SevenHills Hospitals, Marol Maroshi Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai-400059.

Ph: 022-67676767. www.sevenhillshospital.com

SevenHills Hospital, Marol Maroshi Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai - 400059.Ph: 022-6767 6767 www.sevenhillshospital.com

HEALTH Byte - SevenHills Hospital's initiative in public interest MAY 2013 Vol. 3

Care of Newborns andYoung Infants

Parents are often worried about various health issues concerning their newborn babies and young infants. Following are the 10 common queries and useful tips for the parents of newly born and young infants.

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1.Newborn babies and young infants till the age of 6 months should only be given milk and nothing else. Milk can be Mother’s milk or any of the approved formula milk specially designed for young ba-bies. They should not be given cow or buffalo milk. These are not suitable to be fed to infants till age of 1 year. The reason being cow’s milk has very high phosphorus content, which can cause hypocalcaemia (low calcium level in the blood) in babies. Secondly, it can cause cow’s milk pro-tein allergy. Lastly, it can lead to increased risk of various allergies later in life.2.I am not getting enough milk. Is formula milk good for my baby?Mother knows the best. Some mother has gen-uine problem of not getting enough milk. Many pediatricians do not take it seriously nor do they offer any solutions. In such a scenario, breast feeding should be supplemented with formula milk feeding. Formula milk specially designed for the babies is second best option after breast milk. In the meanwhile, mother’s milk output can be increased by various ways. She can consult her gynecologist or a lactation consultant (for exam-ple from BFNI i.e. breast feeding network of In-dia). Lactation consultant might prescribe her a breast pump to increase her milk output.3.How do I know that my baby is getting enough milk?There are various parameters by which mother can know that her baby is drinking enough milk. The most important criteria are urine output. If

the baby is passing urine at least 6-8 times in a day, then one is almost certain that he/she is tak-ing enough milk. Secondly, if the baby is sleep-ing for at least 1-2 hrs after every feed, then most likely baby is satisfied. Thirdly, the surest way to know that your baby is feeding well is by know-ing his/her growth parameters (weight, length & head circumference). If baby’s weight gain is appropriate, then he/she is definitely drinking enough amount of milk. 4.My baby is passing stool after every feed. I am worried whether he/she is not digesting milk?It is normal for the young babies (up to 4-6 months) to pass stool after every feed. It is called as gastro-colic reflex. But, it is not the rule. Stool frequency is generally higher in the first 1-2 months and then, it tends to reduce. By 3-4 months of age, breast fed babies may pass stool as infrequent as 1 stool in 4-5 days. But as long as stools are soft and not difficult to pass, there is no need to worry.5.My baby has passed green colored stool. What could be the reason?Babies sometimes do pass green, green-yellow or light yellow stool. The color and consistency of the stool also depends on whether the baby is on breast feeding or bottle feeding and whether sol-ids have been started.6.In the first few months, baby generally bring out small amount of milk, either during feed or curd like material several minutes after feed. The frequency of ‘bringing out or regurgitation’

Happiness is nothing more than

good health and a bad memory.

- Albert Schweitzer

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Care of Newborns andYoung Infants

News you can use

The heat is on… Is your skin ready for it?

Crossword

Dadi Maa KeNuskhe

Home remedies

Santra ka Mantra

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varies among babies. There may be sometimes frank episode of vomiting, when the baby forcefully bring out large quantity of milk. It could be due to overfeeding or excessive gas. In case of vomiting, keep the baby on right side or upright for few minutes and burp him/her well.Avoid overfeeding, which particularly occurs with bottle feeding. It is better to feed the baby on demand (that is when the baby is hungry) than to feed the baby as per fix schedule. You can allow the interval of 3-4 hours between 2 feeds in a newborn baby, if he/she is sleeping and is not demanding milk. Also, remember that your baby’s stomach capacity is limited and it gets stretched to a limited extent, beyond which the baby will throw up. You need to understand baby’s signal of satiety and a fact that all cries are not because of hunger. Sometimes, baby just wants the comfort of being in the mother’s arm or he/she is not feeling comfortable because of some other reasons. At the same time, underfeeding also should be avoided (see point no. 3).7.Skin care: Your baby’s skin is several times gentler than yours and therefore, it needs due care. Apply moisturizing cream/ lotion (specially designated for babies) all over body twice a day. Do not apply anything else on the skin. Oil massage is very much popu-lar in our country. But if baby develops rashes after oil massage, then either try with another oil preparation or stop it altogether. 8.Oil massage should be gentle and preferably should be done by mother. Many a times, separate maid is kept for oil massage of the baby and these so called experienced maids does a vigor-ous rubbing of skin, vigorous exercise of limbs and pressing of breast buds to remove ‘milk’. All these are dangerous practices

and should not be done. The consequences can be dangerous. For example, it can lead to breast abscess and skin infection, which sometimes can spread to blood and other organs. Some babies do have slight breast bud enlargement and sometimes milk comes from it. It is due to mother’s hormonal influence on the baby and will subside in due course of time. It should not be pressed or massaged.9.Nappy Rash: Nappy rash is a fairly common problem. It is due to baby remaining wet for long time. Hence, diaper or nappy should be changed as soon as it is wet and baby should be given some break off nappy/diaper. In case of rashes, mother can apply one of the several nappy rash creams available in the market. If it does not subside in few days or if it is severe, then caregiver should consult a dermatologist or a pediatrician.10.Cold: Cold can cause lot of discomfort to the baby as babies are used to breathe only through the nose. It can cause nose block and noisy breathing. You can make the baby comfortable by put-ting saline nasal drops in the nostrils (1-2 drops or 4-6 times a day in each nostril for not more than 3-4 days). There is also a nasal suction bulb (for babies) made up of rubber or silicon available in the market and it can be used to remove thick mucus plugs which blocks the nostrils.

