Continue breastfeeding
Mother's milk is a source of all necessary substances for a newborn. Many medications that mom takes pass into milk (be careful!). Antibodies for various diseases that she might have had. But colds and flu are not transmitted through milk. Milk is necessary for the baby to develop his immune system. There is also an opinion that the child receives immunity from the mother at the time of birth, which protects him for up to 3-4 months.
It is necessary to continue breastfeeding during illness with the necessary precautions. Avoid medications that are incompatible with feeding.
What should mom do?
As soon as your mother has the first symptoms of the disease (you are coughing, tired, your body aches, your temperature has risen), she needs to go to the doctor so that they can be diagnosed and prescribed the necessary treatment.
Only when she has sorted out her own health should she start taking care of the kids. If adults behave wisely, the risk of infection can be minimized. Do not forget that the complete formation of the immune system in children occurs around the age of 12 years. Before this, they have an increased risk of developing ARVI.
To prevent the child from getting sick, the mother must follow the following rules: The best option is to completely isolate the mother from the child until she fully recovers. However, this option is not always possible, especially if we are talking about an infant. In this case, the mother can only be in the same room with her child wearing a gauze mask. Mom should not forget about personal hygiene. Wash your hands and face more often, encouraging your child to do the same! Mom needs to feed her baby breast milk for a long time. It contains substances that help protect the baby from infections and diseases. Namely, these are especially valuable immunoglobulins that the child receives from his mother with milk. Drink more water. During illness, liquid will help the mother in reducing the risk of milk burnout. After all, when a person is sick and has a high temperature, he loses a lot of fluid. And in order to produce the required amount of milk, fluid losses must be replenished.
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Wear a medical mask
Acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections are transmitted primarily by airborne droplets. A gauze bandage can act as a barrier to germs. Sputum when coughing or talking will linger on it.
Despite the effectiveness of this method, it has significant disadvantages. The dressing must be changed at least every 3-4 hours. It's hard to breathe in a bandage and it's hot. Therefore, you can use it only in extreme moments, for example, for feeding, when the contact is especially close.
A cotton-gauze bandage is easy to make at home; it can be washed and reused. Just need to iron it with a hot iron. Factory-made protective masks are disposable.
If mom is sick
with the question of how not to infect a baby with a cold from their mother . A newborn who is breastfed cannot be isolated, because this will deprive him of his main food - mother's milk. Following simple hygiene rules and taking into account even the most insignificant details will help you cope with the problem.
At the first sign of a cold, you should wear a disposable hygiene mask. It is changed every 2 hours. Ordinary gauze bandages will not work; the tissue cells are too large to easily allow viruses and particles of infected saliva to pass through. It is not necessary to wear a mask around the clock; it is important to put it on when approaching your baby. It is advisable that during an epidemic, all family members do this, even if they are completely healthy.
If possible, the child is moved to a separate room. When entering, the mother must put on a fresh mask and wash her hands. It is advisable to change clothes or throw on a clean robe. The same rules apply to other family members, even if they are not sick. Microbes and viruses may remain in an inactive state, but they are very dangerous for a fragile child’s body.
The dishes from which a newborn must be thoroughly sterilized. This applies to formula and water bottles, cups, spoons and other items. By pouring water or juice from an ordinary adult cup into a baby bottle, you can transfer a whole bunch of harmful bacteria to the baby. It is strictly forbidden to drink and eat from children's dishes; you need to take a sample when preparing puree using a separate sterilized spoon.
In the room where the baby is , you can place a saucer with chopped garlic. Essential oils released into the air kill harmful microorganisms. Some mothers hang a garlic necklace on their baby's crib and carry the cut pieces in the pockets of their own clothes. A substitute for garlic can be an aroma lamp, into which a little essential oil of chamomile, eucalyptus, and rosemary is poured.
Wash your hands more often
Household contact is the second most important way of contracting a respiratory infection. The causative agents of the disease are released through the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth and also penetrate the body. But babies put everything in their mouths; this is a natural process for them to learn about the world.
