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THE PREMIER PARENTING MAGAZINE FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA
APRIL 2015
Why
ESTATE PLANNING Should be at the Top of Your List for Your New Baby
HAVE A “FROZEN” PARTY! Understanding & Treating
FEVER
BIRMINGHAM PARENT’S ANNUAL
baby book INSIDE
WHAT TO EXPECT
with Your C-Section
CHILDBIRTH
CHOICES
in Birmingham
APRIL2015
babybook
FREE
THE PREMIER PARENTING MAGAZINE FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA
APRIL 2015
Why
10 31 22
ESTATE PLANNING Should be at the Top of Your List for Your New Baby
HAVE A “FROZEN” PARTY!
20
CHILDBIRTH
12
with Your C-Section
FEVER
BIRMINGHAM PARENT’S ANNUAL
baby book
16 BABY & ME:
WHAT TO EXPECT
Understanding & Treating
INSIDE
CHOICES
in Birmingham
departments Note 04 Editor’s Welcome to the Baby Book
Birmingham Parent’s Annual Baby Book Directory
06
18
08 22
What is Child Advocacy?
33 34
Parenting with Dr. Friedman Short Stuff Ask the Specialist: Understanding and Treating Fever April 2015 Calendar Highlights April 2015 Calendar of Events
38 Poetry Party:
Springtime Poems, Read, Write & Share
29
PARTY PERFECT: HAVE A FROZEN PARTY
destination guide
20 WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU HAVE A C-SECTION
10
12
CHILDBIRTH: THERE WHY ESTATE PLANNING ARE MANY CHOICES IN SHOULD BE AT THE TOP OF BIRMINGHAM AREA THE LIST FOR YOUR NEW BABY
24 ON THE COVER: Kyleigh, 18 months, of Helena is ready for spring! PHOTO BY KIM BRANTLEY PHOTOGRAPHY
6 | birminghamparent | april 2015
Destination Guide: The Gulf Breeze Zoo, Orange Beach, Hawaii
parenting
Parenting with Dr. Friedman
Q:
A classmate of mine in high school is eating a half gallon of ice cream and then making herself vomit. She doesn’t do this every day but about once per week. She also thinks that she is ugly and fat in spite of her being normal weight and attractive. She thinks her nose is too big and is crooked and her thighs are too fat. Her friends know about her purging but she doesn’t want them to tell her parents. Is this behavior dangerous even though she does not do it often? Should we tell her parents? Your friend has an emotional disorder called bulimia nervosa. It is a serious eating disorder that is associated with increased rates of suicide and accidental death. Do not assume that she is safe because she tells you that she is not doing it often. You do not really know the truth about the frequency of her bingeing. While it sometimes feels good to be on the inside of a secret that a friend has shared, some secrets are dangerous to keep. Your friend needs help and may in fact, be telling you that she does, by confiding in you. She may be secretly hoping that you will go to her parents or to the guidance counselor at school. You need to tell a responsible adult and not bear the news alone. You need to do this soon. Bulimia is a disorder that involves bingeing and purging. The person binge eats and vomits or misuses laxatives to get rid of the calories. The person usually has a distorted self-image and feels unattractive when not thin. Unlike another eating
disorder – anorexia nervosa – bulimics typically have normal weight. Bulimics are often depressed, lonely (even when they appear to have friends), ashamed and feel empty. Friends may describe this person as fun to be with but inside the bulimic feels defective. Because impulse control is a part of bulimia, some bulimics may have other symptoms of impulse control such as shoplifting, alcohol and drug abuse, and sexual acting out. Many young alcohol abusers also have eating disorders of one type or another. Both are attempts to deal with depression and emotional emptiness. Some eating disorders reflect ambivalence about growing up and assuming an independent adult or a sexual role. Some bulimics are overly dependent upon their parents or paradoxically, have not had enough attention from their families so they are not ready to move on to the next stage of life. Ninety percent of patients with eating
disorders are female and 10 percent are male. Most often, the problem starts in the teenage years or the early twenties. In addition to your friend’s bulimia, she has some traits of “body dysmorphic disorder.” Persons with BDD are excessively concerned with appearance and are not reassured by admiring friends or family. In some cases, they may undergo unnecessary plastic surgery but they are rarely satisfied with the results. They are at an elevated risk for suicide and nearly always suffer from depression. You must tell either the girl’s parents or another adult who is responsible and involved with your friend. If that person doesn’t take action, keep on telling until someone does. The school guidance counselor might be a good place to start. Your friend is emotionally troubled and you cannot help her alone. Despite her request for secrecy, she is asking for your help in letting an adult know. She told you because she is scared about her secret.
Vivian K. Friedman Ph. D. is a child and family psychologist at UAB, Department of Psychiatry. Send questions for response in this column to Viviankf@gmail.com. No personal replies are sent.
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