Identifying signs or symptoms that require attention in newborns. However, these cases do not require an ambulance as much as they require attention and examination by a doctor or health care provider.
Adequate nutrition:
- A newborn baby usually needs to drink half an ounce of milk (15-30 ml) in the first few days of his life. Then two to three ounces / 60-90 ml / in each feeding during the first month of the child’s life, and he takes it every two to three hours. So after a few days of life, they usually eat 24 ounces in 24 hours in the first month of life
- When a child is breastfed, it is difficult to determine the amount consumed. There is nothing wrong with that, as there are other ways to know how much nutrition a newborn gets. As we know that breast milk is the best, Therefore, we always aim to encourage breastfeeding for the health of the child and the mother.
- In fact, all babies lose weight after birth, and this is normal and expected. As it is uncommon for a newborn not to lose weight at first, this may be a cause for concern.
- The weight lost varies from one child to another. But it should not be more than 10% of its original weight
- Weight loss may be a sign that the baby is not getting enough milk
- It can be attributed to hyperbiluria, which is the accumulation of bile (bilirubin) in the blood. Which leads to yellowing of the skin and eyes in newborns. It occurs due to incomplete growth and maturation of the liver. Therefore, he cannot get rid of the bile. Non-sick jaundice in infants often disappears within two weeks without any treatment and only needs follow-up.
- Dehydration and increased sodium concentration in the child.
- Therefore, monitoring the infant’s weight during its first period is vital.
- Children must regain their weight at least within 10 to 14 days of the child’s life. If the opposite occurs, the condition must be evaluated.
- What about the baby spitting up when being fed?
- This is considered normal most of the time and does not cause concern, and it may be difficult for some to distinguish between spitting and vomiting. Spitting usually begins in the first week of the child’s life and is effortless or painless and is not associated with diarrhea. Other than that, the child appears to be in good condition. If Indications are other than that and are worrying, such as the occurrence of coughing or choking, or if the vomit does not appear milky and is yellow, green, or red in color with blood.
- However, a child who vomits with every meal should look into his situation, especially if he vomits all of his food. This may be due to the presence of an obstruction, such as pyloric stenosis, which is a narrowing of the stomach, or malrotation, which is when the intestine is twisted, causing reflux.
- Urinating is another way to ensure that the baby is getting adequate nutrition. The basic rule is that the child should urinate once every day from his age until the fifth day, and he should continue to do so after that at a rate of once every 1-3 hours daily.
- If the child does not follow these milestones, He must be examined urgently to assess his condition and whether he is suffering from dehydration and to ensure the functional safety of his body.
- It is possible to see a pink-colored substance during the first urination. We call it uric acid crystals. This could be a sign of dehydration, but it usually goes away because the child learns to feed in the first few days of his life.
- Defecation: Initially, when the child is born, It secretes a black, tarry substance called meconium, and it can be released before or during the birth process, which leads to the possibility of complications in the delivery of the newborn.
- Every child must excrete meconium within the first 48 hours of his life, otherwise this requires examination. After the excretion of meconium, the color of the newborn’s stool is usually green or yellow and appears as if it contains small seeds, but this is the product of the digestion of milk. In the first two days of life. The child’s age: The newborn defecates only once or twice a day. After that, it becomes more frequent, usually about 4 or more times a day, and the stool appears soft and does not smell bad, which increases as the child gets older.
- During the first month, if the newborn’s stool is solid or contains blood, and this rarely happens or has a strange appearance, then an examination is required.
- Thrush Thrush is a yeast infection of the mouth characterized by the presence of a white patch on the tongue, gums, mucous membrane, inner cheek, or inner lip. We must not confuse this with the white color of the tongue resulting from milk.
- In general, a baby’s tongue is white due to the milk and can be wiped away, while thrush involves other parts of the mouth and cannot be removed. It is not clear why newborns develop thrush, but it can cause discomfort and poor nutrition for the baby and should therefore be treated, rarely. It leads to a fungal infection in the esophagus, which is more dangerous. When treating an infant for oral thrush, it is also necessary to sterilize the bottles and ensure that the mother’s nipple is free of bacterial infection, which will reinfect the infant again.
- If the mother’s nipple becomes infected with a fungal infection, it must also be treated.
- When examining newborns, it is necessary to ensure that the newborn’s roof is free of congenital defects, which require surgery, because this in turn affects his nutrition as well.
Prepared by: Dalal Edriss
References:
- University of Colorado System