Along with your hands, it is useful to rinse your nose more often, especially if you have a runny nose. It's even better than blowing your nose into a handkerchief. You can also rinse the mucous membrane. There is less snot flowing from the nose, hands are clean. The skin around the nose does not become inflamed. And there is less risk of infecting the child.
Sterilization
As already mentioned, it is hardly possible to completely isolate a child from his mother. Therefore, you will need to carefully monitor his room and create “ideal” conditions in it to prevent infection. It would be ideal if the child sleeps in a separate room. If conditions do not allow this, at least move your baby to a separate bed to sleep. Don't let him sleep with his sick mother.
Be sure to sterilize the dishes your baby eats from, especially if he is less than three months old. Under no circumstances should liquid from the mother's cup be poured into his bottle. Frequent ventilation of the children's room (or the room where the baby is often/constantly) is required - two to three times a day - for at least 10 minutes each. Do not forget to kick the child out of the room! You also need to walk a lot in the fresh air (this is beneficial for both). Also, the nursery or room with the child must be thoroughly cleaned twice a day. Moreover, cleaning should be damp, you can even use a weak chlorine solution like the Belizna detergent. To create an atmosphere “intolerant” for viruses in the children’s room, finely chop the garlic and onion, pour it into a plate and place it in the child’s room. The smell of this explosive mixture will be unpleasant, but tolerable. But phytoncides - substances that are very abundant in garlic and onions - will destroy pathogens and prevent them from developing in the room. Remember that it is just as undesirable and dangerous for a child to overheat as it is to become hypothermic. Therefore, the temperature in the baby’s room up to two months should reach approximately 20ºС, and if the child is older – lower, 18ºС. This does not depend on the illness of the parents.
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What to do if a child gets sick?
A doctor must prescribe treatment. If you have a fever, paracetamol or ibuprofen will be prescribed. They can be used from 3 months.
A sick child often suffers from a painful cough. For coughs, children are prescribed expectorant syrups. There are a lot of them. There are plant-based “Gedelix”, “Gerbion”, and artificial ones based on ambroxol. Antiviral immunomodulatory drugs may also be prescribed. Young children are usually prescribed Viferon suppositories. Sometimes Grippferon drops or similar.
For a runny nose, saline solution “Aqualor” and “Aquamaris” are dripped. This is just 9% salt water, it costs about 300 rubles. With the same success, many people rinse their nose with regular saline solution. Only for instillation into the nose it is better to buy ampoules rather than large bottles. Every day you open a new ampoule, then you don’t have to worry about bacteria multiplying there. Now there are plastic ampoules for which you don’t even need a pipette. Protargol Baby drops, which are intended for children from birth to 3 years, have proven themselves well.
Prevention
Most often, colds are diagnosed in children in the autumn-winter period, when various respiratory infections become more active.
In order to prevent your baby from getting sick, it is important to follow certain rules:
- Breast milk is considered the best immunostimulant in childhood, as it can improve the baby’s immunity.
- During an epidemic of respiratory diseases, it is recommended to avoid places with large crowds of people
- Be sure to ventilate the room in which the child is located
- If a close family member is sick, be sure to wear a gauze bandage and not get close to the child
- Be sure to walk with your child every day in the fresh air
- carry out various hardening procedures
- You should dress your child only according to the weather
- A good prevention against this is to rinse the child’s nose with a solution of sea salt or Salin
Of course, it is best to prevent any disease than to waste time and money on it later. A cold in infants can have various symptoms, however, its treatment should only be carried out by a specialist.
The baby does not sleep, cries and demands attention. What does he need? It is very important to understand the reasons for crying and determine in time that the baby is sick. So why does the baby cry?
- He's wet. It's easy to check, just look in the diaper.
- He wants to eat. It is also easy to rule out this reason - you need to offer him milk. Maybe during feeding he did not receive the required portion?
- He is cold or hot. You should touch the nose, shins and shoulders - if they are cold, wrap the child warmer. If the vest is wet and there are droplets on his nose, he is hot.
- He's tired. If a baby's day is too full of impressions, he may cry from fatigue. It is worth providing the baby with peace.
- He's in pain. With colic, children tuck their legs towards their stomach.
If all of the listed signs are checked, but the cause of the crying is not found, perhaps the child is in pain and needs to rush to the pediatrician.
