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What If Your Newborn is Sick
These are first few days after you gave birth to you baby. How can you know if something is suddenly wrong with her? Within days of meeting your newborn, you'll have a sense of what's normal for her and what's not. Your understandings of your baby's usual patterns of feeding, sleeping, excitement, and responding to you are significant elements in judging her general state of health and in knowing when it's time to call the physician. Don't worry too much - you'll know when something is really wrong. You should also take precautions from day one, so that your baby can stay as healthy as possible. Keep her away from sick people, and wash your hands after each diaper change. If you're breastfeeding, continue nursing for as long as you can (ideally, throughout the first year). Don't let anyone smoke around your baby, and make sure she is properly immunized. Place her on her back when she's sleeping to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). But even if you follow all of this to the letter, your newborn may still get sick, and that's typical too. Fever When a baby under 3 months has a fever above 100.6 degrees F, she should be examined by her doctor. Although the presence of fever in a baby is a sign that she is unwell, the fever alone is usually not a reason to be worried. A baby can have a low-grade fever and fall seriously ill or a high fever and be only mildly ill. If an older baby has a fever but appears completely well otherwise, observe her for a day to see whether she develops other symptoms. Temperament changes If your baby has a runny nose but seems sunny and happy as usual and is feeding well, she's most likely not seriously ill. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't call your healthcare practitioner. Difficulty breathing If your little one has a stuffy nose, you can try to help clear it using a bulb syringe. (Stuffed up nasal passages makes it hard for a baby to breastfeed or bottle-feed.) But if your baby seems to be having real trouble breathing - flare nostrils, the skin around ribs sucks in with each breath, or she appears to be turning blue - take her to the emergency room immediately. Unusual crying If your baby all of a sudden begins crying more than usual and you can't soothe her in the usual ways, or if her cry is coarse or weak or unusually high-pitched, she could be seriously ill. The opposite is also correct - if your baby seems sad, doesn't cry but is strangely inactive and hard to wake from sleep, call your doctor. Abnormal bowel movements Newborns, especially if they're breastfed, typically have very soft or even liquid bowel movements up to ten times a day. Any change from your baby's usual pattern is a clue. Call your pediatrician if your baby is 3 months or younger and you suspect she has diarrhea. If your baby is acting sleepy and suddenly having small, hard, or dry bowel movements or if her stool is streaked with blood or mucus or has the consistency of jelly, call your practitioner. Make sure your baby is drinking plenty of formula or breast milk so she doesn't get dehydrated. (A newborn should wet a minimum of six diapers a day.) Whenever you have any remaining doubts about your baby's state of health, call your healthcare provider. Your baby counts on you to act in her best interest.
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