7 Most Common Infant Problems and its Solutions

Oftentimes, after the babies come, parents are kept on their toes. This is because of common infant problems. Your baby can have some problems as he/she grows. But, don’t worry, these are more common than you think! Some of the health concerns are abdominal distension, injuries at birth, blue baby syndrome, excessive crying, coughing, forceps marks, and jaundice. If you notice any of these, contact your pediatrician immediately for any of the baby problems.

Common Infant Problems

Abdominal distension

A child’s belly tends to stick out during the first few months of life. In some instances, it can even appear and feel hard or swollen. Between feeding, however, the tummy can feel soft. It can also feel hard if no bowel movements have happened in a few days and if the child has been vomiting. Most commonly, the distension can be attributed to gas or constipation. It could also indicate digestive disorders. Check with your doctor for one of this common infant problems.

Injuries at birth

In especially long and hard labors, babies tend to have injuries. These injuries can be a broken collarbone, muscle stretching and weakening, and nerve stretching. In the event of a collarbone fracture, it can heal faster if the area is immobilized for a short time. Also, there even may be a lump formation in the area. But, this is no cause for panic, as it would only mean that new bone is forming to help heal the fracture. However, always keep your doctor in the loop.

Muscle and nerve stretching can occur if the baby is large and the labor was difficult. It occurs because of trying to pull the baby out. Here the nerves attached to the muscles and the muscles themselves than to stretch making the area weak. This will soon become stronger as the baby grows up, and there is no need to worry. Just remember that it can heal faster in some children than others.

A blue baby

This is one of the most common infant problems. Sometimes, babies in their first few hours of light can have blue fingers and toes. This would mean that they are probably cold and that you need to warm them up. It will take some time to go away and return to normal coloration. Other times, the baby’s face, tongue, and nails can also be blue. This indicates that the baby’s heart or lungs are not functioning adequately. You will need to take your child to the doctor immediately on noticing these signs.

Excessive crying is one of the most common infant problems

All newborns cry. They cry when they are hungry, when sleepy if they are hurt, and sometimes even for no reason. If you are sure to have fed your child, cleaned them, burped them and kept them warm, then all you need to do is to hold them close, rock them gently, and even sing to them till they stop crying. If this does not work and they continue to cry over a few days, it can indicate a more serious medical condition that will need the attention of a doctor.

Coughing

Your baby may cough when you first start to feed him/her, but this will soon subside when he/her adjust to your feeding pattern. They may even sputter if the speed at which the milk comes down is fast. However, if the child still seems to cough often with frequent gaps, you will need to consult the doctor. It can indicate concerns with the lungs or digestive tract.

Forceps marks

This occurs when forceps are used to deliver the child. It causes a small depression in the skin over the areas where the forceps were held. This tends to disappear within a few days. It is the result of minor tissue injury caused by the pressure of the forceps. Sometimes the injury tends to last longer, but it disappears within 2 months.

Jaundice

Several healthy babies tend to have jaundice when they are born. This causes the skin, white of the eyes, and the nails to have a yellowish tinge. It is the result of an immature liver that is still unable to process content, making the bilirubin levels rise. Most commonly, jaundice tends to subside when the baby feeds well. Mothers should ensure to feed the child 8-12 times a day to keep the bilirubin levels down.

If the doctor suspects that the child does have jaundice then he may do confirmatory skin or blood tests and observe the child for 72 hours. If the bilirubin levels have come down within 72 hours, the mother and child are discharged. If you happen to be discharged from the hospital sooner, it is imperative that you meet the doctor in 48 hours and get help with this baby problems.

To get rid of jaundice, light therapy is used, where the baby is placed under UV light sans clothes. The eyes are covered to prevent the light from harming the baby’s eyes.

With jaundice, you need to be especially careful, as not treating the condition could lead to nerve damage in the child. Consult your doctor immediately.