The first days after the birth of a baby can be plagued with doubts, fears and uncertainties related to their health and well-being, especially if we are first time. For this reason, it is advisable to consult with the pediatrician for any symptoms that generate confusion or concern, as well as to clarify all our concerns in routine control visits.
However, there are certain signs that require special and even immediate attention , and that we should not ignore, such as these 17 that we summarize.
Skin color
In general, the baby’s skin after birth has a reddish color that intensifies when he cries. Another typical characteristic is the presence of a whitish substance called vernix, as well as the purple color on their feet and hands.
But the presence of any of the following tones could indicate a health problem that requires attention:
-
Yellow skin : Between the second and third day of life, the skin of many babies can turn a little yellow due to the increase in bilirubin in the blood , a yellow pigment that must be metabolized by the liver. Neonate jaundice is a transient and normal process that usually disappears after approximately ten days, but if the bilirubin level exceeds safe levels, phototherapy treatment will be required. Therefore, before a yellowish coloration in the skin of our baby we must consult it with the pediatrician.
-
Bluish or purple skin : although it is common for newborns to have somewhat bruised feet and hands, they should never present this coloration on other parts of the body such as the inside of the mouth, lips or tongue. When this happens it is due to a lack of oxygen that can be caused by various factors, such as respiratory problems or heart disease. In these cases, medical attention must be urgent.
-
Pale or gray skin can also be a sign of illness or hypothermia, so it should be consulted immediately.
Spots or rashes on the skin
Some babies have birthmarks, the most common being flat hemangiomas or simple nevus (the angel’s kiss and the stork’s peck are well known), which are red spots due to superficial vascular formations, which normally disappear with the passage of the months.
In some cases, the hemangioma is more bulky, as a result of the dilation of blood vessels in the most superficial part of the skin. In the first months it can increase a little in size, but as a general rule they tend to disappear on their own with the passage of time. We can also find the Mongolian spot, very common in babies with brown skin and which is also benign.
All these alterations in the baby’s skin are benign , and in many cases they disappear on their own after time. However, it is very important to consult with the pediatrician any spot or granite that we see on our baby’s body, so that he can assess it and tell us how we should act. If these spots appear suddenly and / or accompanied by other symptoms, the evaluation should be urgent.
The appearance of your fontanelles
The newborn does not have welded skull bones because his head has to grow, and with it his brain. As there is no such weld, in the spaces where the sutures are, we can find soft areas, without bone, known as fontanelles.
If the fontanelles present any of the following aspects, we must consult it immediately with the pediatrician:
- Sunken or depressed fontanelle is a sign of dehydration or malnutrition.
- Continuously bulging fontanel may be due to an increase in fluid in the brain (hydrocephalus) or to some type of brain inflammation, usually secondary to infections (encephalitis, meningitis, …).
The appearance of the umbilical cord
The baby’s umbilical cord requires a series of care to prevent it from becoming infected . After its fall, this risk of infection persists until the navel has not completely healed, so the same care and vigilance should be continued until the gauze that covers it appears clean for a couple of days in a row.
The signs that can alert us to the presence of a cord infection are:
- Active bleeding that soaks through the gauze
- Yellowish, foul-smelling discharge
- When the cord falls off, if a small lump with well-defined pink or red edges is observed (although it can also be whitish, yellowish or even greyish) it is advisable to consult it with the pediatrician
- Redness or swelling in the belly button area
- If after 15 days the cord still has not fallen, it is recommended to consult
- Umbilical hernia
Weightloss
After being born, it is normal for the baby to lose weight in the following days until it receives food and begins to gain it. This is what is known as neonatal physiological weight loss in which the normal thing is that they lose between 5% and 7% of the newborn’s weight, and a maximum of 10%, which they should no longer reach.
It is estimated that 10-14 days after delivery the baby should have regained the weight they had at birth, and although there is a percentage of babies that takes a little longer, it is important to monitor how the baby is progressing in this regard , since weight loss or difficulty in regaining it could be indicating the presence of a health problem.
Dehydration
In general, newborns take between eight and 12 feedings a day . Sometimes it will take three hours between feedings and other times just one. The important thing is to always offer the breast or bottle on demand to avoid dehydration and hypoglycemia (insufficient glucose supply).
Symptoms of dehydration in babies are:
- Sunken fontanelles
- Few wet diapers
- Dry lips and rough tongue
- Drowsiness and irritability
- Weightloss
In case of appreciating any of these signs, we must immediately take the baby to the hospital.
Dark or bloody urine
The normal color of urine for a well-fed newborn is light yellow. If the urine is dark, it indicates that it is more concentrated , that is, the baby is receiving less fluids, so we should consult with the pediatrician because it could be a sign of dehydration.
Sometimes we could find orange stains on the diaper that are usually very scary, but that should not worry us. These are urate crystals, something relatively common in the first days after birth. You just have to watch that the pee clears up and takes on its normal light color.
On the other hand, if we see blood stains on the diaper coming from the urine , we could think of a possible infection that should be treated as soon as possible, due to the risk of infection and / or injury to the kidneys (pyelonephritis).
Hard, very liquid, or bloody poop and / or mucus,
After the elimination of the meconium, the newborn’s poop will change color, gradually leaving it to be so dark to take on a greenish-yellow tone and finally a mustard color with lumps, which is the normal and usual color of the stool. of a baby.
