Dr Aleksandra Gajecka - Pediatrician in Malta, Sliema (2026)

08/01/2026

💙 Heart Murmurs in Children — What Parents Should Know 💙

Hearing that your child has a heart murmur can feel frightening — but in many cases, it doesn’t have to be. Let’s break it down in a simple and reassuring way.

❓ What is a heart murmur?

A heart murmur is a whooshing or swishing sound heard during a heartbeat. It’s caused by turbulent blood flow in the heart or blood vessels.
It is a sound, not a diagnosis by itself.

🌟 Most murmurs are harmless

In fact, innocent (physiological) murmurs are extremely common in children:
• related to rapid blood flow
• loudest during fever, anemia, or growth spurts
• often disappear by adolescence

These murmurs do not affect a child’s health, activity, or development.

⚠️ When can a murmur be a sign of a problem?

Pathological murmurs are less common, but may indicate:
• congenital heart defects
• valve abnormalities
• heart muscle or vessel issues

Your pediatrician will determine if further evaluation is needed based on the sound, timing, and associated symptoms.

🩺 When to investigate?

A child should be referred for further testing if a murmur is accompanied by:
• poor feeding or fatigue
• bluish lips or fingertips
• shortness of breath
• difficulty gaining weight
• fainting or dizziness

🔎 What tests can be done?

If necessary, your child may be referred for:
Echocardiography (heart ultrasound) — the most important, painless test that shows heart structure and blood flow.
Sometimes an ECG or chest X-ray may be added, depending on symptoms.

💬 Most murmurs in children are harmless — but it’s always good to check when something seems unusual. Pediatricians listen carefully for a reason!

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

06/01/2026

Does traveling with a child make sense because I don't remember anything? ✈️🫠
This is one of the recurring myths.
Because traveling with a child isn't just about photos and new places on the map.

It's primarily an experience that encompasses their development and safety 🤍

🧠 A child who experiences the world:
• learns self-confidence by finding their way in new situations
• learns about people, cultures, and ways of life – what's available
• embraces change by learning to change and regulate change
• remember us – adults – how we cope with novelty, stress, or safety

It's not about long, exotic trips or pushing our limits.

It can be a trip out of town, an overnight stay in a different place, discovering hidden corners, exploring the "small world" together – as much as we can 🌿

If a child doesn't remember staying in a hotel or on the road,
their memory is remembered by safety, curiosity, and the main character. Because children aren't the most important thing about what we say.

I learn from how we live.

Experiencing the world together—at our own pace and on our own terms—is one of the following benefits we can give them 🌍🤍

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

04/01/2026

🌍🦠 Why Infectious Diseases Are Increasing — And Why Vaccination Still Matters 💉

In recent years, health organizations around the world have observed a rise in vaccine-preventable infectious diseases such as measles, whooping cough (pertussis), and meningitis — despite decades of successful immunization programs.

📈 Examples of rising outbreaks
📍 Whooping cough in Japan: In 2025, Japan has seen a dramatic surge in pertussis cases, with more than 50,000 reported so far, far exceeding previous records and significantly higher than the ~4,000 cases reported in all of 2024. This is the highest number since comparable data collection began in 2018.
📍 Measles in Europe: Reported cases more than doubled between 2023 and 2024, reaching nearly 150,000 cases across WHO Europe — the highest in decades.
📍 Whooping cough across Europe: Nearly 60,000 cases were recorded in 2023–24, about 10 times higher than previous years.

These diseases are vaccine-preventable — meaning their impact can be dramatically reduced when vaccination rates are high.

💉 Why vaccination is still so important
✨ Vaccines protect individuals from severe infections
✨ High vaccination coverage creates community (herd) immunity
✨ Many diseases once near elimination can return without strong immunization programs
✨ Vaccination has saved millions of lives globally and prevented countless hospitalizations

Maintaining and updating routine vaccines — including boosters where recommended — helps prevent outbreaks and protects our most vulnerable, especially babies, young children, and older adults.

👶 For parents:
Keeping your children up-to-date with recommended vaccinations is one of the most effective ways to protect them from serious illness. Regular vaccination protects not only your child — it protects your entire family and community.
Our strongest defense against infectious diseases remains safe and effective vaccination 🙌

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

27/12/2025

⚠️🎄 Electrical Injuries in Children – A Hidden Holiday Risk 🎄⚠️

The holiday season brings lights, decorations, extension cords, and chargers into our homes — and with them, an increased risk of electrical injuries in children.

