People Health Issues

THE HEALTHY NEWBORN At birth, your baby leaves the protective world of your womb, where warmth, oxy­gen, and nourishment were always avail­able. The newborn is suddenly exposed to all sorts of new and changing conditions. There will be different temperatures; various sights, smells, and sounds; exposure to infec­tions; and a range of new processes within his or her little body. Dramatic changes will be happening in the respiratory system, circulatory system, and digestive system. So, it’s natural that some time will pass before everything is fully func­tional and in balance. Your baby will make a lot of adjustments to the “outside world” over the first few months, and development will continue throughout life! But these developments occur naturally and without problems in most babies, and you don’t need to be a professional to be a good mother. The lungs One of the most dramatic changes a newborn experiences is breathing air. Most babies take their first breath within 30 seconds of bei...

Gastrointestinal symptoms in infants and toddlers – Digestive system problems Digestive system problems are very com­mon in infants and toddlers. Problems may range from vomiting, to tummy pains, to changes in the stools, to appendicitis. Vomiting Regurgitation (spitting up) frequently hap­pens in infancy, and often means that the baby has eaten too quickly or too much. Vomiting may also have causes entirely out­side the stomach and intestines. For example, urinary tract infection in infants and toddlers may show up as nausea and vomiting. Violent vomiting Possibly to the extent that the vomit is projected across the room — might indicate a narrowing in the passage between the stomach and the small intestine. This projectile vomiting is more common in boys than in girls. Symptoms usually occur a few weeks after birth. If the episodes are indeed caused by a narrow­ing, the child will need surgery. For some children, spitting up and vomiting may go on past the first 6 months, and they be...

ALLERGY AND HYPERSENSITIVITY Most people use the word “allergy” to describe all types of hypersensitivity. In this chapter, the most common forms of true aller­gy are described. A specific antibody — called IgE — is associated with these conditions. The IgE antibody is found in high levels in allergic people. It reacts with symptom-causing allergens such as pollen, mold spores, animal dander, dust mites, and certain types of food or medications. Allergies can be triggered or worsened even by non-allergic factors such as infections or air-borne irritants. Plus, allergies give dif­ferent symptoms to different children, and can range from mild to life-threatening. Therefore, allergies are difficult to classify, and preven­tion and treatment vary from child to child. Today we cover here all about allergies. THE FETUS AND ALLERGY IgE antibodies are formed in the third or fourth month of pregnancy. Nine out of 10 children with a high IgE count at birth later develop allergies. However, three...