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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally issued a warning that supports what many pediatricians have been saying to parents for years: Over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines should not be given to kids under age 2 due to their potentially serious and life-threatening side effect.
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How often do you get sick? Perhaps you have a cold every winter or the flu once in a while? Well, prepare to be on a first-name basis with your
child's pediatrician or nurse practitioner.
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How often do you get sick? Perhaps you have a cold every winter or
the flu once in a while? Well, prepare to be on a first-name basis with your
child's pediatrician or nurse practitioner. Babies get sick a lot. They have to-there's
no other way for their immune systems to build up immunity to the viruses and
other germs that share our world. Most illnesses are minor, but babies are much
more-and much less-than tiny humans. They're tiny underdeveloped humans,
particularly when it comes to their immune systems. That's why even the
slightest fever may be cause for worry. To help you prioritize, prevent panic
and, hopefully, give your child's health care provider a few more hours of sleep,
we've prepared this guide to some of the top health concerns new parents need to
know.
Spitting Up
It often seems that as soon as you've finished feeding your baby, everything you
worked so hard to get down comes right back up -all over your shirt. Spitting up
is as endemic to newborns as the soft spot on the top of their heads. Also
called reflux or regurgitation, these “wet burps” usually occur shortly after
feedings.
Babies spit up because, in about half of all infants, the valve at the upper end
of the stomach (the esophageal sphincter) hasn't closed properly. This should
change by the end of the first year.
Until then:
* Try smaller feedings. If you bottle feed, use less formula per feeding. If you
breastfeed, try nursing on one side and pumping the other. Wait at least two
hours between feedings to give the baby's stomach time to empty. Also, don't
feed a crying baby. The air gulped in crying may lead to a post-meal spit up.
* Avoid putting pressure on the abdomen. This means not wrapping the diaper too
tightly, especially when baby is in a sitting position.
* Pay attention to position. Forget burping over the knee; that's a sure way to
get your shoes covered. Instead, try to keep baby upright just after feeding in
a front pack. Once baby is older, a stationary walker or jumpy seat might work.
If your baby is vomiting frequently and not gaining weight, call your care
provider. She may have a condition called pyloric stenosis, a narrowing of the
outlet from the stomach to the intestines. If the vomit is brown, green or
tinged with blood, call your care provider.
Diaper Rash
No matter how careful you are, whether you use disposable or cloth diapers, it's
nearly inevitable that at some point your baby will get diaper rash. At least
you're not alone; up to 35 percent of all babies get diaper rash. Even if you've
escaped it for the first six months, you may encounter it as you introduce new
foods to your baby's diet. The key is catching it early and treating it
immediately, or preventing it completely. Each of these preventatives also works
as a treatment:
* Change diapers often to prevent skin contact with urine and feces.
* Forget the diaper wipes. They simply aren't enough after a poopy diaper, and
they can actually dry out baby's skin. Use lots of warm water and a soft
washcloth. And be thorough, any speck of poop left on your baby could turn into
a skin ulcer or diaper rash.
* Expose your baby's bottom to air each day. Put her on a blanket naked to play
for 20 minutes. She'll love it, and the air will help prevent and treat the rash.
* Avoid plastic pants. If you use cloth diapers, use diaper liners instead and
terrycloth diaper covers.
* Use a protective cream or ointment. There are several available, including
petroleum jelly, A+D. If the rash doesn't disappear in three days, it may be a
yeast infection. Certain over-the-counter creams are specially formulated to
treat yeast infections. But don't use boric acid or talc, both of which can be
dangerous for baby. Try cornstarch instead.
Diarrhea
There you are, holding baby with one arm, trying to fix dinner with the other,
when you hear an explosive sound coming from the nether regions, smell something
awful and feel something wet all over your hand. OK, a diaper blowout, you think.
You bathe the baby, put her in clean clothes, pick her up and boom! There she
goes again. She's got diarrhea, and not only will you need to stock up on
diapers for the next two days, you've also got to watch for dehydration.
There are numerous causes of diarrhea in a baby, from food allergies, changes in
diet and reactions to medications to viruses and other infections. The most
common virus is the rotavirus, particularly prevalent among children in day care.
It usually hits during the winter. Some children have no symptoms, while others
may have severe vomiting, watery diarrhea and fever, maybe a cough or runny nose.
It lasts about four to six days and is highly contagious. The best defense: Wash
your hands often before touching your child and make sure any caregiver does the
same. And always wash your hands-with soap-after changing a diaper. The best
treatment is time and fluids, particularly oral rehydration solutions such as
Ceralyte, Pedialyte or Oralyte.
Call your care provider if your baby is less than 6 months old and, in addition
to the diarrhea, has a fever, bloody stools, prolonged vomiting and signs of
dehydration as described above.
* Breast-fed babies' bowel movements tend to be softer and looser than bottle-fed
babies'. They may even be watery for the first few weeks of life. This is
normal, not a sign of diarrhea.
* Call your care provider if your baby exhibits any signs of dehydration
described here, or if your infant is running a temperature (See “fever”). You
should call your care provider regardless of whether it's rotavirus or not; it
doesn't matter.
Croup
You'll remember if you've ever known a child with croup. There's just no
forgetting that horrible, seal-like barking cough that is the hallmark of this
condition. Croup is an inflammation of the voice box and windpipe. It occurs
when the airway just below the vocal cords becomes swollen and narrow, making
breathing difficult and noisy. It's most common in children between 6 months and
3 years, when their windpipes are very small and slight swelling can actually
shut them off. If you think your child has croup, call your care provider
immediately.
