In the first part of this article on newborn infections, we address the common risk factors for infections in newborns. If you have not read it, you can do so here!
This is the concluding part we will look at how to know when a newborn has infections, what to do and how to prevent newborn infections.
How do you know if a newborn baby has infections?
Newborns when sick with infections often may not have any specific signs that most parents are used too when the older children have infections. Sometimes, the baby may just appear dull or not as active as before. Other times, they may actually show other signs of infections like:
- Fever
- Refusing to suck
- Crying excessively or inconsolably even when given breast
- Eye discharge
- Smelly or discharge from umbilical cord
- Weak or limp baby
- Boils or tiny swellings containing water or or pus on skin
- Jerking /shaking body( hands , legs etc)
If you think your newborn has infections or is showing any of the above signs, that is not the time to wear your “Home Doctor” hat!!!
Newborns are so fragile and illness in them can progress so fast and can lead to unwanted consequences we already mentioned.
A sick newborn can only be treated by the doctor, preferably a Paediatrician at the Hospital!!
If you observed any of these signs, please go to the hospital without delay!!!
ANY BABY WITH ANY SIGN OF INFECTION LISTED ABOVE SHOULD BE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY!!! (We can not emphasize this enough).
Delay in seeking help promptly can lead to fatal consequence!
Prevention of newborn infections
As we can see, once infections occur in the newborn baby, it is beyond your control as parents. At that point, it is the Paediatricians and God that are in charge.
However, there is a lot we can do to avoid or prevent newborn infections. Prevention as we are often fond of saying is always better, cheaper, less painful than in the newborn.
Prevention of newborn infections can be achieved substantially by observing the following
- Good antenatal care – register early and standard centres/hospitals
- Early/ proper treatment of urinary tract infection or any infection in mother
- Delivery in a proper setting: good clean environment
- Delivery by qualified or trained healthcare professionals
- Any woman who ruptures membrane ie breaks her water must go to the hospital – Ideally, she should be started on antibiotic if the delivery is taking longer than expected
- Use of sterile (clean) equipment to cut the umbilical cord.
- Do not apply any of the materials mentioned earlier on the umbilical cord. Accepted treatment for cord care is CHLORHEXIDINE GEL! Apply it once daily for seven days or till the cord has dropped and healed. Where this not available good quality methylated spirit to clean every 2hour
- Do not give Ampiclox syrup or drops to your baby after delivery.
- Avoid the “ajogba” mentality! A baby who has infection will not respond to Ampiclox!!! It cannot treat it and this will delay the commencement of the right and appropriate treatment. This can lead to fatal consequence! If you deliver in a clean environment, with none of the risk factors for infection mentioned earlier, you do not need to give the newborn Ampiclox. We know this is a very rampant practice especially in Nigeria but it is wrong. It only gives mothers a false sense of protection and may mask the signs of newborn infections when it actually occur; which may lead to late presentation and treatment with attendant danger of newborn death.
In conclusion, infections in the newborn can cause unnecessary deaths if not treated promptly. The good news is that most can be prevented by adopting simple strategies we already discussed.
Should infections still occur despite all efforts, please do not do home treatment, go to the hospital immediately as DELAY IS VERY, VERY DANGEROUS!
Thank you for reading. Keep being informed to keep our children healthy. I look forward to your questions and comments.
Dis piece is so timely for most mothers but for me it may be coming way too late cos my baby was a victim of infection right at birth. Unfortunately the doctor could not handle it cos I delivered in a so called private hospital now my baby even at over two is still struggling with life. So on behalf of other mother I say a very massive thank you doctor, may d lord continuously attend to all that pertaineth to you n u alone in Jesus name, ameeeeeen.
Thank you Mrs Ejelonu for your kind words and contributions.
I am not sure what you meant by your baby is still struggling for life but I pray God to perfect everything that concern your child.
Thank u ma for dis wonderful piece, buh ma pls my question is for example d hospital where I used to give birth d doctor always place d children on antibiotics via vain and on many occasions I asked him why he said is cos my water is dirty and d baby must have sucked it while still in d womb, pls ma dis practice is it ok. Thank u.
Always?? Is it always that the womb water is dirty? That is not right at all. In babies where there is risk of infection for example the baby has already passed the first stool (meconium) in the womb or the mother has fever or has been seeing water for more than 24 hours before delivery, yes it is okay to place on antibiotics prophylactically! However in an otherwise normal clean delivery, there is absolutely no need to place the baby on antibiotics. That is drugs abuse and not recommended by Paediatricians and neonatalogists.
what about jerking the left leg when he hears a Sharp sound?
Ideally seizures should not be produced by loud noise but jerking the leg is the unusual reaction even for a startle reaction so I advise that you still take that child to see a Paediatric neurologist
my baby swallowed some amniotic fluid during delivery and up till now after 3 weeks she still breaths as if she having running nose. sometimes, her breathing makes noise
I can assure you that it is not the amniotic fluid she sucked at birth. Kindly take her to see a Paediatrician for proper evaluation first
I am now scared as I did not start my antenatal visits to the hospital on time.
I did not write this for you to be scares. You can start now and I am sure your Obstetrician should make sure all is fine. All the best
Thank you Ma for these,although am a bit confused I gave birth a week ago and my baby is fine,but after the circumcision was told to give ampiclox by my aunt who is a nurse to prevent an infection which I am currently doing ,but from what I read now should I stop giving him ….please ma i need a reply .thanks
Next time Precious for quick answers to questions, please post on our Facebook group
For more on newborn care, check our FTM Baby Course here
Good day ma, I will like to know how long does it take for the navel to close up after the cord has fallen off. My baby is just 12days old and I keep cleaning with spirit and the gel but it seems the opening does not want to close.
Am I in a haste?
You don’t have to worry as long as the area is not infected. There is no need to worry. It will close as long as the cord has fallen off.
Good evening doctor, please my baby’s hands and legs were jerking seriously at birth and people said I had too much of cold water while pregnant was the reason for that. My baby is a month old now though the jerking has reduced but he still does it when having his bath and crying. Please could this be a sign of infection?
That is not true!!! That sounds like a baby having seizures and they are not due to the cold water you took. You should be a Paediatrician immediately. There are many causes of seizures (or convulsions) in the newborn. It could be due to infection involving the brain coverings (meningitis) or other causes as well. Please treat as urgent.
Good morning doctor, pls my baby is 16days old and the umbilical cord has not fallen off, I clean with spirit every day though it’s stiff. And am beginning to get scared cos it’s taking time. Pls shld I be worried about it or am I in haste?. Thank you ma.
Hi Tomilayo! There is nothing to worry about …some babies may not drop their cords even up to one month. As long as there is no infection around the area, just keep cleaning with the spirit and it will eventually drop. Just relax and don’t attempt to force things to happen. All the best
Hello Doctor, God will continue to bless you for this forum. Pls I av a question. My baby of 6days old umbilical cord has fallen off. What next after that to avoid stomach upset for the baby. Pple advised I should buy nospamin to reduce tummy upset. How true is dis? Pls enlighten me ma. Thank u
Nothing else. Just leave the baby alone. Colic is quite common and you can not prevent it per se …Read more about colic here PLEASE DO NOT GIVE NOSPAMIN!
Good morning Doc. My 3months baby has cough last month after given her cough syrup and vitamin c it stopped but started again after one month. What should I do?
Hello Mrs Peter. Babies at that age should not be given cough syrup. Kindly stop immediately. Please take her to see a Paediatrician so the chest can be examined properly and the underlying cause of the cough can be treated. The most important to do for a child with cough is to know the underlying cause of the cough and treat it instead of giving symptomatic relief with cough syrup which is not even recommended for infants.
hello Dr, good day and may God bless you for the good job you are doing on this forum. My baby of four months is having cough for the second time now. The first time, she was treated with anti biotics and she got better and now she is having cough again. I don’t understand why the cough and re occurrence at this tender age. Please what can i give her to stop the cough.
Are you breastfeeding exclusively? Is the baby attending a creche? Are there adults and siblings with respiratory infections around the child? anyone smoking in the house? These are some of the risk factors for recurrent respiratory infections in babies.
You may also want to see a Paediatrician to also examine the child for other diseases associated with cough as well like congenital heart diseases
Hi doc ,my baby 10weeks old ,has diarrhea of green stool
What could be the problem ,teething ,and which is the best thing to do to avoid that teething or remove ,any drug to use?
It is most likely a sign of inadequate feeding unless you are also formula feeding as some formula can lead to greenish stools. You should just keep breastfeeding the baby exclusively on demand and ensure the baby empties one breast fully before switching to the next breast.
Thanks doc for this, i experienced neonatal sepsis with my second child,luckily, i noticed the fever and alerted the caregivers because we were still in the hospital. I had no idea how he got infected, thanks to this piece, i now have a clue.
Thank you for reading! Glad to know you are better informed.
Thanks doc. I have beinb going tru some of the article and discussion on ATP on Facebook but just read this. My baby of 8weeks old , she do breathe like she snorring in d night of lately and when she was 23days old i took her to hospital due to that and then she sneeze alot . The Pead. prescribe sterile nasal drop n after a week she did nebulization for her and it stopped. But now the its back what’s your advice me. Hope its not infection?
It may not be infection but I will advise taking her back to the Paediatrician for follow-up evaluation and management.
Good day ma,l have a 3weeks old baby,she was having jaundice at birth,which was treated by photography and was reduce from 10mgl to 5.9mgl,b4 we left the hospital she diagnose to hàve infection which was also treated.now she is having the eye discharge mostly in d morning when she wakes up,do l still need to worry?is it an infection?pls diacard the first post
It could be….eye infection like conjunctivitis or ophthalmia neonatorum may be different from the one the child was treated for at the hospital and the treatment is different as well. So kindly take back to the hospital for follow up evaluation and treatment of the eye discharge. Read more here
Good day Doc,
Is it safe for a baby of 5 weeks to travel on air for a 1 hour trip? Are there any precautions I should take regarding cabin pressure during take off and landing.