👶 Why are children especially at risk?
• Natural curiosity and exploration
• Tendency to put objects in their mouths
• Limited awareness of danger
• Increased exposure to electrical decorations during holidays

🔌 Common holiday-related risks include:
✨ Chewing on light cords or chargers
✨ Inserting objects into sockets
✨ Damaged Christmas lights or loose plugs
✨ Overloaded extension cords under the tree
✨ Touching electrical devices with wet hands

⚡ What can electrical injuries cause?
• Burns to the mouth, hands, or skin
• Cardiac rhythm disturbances
• Muscle injury
• Internal damage that may not be visible immediately

❗ What should parents do if a child is electrocuted?
✔️ Disconnect the power source before touching the child
✔️ Call emergency services immediately
✔️ Even if your child seems well, medical evaluation is essential

🛡️ How to reduce the risk during the holidays:
🎄 Use certified, child-safe Christmas lights
🎄 Cover unused electrical outlets
🎄 Keep cords out of reach of small children
🎄 Inspect decorations for damage
🎄 Never leave young children unattended around electrical decorations

✨ A gentle reminder for parents:
The holidays should be filled with joy — not emergency room visits. A few safety checks can make all the difference.

Wishing you a safe and peaceful holiday season 🤍

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

24/12/2025

🎄✨ Warm Holiday Wishes to My Dear Patients and Their Families ✨🎄

As the year comes to an end, I would like to thank you for your trust, openness, and cooperation throughout the past months 💙

May this Christmas bring your homes peace, warmth, and moments of true closeness — the kind that children remember for a lifetime 🎁🤍
May there be time for rest, laughter, and gentle moments together.

As we welcome the New Year, I wish you and your children:
✨ good health
✨ emotional balance
✨ resilience and calm
✨ and many joyful family moments

Thank you for allowing me to be part of your child’s journey.
I look forward to continuing to support you in the coming year 🌱

Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year!

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

17/12/2025

✨ Why Do Children (and Parents!) Feel Better Around Christmas Lights? ✨

It’s not just holiday magic — there’s science behind it 🧠💡

🎄 Light and the brain
Warm, gentle lights stimulate the brain’s reward system, increasing the release of dopamine and serotonin — neurotransmitters responsible for good mood, calmness, and emotional balance.

🌙 Stress reduction
Soft, decorative lighting lowers activity of the stress response system (the HPA axis), helping both children and adults feel safer, calmer, and more relaxed 😌

🧠 Sense of predictability and safety
For young children especially, repeated visual patterns like twinkling lights provide a sense of order and familiarity, which supports emotional regulation and reduces anxiety.

❤️ Connection and bonding
Enjoying festive lights together promotes oxytocin release — the “bonding hormone” — strengthening parent–child attachment and feelings of closeness 🤍

🌟 Mindfulness effect
Watching lights flicker gently slows down our thoughts and breathing, acting almost like a natural form of mindfulness — something both overstimulated kids and tired parents truly need.

🎁 A gentle reminder for parents:
Sometimes it’s not about toys or activities.
A shared moment, dimmed lights, and quiet presence can be powerful medicine for the nervous system — yours and your child’s ✨

Slow down. Look at the lights together. Smile.
Your brain will thank you 🧠💫

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

12/12/2025

🧒🐛 Head Lice in Children – A Common but Often Embarrassing Topic

Head lice… just reading the word makes many parents cringe. But here’s the truth: head lice are extremely common, especially in young children who attend preschool or school. And no — they are not a sign of poor hygiene. ❤️

How common is it?

👉 Most cases occur in children 3–11 years old.
👉 Lice spread easily in group settings — close play, shared items, or simply heads touching.

What are the symptoms?

🪳 Intense itching of the scalp (especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck)
🪳 Tiny white eggs (nits) stuck to the hair shaft
🪳 Redness or scratch marks on the scalp
🪳 You may occasionally see an adult louse, but they move fast — nits are easier to spot.

How do we treat it?

