8 reasons parents should call the pediatrician

With babies, you can’t waste time. It is very important to know the symptoms that require immediate attention and, when faced with them, not hesitate to go to a pediatrician. Below you can find some reasons to make an appointment.

1. Fever in the newborn

The symptom accompanies both non-serious viruses and dangerous diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis. But even before making a diagnosis, pediatricians prefer to medicate feverish states in babies up to 3 months old, reducing the risk of developing a serious illness, which would only be fully characterized after having already compromised the little one’s defenses.

2. Vomiting in the first month

They require immediate attention due to the possibility of compromising the child’s weight gain, among other reasons. But don’t panic: most cases boil down to very strong regurgitation that usually happens when the baby swallows excess air when breastfeeding. Discuss with the pediatrician, and he will clarify the doubt. If you find it necessary, you will investigate other causes.

3. Spots on the skin

Small red spots on the skin, which resemble insect bites or felt-tip pen marks, are petechiae. Each of them, in fact, is a tiny internal hemorrhage caused by the rupture of the capillaries that irrigate the region. Their appearance on the face and front of the chest is usually the result of straining to cough or vomit. In this context, they do not inspire concern and disappear by themselves. But the sudden and inexplicable appearance of petechiae in any region, associated with fever, may indicate serious infections, such as meningitis and dengue hemorrhagic fever.

4. Weird stools

Gelatinous consistency and reddish color in the stool indicate that the intestine has only released mucus, instead of stool, and warrant an immediate call to the pediatrician. This happens in the case of intestinal invagination, in which a portion of the intestinal wall causes the obstruction of the organ. Although it is not a common disorder, the incidence is highest among children aged 2 months to 2 years. At first, the doctor can reverse the problem through maneuvers and injection of fluids into the intestine. If the disease progresses, surgery becomes inevitable.

5. Head trauma

Head bangs are common among babies and young children. Luckily, the protection that the cranial bone provides against these impacts is also super efficient. Thus, generally, the scare is greater than the risk. However, one must be careful when the crash results from falls from heights greater than the child’s own or from pushing. These cases require observation. If the child becomes unconscious or appears confused, rush to the nearest emergency room. If she continues to act normally despite the pain, just keep an eye out and call the pediatrician reporting what happened.

6. Accelerated breathing

If a child who has a cold – or has the first symptoms of the flu, such as a runny nose and low-grade fever – begins to have difficulty breathing or breathes rapidly and still has a hoarse voice, it is advisable to notify the pediatrician. The indications are that the infection reached the larynx and caused swelling, which is reducing the passage of air and affecting the voice. Most of the time, laryngitis does not require great care. A local medication is enough to alleviate the discomfort. But in some situations there is a need for oxygen supplementation through inhalation.

7. Limping for no reason

The steps of those at the beginning of motor development can be clumsy and unstable, but nothing justifies them being limping. When the baby limps without having suffered trauma to the legs or feet, the pediatrician should be notified as soon as possible, especially if there is a fever. One of the possible causes is chondritis, inflammation of the cartilage that affects the joints. This problem is usually related to viral or bacterial infections and, if left untreated, damages the cartilage in the knees and hips, compromising the mobility of these joints.

8. Eye changes

In the first three days of life, it is normal for the baby to have some swelling and redness in the eyes. It’s just the effect of a silver-based eye drop, applied in the maternity ward, whose function is to prevent bacterial conjunctivitis, to which the newborn was exposed by contact with the vaginal canal at the time of delivery. After this period, however, if these symptoms persist or worsen, the pediatrician should be notified. The same recommendation applies if they appear suddenly after the third day of birth or are accompanied by secretion. It could be a local infection.

Consultants: Maria Cristina Senna Duarte, chief pediatrician at the Pediatric CTI at Hospital da Lagoa, in Rio de Janeiro, and Sandra de Oliveira Campos, pediatrician and professor at the Department of Pediatrics at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp)