Learn to recognize the signs of dehydration in babies
How can we talk and attend to those who can not communicate with words? One of the most difficult tasks of every parent is to know what happens to their baby, a small person who does not know how to talk and who can not claim what he needs. Recognize signals that it issues will help the parents to grant what they demand.
Come summer, one of the issues that matter most when it comes to satisfying babies is knowing how to recognize when they need to hydration, especially in those newborns that are being exclusively breastfed. From the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona, the following tips are offered to know how to recognize dehydration in newborns.
Signs of the dehydrated baby
How to know if the baby has symptoms of dehydration? The simplest step is to check that your mouth is wet and that you urinate and make frequent bowel movements, sometimes even with each shot or several times by ingesting milk. In the case of dryness and no signs of urination, it has a yellow color (jaundice) intense, low-grade fever (temperature greater than 37 ° C) and is very sleepy or very irritable (can manifest both ways, or even alternating between one and another), may be indicative of dehydration due to lack of breast.
It is also recommended that when checking the urine in the newborn, if it is in the diaper an orange or reddish spot, this is due to the deposit of urea salts, which are normally found in the urine. It is not something that should worry, but sometimes they are very striking spots that generate alarm in their parents and lead them to consult their pediatrician for thinking that it is blood in the urine.
Another of the recommended methods to assess the loss of body fluid in newborns is to monitor their weight. In general, all newborns lose weight during the first days of life, the natural thing is that the reduction is up to 10-12% of its weight at birth.
If the weight loss is greater, or they have not recovered the size of the birth to 10 days of life and the baby is exclusively fed breastfeeding, the first thing to do is to have a specialist to check the technique and Advise on possible changes of position of the baby's mouth during the taking. If, despite this, the problem continues, it may be advisable to add a supplement of artificial milk during the first days of life to breastfeeding.
Prevention of dehydration
The best way to avoid problems the best is always the prevention. In the case of dehydration in babies these are some tips for this purpose:
- Breastfeeding and maintaining the usual shots. Breast milk is the main source of hydration in babies.
- Protect them from heat. During the hours of greatest influence of heat, babies should stay and avoid dehydration.
- Avoid excessive layers that can make the baby too hot and may cause him to lose excessive amounts of water.
Damián Montero
