Imagine walking in a park with your baby on a Jogging Stroller and you saw your baby smiling at you, how would you feel? Absolutely, you will feel delighted! Babies are said to be angels on earth. They bring nothing but bundles of joy to their family.
Seeing babies healthy gives so much comfort to parents. Parents always want their babies well. They always want to see the smile on their face. But illness is inevitable, and it comes when you least expect it.
One of the most terrifying and confusing things that may happen, especially to new parents, is to see their babies get sick for the first time. Of course, no one can avoid it. However, since you are dealing with babies, it will be hard for you to tell if they are okay or not. Babies under six months are not able to talk and tell what they feel or what is painful. With this, it is important to know the indicators if your baby is not feeling well.
Knowing what symptoms to look for can help you keep calm so that you can decide if it already requires a medical attention. To help you detect an ill baby, here are 8 symptoms to keep in mind:
- High Fever
Fever is not actually an illness. Instead, it is the response of a baby to an illness, typically an infection. If your baby is less than 3 months old and his rectal temperature is over 100.4 F, or if he is 3 months but less than 6 months and his temperature is over 101 F, you need to call your pediatrician. Although the temperature is below these universal guidelines, you still need to call your doctor if your baby has a fever with rashes, stiff neck, irritable, lethargic, and difficult to feed, or has a stiff neck.
- Frequent Vomiting
Vomiting is not serious if it only happens once or twice. It is common to see babies spit up. This happens when they are overfed, or when they are accidentally shaken after being fed. But if the vomiting becomes frequent, that is already a reason to be concerned. What is even more alarming if the frequent vomit is color green or it already includes blood, or if the baby is already dehydrated. If you see these signs in your baby, call your pediatrician immediately.
- Diarrhea
Another common occurrence in the lives of babies is diarrhea. This happens when they are overfed and their stomach can no longer digest the milk or food they consumed. Observe the color of the stool of your baby. If it is bright red or black, and it contains blood, it calls for immediate medical attention. Also, if your baby has over six watery stools per day and he is not taking liquids, or shows symptoms of dehydration, call your doctor at once.
- Dehydration
If the baby is poorly fed dehydration may take place. It can also happen when the baby has a fever or is in a very warm surrounding or has been experiencing persistent diarrhea or vomiting. You will know if your baby is dehydrated when his mouth and gums are already dry, urinates less frequently, no tears when crying, or when the soft part on his head (fontanel) appears slightly sink. If your baby manifests any of these signs, call your doctor.
- Difficulty in breathing
If your baby is having hard time breathing, call your doctor at once. How will you know if your baby is having difficulty breathing? Here are some of the signs:
- Rapid breathes compare to the usual
- He groans when exhaling
- His head is bobbing
- The tissue above the collar bones, in the upper part of the abdomen, or between the ribs is sucked in as the baby inhales
- His skin or lips turn to color blue
Baby’s lips are normally pink, so if your baby has cyanosis or blue lips, it is vital to check his breathing. If he is coughing, has had seizure or fever, it is time to seek doctor’s attention.
- Large Area Rashes
Rashes are another common thing in babies. However, if the rash is already occupying a large portion of his body, particularly the face, or is attended by bleeding, swelling, fevers, or if the rashes look infected, seek medical help immediately.
- Cold and Cough
A cough and colds in babies can mean different things and it can be complicated. If your baby has colds, it may include a runny nose with clear mucus that has thickened and turned yellow or gray in the next few weeks. Together with colds, coughing may also be manifested. However, babies less than 4 months old do not cough very often. If they do, it can be a serious indicator that something is wrong. Your baby may be suffering from viral infection.
- Redness, Ooze or Blood Flow
If your baby’s umbilical remnant or navel, or his penis becomes red, is oozing or there is a blood flow, then surely your baby is not feeling well and you must call your doctor immediately. These are indicators that your baby has an infection.
Lastly, under any circumstance, if you are anxious that your baby is actually ill, trust on your intuitions and call your doctor. Even without the symptoms mentioned above, your instinct will tell you that something is wrong with your baby—especially your energetic baby suddenly turned lethargic.
It is important to keep in mind that although babies cannot talk yet, they are able to talk to us through other ways. And one significant way wherein they talk to us is through their energy level.