Thursday, April 08, 2010

Should A Mom-At-Home Own An Otoscope In Caring For Her Baby or Her Kids?

We are all familar with the sight of our family doctor using a diagnostic tool called an otoscope to take a look into our ears when we seemingly have some ear infection, or some pain arising from the ears.

That is all well when the doctor, as a physician handles that task.

But the question is this: " Should a stay-at-home mom own an otoscope and perform ear inspections herself on her baby or her kids?"

To answer that question, I researched the internet and also look at feedback from many stay-at-home moms, to tap their experience and to see what they are doing.

The answer was a overwhelmingly "YES".

Moms-at-home feel that they should take a more active role in ensuring the health of their children, rather than to have this role performed solely by their physicians.

Moms-at-home feel empowered when they own an otoscope and can use it to identify potential problems in their infant's ears, especially when they find their babies tugging their ear lobes or crying with some form of discomfort arising from their ears.

When they own an otoscope, they can use it readily to take a look into their infant's ears to see whether it is reddish, which will suggest a ear infection just starting off and then to refer their children to their pediatric or their child specialist for further diagnosis and treatment.

This gives them comfort and peace of mind that they can nab beginning ear infections in the early stages rather than finding out about these ear infections in their infants at 2 am in the hospital's emergency rooms.

Otoscopes come in different quality and at different prices. From a twenty dollar model to a quality otoscope such as the Welch Allyn otoscope which can cost a few hundred dollars, the key to a good otoscope is to ensure the lens is powerful enough to provide good manification.

Irregardless of the make or model, the majority of moms-at-home are thankful for this invention called an otoscope that is proving to be useful in helping them identify ear infections fast.

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