Health Problems in New Born's, Part - I

If you're a new mom, you'll likely have moments of panic about your baby's health. Your child's health is important. Learn about common allergies, cold and flu; how to treat a fever; ear infections; rashes; sore throats, stomach aches, and more.

Common Health problems in new born are:

BRONCHITIS

Bronchitis most commonly affects babies and young children under a year old. Most cases are mild and improve without specific treatment within about two weeks, although some children have severe symptoms and need treatment in hospital. Bronchitis is an infection or inflammation of the large air passages to the lungs. (These airways are called bronchi.) When your child has a cold, sore throat, flu, or sinus infection, the virus that caused it can spread to the bronchi. Once the germs take hold there, the airways become swollen, inflamed, and partly blocked with mucus.

Symptoms:

• Cold symptoms
• Runny nose 
• Nose blocked
• Difficulty in feeding.
• Breathing through mouth.
• Slight fever (100 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit) 
• Crankiness.

Suggestion

• Avoid giving antibiotics to babies as it reduces the babies immunity and the child keeps falling sick more often. Try Homeopathy instead.

Homeopathic Medicines:
Homeopathy provides good treatment for bronchitis and patients can be easily treated in 4-6 days. Common medicines for this are Aconite Nap, Bryonia, Phosphorus, Antim Tart etc but these should be given after consultation with the doctor because symptoms vary from each child to child.

COLIC

Colic is the term used to describe uncontrollable crying in an otherwise healthy baby. If your baby is younger than 5 months old and cries for more than three hours in a row day or three or more days a week for at least three weeks, he's considered colicky.

Symptoms

• Cry is loud, continuous and irritating.
• The baby's face often gets flushed or red. 
• The belly is sometimes distended or prominent 
• The legs alternating between flexed and extended straight out
• The feet are often cold and the hands clenched.

Begins at age of 2-3 weeks

on peak at the age of two months.

Subsides by age of 3-4 months.

There are factors that may worsen the colic symptoms:

• Overfeeding in an attempt to lessen the crying.
• Feeding certain foods, especially those with high sugar content (for example, undiluted juices), may increase the amount of gas in the intestine and worsen the situation.
• The presence of excessive anger, anxiety, fear, or excitement in the household.

Suggestion for relieving colic babies:

• Sit on the chair and hold the baby with his face down and place hi nob your thighs with his face looking at the ground. Put slight pressure with your knees on his chest. With your hands, rub the back of the chest - motion of the hand being from center of the back towards the head.This causes the air inside to move towards the mouth and escape.
• Do not Overfeed. Stick to regular schedule and timing.
• Breastfeeding mothers should avoid too many milk products, caffeine, onions, cabbage, beans, broccoli, and other gas-producing, irritating foods.
• Avoid juices (young infants should not be drinking juice anyway).
• In the formula-fed baby, try changing to a formula containing whey hydrolysate (such as Good Start) or try a low-allergy formula (such as Nutramigen, Alimentum, or Pregestimil).
• Try walking the baby in a front-pouch-style carrier with his legs drawn up and pressure off of his belly.

Homeopathic Medicines

Homoeopathic medicines that can relieve colic are Chamomilla, Mag Phos, Plumbum Met and others but should be only given with consultation with the doctor.

 to be continued...

These medicines are only suggestive and should not be taken without consulting a homoeopathic physician.