When newborn baby is born at home, all the members of the family pay close attention to the baby and when the baby shows a new symptom, they all get upset. In such a case, there is no reason to be afraid as some newborn baby problems are very much common.
You must have to understand those newborn baby problems so you can diagnose and treat them without fear and you must understand when you have to contact a doctor immediately if the problem gets worse.
So lets understand how to deal with newborn baby problems.
Common newborn baby problems – The baby cries loudly
The baby’s language is just crying because the baby can’t speak. Baby crying means that the baby is having trouble. It is important for you to know that baby cries can be for different things.
- Most commonly if the baby is hungry, the baby starts crying. It is one of the most common newborn baby problems.
- When the baby urinates and poo in the cloths as baby cannot go to the toilet, the dampness causes the baby to feel uncomfortable and the baby starts to cry.
- If the baby has a stomach ache, the baby starts crying loudly and possibly this crying is seen more in the evening and it may be due to the formation of gas in the stomach and intestines. At such times, baby should be burped properly and let the baby sleeps on his abdomen, so that the gas or air from the baby’s stomach comes out and the baby stops crying.
- The baby needs a little change of air at a time when he/she gets bored after sleeping or playing for a long time.
It is important to consult your pediatrician if the baby is crying and not drinking milk and become lethargic.
Must read 10 tips on newborn crying
Newborn with Jaundice
When a newborn baby starts to turn yellow, most people know that he/she has jaundice. But there is a big difference between jaundice in newborns and jaundice in adults.
Jaundice in newborns is due to immaturity of the baby’s liver. So this jaundice starts to grow from the third day of age. Increases to the fifth-sixth day and decreases to the eighth to tenth day.
It is very important for the mother to breastfeed her baby every two hours without panic. This is because the baby’s jaundice (bilirubin) is excreted in his urine.
Keep the baby in sunlight for ten to fifteen minutes in the morning helps to reduce the baby’s jaundice.
If the baby develops jaundice within 24 hours of birth or more than three weeks, it is important to consult your pediatrician. As sometimes your baby may need phototherapy for the jaundice in which baby is kept in neonatal intensive care unit under the blue light to reduce the raised bilirubin from the blood and decrease the yellowish discoloration of the skin.
Newborn sneezing
Most of the time parents are disturbed by the sound coming from the baby’s nose(breathing problem in newborn baby) , so it is necessary to put saline drops in the baby’s nose without panic. Doing so loosens the dry mucus in the baby’s nose and stops the sound and ultimately baby breathing gets regularise.
The baby’s nasal airways are narrow. It can create sound like that, but it’s normal. If the baby has a fever with cold, consult a pediatrician.
Painful tummy
Stomach cramps are a very common problem. At such times the baby suddenly starts crying and even the parents can not able to stop such crying. It is caused by air or gas in the stomach. It is usually called evening colic (newborn baby gas problem) as it usually occurs in the evening.
At times, some of the ingredients in breast milk or formula may cause stomach cramps. Therefore, you should consult your doctor in such cases.
Bloated Baby’s abdomen
The main reason why the baby’s stomach often looks bloated after breastfeeding is that the mother’s nipple should be completely in the baby’s mouth while breastfeeding so air can pass through baby’s mouth in the stomach. So if mother latch the baby properly then air will not go in stomach and burping after feed will reduce such air.
This type is more common in bottle-fed babies.
Stomach gas is also relieved by patting the baby on the abdomen two to three times a day.
Newborn baby gas problems are very much common in first 3 months of age. If parents identify it smartly then they can calm their baby instantly if they burp their baby well after each feed.
Consult your pediatrician immediately if the baby has bloating and is not doing well with the baby, does not drink milk, or vomits frequently.
Baby vomiting
It is very common for a baby to vomit a small amount of milk after breastfeeding. If you burp baby properly, the rate of vomiting also decreases.
Sometimes the baby vomits frequently and it becomes lethargic and often the baby vomits forcefully and if the baby is vomiting green, it is important to consult your pediatrician immediately as it is life threatening.
Rash on baby’s skin
The baby has red rash on its skin. This rash is mainly on the cheeks due to sudden exposure to the external environment. In some places, the baby’s skin is dry. At such times, dry skin does not need to be treated as new skin begins to appear.
That rash subsides in a few days. Do not apply any creams or lotions to the baby.
Cradle cap on the baby’s scalp
A yellow scab sometimes forms on the baby’s scalp. The main reason for this is that hormones are released from the mother’s blood into the baby’s blood at birth. As a result, the glands on the baby’s scalp release more oil. This causes a fungal infection on the scalp called a cradle cap.
There is a belief in our society that applying too much oil on the frontal fontanell fills it up. But this is a pure misconception.
The fontanell fills up at the age of twelve to eighteen months. If the scabs are not reduced, you must consult your doctor.
Red rash in the groin
The baby’s urination and poo rate increases when he starts drinking milk. In this case, it is important that you should dry the area of the baby’s thigh and groing with a clean cloth.
Some of the ingredients of poo causes a reaction on the skin on buttock of the baby and that skin becomes red. So after making skin dry you need to apply anti-fungal powder.
If the baby has a lot of rash near the anus and the baby is passing loose poo, it is important to consult your pediatrician.
Frequent touching to the ear
It is very common for babies to get ear infections.
If the ear infection is caused by a virus, it can be cured within a few days without treatment.
But if the infection is caused by a bacteria, then antibiotics may be needed
Ear infections can also cause deafness in the baby, so it is important to contact your doctor if dirty discharge comes out of the ears.
White spots in the mouth
If white spots appear in the baby’s mouth, the baby may have a fungal infection of the mouth. This fungal infection is called candidiasis. It is important to contact your doctor. They may give the baby some medicine to put in the mouth.
The baby turns blue
By the time the baby is born, the baby’s arms and legs are blue and after a while the baby’s blood flow is normal and it starts to look pink. This is normal.
But even after a few hours, the baby’s lips will be blue, and if the baby has trouble breathing,then your baby may have a heart or lung problem. It is important to contact your pediatrician without delay as the baby’s life is in danger in such case.
The baby has a cold
Often the baby gets a cold because of the new environment. If the baby’s nose is blocked by cold at such a time, nasal congestion should be removed by using saline drops. If the baby is still irritated and has difficulty breathing, you should consult a pediatrician.
The baby is coughing
The baby coughs a lot while drinking milk but this cough is normal. But if the baby is coughing and the baby is not drinking milk or the baby is coughing all night, also has difficulty in breathing you should contact your doctor immediately. In this case, the baby is more likely to have pneumonia.
Any breathing problem in newborn baby is alarm for parents, so at such time they must consult their children doctor immediately.
The baby has a fever
If your baby’s fever is above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, consult your pediatrician, as some babies may occasionally have a fever.
Baby’s low hemoglobin (anemia)
If the mother’s hemoglobin is low, then the baby’s hemoglobin may also be low. At such times, the baby is deprived of oxygen because hemoglobin carries oxygen in the blood.
Frequent diarrhea in baby
Newborns usually have poo seven to eight times. They can pass poo of different colors. If the baby is feeding well then you need not to be worry.
But if you have excessive diarrhea and the baby become lethargic, consult your pediatrician.
It is important for parents to know all of the above issues. So you know when to contact a doctor and what to do at home in an emergency. If you read the above article thoroughly, your confidence to take care of your baby will definitely increase. If you like newborn baby problems article, please share it with your friends.
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