his friends. Now that he […]

It wasn’t her 9-month-old’s son’s diagnosis of bilateral undescended testicles that had Stephanie of New Fairfield worried. After all, Anne Dudley, MD, their urologist at Connecticut Children’s, had assured her that James’ condition was not uncommon – up to five percent of all full-term and 30 percent of premature babies are born with this condition […]

There are lots of myths and misconceptions about breastfeeding, so we sat down with Silvana Michael, a lactation nurse at Connecticut Children’s, to get answers to the most common questions. Our Lactation Team is based out of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), but they provide care to all breastfeeding families as well as employees […]

By Kasia My daughter Skye is nine months old, and the happiest child. Like most children her age, she loves to explore her world physically. Skye will reach and touch, respond to sights and sounds, and especially enjoys playing with her four year old big brother, Julius. Without the treatment she receives from Connecticut Children’s, […]

Melissa Santos, PhD, is the Senior Pediatric Psychologist and Clinical Director of the Pediatric Obesity Center at Connecticut Children’s Can we create better treatments for youth with obesity? That’s the question I want to answer. Recently I was awarded a federal grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive […]

By Donna Barnett, MA, RDN, CDN Over the past decade or so gluten-free diets have become increasingly popular, both for medical necessity and by personal preference. Some reports suggest that more than 3 million people in the U.S. follow a gluten-free diet, however the prevalence of celiac disease in the general population is much lower, […]

By Missy Kelly When my daughter Eva was a baby, someone called her “Eva the Diva.” At the time, we didn’t realize how much she was going to really grow into that name. She’s strong-willed and does what she wants when she wants, but she lives a very happy life. She loves swimming, shopping, visiting […]

When Amanda and Derek Williams learned they were expecting twins, they knew they would be introducing their two year old son to a doubly fun big brother experience. But stockpiling on diapers, wipes and onesies took an immediate backseat when one of their little boys was diagnosed in-utero with aortic coarctation – a congenital condition […]

“The nurses and doctors were kind and told me what to expect after my son was born. But nothing can prepare you for the moment when you first realize you will not be able to hold your newborn,” Marisol Castano, a self-assured and intelligent woman with bright eyes and cascading curls shared while sitting in […]

It was December in paradise – a week before Christmas 2015, in fact – when Elizabeth and Cesar Lopez knew they had no choice but to pack up their family, travel over 1500 miles from Puerto Rico to Connecticut and leave the only home they had ever known. It was a move they never planned […]

Do you have some lawnmower parenting tendencies? You’ve heard of helicopter parenting, but there’s a new phrase making the rounds now: lawnmower parenting. Lawnmower parenting refers to a parenting style that strives to “mow down” all obstacles, challenges or difficulties in a child’s path. Of course, no one really wants to be a lawnmower parent, […]

By Jenn Long My younger son, James, is 5 years old, and he has two settings: off and on. When he’s on, he goes full speed. He keeps me on my toes, but he’s always happy. He loves to play video games with his older brother, Nathan, who’s 10. James doesn’t sit down much. He’s […]

By Melissa Santos, PhD, Tim LaVigne, PhD, and Michael Reiss, PsyD Parenting teenagers can be hard, especially as they become more independent (or as they like to call it: I can’t wait to live on my own!). Teenage years are also the time when many children first experience mental health struggles. Research from the CDC […]

Anthony had been in remission for more than three years when a routine MRI scan revealed another ependymoma, his third brain tumor. “It was devastating,” says Jennifer, Anthony’s mom. “Things had been going so well for so long.” To make matters worse, Anthony had already received the maximum amount of radiation during treatment for the […]

by Sasha Dagnall I can’t imagine having a better daughter than my little girl, Rylie. She’s 16 and a sophomore at Hall High School in West Hartford, Connecticut. Rylie’s an honor-roll student and plays on the school tennis team, among other activities. I know the teenage years often involve drama, but Rylie understands better than […]