In addition to crying, there are a number of other symptoms that you need to pay attention to:
- Increase in temperature above thirty-seven degrees;
- Frequent breathing (more than fifty breaths per minute);
- Increased heart rate (normal – one hundred and forty beats per minute);
- Cough and wheezing when breathing.
If the baby has no appetite and refuses to eat, this may be a consequence of malaise. In order to give the doctor as much information as possible, it is worth remembering when the child last had a bowel movement and whether it was unusual. If the stool is very loose, the baby may have dysbiosis.
Vomiting is also an alarming symptom, and may indicate problems with the intestines.
Breaking teeth may be the reason for refusing to eat. In this case, the doctor will prescribe an anesthetic gel, and the baby will be able to eat. Carrots or crackers will help speed up the teething process.
A runny nose is a symptom of a cold or viral disease. This seemingly harmless disease can seriously complicate a child’s life. With a clogged nose, it will be difficult for him to eat and sleep. It is important to treat a runny nose correctly so that it does not become chronic and lead to complications. It is periodically necessary to clear mucus from the nasal passages using a special enema. When crusts form, clean the nose with a cotton swab dipped in baby oil. If you have a runny nose, you need to make sure that your feet are always warm; you can warm them in warm water. To rinse the nose, you can use breast milk or saline and chamomile decoction. Do not get carried away with vasoconstrictor drops, they suppress the immune system and are addictive.
Is it possible to drip breast milk into a baby's nose?
Many articles advise dripping breast milk into your baby's nose. Either in the eyes or in the ears - depending on the circumstances. None of the doctors today would probably support such treatment either. Why? Milk is a food product rich in sugars. This is an excellent breeding ground for microbes. Milk has no bactericidal properties. The whole point of the procedure is to loosen the thickened mucus in the nose. Of course, when compared with raw water from a river, it is better to drip milk. This is apparently what our ancestors did. Today, sterile saline solution in a pharmacy costs mere pennies.
Do not drip breast milk into your nose, eyes or ears. This creates a breeding ground for bacteria.
Some doctors like to prescribe homeopathic medicines “Aflubin”, “Anaferon”, “Ergoferon”. Even the annotation says in black and white that they actually do not contain any active ingredient. Therefore, these remedies are more for calming. By the way, the Russian Academy of Sciences commission to combat pseudoscience recently issued a bulletin against homeopathy. It is a pity that our pediatricians do not follow the publications of the Academy of Sciences.
If mom is sick
If the mother gets sick, the situation is complicated by the fact that she can infect the baby, because she, like no one else, is next to the baby 24 hours a day.
If a child is breastfed, under no circumstances should you stop feeding during ARVI and most intestinal infections. After all, the risk of infection is quite high. And along with breast milk, the child receives not only a virus or infection, but also antibodies produced by his mother’s immune system.
A child’s body, just like an adult’s, is capable of overcoming infections on its own. However, it is important to understand that there are certain diseases, the course of which is extremely difficult and is fraught with the most dire consequences. That is why modern medicine recommends that parents not neglect preventive vaccinations.
Precautionary measures
Colds during breastfeeding are highly contagious, so women need to take precautions. To avoid infecting an infant, at the first symptoms of a cold, you should wear a gauze bandage.
It is recommended to change the mask every 2 hours. It is better to ask relatives to take care of the baby and do wet cleaning during the illness. Bed rest promotes rapid recovery.
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If a nursing mother has a cold, she should use only her own hygiene items. For the patient, it is necessary to select separate tableware and carefully handle them. Bed and underwear should be changed every day.
Viruses can remain viable for hours in a dry and dusty room, so be sure to ventilate the room and do wet cleaning. In such conditions, viruses die quickly. Doctors recommend that parents purchase a humidifier and an ultraviolet lamp.
If the mother has a cough or runny nose, she should wash her face, hands and chest with soap before feeding. You should always sneeze and blow your nose into a tissue or disposable tissue.
During contact with the baby, you must wear a mask. You cannot kiss the baby and it is advisable to have less contact with him. To prevent infection, pediatricians recommend dripping saline solutions into the child’s nose.