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Anjumol Josy Davis

Infection Control Nurse

The Author is a Senior Consultant in Paediatrics & Neonatology.He can be reached through mobile 98192 26526 or via maildrhasmukh.g@sevenhillshospital.com Dr. Hasmukh Gala

Health ByteHealth at Home

Think summer and what comes to mind is holidays, out-doors, swimming, fun and frolic. However along with it comes the thought of scorching heat & sweat. Though summer brings along a lot of skin concerns like sun-burn, prickly heat, heat boils, dark patches, premature ageing etc, you can enjoy sum-mer by taking the following precautions and your skin will thank you for it.

1) Protect your skin from Sun-burn / Sun-tan:

• Apply sunscreen (at least SPF 15) - lotion-based for normal skin and gel based for oily skin, at least 20 min-utes before you step out into the sun & reapply after 3 hours.

• Ensure intake of at least one vegetable / fruit containing Vitamin A (carrots, papa-ya, black grapes, green leafy vegetables) and Vitamin C (citrus fruits, lime juice, gooseberries, man-goes) as they provide anti-oxidants which protect the skin from sunlight damage and also aid skin repair.

• Before swimming apply a good water-resistant sun-screen all over the body.

• Use a broad-brimmed hat or an umbrella to provide ad-ditional physical protection.

2) Excessive Sweating: Each day we lose 850 ml of water through perspiration, this increases in summer. It is im-portant to replace the lost water and keep the skin hydrat-ed. Drink at least 3 litres of water every day; remember your skin is always thirstier than you are.

3) Oiliness: In summer, both sweat and oil (sebum) pro-duction increases, making our skin feel and look sticky. So, use a gentle cleanser 2 to 3 times a day.

4) Breakouts: Frequent use of a mild cleanser and a good pimple-free cream at night help unclog the pores. If one is more prone to these break-outs, regular use of skin peels like Salicylic Peels under supervision of your cosmetic

dermatologist help in maintaining blemish free skin. Avoid high carbohydrate and high fat foods to

prevent aggravation of pimples.

5) Prickly Heat/ Heat Rash: Rub (don’t just sprinkle, rub!) in a good prickly heat powder. Their particles are bigger and coarser than regular Talcum powder. Use of soothing calamine lotion or aloe vera gel treats mild cases of prickly heat.

6) Sun Burn: If you have omitted to take the above precautions (sunscreen, diet, water),

and your skin is sun-burnt, use the following first aid:

• Apply a soothing aloe vera gel or calamine lotion (with a few drops of olive oil in it).

• Avoid further sun-exposure and protect your skin with sunscreen.

• Take high dose of vitamin C (2-3 tablets a day) and lots of water.

While the above treatments are useful for most people, every skin and its repair needs are unique, please consult your cosmetic dermatologist for customized advice.

The heat is on… Is your skin ready for it?

Anjumol Josy Davis

Infection Control Nurse

The Author is a Senior Consultant in Dermatology.He can be reached through mobile 98691 10199 or via maildrganesh.b@sevenhillshospital.com

Dr. Ganesh Bingewar

Disclaimer: SevenHills Hospital has taken all reasonable measures with regard to the correctness of the information contained in this newsletter. However, SevenHills Hospital gives no warranty and accepts no responsibility for the accuracy & completeness of the information. All articles are for general information purpose only. Human anatomy, its disease pattern & their treatment may differ from individual to individual and can be commented upon by a medical expert only after thorough clinical assessment of an individual. Please consult your doctor before taking any course of action.

Our Endeavour is to keep you Healthy.Best regards Editorial team Health Byte.Editorial Team : Dr. Shishir, Dr. Shefali, Swati Pusalkar, Jeet GhoshDesign by: Prashant Karanje

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Health ByteHealth at Home

DaDi Maa KeNusKheHome remedies Mouth Ulcers: Application of peppermint oil helps, as it is an anesthetic agent. Mix coconut milk with honey and massage the gums 3 times a day.

Tired eyes:Boil some tea in a little water and let it cool.Dip 2 gauzes in this brew and place the gauzeson each eyelid for 15 minutes. Make sure you keepdipping the cotton wads into the liquid,as soon as gauzes dry up.

Across1. A sun-sign that kills many patients4. A famous movie series named after it6. The strongest & longest bone in our body7. An alternative to coffee, famous among the English9. Large medical health-care facility10. The ______ that provides health ideas, a part of the UN11. 3/4ths of our body is made up of it12. One should avoid sugar in this disease13. The season when most water borne dis eases spread

Down2. A _________ a day keeps the doctor away.3. B, C & E are examples of this5. Moveable beds for patients8. Joint pain is the common complaint from patients suffering from __________

Santra ka MantraOrange is a citrus fruit that tastes excellent and is a rich source of a wide variety of nutrients:Vitamin C: An immune booster & beneficial in preserv-ing the dental health.Vitamin A: Rich source of Beta Carotene required for night vision and also acts as an antioxidant.Vitamin B6: Improves the haemoglobin production and treats anaemia.Folic acid: Helps in brain development of children.Calcium: Helps maintain healthy bones.Sodium and Potassium: Helps maintain the electrolyte balance in the body.Magnesium: Helps lower the blood pressure in individ-uals with hypertension.Fibres: Prevents constipation and helps increase the good cholesterol (HDL) and decrease the bad cholester-ol (LDL).