Red Flags And Red Alerts - When you should call the doctor
Red Flags And Red Alerts - When you should call the doctor
Fortunately, most colicky babies aren't physically sick; rather they're sot of "homesick" - struggling to cope with life outside of Mama's womb. But, how can you know when your infant's cries are a sign of sickness?
Here's a primer of the ten red flag's that doctors look for to decide when a baby's cry signals illness, plus a review of the ten red alert medical conditions they may indicate.
The 10 "Red Flags" Your Doctor Will Ask You About
Whenever you're worried about your baby you should, of course, contact your doctor for guidance. And, when you do, it's likely he'll likely ask you these two questions to help him decide if your baby has colic or something more serious:
- Is your baby growing well and acting normal in all other ways?
- Is your baby calm for long periods of the day?
If the answer to either of these questions is "No", then your doctor will ask you how your baby acts when she isn't crying. He's looking for these ten red flags:
- Persistent moaning (groans and weak cries that continue for hours)
- Super shrill cry (unlike any your baby has made before)
- Repeated vomiting or any green or yellow vomit (more than one ounce and more than five episodes a day)
- Change in stool (constipation or diarrhea, especially with blood)
- Fussing during eating (twisting, arching, crying that begins during or shortly after a feed)
- Abnormal temperature (a rectal temperature of more than 100.2°F or less than 97.0°F) &
- Irritability (crying all the time with almost no calm periods in between)
- Lethargy (a baby who's sleeping twice as long as usual, "out of it", or not sucking well over an eight- to twelve-hour period hours)
- Bulging soft spot on the head (even when your baby is sitting up)
- Poor weight gain (gaining less than a half ounce a day)
Excerpted from The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp
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