Baby disease is often difficult to identify because the baby is not yet able to speak or show that he is sick or feel certain complaints. However, as a parent, you must be more careful and be able to recognize some of the symptoms and signs when your little one is sick.
When in pain, babies often cry incessantly or appear fussy. However, there are also other symptoms that can be a sign of illness in the baby, such as fever, the baby looks weak and pale, until the feet and hands feel cold. As a parent, it is important for you to recognize and be aware of the symptoms of a dangerous baby disease so that your little one can be treated appropriately.
Some Common Symptoms of Infant Disease
When they are sick, babies will usually cry continuously and their cries sound louder. Babies also seem often sleepy and their bodies will droop when picked up. In addition, there are several other signs and symptoms that indicate a baby is sick, including:
- Baby's body and face skin looks pale, bluish, or yellow
- Red rash appears on the skin
- Vomiting, for example vomiting blood or vomiting green
- Don't want to breastfeed or eat
- Urinating less or not urinating at all
- Bloody stools or blood in the stool
- Fever
- The baby's body temperature drops to below 36o Celsius, especially in babies under 3 months old
- Feet and hands feel cold and look pale
- Breathing problems, such as shortness of breath and rapid or wheezing
- Seizures
Every baby can get sick or get certain diseases. However, there are several factors that can make a baby more susceptible to illness, including:
- Babies born prematurely, namely babies born when the gestational age is not yet 37 weeks
- History of infection in the mother during pregnancy
- Have you ever had a fever during pregnancy or before delivery?
- Premature rupture of membranes more than 18 hours before the baby is born, especially if the baby is born at 37 weeks gestation
- History of drug or alcohol consumption in the mother during pregnancy
Some Baby Diseases and Treatments
The following are some types of dangerous baby diseases that occur quite often:
1. Diarrhea
Symptoms of diarrhea in babies who are still breastfeeding are rather difficult to distinguish from regular bowel movements. However, if the stool that comes out is liquid and the frequency of bowel movements is more frequent than usual, this may indicate that the baby is suffering from diarrhea.
In addition to more frequent bowel movements and loose stools, diarrhea in infants can also cause other symptoms, such as dry mouth, crying without tears, fussiness, lack of drinking or feeding, body looks weak, and eyes look sunken. These symptoms can be a sign that the baby is dehydrated due to diarrhea. Handling by a doctor must be done immediately because this condition can endanger the baby's life.
Read Too : Causes of Diarrhea in Babies and How to Treat It
2. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a viral infectious disease of the lungs and respiratory tract that generally affects infants and children. This disease is more at risk for premature babies. RSV infection can cause the baby to develop bronchitis and pneumonia.
Common symptoms of RSV infection in infants are rapid and wheezing, fever, cough, runny nose, and lethargy. If your child shows symptoms of RSV, limit his contact with other people and keep the air quality in the house clean and fresh. Also keep your little one from pollution and cigarette smoke.
This baby's disease generally heals on its own within a few days. However, you need to immediately take your little one to the doctor if he is under 3 months old or if he experiences dangerous symptoms, such as shortness of breath, his body looks very weak, or the skin looks bluish.
3. Otitis media
Otitis media is a bacterial or viral infection of the middle ear. This condition is more at risk for babies who often have colds, coughs, or are exposed to a lot of pollution, such as cigarette smoke. When exposed to an ear infection, babies will generally look more fussy or cry a lot, often pull the ear, fever, vomiting, discharge from the ear, to hearing loss.
When your little one shows these symptoms, immediately take him to the doctor to get the right treatment. This is important to prevent dangerous complications, such as permanent hearing loss or meningitis.
4. Diabetes in babies
Diabetes does not only occur in adults, but also in children and infants. This infant disease is more common in babies born to mothers who have gestational diabetes.
Babies who have diabetes will usually have a birth weight greater than normal babies. In addition, diabetes in infants can also cause other symptoms, such as jaundice, shortness of breath, weakness, seizures, thirst, facial swelling, to body shaking or tremors. Babies who have diabetes are also more likely to develop type 1 diabetes later in life. Therefore, this disease needs to be treated directly by a doctor.
5. Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is a malignant tumor or cancer of the retina that can affect children under 2 years of age. This disease is generally characterized by enlarged pupil size, misaligned or crossed eyes, there is a reflection of white light in the pupil of the eye, and visual disturbances. If you find these symptoms in your little one, immediately consult a pediatrician to get the right treatment. If left untreated, retinoblastoma has a high risk of causing death in infants and children.
6. Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord due to viral or bacterial infection. This disease that often affects infants and children generally can cause several symptoms, such as stiff neck, high fever, severe headache, vomiting, sensitivity to light, reddish rash, frequent drowsiness, seizures, and no appetite. If you find these symptoms in your little one, immediately consult a doctor to get the right treatment.
7. Sepsis
Sepsis is a serious medical condition caused by a severe infection in the body. Sepsis is usually caused by a bacterial infection, but it can also be caused by a virus. Sepsis can occur in newborns and babies who are older. This disease is also at risk for babies who are born prematurely or have low birth weight and babies who get infections while still in the womb or at birth.
Babies with sepsis will generally experience several symptoms, such as frequent drowsiness, very fast breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, decreased body temperature, refusal to breastfeed, and skin that looks pale or yellow. Sepsis is a dangerous condition in infants. If not treated immediately by a doctor, this disease can lead to fatal complications.
8. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
This baby disease occurs when the baby's colon becomes inflamed, resulting in sores or even holes in the baby's intestines. This disease mostly affects newborns or the first few months after birth. The cause of NEC is not known with certainty until now. However, the condition is more common in premature or low birth weight babies, formula-fed babies, or babies who were deprived of oxygen at birth.
In addition, NEC is also thought to be caused by a bacterial infection in the baby's gastrointestinal tract. This baby disease can cause the baby to experience symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fussiness due to abdominal pain, weakness, lack of breastfeeding, and blood in the stool. If not treated promptly, NEC can lead to serious complications and even death.
Babies are generally susceptible to illness because their immune systems are still weak and not fully developed. However, if he shows severe symptoms that do not improve, this could be a sign that the baby is sick or has a certain disease.
However, parents are advised not to panic when the baby experiences the above symptoms. If your little one experiences symptoms of a dangerous baby illness, immediately take him to a pediatrician to undergo an examination and get the right treatment according to his illness.
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