With the recent cooler weather, many babies have reduced their outdoor activities and prefer to stay indoors. Since indoors is a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses, coupled with poor air circulation, babies can easily contract pneumonia, and although most pneumonia is cured with reasonable treatment, sometimes pneumonia can be life-threatening if not treated in a timely manner.
What is pneumonia, and how can it be treated and prevented?
1. What is pneumonia?
(1) Pneumonia is an infection of the baby’s lungs, resulting in coughing, fever and shortness of breath;
(2) Pneumonia is usually caused by viral or bacterial infections. For babies under 5 years old, pneumonia is usually caused by viral infections, while for babies over 5 years old, pneumonia is usually caused by bacterial infections;
(3) Of course there are times when a viral infection is combined with a bacterial infection.
2.What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
(1) Cough;
(2) Fever;
(3) Faster than usual breathing;
(4) Difficulty in breathing or pain in the chest when breathing;
(5) Blue lips and nail bed;
(6) Difficulty feeding or irritability in small babies.
Not all of the above symptoms will appear when your baby has pneumonia, but if your baby has a violent cough, a high fever that won’t go away, and a bad spirit, then your baby probably has pneumonia.
3.When do I need to take my baby to the doctor?
If you think your baby may have pneumonia, take your baby to the doctor promptly because pneumonia can develop very seriously if not treated in time.
Call an ambulance as soon as possible if
(1) is blue or pale;
(2) No breathing;
(3) Difficulty in breathing;
(4) The baby seems to be very unmotivated or struggling to breathe.
4.How is pneumonia treated?
The treatment of pneumonia depends on the age of the baby, the severity of the pneumonia, and whether it is caused by a viral or bacterial infection. If the pneumonia is severe or the baby is small, hospitalization may be necessary. If the pneumonia is caused by a viral infection, it is not necessary to apply antibiotics, but if the pneumonia is caused by a bacterial infection, it is necessary to apply antibiotics, in fact, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether the infection is viral or bacterial, and doctors sometimes apply antibiotics based on experience. Do not think that the baby’s symptoms have gotten better and then stop the medication, because the bacteria may still remain in the baby’s body, if the course of treatment is not enough, it is likely to come back.
5.What can parents do?
(1) Let your baby get enough rest and give him/her enough fluids. For small babies who can’t tolerate a lot of fluids at one time, add a few times;
(2) Reasonable application of antipyretic drugs to control the baby’s temperature or pain;
(3) Do not apply cough suppressants (usually containing codeine or dextromethorphan) to your baby, because coughing itself is a defensive reflex of the body, which can remove excessive secretions from the airway caused by infection;
(4) If your baby does not show signs of improvement after 2 days of medication, you should see a doctor again.
6.How to prevent pneumonia?
(1) Your baby can be vaccinated against pneumonia by receiving the pneumonia vaccine. The doctor will recommend the vaccination to your baby during the vaccination or child care process;
(2) The baby’s living environment should be ventilated and clean, and windows should be opened frequently;
(3) Washing hands frequently is the most effective way to prevent pneumonia, because viruses and bacteria are everywhere, and babies may come into contact with pathogens at any time, so it is important to teach babies how to wash their hands properly;
(4) Avoid taking your baby to places where there are too many people, such as shopping malls and restaurants;
(5) Avoid contact with sick people, such as someone in the family with a cold or pneumonia, try not to touch the baby, if you must contact the best can wear a mask, before touching the baby must wash their hands.