When to Call the Doctor

Baby Emergencies

The baby can be the most vulnerable member of your family aside from the elders with compromised health. Their helplessness is attributed by their lack of ability to communicate their needs. It is therefore the sole responsibility of his or her parents or babysitter to respond to a baby's needs.

However, as much as a parent would like to take care of his or her baby alone it is impossible to be able to attend to all the needs of a baby, particularly those that concern his or her health.

So, how do you know when your baby needs to be looked at by a doctor? Learn these signs that your baby imparts that you need to call the doctor this time.

Abnormal Physical Change

If you see any irregular lumps in your baby's body that should not be there normally, call the doctor right away. It might be a cyst or any sign of illness that your baby may be suffering from.

Rashes that won't go away or sudden change of his or her skin might tell that he is afflicted by a certain form of allergy. Stop feeding him or her any food that he or she is not used to eating. Any new skin creams or other topical solutions that your baby was not using previously should be stopped immediately.

Unusual behavior

If your baby shows extreme fussiness over a longer than usual period of time, it might be a signal that you need to get him or her checked by a doctor.

But of course, you need to inspect the baby's body and environment first to get a grasp of what might be happening. These unusual behaviors may include abnormally long and loud cries, restlessness, itching uncontrollably, unusual and / or uncontrollable jerking of a certain part of the body, etc.

Unusual actions such as swinging of his or her arms, arching her back while crying or holding his feet up to his stomach while crying may warn that the baby is feeling some sort of pain or discomfort. These are  surefire signs that you will need the help of your family doctor or your baby's pediatrician.

Difficulty in eating

If your baby used to eat really well and can finish milk easily and then suddenly has a hard time sucking on his or her milk, something is definitely wrong. Check the milk's taste or temperature. If nothing's unusual with the milk, then you need to call your doctor.

Difficulty in Defecating

If your baby used to move his bowel quite well but all of a sudden seems to have a hard time defecating, something is wrong. Constipation or other digestive or excretory disorder should not be self-medicated. These cases usually need the guidance of a doctor. Call him quick!

Change in his or her voice

If your baby's voice suddenly turned hoarse or has suddenly been coughing or produces some hissing sound, he or she might have a respiratory problem. Consulting the doctor will help in avoiding any disorder from becoming aggravated.

Change in Temperature

The normal temperature of baby's body is 98.6 Fahrenheit.  However, if you are not an experienced parent it might be hard for you to take charge of the monitoring of your baby's temperature. Seek some help from the doctor if your baby suddenly feels too cold or his nails or skin color suddenly turn blue or any unusual color.

Emergency Situations

When your baby falls from anywhere and/or seems to behave differently or develops bruises, wounds or cuts that won't stop bleeding, seizures or any injury especially on the head, you need to consult the doctor.

Poisoning can be traced when your baby turns convulsive or suddenly bubbles saliva uncontrollably. This will, of course, need the help of a doctor.

Paralysis or lethargy are serious situations and will also need to be brought to the attention of the doctor quickly.

Choking is another case that will need the help of a doctor if the parent or babysitter don't know how to administer first aid or can't find someone to do it.

When you see any of these signs or suspect that your baby might be about to show these signs, don't hesitate to call your doctor. With regards to emergency cases, it's good to always keep a note of your doctor's numbers or a nearby hospital or clinic that can immediately respond to your baby's emergency needs.