Yellowing of the skin, whites of the eyes and gums. Yellowing of the skin is caused by a byproduct of red blood cell destruction called “bilirubin’.  

This is usually a harmless condition and a temporary condition most of the time. Starting 2-3 days later after birth and gradually disappearing after 2-3 weeks. [ It is called physiological jaundice] 

However, if bilirubin levels are very high it can be harmful, damaging brain parts that affect hearing, vision, and control movement. 

So, it is important to check the bilirubin level if the baby is jaundiced which your doctor can organise. 

In mild cases treatment is with phototherapy where the baby is exposed to special lights until the bilirubin levels come down. In severe cases more invasive treatments are indicated. Exposing your baby to sunlight is not an alternative method of treating jaundice.  

At any time if the baby is jaundiced and passing a very pale colored stool and dark colored urine, medical advice should be sought immediately. 

In routine and regular baby checkups in the first 4 weeks your health care professional will check for jaundice. 

Newborn babies can lose up to about 10% of their birth weight within the first week. By about day 10 of life, they should be back on their birth weight. 

Over the first 3 months babies are supposed to put on weight, approximately 150-220g every week. 

Every routine visit, your doctor will check and monitor the baby’s weight, height and head circumference and guide you. 

If that weekly weight gain is not met, the reasons for that should be explored. It could be a lack of latching with breast, inadequate feeding, infection or maternal medical problem. 

Your Child Health Nurse, Visiting Midwife, your family doctor or practice nurse will be able to guide you optimising the weight gain. 

Temperature at or above 38 degrees centigrade is considered abnormal for a newborn baby which needs to be taken serious and medical advice should be sought. 

It could be the only sign that your baby has got a serious infection. 

Every baby is known to have a few small episodes of vomiting daily. Most of the time it could be due to inadequate burping. 

Alarming symptoms where you need to seek health care advice; 

• Number of projectile vomits happening repeatedly 

• Blood stained vomit. 

• Bile stained (flashy green) vomits. 

• If vomiting is happening in the context of poor weight gain/weight loss and poor feeding. 

Some babies can have sticky, discharge in eyes during the first few weeks of life related to blocked tear ducts. It usually has an innocent course, however massaging over the tear ducts and gentle eye cleaning can enhance the process. Your doctor will explain how to do the massage. Get your GP to check your baby’s eyes, especially if they are sticky and red. 

Newborn babies can have different kinds of skin rashes. Some of them are very physiological and resolve on their own. Some of the examples are cradle cap, milia, dry skin, nappy rash and eczema. 

Milia 

Tiny white bumps appear on the face after birth due to underdeveloped sweat glands. Mostly appear on the nose and the cheeks. They don’t hurt and self-resolve within weeks most of the time. Don’t squeeze the lesions. If there’s crusting and coloured rash around milia get that checked by your doctor. 

Seek medical advice if your baby has; 

• Blisters filled with yellow pus. 

• Blisters last more than 3 days 

• Generally unwell, running fevers whilst having the rash seek medical advice. 

A condition in which the thin piece of skin under the baby’s tongue (the lingual frenulum) is abnormally short and may restrict the movement of the tongue. It is a condition more common in boys and has a tendency to run in  family.  About 3% of babies are affected by tongue tie. Significant tongue tie can affect breast feeding and oral hygiene. a tongue-tie may require to be released if it is impacting on effective breastfeeding. The procedure is called a lingual frenotomy 

Sometimes a tongue-tie causes no problems with breastfeeding and requires no action.

It is a common skin condition in babies. It appears thick, waxy yellow or white scaly patches on the head. Sometimes it can appear on the face and neck. 

It does not require medical treatment and often clears up on its own. You can use some baby oil to soften the scales. 

Nappy rash is a common condition. The skin appears inflamed and red in the diaper area, causing discomfort. The common causes of nappy rash are prolonged exposure to wet nappies, tight fitting nappies, Chemicals in baby wipes, Consistence of stools after introducing formula or new food and soaps and infections. 

Management; you can improve nappy rash by; 

• Frequent nappy changes. Use the right size of nappy. 

• Gentle cleaning with water and soft clothes.  

• Using barrier cream.  

• Giving airtime- allowed the baby to go without nappies for short periods. 

• Avoid irritants - Using mild fragrance-free wipes. 

If the rash is not improving, red angry looking and baby is irritable – consult your GP. 

Eczema is a common skin condition, presenting as dry, red and itchy skin patches, commonly on the face, scalp and sometimes in arms and legs. Your baby could be irritable. 

Avoiding triggers such as certain fabrics, wipes, soaps and environmental factors is an important part of the management. Regular use of fragrance-free moisturisers keeps the skin hydrated and acts as a barrier cream as well.  

If not improving, you need to see your doctor for an assessment and management.  

Some children can develop allergy reactions to different substances including food, some of these allergy reactions are very mild and do not last for long. However, some of them could be quite distressing. Seek medical advice if you suspect an allergy to your child. 

It’s very common for young children to have frequent colds up to about 8-10 times a year. Colds are caused by viruses, so there is no indication to treat with antibiotics. Your child may not be interested in food as usual. The best treatment is to ensure adequate hydration. If you are concerned about reduced fluid intake, reduced wet nappies, reduced activity levels and or breathing difficulties, seek medical advice. 

Constipation is common in some children. Some children don’t poop daily, not pooing every day , does not constipation. If your child is passing very hard stools/finding hard to push out, that’s more suggestive of constipation.  They are supposed to pass sausage like formed stools. If your child is constipated, you will need to make sure he is consuming an adequate amount of fluid and fiber in the diet. 

A common food allergy in infants. Your child develops reactions or intolerance against cow’s milk protein. 

• Some kids develop immediate allergic reactions within a couple of minutes after ingestion of cow’s milk resulting hives, wheezing and vomiting. In severe cases can develop anaphylactic reactions.  

• Some kids can develop delayed reactions with symptoms appearing hours to days after cow’s milk ingestion. Common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and blood or mucous in stools.  

Diagnosis

This is a clinical diagnosis depending on symptoms examination and eliminating diet. In some cases, an allergy test may be required.  

If you have concerns about possible Cow's Milk Protein Intolerance in your child, seek medical advice, may need to will need to consider modifications to your child’s feeding regime. 

Many children outgrow CMPA by the age of 3-5 years. Cow’s milk re-introduction should be done gradually and with medical supervision.