Brought to you by Irish Life Health.
Becoming a parent for the first time is a magical experience, but it can also be a terrifying one.
Not only have you traded in your given names for the rather grown-up titles of Mum and Dad, but you have also been entrusted with the most precious of tiny packages to care for… with zero real life experience to lean on.
One of the first lessons you learn as a new parent is that sometimes you have to wing it. When you’ve got a potential emergency on your hands however, that’s easier said than done.
Here are three common parenting panics and some solutions, as well as some important things to remember about handling each situation:
The panic: Your baby is vomiting
The solution: Unfortunately, vomiting is quite common in babies and children and it usually requires a ‘wait and see’ approach. Common causes in babies include swallowing air while feeding and gastroenteritis, which is a gut infection that usually presents with diarrhoea.
Monitor the situation carefully; if the vomiting is caused by a tummy bug, your little one should still be alert and willing to drink a little from time to time.
If the vomiting continues for more than one or two days and is accompanied by floppiness, a stiff neck, refusal to eat or drink or extreme irritability, it’s time to seek a professional opinion.
The panic: Your baby has a rash and you don’t know what’s causing it
The solution: There are many reasons your baby’s sensitive skin may have broken out in a rash but most tend to disappear on their own.
Still, it’s a smart idea to familiarise yourself with the warning signs of meningitis, which include a pin prick rash that does not disappear when you press against it with a glass.
If you can see what looks like dry, flaky or yellowish-crusted skin on your baby’s scalp, it’s most likely cradle cap, which will eventually disappear on its own. Milk spots, also called milia (tiny spots on your baby’s face and neck), are also quite common and tend to go away without treatment.
Most babies will get nappy rash during the first 18 months, so have some creams and powders on hand in case it strikes.
The panic: Your baby is out of sorts (crying more than usual, tired, not eating properly)
The solution: A fussy baby can be a sign that they are feeling a little unwell and the best thing to do here is to trust your instincts. Irritability, loss of appetite, a change in routine and seeming more clingy than usual are all signs that something’s not right.
Check their temperature (the normal temperature for a baby, taken under his or her arm ranges for 36.5 to 37.2 degrees C) and keep an eye on it, consulting a doctor if it turns into a fever.
We never know what life will throw at us, but it helps to be prepared and with Digital Doctor, from Irish Life Health, you can.
The great thing about Irish Life Health’s Digital Doctor is that you’re actually chatting to a real GP, who you can access from home, from work or even when you’re abroad. It’s available to all new and renewing Irish Life Health members so you’ll never have to survive a parenting panic alone again.
Irish Life Health dac is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