None….however if it is not absolutely necessary, you should wait until the baby is 6 weeks or more!
Nice article Doctor, please what are the effects of neonatal infection. My baby of three weeks was just diagnosed of it and am afraid it wasn’t diagnosed on time. His own started with rashes and we thought it was ordinary rashes until it wasn’t going away. Is the diagnosis at three weeks late?
The most important thing is that your child has been diagnosed now and was treated appropriately. Most infections once treated resolve with little or no complications. However infections involving certain organs like brain or kidneys can cause longterm complications if not properly or promptly treated.
Please how can scabies be handled in children
Take the child to the hospital and the antiscabies ointment to apply and the way to go about it will be shown to you as well.
Thank u so much Doc for this piece… Pls my baby of 11days was diagnosed with respiratory distress at birth Tho he was treated at the pediatric ward bt sometimes he breathes loud pls shld i still b worried ND pls what was d cause of the distress… Tnx
You should see your doctors/Paediatricians that manage her previously for follow-up evaluation. They will definitely know better if you should worry or not and also be in a better position to tell you the cause of her respiratory distress.
Thank you doctor for this piece.
I have a boy that is 3 and been having seizure from birth till now and this has affected his brain a bit as his speech is still very scanty and he repeats words that are not meaningful. The last seizure drug that was given to him did not go well with him as he was so hyper and shouting irrationally. Please is their remedy to this supposed developing down syndrome and seizure?
Hi Mrs Amechi! You need to take the boy to see a Paediatric Neurologist and/or Developmental Paediatrician. Did your child also have Down syndrome or you are assuming the developmental delay makes him to have Down syndrome? Down syndrome is a separate genetic disorder that may also cause developmental delay but not all children with Developmental delay has Down syndrome. Read more about it here – I have a child with Special needs
Good afternoon Doc… Please my baby reacts to sound always. She is just 8 days old
Also her cord has fallen off but there is still a part that look like pus. Not foul smelling and its just there. I still clean with methylated spirit though.
Hi Nkiru…nothing wrong with the baby reacting to sound. Keep cleaning the cord with Methylated spirit until it is completely healed.
For urgent questions, always ASK ON OUR ASK THE PAEDIATRICIANS FACEBOOK GROUP.
my baby of one month and three days is coughing, doc advice ibgive beecham ampiclox. six hourly for five days
You can follow your doctor’s advice.
Please Doc, my 2 weeks old baby had rashes and I used calamine lotion on her, also used antibiotics. Now my baby’s head, her ear side is watering and smellin. What should I do please
Blessing please stop self-medicating your baby and take him to see a doctor for proper treatment. Please do so urgently.
God bless U doc, my baby is 2wks and she has stomach upset, always strching and Turing
Hi Vivian….I think that sounds like Colic. Read more about it here DOC, WHAT IS COLIC?
My baby is 3weeks old,and she sleeps with her mouth open. I feel there’s something clogging her nose,there’s no mucus in her nostrils however but she never used to sleep with her mouth open till a week ago. Even when I close her mouth she opens it. She’s my first baby,my mother in law isn’t very understanding when I notice things and point them out,she keeps saying the baby is fine but I just can’t shake the feeling that my baby isn’t comfortable. What do I do?
I think the baby is fine too but if you are worried, you may want to take her to see a Paediatrician who will examine the child and advise you further.
Thank you Ma for these,although am a bit confused I gave birth a week ago and my baby is fine,but after the circumcision was told to give ampiclox by my aunt who is a nurse to prevent an infection which I am currently doing ,but from what I read now should I stop giving him ….please ma i need a reply .thanks
There is no need to give Ampiclox if the doctor did not recommend antibiotics. Read about the care of circumcision here Circumcision of Newborns – What you Need to Know!
Good day ma, pls my baby started developing rash with water in them, like a day after delivery. The hospital gave us sporidex and tribact cream to use on her. The drug didn’t have any effect on it but d cream cleared it. But then, whenever we stop using d cream it starts surfacing again. The hospital said she would outgrow it. She’s almost 5 months old now and they started growing bigger with much water in them. New ones surfacing, old ones bursting. We took her back to the hospital and the doctor was about to prescribe the same drug and cream before I reminded him we had used them before. So, he asked us to see a skin doctor instead. But I just saw it as a sign of infection on your write-up, could you proffer a solution to us?
You should see a Paediatrician or Skin specialist. We cannot treat a rash without seeing it.
Hello Doctor. Thank you very much for all you do. Please, is it necessary to stretch a 3 weeks old baby’s hands and legs wen bathing. Even twist the arms to the back? They said it’s for flexibility, I don’t just understand.
No! All those massages are wrong and dangerous. Please read more about the dangerous myths to avoid in child care Myths About Child Healthcare in Nigeria / Africa – Dangerous Myths 2
My baby is 3months and 3weeks old but he is pooing greenish poo what could be the cause
How are you feeding the baby? Greenish stools are suggestive of inadequate feeding. You should ensure you are breastfeeding your baby frequently and on demand. We recommend exclusive breastfeeding.