Newborn and Infant Wellness Category
Care after Brit Mila
After a brit mila, there will usually be swelling, redness and a yellowish discharge in the area of the brit. After the bandage is removed, one should wash the area with warm water with each diaper change and spread Vaseline on the penis in order to make the baby more comfortable and prevent the skin from sticking to the diaper. Once should continue this treatment until the swelling and redness subsides (3-14 days after the brit). It is important to note that there is a good stream of urine after the brit as very rarely the bandage can be wrapped too tight and cause an obstruction. In case of fever over 37.8, the baby is not urinating every six hours or there is marked swelling in the area, one should see the pediatrician immediately.
How to Prevent Choking and Perform the Heimlich Maneuver
The mechanism for chewing and swallowing is underdeveloped in this age group and so they are more likely to inhale food or an object into their trachea. In addition the trachea itself is quite narrow at this age which exacerbates the possibility of choking on food or small objects. Foods that are round or hard are the most common sources of choking and include: grapes, hot dog, olives, apple, carrot, popcorn, Bisli, raisins and candy. These foods are very easily inhaled into the lungs during eating. In addition there is choking danger in many small toys but especially: marbles, Lego, metal cubes, and toys that can be disassembled to small pieces.
Understanding Breastfeeding
Everyone knows that the natural way to nourish an infant is to breastfeed. The English word nursing is from the same source as nourishing. It seems like it should be as natural as pregnancy, labor and delivery. The problem is, breastfeeding doesn’t always work out well for the mother and the baby. There are many factors involved which can influence the success or failure of nursing. Here is an overview of the subject.
Preventing SIDS
Since 1994 the American Academy of Pediatrics has advocated that infants should sleep on their backs to prevent “crib death.” The campaign, called “Back to Sleep,” was undertaken in response to research published first in New Zealand, then Australia, England, and many other countries, which showed that infants who sleep on their tummies had a statistically significant greater risk of crib death than infants who sleep on their backs. It has been speculated that the reason for this is that infants, who cannot roll over, will sometimes breathe in their own exhaled carbon dioxide when they are sleeping on their faces. This causes a deeper sleep, in which their muscle tone becomes so relaxed that they allow themselves to smother.
Ear Problems 101- Infants and Children
During infancy and childhood, many problems can arise with the ears. Some, like ear tags and malformed outer ears, are purely cosmetic. Some are painful but usually not serious, like swimmer’s ear or otitis media. Some are painless but very serious, like congenital deafness. The following is an overview of the problems that can arise in children’s ears.