Allergies in newborns

When allergic rashes are detected on the baby's body, they immediately begin to look for the food allergen that caused this phenomenon. But allergies in newborns can be caused not only by the food itself. Alternatively, it can be a reaction to the use of cosmetics to soften the baby's skin or treat diaper rash. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to assume that baby products can be the culprits. Residues of any cosmetics on the mother's hands, on her chest, in the nipple area, after their treatment - can be considered an allergen. Getting a small amount of this irritant on the skin and mucous membranes of the child is quite enough to cause the onset of such a condition as an allergy in newborns.

It is appropriate to say that an allergic flare-up is caused by a drug in cases where the mother has cracked nipples or signs of mastitis. Since we are talking about mastitis, it is worth saying that when this disease occurs, medicinal ointments based on antibiotics are used, which can be strong allergens for the child. Of course, in any case, the allergen, no matter what group it belongs to, enters the child's body, most often, through the digestive system, with mother's milk, which means that allergies in newborns, no matter how you look at it, should be considered food allergies. So we have come to the very essence of the problem.

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What are the precursors of allergies in newborns?

It is always difficult to recognize danger at the stage of its origin. It is especially difficult to do this when it comes to the human body and the hidden dangers of various diseases. Allergies in newborns are not a white spot on a black background that immediately catches the eye. After birth, the baby's body has completely natural rashes, reddening of the skin, peeling on the cheeks from dried mother's milk that got on them during feeding. All this distracts parents' attention from more serious skin rashes.

It is very easy to miss the first signs of an allergy. Especially if you take into account the mother's severe fatigue after childbirth and her increased fatigue in the first days of communication with the baby. Of course, if an allergy in newborns begins to manifest itself brightly from the first days, with pronounced swelling of the larynx, preventing the child from breathing freely and provoking attacks of suffocation, or red rashes all over the body, causing severe itching and constant anxiety in the child, manifested in the form of incessant screaming, it is simply impossible not to pay attention to these signs.

However, most often, allergies in newborns are not so violent. There are a number of signs that should prompt an attentive mother to think about the onset of an allergy. These signs include:

• diathetic rashes that quickly become covered with a crust;
• thrush in the oral cavity, with the formation of ulcers on the inner surface of the cheeks and lips;
• severe diaper rash;
• frequent sneezing, coughing.

In most cases, all of the listed symptoms may be normal indicators that arose under the influence of external unfavorable factors. If so, the signs that appeared will quickly pass after taking measures specifically aimed at eliminating them. In the case of allergies, none of the listed symptoms will pass until the allergen is eliminated.

In order to relieve your soul of unnecessary worries after the birth of a baby, you need to visit a pediatrician not only at strictly designated times, but also whenever questions and suspicions arise about the health of the child.

What to do if a newborn develops an allergy?

There are as many situations as there are variants of their development and, consequently, all possible solutions. It is important not to panic and not to focus only on the food mechanism of allergy in a newborn. It is necessary to consider the situation comprehensively, correctly assess the situation, take into account all the factors surrounding the child.

For clarity, it is necessary to make a list that includes all the medications and cosmetics that have been used recently. In the first item of the list, it is necessary to indicate what kind of feeding the baby is on. If milk formulas are used, indicate their names and basic composition. It is good if the mother kept a food diary during pregnancy, which in such a situation will play an important role. Pay special attention to household chemicals, especially those used when washing the baby's clothes. Reflect all these points in the list. Also include data on all pets, including parrots and fish.

Aquarium fish, in themselves, do not cause allergies, but their food is a very strong causative factor if, while remaining in the hands of adults, it somehow gets on a child. Having detailed "intelligence data" in hand, backed up by a food diary, we go to see a pediatrician and a pediatric allergist. All the above preparation significantly simplifies the process of finding the cause and, in some cases, protects the child from unnecessary medical intervention in his body.

How are allergies treated in newborns?

In no case should you use self-medication methods and implement grandmothers' advice "from personal life experience", even if it is based on well-proven medications. The body of a newborn is more reminiscent of a crystal house with wide-open gates than a fortress with good defense. Trying to close the gate in this crystal house, one awkward movement can damage the structure itself. The more damage, the more glued areas that will require additional gluing throughout life.

Perhaps this comparative example will help parents to correctly understand the mechanism of external interference in the affairs of the body in general and the child's in particular. Only a professional can perform pinpoint precision work. At the pre-medical care stage, if the cause of the allergy is precisely known, it is only necessary to protect the child from the action of the allergen and hurry to seek help from a pediatrician. More urgent, contacting a doctor should be in the case of an unknown allergen.

Active participation of all family members at each stage of treatment, strict adherence to the instructions and recommendations of the pediatrician and allergist - there is a guarantee that allergies in newborns will be eliminated quickly and without repeated relapses.