The care provider may suggest you take the baby into the bathroom, turn the hot
water in the shower on, close the door, and sit in the makeshift steam room for
15 to 20 minutes. This opens the airways and helps baby breathe. If that doesn't
help, try carrying baby outside where the cool, moist air might help. If your
child is truly struggling to breathe, makes a whistling sound that gets louder
with each breath, seems pale or has a bluish mouth or fingernails, drools or has
real difficulty swallowing saliva, call 911.
Colic
Feel like you could set your watch by your child's fussy period? From 5 to 9
p.m. every night, he wails, and no amount of care can calm him down. You've
drawn a colicky baby.
Even today, doctors still don't know for sure what causes colic. Studies suggest
a myriad of reasons: it's an early warning sign of certain allergy-related
conditions; it's fussing due to painful digestion; it's baby's way of unwinding
after a stressful day. But the reasons don't matter much when you just want the
screaming to end. Know that it will. For some reason, most colic disappears at
around three months. To cope in the meantime:
* If you're nursing, eliminate anything in your
diet that may cause gassiness, such as beans, broccoli, onions, garlic and
dairy.
* Try baby massage. Studies show that firmly stroking a baby's skin for 15
to 20 minutes helps calm colicky infants.
* Put the baby in the car seat and drive her around until she falls asleep.
The same principle of soothing sound and motion is at work when you put her
in her baby carrier on top of a running dryer.
* Wear your baby in a sling or a pouch. The closeness, warmth and sound of
your heart may help soothe her. |
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Based on content from Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Care Basics: Practical Tips for Parents-to-Be. When your baby arrives, you will be the center of his or her universe. And that universe will be centered largely in the nursery. You are both going to spend a lot of time here, especially when you first bring your baby home, so it’s important to make it a calm, comfortable place for both of you. |
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Delivering a healthy, beautiful baby boy was the most wonderful thing. But as my husband returned to work and the attention of family and friends began to wane, I was left at home with our new baby, and it hit me: What had I gotten myself into?
The popular perception is that baby's first weeks at home are pure bliss.
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Delivering a healthy, beautiful baby boy was the most wonderful thing. But as my husband returned to work and the attention of family and friends began to wane, I was left at home with our new baby, and it hit me: What had I gotten myself into?
The popular perception is that baby's first weeks at home are pure bliss. On TV, new mothers are beautiful and serene, and new babies appear as rosy, drowsy cherubs. No wonder my husband was unprepared for the vision that greeted him each night when he returned home from work: Me, teary-eyed, dressed in wrinkled sweats or my bathrobe, and our baby, red-faced and screaming. It was a time of adjustment for all of us.
"A lot of people idealize newborns," says Dr. Sue Mahle, a pediatrician with the group Partners in Pediatrics in Robbinsdale, Minnesota.
"They think a newborn baby eats every four hours, sleeps through the night, and smiles and coos when it's awake, but that's not a newborn, that's a four-month-old. Newborns are not smiley, happy, sleep-all-night, interactive creatures-they basically live to eat and sleep and poop." With that in mind, here's some advice to help new parents get through those first few weeks:
Your pediatrician is your partner. "Mothers aren't trained and babies don't come with a manual, so the pediatrician should be looked upon as your health expert, available 24 hours a day, to provide you with a reality check," says Marc Wager, M.D., a pediatrician in private practice in New Rochelle, New York. Wager says he usually meets first with new patients during the eighth or ninth month of pregnancy, then again in the hospital after the baby arrives, followed by an office visit within a week of delivery. But he encourages new parents to call him with their concerns.
"In New York state, a baby is discharged from the hospital between 24 and 36 hours after a vaginal birth, so often you're missing the time period when certain health conditions will present themselves," notes Wager. "If a baby is having trouble feeding-whether that means vomiting or shortness of breath when feeding-or if the baby starts to look yellow, call your pediatrician."
Don't be afraid to ask for help. "The classes they give in the hospital provide a general overview about baby care, but you don't really learn how until you have to do it yourself," says Serena Chapman of Seattle, Washington, who has twin baby boys. "My mother-in-law was great. She taught us how to bathe the boys and how to cut their nails-all the little things you never think about." If you don't have family members living nearby, lean on your friends, says Lori Morrow, a mom in suburban New Rochelle. When friends offered to make meals for the family, Lori gratefully accepted: "I didn't have to even think about dinner for the first week, and that gave me time to rest and be with the baby."
If friends or family members are not available, you may want to consider a postpartum doula-a paid helper who provides both baby care advice and help with household chores. "We're like a mother without the baggage," jokes Ruth Callahan, owner of Doula Care Postpartum Service in New York City. "We're there during the transition to facilitate new parents settling in."
Typically a doula works for several hours a day during the first two weeks a new mother is at home, offering breastfeeding tips, doing the laundry and shopping, making dinner, and taking care of light housekeeping. Rates range from $25 to $30 per hour; the National Association of Postpartum Care Services, which certifies doulas across the U.S., offers a free referral service on its web site at www.napcs.org.
My first child taught me everything I needed to know about caring for a baby, but it took time before I began to understand what he wanted-and needed-me to do for him. Raising a child is not about being the perfect mother, it's about being the right mother for your child. Relax and let your baby be your guide as you begin this journey through motherhood-together.
*taken from "Homecoming Dream," by Theresa Kump, Every Baby magazine, Issue Four. Every Baby magazine was a publication of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, copyright 2004. To learn more about midwives and midwifery, and to find a midwife in your local community, visit www.midwife.org
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