When To Call the Doctor For A Newborn

From WikiParenting

New mothers often wonder when they should call the doctor for their child. You certainly would not want to endanger your child’s health in any way – but how do you tell if it is serious? Here are some tips when you should definitely call the doctor for your newborn. And do not hesitate to call your doctor during office hours anytime that your child has changes in their eating, sleeping, or crying patterns. Small changes can indicate bigger problems for a very young child.

[edit] When to call the doctor

Call your child’s pediatrician if they:

• Do not produce urine within 24 hours of bringing them home
• Do not produce a bowel movement within 48 hours of bringing them home
• Are having trouble breathing, have blue lips or fingernails
• Are taking more than 60 breaths per minute
• Have the skin around their ribs pull in when they are breathing
• Are making funny noises when they breathe – wheezing, grunting, or whistling
• Have a temperature as measured rectally of above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or below 97.8 degrees Fahrenheit
• Have a persistent cough
• Have a nosebleed
• Have yellow or green mucus that can be seen in the eyes
• Have pus or red skin at the base of their umbilical stump*Were diagnosed with jaundice and it gets worse after 3 days
• Have a yellow color to the whites of their eyes or a yellow cast to their skin
• Are circumcised and you find a bloodstain larger than a grape on their diaper or wound dressing
• Are vomiting
• Have diarrhea
• Have a sunken soft spot
• Produce less than 6 wet diapers during any 24 hour period
• Refuse to eat or eat poorly
• Are hard to waken or seem overly sleepy
• Are extremely floppy, lethargic or jittery
• Are not consolable and are crying more than usual