✔️ Special medicated lotions or shampoos designed to kill lice (follow instructions carefully!)
✔️ Repeat treatment after 7–10 days to eliminate newly hatched lice
✔️ Wet-combing with a fine-tooth lice comb
✔️ Check all close contacts, including siblings
✔️ Wash bedding, hats, and hair accessories, but there is no need to deep-clean the entire house — lice survive only 24–48 hours off the scalp.

A comforting note for parents 💛

Head lice happen to any child, even in the cleanest homes. It’s not your fault — just a normal part of childhood and school life. With the right treatment, it resolves quickly and completely.

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

08/12/2025

🌸 Why Vaccinating Children and Adults Against Chickenpox Really Matters

Chickenpox may seem like a “normal childhood illness,” but modern medicine shows something important:
vaccination is the safest and most effective way to protect both children and adults.

⸻

🦠 Is chickenpox really dangerous?

Most children recover, but chickenpox is not always mild. It can lead to:
• high fever
• bacterial skin infections
• pneumonia
• dehydration
• neurological complications (e.g., cerebellar ataxia)
• hospitalization

Adults and teenagers typically experience much more severe disease than young children.

⸻

💉 Why vaccination is so important

✔️ Prevents infection entirely in most cases

The varicella vaccine offers excellent protection against both illness and complications.

✔️ If vaccinated children do get chickenpox, it’s usually extremely mild

Often only a few spots, low fever, and quick recovery.

✔️ Protects adults — who get the worst complications

Unvaccinated adults face a significantly higher risk of pneumonia and hospitalization.

✔️ Reduces the risk of shingles later in life

Because a weaker form of the virus is used, vaccinated children have a much lower chance of developing shingles compared with those who had natural chickenpox.

✔️ Protects vulnerable individuals

Including newborns, pregnant women, children on immunosuppressive treatment, and those who cannot be vaccinated.

⸻

👶 Who should be vaccinated?
• All children (usually 2 doses)
• Adults who never had chickenpox and were never vaccinated
• Healthcare workers, teachers, and caregivers
• Parents of young children who haven’t had the disease

⸻

❗ A common myth:

“It’s better for children to get chickenpox naturally.”
➡️ Not true.
Natural infection carries far more risks — while the vaccine is well-studied, safe, and extremely effective.

⸻

🌿 Vaccination protects your child today and gives them healthier years ahead.

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

01/12/2025

🌙💛 Why “sleep training” before age 5 is not developmentally appropriate

I often hear from parents:
“My child has to learn to fall asleep alone.”
“The specialist told me to leave them until they cry it out.”
“Otherwise they will manipulate us.”

Let me say this clearly:

👉 Children under the age of 5 are not biologically ready to regulate their emotions or nighttime stress on their own.

🧠 A young child’s brain isn’t built for solitary stress regulation

Until around 4–5 years of age, a child’s nervous system functions mainly in the mode:
“My caregiver regulates me.”

This is how their brain is wired. Emotional co-regulation with a loving adult is not optional — it’s essential.

😢 “Crying it out” doesn’t mean calming down

Many parents say:
“He cried and cried… and finally fell asleep.”

But that sleep does not come from peaceful settling.
It comes from exhaustion and helplessness when the child no longer expects support.

❗️Cortisol (the stress hormone) only decreases when the caregiver returns — not when the child stops crying.

🤍 Babies don’t manipulate — they communicate

In the first years of life, children have zero concept of manipulation.
They cry because crying is their only way to express:
“I need you.”

Attachment science is absolutely full of evidence showing that responsive caregiving builds emotional resilience — not dependence.

🌿 Healthy sleep develops naturally

Children learn to fall asleep independently when:
• their needs are met,
• they feel safe,
• and their nervous system is mature enough.

For many children, this happens around 5 years old, often gradually and gently.

And even then — bedtime rituals, cuddles, reading together, and being present remain meaningful parts of connection 💛

You are not “spoiling” your child by responding. You are supporting their brain development.

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

28/11/2025

😷 Infectious Mononucleosis in Children — What Parents Should Know

Infectious mononucleosis (“mono”) is a common viral illness in children and teenagers, most often caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV).

📌 How is it spread?

EBV spreads through saliva — kissing, sharing cups, bottles, utensils, or close contact in schools and nurseries.

👀 Typical symptoms:
• prolonged fever
• tiredness and weakness
• sore throat
• swollen lymph nodes
• enlarged tonsils or spleen
• reduced appetite

Symptoms can last 2–4 weeks, sometimes longer.

