About Leumit Ramat Beit Shemesh
Articles created by Leumit Ramat Beit Shemesh
Car Seat Safety
From the moment a baby leaves the hospital, and with every trip in the car, parents must secure every child in a car seat that is appropriate for their age and height.
Prevention of Dental Caries
A baby’s first tooth emerges on average during the sixth month of life. However, it can also appear sooner or later. There is a common conception that teething may be accompanied by: crying, drooling, irritability, gum pain, a rash on the face, decrease in appetite, fever (to 38.0), pulling of the ears, etc. These symptoms can appear for four days before the tooth eruption, and last until three days after. Medical studies of recent years have not proven that these phenomena are caused by teeth eruption and the scientific debate continues on this issue. Indeed sometimes these symptoms appear in children aged 3-5 months (drooling, crying, placing a hand in the mouth), but usually in these early ages symptoms such these end without tooth eruption.
Head Injuries in Children
Head injuries are a common phenomenon in children. Fortunately, most head injuries are minor and only require observation over the next 24 hours, while some are quite severe and require immediate medical attention. In children who have an accident, it is head injury that usually causes the most severe sequelae. The most common reasons for head injury in children are (in order of frequency) falls, accidents when the child is the bike rider, and motor vehicle/bicycle accidents when the child is a pedestrian.
Bike Safety
Bike riding is a very important part of a child’s daily exercise. However, along with the fun and importance of bicycle riding comes an obligation for parents to educate their children about how to ride safely. 61.4% of hospitalizations for bike accidents are children (www.baterem.org). 80% of accidents occur during the months April-October, and a majority (65%) occur during the hours of 1400-2000. A road, which does not have a cross, walk is considered a bigger risk than those roads that do have cross walks: 59% of accidents occur on a road with no cross walk.
Diagnosing Anemia
Anemia is defined as a decrease in the number of red blood cells or blood concentration of hemoglobin. There are several reasons for anemia, depending on the age of the child.
Lack of iron is the most important risk factor for anemia in Israeli children aged six months to two years, but medical studies have not yet found an explanation why the prevalence of iron deficiency is so high amongst children in Israel. Anemia is a significant problem because the lack of iron may impair the development of the child, and according to medical research, there is the possibility of irreversible damage even after the child receives treatment with iron.
Skin Care for Infants
The skin is a very remarkable organ in the human body. Although it often goes unnoticed, it performs a variety of jobs. It is the vital protective wrapping for all of the body’s structures. As it covers bones, muscles, blood vessels, and internal organs, it helps maintain body temperature and hydration. Through the sweat mechanism it also plays a role in the maintenance of the salt balance in the body.
Newborn Vaginal Discharge
Occasionally, female newborns will have a whitish discharge from the vagina and swelling of the labia. This is a normal phenomenon that occurs due to the impact of the hormones of the mother on the baby. The discharge and swelling will usually stop after 1-2 weeks
Treating Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
Colds develop from a virus which attacks the body and is transferred to others via touch or through the air(cough). Although it is called a “cold,” it is not is not caused as a result of air conditioning, heating, wind or cold. An URI is a phenomenon that is especially common in winter and results in a runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, and sometimes has associated fever, sore throat, redness in the eyes or hoarseness. Children tend to get infected with viruses of this kind a few times a year.
Treating Diarrhea and Vomiting
Diarrhea and vomiting are usually caused by a virus or bacteria that infect the intestines. The virus usually invades the tissue of the intestine, causes the area to swell, and prevents food from being absorbed. In addition the virus causes the intestine to secrete fluid thereby causing more diarrhea and sometimes leading to dehydration. Vomiting alone (without diarrhea) can be a sign of the beginning of a gastroenteritis or can be caused by food poisoning. Both viruses and bacteria which cause gastroenteritis are very contagious, and transferred from person to person via touch. Therefore meticulous hand washing is very important after diaper changes or after going to the bathroom.
Newborn Umbilical Cord Care
When a baby is born, a section of the maternal umbilical cord remains attached to the baby for about 10-20 days. This is normal and the cord will fall off by itself. In order to prevent infection and dry up the cord, one should clean the baby’s umbilical cord with 70% alcohol. After the cord falls off, one can bathe the baby in normal tepid water. If there any redness, bad odor, swelling, discharge or tenderness in the area, please contact your doctor as soon as possible.