Car seat 101: What Not to Do

One of the things I love most about my job is teaching new moms and dads how to install and use their car seat correctly. Well, I see a lot of things that are called a “misuse” or error. So, I wanted to make a list of things that are “What Not To Do with Your Car Seat!”


1. Don’t use a pre-owned seat, unless you have to. I would encourage new parents not scrimp on the quality of a car seat for your precious baby. Driving is the riskiest thing you will do today and your helpless baby should be in a new and safe seat! If you use a pre-owned seat, be sure you know the owner can tell you that the seat has not been in a crash or stored in the heat. Also, most seats should not be used after about 5 to 6 years.
2. Don’t ignore the manual to the car seat and to your vehicle. I know these are not “page-turners” but they can be helpful and it is very important to follow what the manufacturer of both say.
3. Don’t forget to register your seat with the manufacturer. This is the method for notification of any recall or problem with your seat.
4. Don’t buy the seat based on the cuteness of the fabric or because you like the stroller it comes with. It is important to remember that a car seat, used properly, can save your baby’s life…so do your research and find the best car seat in your price range that will work well in your vehicle.
5. Don’t choose a car seat for an infant that has the harness strap adjustment on the back side of the car seat. These are difficult to use and when you are in a rush, you may not take the extra time to use correctly. Choose a seat that has the harness strap adjustor in the front of the seat –usually this is a strap that you pull to snug the straps.
6. Use the lowest slots for the straps for a newborn baby. These straps should be at or below the level of the baby’s shoulders.
7. Don’t be afraid to snug up the harness straps. The straps should be tight enough that it is difficult to pinch any slack. Keeping these snug will keep your baby in the seat correctly in the event of a car crash.
8. Don’t put your baby’s seat next to the car door. The center position in the back seat of the vehicle is always the first choice for safety.
9. Don’t look at your car seat for the first time while in the hospital. Make time to take care of the installation before the baby is born.
10. Don’t forget to ask for help. Texas Health has car seat technicians that will help you learn to install your seat. Before your baby arrives, call 1-877-THR-WELL to schedule your free appointment!

One other pearl of wisdom is to keep the car seat simple and clear of clutter, even cute add-on’s from the baby aisles. Your seat is crash tested just as it is and when you add a device to support the baby’s head it alters the safety of your seat, especially because it is placed behind the baby and usually goes around the harness straps. Also, don’t attach a toy, a cover for the seat or the straps, or other items to the car seat.

If you have any other questions or would like to schedule an appointment to check the safety of your seat, please call 1-877-THR-WELL for a free consultation.

Julie Smith, RN, MS
Perinatal Educator
Child Passenger Safety Technician

What is routine anyway?

What do I see when I go to another gym? I see members logging the exercises they are doing that day. This blog is about stepping out of routine boundaries.

Exercise logging is great for a period of time to get motivated and yes you feel great the first couple of workouts with a set workout routine. But what tends to happen after a couple of weeks? We choose the workouts that we felt the most and only do these specific workouts. I admit am guilty too.

The most common workout routines are chest/triceps, back/bicep, and some combination of shoulders and legs. But instead try a week of chest/ back/ shoulder, bicep/ triceps/ traps, and then leave a day for legs only. Back exercises work the biceps and chest exercises utilize the triceps.

It is important to change routine because your body and mind will quickly adapt to it. If you are already working out and you are not getting the pump that you felt the first couple of weeks try this for a week or two. This will help you feel the pump again and expand your exercise arsenal.

As always, please consult your physician before starting any exercise program.

And, if you’re looking for men’s fitness tips, please check back every other Monday for my latest postings about men’s health.

Ryan Karnes
Bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports studies
Certified Personal Trainer by AFAA

Making desserts healthier

What is the first thing you consider when you are trying to change your eating habits to be more healthy?

You check out the nutritional values on the sides or backs of the boxes or cans that you buy. And, you learn to shop around the periphery of the grocery stores. That's where the healthiest foods are located. And..... just as a caution, eat a little before you go to the grocery store or else your eyes are larger than your refrigerator can hold.

One of my husband’s primary joys is a great dessert. Who of us doesn't look forward to something sweet? In particularly, he loves blackberry cobbler. But I wasn’t sure how to make this healthy. What I found is that Splenda can save your life in calories and taste. Here's what I came up with by adjusting a regular recipe.

Blackberry Cobbler (Great with a scoop of fat-free yogurt)

Servings: 8

1/4 cup low fat Smart Balance margarine
1/2 cup Splenda

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt substitute
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup skim milk

1 1/2 cup frozen blackberries (I just use the whole package)
1/2 cup Splenda
1 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 10 x 5 x 3 or 2 quart casserole dish with spray.

