Medical Questions & Answers » child care

Care at Birth

medicalquestions — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:40:41 +0000

As soon as the head of the infant is delivered, wipe its eyes clean with sterile saline. Maintain its head lower than the body to allow drainage of mouth secretions and keep the infant lower than the mother until the cord is cut. This way the baby will get more blood and will be stronger.
• Suck infant’s throat with sterile catheter.
• At birth the cord pulsates and it, is fat and blue, wait till it becomes thin and white and stops pulsating.
• Clamp the cord between two artery forceps and cut it with sterile scissors or tie it in two places with ribbon and cut between the ties with clean unused razor blade under aseptic precautions. Always cut cord close to the body of the baby, leaving about 2 cm attached to the abdominal wall. Cover the cut end of the cord with clean beta dine soaked swale on Tincture Benzoicco.
• Baby should cry immediately if its condition is satisfactory. If it does not, it might need resuscitation. Rub his back with towel or a cloth. If still does not breathe then suck the mucus from nose and mouth with suction or clean cloth wrapped around your finger. If he does not breathe within one minute, then start mouth to mouth breathing at once. When spontaneous breathing is established, place infant in a prewarmed cot with head one side tilted down to allow drainage of secretions from respiratory tract. In many hospitals all infants are given one dose of 1 mg of vit. K to prevent hemorrhagic disease of new born but remember, if you give milk in higher doses it can lead to severe jaundice.

Umbilical hernia in newborn baby

medicalquestions — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:00:48 +0000

Question: What is umbilical hernia in newborn baby?
This is a common problem, and the vast majority correct themselves by 5 years of age. If they persist beyond this age, a small operation can be done to correct it. Most infants can have the lump in the center of their belly button pushed back into the abdomen.
If the lump cannot be reduced, or it becomes red and tender, a doctor should be consulted immediately. This is uncommon, but sometimes a small loop of gut can get caught in the hernia.
The umbilical hernias developed by older people are actually a different disease, due to a breakdown of the fibrous tissue above or below the umbilicus, and again rarely cause problems.

Downs syndrome in child

medicalquestions — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:00:46 +0000

Question: What is Down’s syndrome?
All medical practitioners have seen patients with this relatively common syndrome that used to be known by the rather derogatory and racist name of ‘Mongolism’. Modern medical students now call it Trisomy 21 to totally confuse their older peers.
The disease is named after a London physician who lived in the middle of the nineteenth century. One in every 600 children has Down syndrome, but the actual incidence may be two or three times greater, with these pregnancies ending in miscarriage. The main characteristics include a ‘Mongol’ facial appearance, mental retardation and congenital heart disease. They also have a heavily fissured tongue, low set ears and a single transverse crease on the palm. The effect the syndrome has can vary from one victim to another. Some seem to cope, or are not as severely affected, as others. Unfortunately, as child grows, the problems may become more obvious.
Despite the claims of some quacks, there is no effective treatment for this distressing condition, but it can be diagnosed during pregnancy by special tests.

Supplementary feeds for baby

medicalquestions — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:00:30 +0000

Question: I do not have enough breast milk so how do I give supplementary feeds to my baby?
There is no need for you to stop breast feeding. The production of breast milk can be encouraged by the more frequent feeding of the baby and ensuring that the breasts are completely emptied after each feed. If essential, there are also medications available that can help build up beast milk production.
If your child is not gaining sufficient weight despite these measures, supplementary feeding is essential. This can take the form of formula milk, cow’s milk or solids, depending on the child’s age. Your doctor or clinic sister can guide you here.
At each feed, the breasts should be given first, and emptied as much as possible. After this, the supplementation can be given, and then the breasts again, if desired, to ensure that they are empty and give comfort to both mother and child. Weighing should be done weekly until an adequate rate of weight gain is achieved.

Babies vomiting

medicalquestions — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:00:22 +0000

Question: Why do babies vomit so much?
It is important to differentiate between vomiting, positing and reflux. Vomiting is not very common, and may be due to some disease process (eg. infection, food allergy). The vomits is usually altered food and may be green in color, indicating the presence of bile. It may occur several hours after a feed.
Positing occurs in most infants, and is the regurgitation of milk and food from the mouth, gullet and upper part of the stomach during or immediately after a feed. It is caused by over feeding, rapid feeding or burping, and it does not require any treatment.
Reflux is the regurgitation of the stomach contents immediately after a meal, and for some time afterwards. It is distressing to the child, as stomach acid is bought up, and this burns the gullet. This can be helped by posture feeding, slow feeding and mixtures (such as Infant Gaviscon) that may be given after a meal.

Spacing Between Children

medicalquestions — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 06:00:40 +0000

Two to three years spacing between one child and the next is considered necessary both for the health of the mother and the well-being of the child. The mother thus has time to recuperate from her pregnancy and can devote all her attention to the growing demands of the child.
If the next pregnancy occurs too soon, the mother has hardly any time to recuperate before she has to start preparing for the next baby. Your doctor will advise you regarding the form of contraception most suitable for you.

Childbirth

medicalquestions — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 06:00:15 +0000

Childbirth is the last and most spectacular act in the drama of pregnancy. In order to explain what is meant by natural childbirth it is first necessary to describe the normal process of birth.
At the end of pregnancy the baby is ripe or mature and is ready to and to start an independent existence. The picture given below illustrates the baby as it lies in the womb or uterus at full time. It will be seen that the baby lies curled up with its head downwards. The umbilical cord or navel string attaches the baby to the placenta or afterbirth, which in its turn is attached to the wall of the uterus. The baby is enclosed in a bag which lines the uterus and is called the membranes: this bag contains a quantity of watery fluid called liquor amnii or/colloquially, “the waters.” The baby can move about in this fluid, but of course it cannot breathe air until it is born. Before birth it breathes and obtains nourishment from the mother’s circulation through the placenta and umbilical cord.
Labour is the name generally given to the process of childbirth by which the baby, placenta and membranes are expelled from the mother’s body. The birth of the baby is brought about by three main processes. Rhythmic hardening or contraction of the muscle of the uterus drives the baby’s head down into the mother’s vagina and so to the outside world. At the same time the mother’s passages stretch or dilate to make room for the baby. Towards the end of labour the contractions of the uterus are helped by the muscles of the abdomen and chest, which participate in automatic bearing-down efforts synchronized with each contraction of the uterus to expel the child.