But when the stool acquires any of the following aspects, we must consult it with the pediatrician, as it could indicate the presence of a health problem:
-
Hard and dry poop , whether it is breast or bottle-fed: this consistency could indicate that the baby is not getting enough liquid, or that he is eliminating too much due to heat, fever or illness.
-
Poop with blood or mucus , could indicate the presence of a digestive tract infection or intestinal problems.
-
Very liquid and frequent poop: although the newborn’s poop is liquid (since his diet is also liquid), in case of noticing a more liquid consistency than usual or a greater frequency in the stools, we should consult with the pediatrician, then it could be a symptom of gastroenteritis.
-
If the meconium is not expelled 24-48 hours after birth , it could be indicative of some pathology, so we have to be very attentive to when this first bowel movement of the baby occurs.
Vomiting
Mild or moderate regurgitation (expulsion of milk) during or after feeding the baby is a common and physiological phenomenon that resolves over the months. In the absence of any other symptoms, no treatment should be performed, but this fact must be differentiated from gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is more worrisome.
This disease (commonly called “reflux”) is characterized by violent vomiting , inconsolable crying, and discomfort of the baby. Vomiting is the active, abrupt and annoying expulsion of abundant gastric contents, and is usually accompanied by retching or seizures.
In these cases we see that the baby suffers and perhaps does not gain weight as it should . Then we have to go to the pediatrician, because we are no longer talking about simple regurgitations.
Abnormal behavior
A sudden change in your baby’s behavior could be a sign of illness, whether he’s crying more than usual or suddenly showing more lethargic behavior.
When the newborn cries we must try to calm him down, making sure that all his needs are met. But if, despite having done everything in our power, our baby continues to cry, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician immediately, as there could be some other cause that requires medical attention.
The same would happen if we saw our baby is especially “off” or listless, if it was difficult for us to wake him up to breastfeed or bottle, or if we perceive that he sweats or becomes fatigued when he eats.
Abdominal distension
If, in addition to agitated behavior or changes in the color and consistency of their poop, we notice that the baby has a swollen or distended abdomen , we must quickly consult with the pediatrician, as in some cases it could be a medical emergency.
Frequent coughing and sneezing accompanied by other symptoms
It is very common for newborns to sneeze frequently in their first days of life. This helps them to clear their little nose of any particles that may have been trapped, or to open the occluded nostrils after nursing for a long time. They could also cough at some point, especially when they are eating and the milk comes out too hard or too fast.
But if coughs and sneezes occur frequently or are accompanied by other symptoms such as irritability, crying or fever, we must go immediately to the hospital to be evaluated.
Signs of respiratory distress
The breathing of a newborn has a series of peculiarities that we must know about. To begin with, it is much faster than that of the adult, since its frequency is between 40 to 60 breaths per minute. In addition, you can have a periodic breathing, that is, a regular rhythm with periods of absence of breath of between five and 10 seconds.
We must distinguish these peculiarities in their breathing from other signs that make us suspect respiratory distress , such as nasal flaring, sinking of the ribs, breathing faster than normal, very long pauses in breathing, strange noises or snoring, general malaise …
In this case, it is necessary to go immediately to the hospital so that they can perform an evaluation, as the baby could have contracted a respiratory disease or need other urgent care.
Asymmetric arms
Unfortunately, there are babies who can suffer some injuries at the time of delivery that, if they are minor, may go unnoticed at the first check-up after birth. That is why it is important to monitor any signs that may make us suspect that the baby has suffered some damage, being the broken clavicle and brachial palsy due to shoulder dystocia the most common.
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics advises parents to be attentive to any asymmetry or abnormality in the posture or mobility of the newborn’s upper limbs, as well as crackles, local swelling or asymmetric Moro reflex, in which case we must make this known from the pediatrician as soon as possible.
Muscular weakness
As we read on the SciElo website, the hypotonic syndrome of the newborn can appear in the 28 days following birth, and is characterized by weakness or low muscle tone in the four extremities, the trunk and the neck. On some occasions, hypotonia could be a symptom of a disease, so in case of perceiving weakness or lack of strength in our baby, we must consult with the pediatrician.
Tremors
As we can read in this article published by the Valencian Institute of Pediatric Neurology, tremors in the extremities are very common in the newborn, especially when he cries. This type of shaking stops when the crying subsides, or when the affected limb or limbs are grasped.
However, although most of these tremors are benign and temporary in nature, it is important to consult with your doctor to rule out that they are not any symptoms associated with other diseases, or derived from the maternal consumption of certain substances during pregnancy.
Body temperature
A normal body temperature is one that ranges between 36 and 36.5ºC if it is taken axillary, or between 37 and 38ºC if it is taken rectally. All babies under three months who have a fever should be taken to the hospital immediately, as it is necessary to know the reason for their fever and control the source of infection.
Likewise, we must bear in mind that babies have more difficulties regulating their temperature, since they have less body fat and their regulatory system is less effective. Therefore, if your body temperature drops, we must also consult it immediately, as you could be suffering from hypothermia.
Photos | iStock
In Babies and More | Jaundice in newborns could be an evolutionary defense system against death from sepsis, Baby’s urine: when it is normal and when not, The baby has hip dysplasia: what it is and how it is corrected, The 13 eruptive diseases and disorders symptoms of the most common skin in children, how to recognize and treat them, The 16 things you should do to prevent sudden baby death