Cream together margarine and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Sift together salt and baking powder.

Add flour mixture to creamed margarine and Splenda mixture alternately with milk. Beat until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Spoon berries over mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar over berries. Pour 1 cup skim milk over top. Bake 45 minutes. Batter will rise to top and create a custard within.

Note: Raspberries, blueberries or sliced peaches may be used.

This is definitely low-fat, low calorie and if you are a Weight Watchers fan -- it's low in points. If you've made healthy meals out of not-so-healthy recipes, let me know. I would love to share it with others.

Next time, I'll talk about something more substantial.....like main dishes. Happy eating!!

Mary Lou Wilson, RN, BSN

Director, Women's Services

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford

Sharing a special craft project

Spending craft time with our patients really put in perspective why I do what I do!

These mommies talked, shared, laughed and at times, I thought might cry. We had so much fun. One Mommy in a wheelchair, and one Mommy almost flat on her back in a recliner. They made short-timer chains. What's that you ask? It is the chain you made as a child with construction paper and glue. Each Mommy has a goal for their baby or babies to arrive healthy ... after 32 weeks maybe, 34, 36 or just whatever their doctor has advised would be a safe and ideal delivery date based on their reasons for hospital bedrest.

They cut, glued and lovingly decorated each loop of their chain, with special messages and decorative stickers. Each day they remove a loop on the chain and know they are one day closer to a healthy delivery.

I can't tell how special it was to be a part of this and hope that each staff member working in Women's Services can find a way to participate. The staff of the Women's Unit recognized a great need, and helped bring their ideas to reality. They are all very special and caring nurses and I know they will enjoy hearing about the activity from their patients who participated and seeing the chains decorating the patients’ rooms.

So on to massages on Thursday!

Laura Burnett, RN, BSN
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

Nursing Supervisor, Women's Services

A break from bed

Have you ever thought of what it would be like to spend weeks or even months of your pregnancy in bed, and even worse – in a hospital bed?

The nurses caring for high-risk obstetric patients at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hurst-Euless-Bedford decided it was time to have a strategic plan for offering some special TLC to these pregnant women.

After several months of planning, "Mommies In Waiting" has launched. The program offers a welcome bag with personal care items and educational brochures on pregnancy, a calendar of events including a make it and take it craft day, movie night, massage, and one-on-one or group classes for the moms to prepare them for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and parenting. The idea is to give moms a break from their time in bed, with their physician's permission of course.

Because these moms often can't be out of bed for long, we are encouraging the moms to take advantage of the eLearning Childbirth class. That way they can still prepare to deliver their babies just like those moms-to-be with lower-risk pregnancies.

At Texas Health HEB our staff goes the extra mile to provide comfort and support to our patients. For these women that we get to know during their long hospital stays the ability to provide bonus activities, and a little camaraderie, gives us a chance to help their overall well-being.

Julie Smith, RN, MS
Perinatal Educator
Child Passenger Safety Technician

Bursts of cardio beef up workout routine

As you know, weight lifting and the quick results you see are an inspiration in their own. It is also very important to keep the endurance and leanness of the muscles. As a certified personal trainer at Texas Health Hurst-Euless-Bedford Fitness Center I’m often asked how to get those results.

If you want to spice up the workout routine for the lean and ripped physique, add a 2-3 minute cardio session in the middle of your workout. Doing so will speed up the heart rate, allowing you to burn those extra calories that we all need every now and then.

Another tip for weight trainers is GO FOR TIME. Instead of loading weights up for lower reps, go a little lighter on the weight and rep it out for 35 seconds. This can allow the muscle to burn up the insulin built up in the muscle. Insulin build up in the muscle increases how much body fat you store. It makes perfect sense to throw in a high rep workout once or twice a week.

As always, please consult your physician before starting any exercise program.

And, if you’re looking for men’s fitness tips, please check back every other Monday for my latest postings about men’s health.

Ryan Karnes
Bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports studies
Certified Personal Trainer by AFAA

Caring for the whole person - mind, body and spirit

Susan, a faith community nurse volunteering in her church and a Texas Health Resources employee, recently worked with a family dealing with cancer.

Treatment options were exhausted and the individuals were overwhelmed with trying to determine what to do and how to navigate this next chapter. The couple was not an official member of her congregation, but she had been called by a church member to help answer some questions. Susan asked to meet with them and began to help them explore the options. Hospice care was initiated. Over the next couple of weeks or so Susan continued to support the family with her prayers, presence and actions. The wife died recently with her husband at her side. Susan was at the door a short time later and helped make the necessary calls to family and friends and support the husband during this tough period.

The faith community nurses I work with would tell you this is no big deal, it is what they do. But to a family or individual in need these actions can make a world of difference.

