Pneumonia can occur when a child is first born, and is usually caused mostly during the prenatal and delivery periods. The prenatal fetus lives in a uterus filled with amniotic fluid and suffers from hypoxia (such as cord bypass, fetal heart changes, abnormal fetal movements), which can lead to respiratory movements and inhalation of amniotic fluid, causing aspiration pneumonia; if the water breaks early, labor is prolonged, or during delivery, inhalation of bacterially contaminated amniotic fluid or secretions from the birth canal can easily cause bacterial pneumonia; if the amniotic fluid is contaminated with meconium, inhalation of the lungs can cause meconium aspiration pneumonia. Another type of pneumonia is postnatal infectious pneumonia. If the child is in contact with someone who carries bacteria (such as the flu), the child can easily be infected with pneumonia; newborns are infected with pneumonia through the bloodstream due to sepsis or umbilicus or enteritis, and this infection can be caused by bacteria; pneumonia can also be caused by viruses and other microorganisms in newborns who are a little older. Pneumonia in newborns is not exactly the same as pneumonia in older children, it is atypical, a few have a cough and their temperature may not rise. The main symptoms are purple coloring around the mouth, foaming at the mouth, difficulty breathing, depression, little or no crying, and refusal to breastfeed. Sometimes the symptoms are “cold” symptoms, such as nasal congestion, choking on milk. However, if you look closely, you will find that your baby is breathing very fast (more than 45 times/minute, compared to 40-44 times/minute under normal circumstances), and may even have the trigeminal sign (the depression of the superior sternal fossa, intercostal space and subxiphoid process during inspiration is called trigeminal sign) and other signs of respiratory distress. Parents can count the number of breaths for one minute when the baby is quiet; do not count the breaths when the baby has just been fed, bathed, defecated or cried. If the infection is not controlled in time, it can easily spread to the whole body. If the child has fever, cough and other typical manifestations, the condition is more serious. Therefore, newborns with these manifestations should see a doctor immediately for early diagnosis and treatment. Because the cough reflex is not yet mature and respiratory secretions cannot be coughed out, it is easy to cause asphyxia, so sputum must be sucked and nebulized frequently to keep the child’s airway open. In case of pneumothorax or mediastinal emphysema, surgical suction and drainage are required in a timely manner. Therefore, in principle, all newborns with pneumonia should be hospitalized. Stable mild pneumonia can be treated without hospitalization, but it must be diagnosed by a doctor and treated under his or her supervision, while closely observing changes in the condition. Prevention is important To prevent neonatal pneumonia, the pregnant woman should be treated for infectious diseases; closely disinfected at the time of delivery to avoid contamination during delivery; and as much as possible, the secretions from the mouth and nose should be aspirated before the newborn’s first breath. After the child comes home from the hospital, guests should be declined as much as possible, especially those suffering from respiratory infections, to avoid entering the baby’s room; the mother must wear a mask to approach the child if she suffers from respiratory infections. Ventilate the baby’s room 1 to 2 times a day to keep the indoor air fresh.