Week 4: Paediatrics 1 (common childhood problems and neonatal development checks) Flashcards
Weaning
- Introduction of solid foods, alongside breast milk
- At first the amount of food is less important than them getting used to food
how to start weaning
- Single vegetables and fruit
- Progress to potatoes rice pasta meat dairy
- explore new tastes and textures e.g. mash, lumpy and finger food
when weaning DO NOT
- Don’t add salt- not good for kidneys and avoid ready made since a lot of sugar
when can weaning start (time and clear signs)
6 months.
Clear signs they are ready
- Sit up and hold their head steady
- Coordinate eyes hands and mouth feed themselves
- Can swallow food so more goes in mouth than around face
rashes seen at birth
jaundice
mongolian spot
erythema toxicum
milia
newborn dry skin
cradle cap
baby acne
heat rash
eczema
jaundice
- Yellow discolorations in the babies skin and eyes
- Occurs in first few days of birth
mongolian spot
- common birthmarks which look like bruises, are harmless and usually fade away
- more common in asian babies
- Look like a big bruise (back, bottom or legs)
- >6inch
erythema toxicum
- a common new-born rash that goes away within a few days
- Nothing needs to be done
Milia:
tiny white bumps which go away on their own
Newborn dry skin
peeling skin is nothing to worry about and goes away
- Surrounded by fluid in womb
Cradle cap
like dandruff, this causes scales on the babies scalp but usually resolves itself
baby acne
- no treatment necessary (2-3 weeks of ages because of mothers hormones)
*
heat rash
- when a babies sweat glands get blocked (neck armpits and diaper)
- Help by keeping baby at comfortable temp
Eczema
environmental allergens or heat can be triggers for this itchy rash (face drunk elbows knees or the diaper area)
- Moisturise with non-scented cream
rashes in older children
measles
scarlet fever
rubella
erythema infectiosum (fifth disease)
roseola infantum
chicken pox
measles
-
Measles
- Erythematous, partially confluent exanthem of a dark red colour which begins behind ears and disseminates to the body
- Enanthem of the palate and kolpiks spots (white lesions in mouth)
scarlet fever
- Fine and light red and maculopapular rash that develops into scarlet-like, partially confluent rash after 1 to 2 days
- Begins on neck
- Non blanching
- Red face
- Bright red tongue- strawberry tongue
rubella
- Non-confluent, pink and maculopapular
- Rash begins behind ears and extends to whole body
erythema infectiosum (fifth disease)
- Wont necessarily develop a rash
- Red papules may emerge on extremities and trunk → lace like
- Blotchy red rash appears on the cheeks which group together to form red, slightly swollen plaques
- ‘slapped cheek’
roseola infantum
- Patchy, rose pink
- Pronounced on the torso
- Febrile phase and sudden decrease in temp
chicken pox
- Widespread
- Inc oral mucosa
- Small red bumps which develop into pustules and then scabs
- Starry sky characteristic
chicken pox background
- Highly infectious disease
- Mostly mild to moderate and self-limiting
- Milder in younger children
- Infection severe in pregnancy- high risk of pneumonia and risk to fetus
- Can be dangerous for immunocompromised
- Shingles: Reactivation of dormant virus after bout of chickenpox leads to herpes zoster (Shingles)
- Like chickenpox but confided to just one dermatome
- Occurs worldwide and is endemic in most contries
which virus causes chicken pox and shingles
varicella-zoster virus (DNA)
incubation period of chicken pox
- Infectivity is from a few days before onset of lesions until the crust falls off
RF of chicken pox
- Immunocompromised missed e.g. HIV, children
- Older age
- Steroid use
- Malignancy
transmission of chicken pox
- Transmission- virus enters through URT , viraemia occurs 4-6 days later, skin lesions last 10-14 days
presentation of chicken pox
- First feature- pyrexia
- Headache and malaise
- Crops of vesicles , mostly on head , neck and trunk, sparse on limbs
- Papules → vesicles → pustules → crust
- When crust falls off they may leave a mark which will be present for a few weeks (higher risk of scarring in older children )
- Redness around lesion could be bacterial superinfection
management of chicken pox
- Simple advice: fluid intake, minimising scratching, avoid contact with pregnant women and neonates
- Symptomatic treatment – paracetamol (analgeisa and antipyretic), give antihistamine and emollients to help with pruritus
- Do not give NSAIDS (risk of necrotising soft tissue infections)!!!
- Acyclovir not recommended in children
- Encephalitis – admission to hospital
Sore or cracked nipples
- When your baby is not well positioned and attached at the breast
- Important not to stop breastfeeding as with help feeding should become more comfortable again
- If nipples start to crack, try dabbing a little expressed breast milk onto them after feeds
Not enough milk
- Offer baby both breasts at each feed and alternating which breast you start with – stimulates milk supply
- Signs your baby is getting enough milk
- Wet and dirty nappies are a good indication
- Hearing swallow
- Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for around the first 6 months of babies life
- Baby comes off the breast on their own at the end of feed
- Mouth looks moist after feeds
- Baby appears content after most feeds
- Breasts feel softer after feeds
- Baby gains weight steadily
Breast engorgement
- When breast get too full of milk
- May feel hard, tight and painful
- Can happen in the early days when you and baby still getting used to breastfeeding
- Also happen when weaning child
Latching
- Baby should be facing the breast always
- Have head free so can tip back
- Lead chin to breast and nose to nipple
- Need wide open mouth
- Nipple should lie on soft palate
- Fast suckling at the beginning and then deeper slower suckling
- They should have rounded cheeks and seem content
Breastfeeding and thrush
Thrush infections can sometimes happen when your nipples become cracked or damaged. This means the candida fungus that causes thrush can get into your nipple or breast.
mastitis
- Happens when a blocked milk duct is not relieved
- Breast becomes hot and painful and can give flu-like symptoms
- Important to carry on breast feeding
Breast abscess
Occurs if mastitis is not treated or does not respond – may need operation
Feeding and tongue tie
- 1 in 10 babies have tongue tie
- Due to frenulum being shorter
- Can make it harder to breast feed
- Tongue tie is easily treated
Colic
Colic is when a baby cries a lot but there’s no obvious cause