Have you ever heard the title of faith community nurse or parish nurse and wondered what that is? A Faith Community Nurse (FCN) or Parish Nurse is a registered nurse who chooses to work (paid and unpaid) in a church, synagogue, temple or other faith community to improve the health of that community. Faith community nurses focus on social, spiritual, psychological needs as well as the physical well being of the individual and community. Texas Health Resources covenants, or partners, with these nurses to support their ministry.

Does your church have a faith community nurse? They are a great resource in today’s complex health care system. It is also a super opportunity for nurses to give back to the community. If you're interested in learning more about the program, please contact me at 817-355-7870.

Karen Wright RN MSN
Faith Community Nursing Coordinator
Texas Health HEB

Learning to cook again

To give you a little background, I've always lived in the south so about the only "healthy" food I knew about was fresh fruit from the tree in our back yard and the vegetables that my mom grew in her garden. All of food was organic, but not necessarily healthy. Raised on a farm, I learned to cook "meat and potatoes", because that's what my dad liked. Moving forward to when I had small children at home, I became a short-order cook, primarily specializing in hot dogs and macaroni and cheese.

As I had more time, relatively speaking, since I worked full time as a nurse, had three children and assorted pets, I began to learn some really special recipes from my sister-in-laws -- both of whom were excellent cooks. The only problem with that is that you couldn't cook or bake without "real" butter or heavy cream or Eagle Brand Milk. So my husband and I learned to love "really good" southern cooking. I would hate to think how many calories, fat grams and milligrams of sodium some of those recipes had. Ergo, my husband had heart disease.

Just this year, my husband had a heart attack and had four stents placed in his coronary arteries. Suddenly, I had to learn how to cook again. So how do you start? I started by simple searching "heart healthy" recipes online. Wow! There are certainly a lot of those labeled "heart healthy", but beware -- I had to check out the calories, fat grams, sodium and fiber. All of these are important in determining whether I would want to cook these for my husband.

Next Thursday, I'll include some of the great hints and some great recipes. I look forward to hearing your tips as well!

Mary Lou Wilson, RN, BSN
Director, Women's Services
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford

Class helps young babysitters prepare

As a preteen I can still recall the excitement of procuring my first babysitting job.

I vividly remember the amazement when that parent asked me to babysit and making plans of what we'd do and how I'd follow the example of one of my favorite babysitters, not one of the mean ones. I was so proud that an adult trusted me, especially with their small child.

And, I'll admit, I've always been a worrier. The questions of what to do if something went wrong or what if the child got sick did pop into my preteen head.

The times may have changed. The pay scale has probably gone up significantly. But one thing has remained from my childhood - Safe Sitter baby sitting classes. These classes take often timid preteens and teenagers and teach them business skills, basic first aid and rescue techniques and how to handle emergencies as they arise. At Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford students are even taught CPR skills. The name was different and the hospital was many states away, but the class I took as a preteen was very similar.

A class and even a plethora of babysitting jobs under your belt isn't a guarantee that new situations won't crop up where an adult's wisdom and presence is a comfort. But as someone now far from those babysitting days I still vividly remember the confidence and knowledge the class gave me.

If you know a young preteen or teenager looking to make extra money babysitting, registration information for Texas Health HEB classes or for one of our sister hospitals in the Texas Health system, please call 1-877-THR-WELL.

A helping hand through the grieving process

After the ED staff worked with a patient in cardiac arrest for nearly an hour, the patient was pronounced dead. The family was stunned to hear the news because he had never been sick a day in his life. The chaplain, having been with the family as they waited, now turned her attention to a family in shock, disbelief and deep sadness. The patients’ wife and only daughter looked at each other saying things like, “this is not happening, this can’t be real.” They hugged. Tears poured out, then subsided. They told the story again and again of how they discovered him being unresponsive, of how he was so healthy, never sick, never complained about any problem and of how they couldn’t go on without him.

“Do you have a pastor I can call for you?” the chaplain asked. No, no church family, no relatives, not really even any friends. They supported one another as a family. What are they going to do? “I can’t make it without him!!?”

Grieving loss is a common part of life. It happens when someone we love dies, when a relationship ends, when we can’t do the things we used to be able to do, when things change in our lives. It’s a part of living that we would like to avoid, deny or skip altogether.

Although the word grief or grieving is most commonly associated with our response to the death of someone we love, it can also describe our response to any type of loss or change, positive or negative. Whether our lives seem great or not, most of us have a sense of who we are based on what we know and what is comfortable for us. When people we love are no longer there or situations change, we grieve for who or what is no longer part of our reality.

At Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford, we care about our patients and their families who are grieving. Although the pastoral care department has been providing spiritual care including grief support at the bedside for many years, we are now developing new and innovative ways to respond to a diverse community seeking accessible and interactive resources and support for grief.

Please check back to this blog frequently for new resources for processing grief, faith and caregiving. In the meantime, please call the department of pastoral care at 817-848-4811 for more information or to request support as you grieve. A prayer book also is available here.

Linda White

Chaplain

Texas Health HEB

Setting a positive example

My office has windows that look out into an area where people occasionally visit to smoke. Yes, we have a no smoking rule on the hospital campus, but we all know that rules cannot force a behavior change. This was so reinforced recently as I observed a young man, perhaps the Dad, with a toddler in that area. He and the toddler walked to a tiny crepe myrtle and sat under some sparse shade. He then lit up and sat down- the toddler sat too. It was about 2pm and the temperature was at least 100◦. The shade provided no real protection from the sun. He finished his cigarette and got up- the toddler got up too. He looked up at his Dad as if to follow his lead in what they would do next. The young man put his hand out and the toddler grabbed hold as they walked off together. As I sat watching the scene I anguished over the young man’s choices. He chose to smoke, he chose to expose his son to the heat and worst of all, he chose to be a bad example.

I started writing my blog when I saw the young man and his toddler. A while later, I looked again, and to my surprise and regret, I saw a young woman smoking with her child nearby. I questioned myself, “how can your child’s health and future choices not be a motivator to quit smoking?” And I also answered myself, “Nicotine is highly addictive!”

As an oncology nurse for 20-plus years, I do know that. I have seen many patients on chemotherapy who still smoke. As a baby boomer, we grew up with parents who smoked and “movie stars” who made it look glamorous or masculine. What we now know about smoking and cancer can help prevent smoking but probably not enough to stop smoking. Once smoking becomes a habit, it is very difficult to stop.

A change in behavior will only happen when there is a motivator or motivators that is stronger that the will to do the behavior that needs to be changed. In this instance the child’s safety in the heat and sun exposure was not enough to prevent either of the adults from smoking. You could arguably say that the child was not really harmed by the short amount of time that he was in the sun and heat. Yep, that’s probably true. But the greater harm comes in the long run. The child will continue to be influenced by example and his lifestyle and choices are being developed now. Smokers often feel that they are hurting no one but themselves, but that is not true.

So if you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do smoke, think about who you are influencing by your smoking and consider stopping. There are numerous programs, aids, tools and even medications to help you. Just google “stop smoking programs” or log on to the American Cancer Society’s Web site and you will find good information to a healthier breath of air!

Jenny Ellis, RN, MS, AOCN
Oncology Nurse Specialist
Texas Health HEB

Stroller as gym equipment?

Are you looking for a way to sneak in some exercise without having to hire a baby sitter or join a gym? As a parent, taking time for physical and mental health can change an entire outlook on a day.

I'm Jennifer Wines and in addition to 16 years teaching aerobics and 11 years training individuals, I'm also a mother who knows first hand the benefits exercise can bring. As a new mom it's often tough to juggle baby and workouts, but how often can we leave home without the baby and stroller? A stroller can be a great workout tool, helping to strengthen and tone muscles, build cardiovascular endurance, burn fat, and improve flexibility.

Add in the benefit of meeting new friends and Stroller Fitness is a great way to incorporate fitting in the exercise that we all need, and being able to spend time with our kids. The social interaction with other moms is also great support from women who are going through many of the same stresses. Stroller Fitness is a fun class for the new mom and for those expecting who already have a child.

Join us for a fantastic workout in the great outdoors. Classes meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Central Park, unless it’s rainy or too hot or cold - then the class will meet at Northeast Mall. Each class is $5 - or you can purchase a Class Pass for $40, which includes eight classes and a free exercise mat. For more information, call 1-877-THR-WELL or click here to register.

What's your story?

Every person has a story.

Keep an ear open and you'll hear story after story around every hospital corner. The families waiting anxiously to hear about their loved ones' condition. The nurse who turned personal experiences into a mission to help others. The volunteer who has spent years giving his time to make patients' days a bit brighter.

For more than a decade my goal was to find stories and share them with newspaper readers. Now, as a media relations professional, I have the pleasure of wandering the hospital halls and writing about coworkers and those we have the privilege of helping.

That's where "The Story Behind the Scrubs" comes in. Whether it's stories about employees or patients, tips to improve ones health, information about classes, programs or events my goal is to share a glimpse into the dedicated work performed each day at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst - Euless - Bedford. Some of these stories will be shared by me, but for the most part our dedicated professionals will be offering their experiences.

And just like welcoming experiences from across the hospital, I welcome your comments as well. Please contact me with ideas, comments or feedback. I look forward to hearing your stories.