🩺 Treatment

There is no specific antiviral treatment — management is supportive:
• rest
• hydration
• fever/pain relief
• avoiding intense physical activity (to protect the spleen)

Antibiotics do not work.

⚠️ Possible complications (rare)
• significant spleen enlargement
• rupture of the spleen
• prolonged fatigue
• secondary infections

Seek medical advice if the child has severe abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, extreme tiredness, or symptoms lasting longer than expected.

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

25/11/2025

🌿 Post-infectious (temporary) lactose intolerance in children — what should parents know? 🍼🤍

It’s quite common for children to develop temporary lactose intolerance after a gastroenteritis (a stomach bug). And although it can be worrying for parents, the good news is: it’s usually short-lived and completely reversible 🌈💛

💡 What is it?

After a viral or bacterial infection, the lining of the intestine becomes irritated. This can reduce the activity of lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose — the natural sugar in milk.

This is not a true milk allergy ❗️
It’s simply a temporary difficulty digesting lactose.

👀 Typical symptoms:
• bloating and gas 🎈
• abdominal pain or cramps 🤕
• loose stools or diarrhea 💩
• diaper rash (from acidic stools) 🌡️
• increased fussiness in younger children 😣

Symptoms usually appear a few days after the infection starts.

⏳ How long does it last?

Most children recover within 1–2 weeks, as the intestinal lining heals.
In some cases, especially after strong infections, it may take up to 4–6 weeks.

🤲 What can parents do?
• choose low-lactose or lactose-free dairy temporarily
• offer small, frequent meals
• ensure good hydration 💧
• be patient — the gut needs time to heal 🌿

Breastfeeding should continue normally — breast milk is well tolerated even during recovery 💙

⚠️ When to contact a pediatrician?

Seek medical advice if:
• symptoms last longer than 4–6 weeks
• the child is not gaining weight
• there is persistent vomiting or dehydration signs
• stools contain blood
• symptoms appear in a baby under 3 months
• you’re unsure if it’s lactose intolerance or something else

Your pediatrician can guide you safely — you don’t have to figure it out alone 🤗

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

21/11/2025

🌼 “Vaccinations During Pregnancy Protect BOTH Mother and Baby” 🤰🩷👶

Many parents still worry that vaccines in pregnancy might be unsafe—or believe it’s better to “wait until after the baby is born.”
But this is a myth ❗
Modern research shows clearly: vaccinations during pregnancy are safe, recommended, and life-saving.

⸻

🛡️ Are vaccines safe in pregnancy?

Yes ✔️
Vaccines recommended during pregnancy have been extensively studied and shown to be safe for both the mother and the developing baby.
They do not increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects, or pregnancy complications.

Instead, they provide powerful protection during a time when the immune system is naturally more vulnerable.

⸻

💉 Which vaccines are recommended during pregnancy?

1️⃣ Tdap (whooping cough vaccine)
Given in every pregnancy, ideally between 27–36 weeks.
Helps the mother produce antibodies that pass through the placenta and protect the newborn in the first months of life—when whooping cough is most dangerous.

2️⃣ Flu vaccine (seasonal influenza)
Safe in any trimester, recommended yearly.
Protects against severe flu complications, including pneumonia, hospitalization, and preterm birth.

3️⃣ COVID-19 vaccine
Recommended for pregnant women.
Reduces the risk of severe disease, ICU admission, and pregnancy complications associated with COVID-19 infection.

⸻

🚫 A common myth:

“I’ll wait until after birth. It will be safer for the baby.”

Fact:
Vaccinating during pregnancy is the ONLY way to give your baby early antibodies before birth.
Newborns cannot receive these vaccines themselves—so maternal vaccination offers the first line of protection during their most vulnerable period.

Keeping mothers safe keeps babies safe.
Vaccination in pregnancy is an act of love, protection, and science working at its best 💛🤰✨

Yours,
Dr Aleksandra 🦋

Dr Aleksandra Gajecka - Pediatrician in Malta

08/01/2026

06/01/2026

04/01/2026

27/12/2025

24/12/2025

17/12/2025

12/12/2025

08/12/2025

01/12/2025

28/11/2025

25/11/2025

21/11/2025

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share

Category