Causes and treatments of yellow water discharge from newborn ears

For a family, a newborn baby marks the beginning of the parents’ lives ending as a couple and starting to take care of the fruit of their love. To his mother, he is a tiny new life that has escaped from ten months of heavy burden. He is small, fragile, and weak, with a red little face and a cute little mouth that moves in his sleep.

Yellow fluid will flow out of the baby's ears, which is a manifestation of external otitis. It is related to tears, vomit, bath water, etc. flowing into the child's ears. The treatment method is to gently wipe off the secretions with a sterilized cotton swab, then wipe it with a hydrogen peroxide cotton swab, and finally apply antibiotic ear drops. Fluid buildup or discharge from your baby's ear canal is called "otorrhea."

Common situations are due to the following problems in the baby's ears.

1. Earwax in the external auditory canal (also called oily ear and cerumen). The skin of the external auditory canal also has sebaceous glands, which can secrete a certain amount of oil in the form of light yellow viscous liquid, which becomes yellow waxy flakes after drying. This thin layer of oil is called earwax. Sometimes, the oil is in a semi-solid state and forms a mass that blocks the external auditory canal. Mothers may think it is pus, but it is actually earwax blockage. The harm of earwax blockage is that dry or sticky earwax blocks the ear canal, which affects the baby's hearing.

How to deal with it: Some mothers enjoy the feeling of picking their babies' ears. Once they see some secretions in their baby's ears, they naturally want to use a toothpick or ear pick to help their baby pick it out. This habit is actually very bad, because many babies have not learned to cooperate, or there may be accidental external impact during the ear digging process (such as someone accidentally passing by and touching the mother's hand, or an object nearby suddenly falling and hitting the baby or mother). If the baby moves around due to accidental digging, it may cause the eardrum to be perforated and deafness to occur. Sometimes, earwax may cause secondary bacterial infection in the external ear canal, leading to inflammation and eventually the formation of an abscess. The mother should take the child to the hospital to see the ENT department, first use medicated drops to drip into the outer ear, and then after the earwax softens, the doctor will remove the cerumen clumps under direct vision of the otoscope.

2. External auditory canal. This is a common disease in babies in summer. The external auditory canal has hair follicles like other parts of the skin. When bacteria invade the hair follicles in the external auditory canal, it will cause external auditory canal infection. If the mother picks the baby's ears, or when the baby is bathing or swimming, bacteria may take the opportunity to enter.

Treatment method: Dry the external auditory canal after the baby takes a bath or swims. When a baby has an external auditory canal infection, it is often accompanied by fever. Young babies are prone to crying and making noises, while older babies will complain of ear pain and will not want adults to touch the affected ear. They are also unwilling to sleep on the affected side for fear of pain from pressure. At this time, the baby's external auditory canal may have single or multiple small swellings, which will rupture and discharge pus. The mother should take the baby to see an ENT doctor.

3. Ear eczema. Many babies experience infant eczema, but some babies have similar eczema on their ears and ear canals in addition to skin lesions such as erythema, papules, blisters, erosions, and scabs on their cheeks and heads, and sometimes some liquid appears to be flowing out. In severe cases, the baby's external auditory canal and the area around the ear may be infected with bacteria, or even worse, there may be tinnitus and hearing may be affected.

Treatment method: Babies suffering from this allergic skin disease often cry, sleep poorly, and have no appetite because of the itching and burning sensation. Mothers should take their babies to see a doctor promptly, keep the external auditory canal clean and dry, and prevent the baby from scratching the skin and causing infection.

4. Suppurative otitis media. The baby is prone to catching colds, and the Eustachian tube that connects his ear to his pharynx is short, wide and horizontal. Pyogenic bacteria (such as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, etc.) can easily invade the middle ear through the Eustachian tube and ear canal and cause inflammation. When a baby spits up milk, it can easily enter the middle ear through the Eustachian tube. Dirty water flowing into the ear canal during bathing can also cause otitis media. Babies with otitis media may have fever, ear pain, crying, and refusing to eat. When the pus accumulates to a certain level, it will break through the eardrum and flow out of the external auditory canal with a foul odor, and hearing will also be impaired. Mothers must discover it early and take their babies for treatment. If the acute phase is not treated thoroughly or the bacteria become resistant, the disease may recur and turn into chronic otitis media.

Treatment methods: A. Avoid frequent respiratory tract infections in children, and seek medical attention promptly if they become ill.

B. Keep your baby's oral cavity and nasopharynx clean and hygienic.

C. When feeding your baby, you should hold the baby up to prevent milk from spilling into the Eustachian tube and causing otitis media.

D. When washing your baby's hair or bathing him/her, be sure not to let water flow into the baby's ears.

E. Mothers should regularly check their baby's ear canal to see if there is anything blocking it or fluid leaking out. If found, seek medical attention immediately.

I believe that after reading the above description, everyone will have a certain understanding of the yellow water discharge from the ears of newborns. I hope that everyone can remember these treatment methods to avoid being too panic when encountering such things, missing the opportunity for treatment, and regretting it.