Common health issues in newborns are a source of anxiety for parents. Understanding about the baby health problems help to reduce the anxiety and also in treating the health issues. Read on to know more about birthmarks, colic and blocked tear ducts in infants. The health issues like birthmarks, blocked tear ducts and colic are common in newborn babies. A number of baby health problems like skin irritation and feeding issues are merely signs of the baby’s body adjusting and adapting to the challenges of becoming an adult. However, certain other health issues can be serious which may require medical intervention. Parents must keep a watchful eye and be in a position to decide whether medical assistance must be sought or not to treat health issues in newborns. In this articleBirthmarksBlocked Tear DuctsColic in BabiesBirthmarks Perfect baby skin is something that can be seen only in television advertisements and child magazines. Minor skin blemishes are very common in infants. In fact many infants get rashes too. Most of the skin imperfections in an infant are not really a cause of concern particularly if the child is healthy in all other respects. Birthmarks are very common in newborns. These can be in different forms, colours, shapes and sizes. There is no specific reason for birthmarks in babies and the majority of these marks disappear with the passage of time. Some of the common birthmarks in infants are: Mongolian Blue Spots - Babies of races with dark skin often get a bluish-grey bruise. These are light spots which normally disappear without any formal treatment before an infant turns two years of age. Pigmented Spots - Some infants get brownish patches which are also referred to as cafe-au-lait spots. These are harmless and do not require any medical intervention unless a baby has a large number of such spots or has other additional symptoms. Port-Wine Stain – Port wine stain is basically a flat mark which appears on the face or limbs of an infant. It may cover a large section of the infant’s skin. These marks do not disappear automatically. Hence, it is best to seek a medical opinion to treat this stain. Stork Bite – Strok bite which is also known as salmon patch, is a small pink-coloured mark that may appear on the back of a baby’s neck, or the forehead, lips or eyes. These marks do not require any medical treatment and disappear by the time a child turns 18 months old. Blocked Tear Ducts Normally, tears drain from the inner corner of the eye into the nose through the nasolacrimal ducts. If these ducts are blocked for any reason in an infant, tears cannot drain into the nose and hence the eye tears a lot. Related symptoms of blocked tear ducts include redness around the eye and a yellowish discharge from the affected eye. In majority of infants the tear ducts opens up on its own by the time the baby turns a year old. Colic in Babies One of the most common health issues in newborns is colic. It is perfectly alright for all babies to cry. However, colic is much more than crying. Symptoms of colic include inconsolable crying for long periods of time. Infants having a colic generally cry for longer than three hours at a time for at least three days a week usually at the same time of day. Colic in most infants is temporary and there is nothing much that parents or health care providers can do for treating colic. Colic will reduce and disappear as a baby gets a little older and starts sleeping for longer periods of time. Normally, in most infants there will be a marked improvement by the time a baby reaches the age of three months.
Common health issues in newborns are a source of anxiety for parents. Understanding about the baby health problems help to reduce the anxiety and also in treating the health issues. Read on to know more about birthmarks, colic and blocked tear ducts in infants. The health issues like birthmarks, blocked tear ducts and colic are common in newborn babies. A number of baby health problems like skin irritation and feeding issues are merely signs of the baby’s body adjusting and adapting to the challenges of becoming an adult. However, certain other health issues can be serious which may require medical intervention.
Parents must keep a watchful eye and be in a position to decide whether medical assistance must be sought or not to treat health issues in newborns.
Birthmarks
Perfect baby skin is something that can be seen only in television advertisements and child magazines. Minor skin blemishes are very common in infants. In fact many infants get rashes too. Most of the skin imperfections in an infant are not really a cause of concern particularly if the child is healthy in all other respects.
Birthmarks are very common in newborns. These can be in different forms, colours, shapes and sizes. There is no specific reason for birthmarks in babies and the majority of these marks disappear with the passage of time. Some of the common birthmarks in infants are:
Mongolian Blue Spots - Babies of races with dark skin often get a bluish-grey bruise. These are light spots which normally disappear without any formal treatment before an infant turns two years of age.
Pigmented Spots - Some infants get brownish patches which are also referred to as cafe-au-lait spots. These are harmless and do not require any medical intervention unless a baby has a large number of such spots or has other additional symptoms.
Port-Wine Stain – Port wine stain is basically a flat mark which appears on the face or limbs of an infant. It may cover a large section of the infant’s skin. These marks do not disappear automatically. Hence, it is best to seek a medical opinion to treat this stain.
Stork Bite – Strok bite which is also known as salmon patch, is a small pink-coloured mark that may appear on the back of a baby’s neck, or the forehead, lips or eyes. These marks do not require any medical treatment and disappear by the time a child turns 18 months old.
Blocked Tear Ducts
Normally, tears drain from the inner corner of the eye into the nose through the nasolacrimal ducts. If these ducts are blocked for any reason in an infant, tears cannot drain into the nose and hence the eye tears a lot. Related symptoms of blocked tear ducts include redness around the eye and a yellowish discharge from the affected eye.
In majority of infants the tear ducts opens up on its own by the time the baby turns a year old.
Colic in Babies
One of the most common health issues in newborns is colic. It is perfectly alright for all babies to cry. However, colic is much more than crying. Symptoms of colic include inconsolable crying for long periods of time.
Infants having a colic generally cry for longer than three hours at a time for at least three days a week usually at the same time of day. Colic in most infants is temporary and there is nothing much that parents or health care providers can do for treating colic.
Colic will reduce and disappear as a baby gets a little older and starts sleeping for longer periods of time. Normally, in most infants there will be a marked improvement by the time a baby reaches the age of three months.
