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| Home > Baby Care > Common Concerns about Newborns
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| | Common Concerns about Newborns
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Physiological Jaundice
 Jaundice is disease caused by the presence of large amounts of bilirubin in the blood. The most common symptoms are a yellow tinge of the baby`s skin and in the whites of the eyes. Bilirubin forms normally when the red blood cells break down. About 50 percent of full-term and 80 percent of premature babies face mild jaundice, appearing during the second or third day after birth and disappearing before the end of the second week. Your baby`s doctor may request for a blood test to measure the level of bilirubin in the blood if he sees the signs of jaundice. Blood is drawn from the heel for testing.
Phototherapy may be prescribed for a baby with high count of bilirubin in his blood. Bright lights (bililights). help break down the bilirubin in the skin. The naked baby, with his eyes covered, is placed under bright lights. Jaundice is normally harmless and not fatal, but doctors often prescribe phototherapy, when the jaundice is of the rare or harmful type. A yellow tinge to your baby`s skin or the whites of his eyes should be taken care of immediately by your doctor.
Circumcision
 Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin covering the head (glans) of the penis. It is probably the oldest surgical procedure dating back some 6.000 years. It is a convention of the Jewish religion. Some other communities like the Islamic, African, and New Guinean cultures also promote this as a part of their puberty ceremony. North Americans also prefer this for nonreligious reasons and as a mat-ter of parental choice. The obstetrician performs circumcision with prior, written parental permission. Discuss about circumcision with your partner, during pregnancy when there is time to gather informa-tion. The rate of circumcision is declining in the recent years, although most American newborn males were routinely circumcised.
You will consider the following factors in order to come to a decision on circumcision, like, if others in your family, school or community have done it, thinking that your son should be no different from others. But in reality, circumcision does not make any difference other than physical differences in individuals.
You need to consider the following factors when opting for circumcision:
There are no medical or legal backgrounds for circumcising the newborn.
The procedure is not a lengthy one though healing takes seven to ten days.
The newborn will feel pain, because often anesthesia is not used.
Complications, though rare, occur in 0.5 to 2 percent of the cases. Complications range from the minor to the serious and include infection, bleeding and irritation in the head of the penis from the friction of wet diapers, sometimes followed by pain on urination and scarring of the urinary outlet.
Circumcision does not prevent cancer of the penis or the prostate gland in the male or cancer of the cervix in female partners. According to recent reports, neither does it prevent transmission of venereal diseases.
It does not affect sexual performance.
Enquire about the care of the penis in case you choose to have your son circumcised. The normal care routine is frequent diaper changes, gentle washing with soap and water and application of vaseline or petroleum jelly to aid healing and prevent irrita-tion. There may be very slight bleeding, but report any exces-sive bleeding or swelling to your doctor. Some babies sleep more comfortably on their sides until the scars have healed.
The foreskin of an uncircumcised newborn is normally joined to the glans, so it does not usually retract. Do not force it back over the end of the penis. It will loosen gradually. Most boys` foreskins are fully retractable between three and five years of age. Normal bathing provides adequate cleansing during infancy.
Spitting Up
 Many babies spit up milk during or after a feeding. Babies who cry hard before a feed will throw up more. It may also be caused by eating too much, or swallowing air during the feeding. An immature sphincter muscle at the top of their stomachs, allows milk to come up with air bubbles in some babies. Throwing up can be prevented by burping your baby during and after feedings (burp newborns after each breast or after each two ounces of formula), not overfeeding and handling her gently and positioning her properly after feedings (lay her on her side or sit her in an infant or car seat with her head elevated 20 to 30 degrees).
Continuous or frequent forceful (projectile) vomiting is harmful to the baby and can lead to dehydration. You need to consult your pediatrician If your infant vomits follow-ing two or three consecutive feedings.
Bowel Movements
A newborn`s stool pattern is different from an adult`s. Your baby`s first bowel movements will consist of meconium, a sticky, green-black substance present in the intestine before birth. Infants excrete this meconium slowly. It may take two to six days following birth, when his stools will be a mixture of meconium and milk by-products, spinach-green or yellow in color. Later, the color will change to yellow, green, or brown stools with or without curds. Some newborns may pass stool more often, may be ten stools per day, while others, may pass it once. The consistency and the number of time he passes his stools depends on the constitution of the baby and on the food she is fed.
Constipation - Hard, dry stools that are difficult to pass - is normally not found in breastfed babies. If the frequency of the bowel movement in some older breast fed baby is less, like once a week, it implies that their mature digestive systems are efficiently using more of their mothers` milk and excreting little. A doctor`s advice is needed if your baby seems constipated.
If a newborn baby`s stool contain mucus, is foul smelling, more frequent than usual, blood-tinged, or watery (the diaper shows a water ring around the stool) he may be afflicted with diarrhea. When in doubt, note the color, consistency, and frequency of your baby`s stool; then call your doctor.
Diaper Rash
 Your baby`s soft skin can be irritated by many factors like urine and stool, some laundry products, unwashed diaper, or chemicals used in some disposable diapers. To treat diaper rash caused by urine, you need to change diapers frequently, rinse the diaper area with water at each change, and avoid plastic pants, which retain moisture. You should use milder detergents when washing your baby`s diapers, You may even rinse the diapers with extra water to wash off any residue.
To neutralize the effect of ammonia retained in the diapers, add half a cup of vinegar to the diaper pail or the rinse water. Exposing the rash to fresh air for a few hours each day, blow-drying your baby`s bottom with hair dryer set at medium heat, or applying an ointment to the dry, irritated skin are the other measures that help. Consult your doctor in case of persistent diaper rash.
Facial Rashes
Mild rashes on the face are found commonly in babies in the first few months of their lives. The rashes- resemble smooth pimples, small red spots or rough red spots---come and go, and rarely require treatment.
Prickly Heat
Your baby may develop this rash if he is over dressed or over wrapped especially in warm weather. Prickly heat occurs most often in the shoulder and neck regions and looks like clusters of tiny pink pimples surrounded by pink skin. It tans as it dries. The look of prickly heat is deceptive, it does not hurt your baby that much. Applying cornstarch, keeping him cool and dry will avoid this rash.
Cradle Cap
 Cradle cap is a yellowish. Scaly, patchy condition found on the scalp or sometimes behind the ears. You need to wash and brush his scalp daily to prevent cradle cap and help treat it, if it does appear. Comb or brush out the scales using a baby comb, fingernail brush, or soft toothbrush; wash with mild soap. Con-tinue this procedure until the scales are gone. Oiling the skin will not help.
Newborn Breathing Pattern
There may be periods of irregular breathing in newborns. Do not be frightened by them. When your baby is sleeping, he will snort, gasp, groan, and even occasionally pause in his breathing. These irregularities disappear in a month or two.
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