Expert analysis: Four major fallacies in baby care

Recently, a parent-child program "Where Are We Going, Dad?" has become popular on TV, and the interactions between the fathers and children in the program are sometimes hilarious. Compared with the helpless care of children in the show, the health care of newborns and infants in reality makes young parents feel confused. Chen Xiaoqing, deputy chief physician and doctor of medicine of the Department of Pediatrics of Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital, told reporters that there are many unscientific sayings circulating among the people. Some parents who have just become parents blindly believe in them in a confused situation, which is not conducive to the growth and development of their children. So let's take a look at what these fallacies are.

Myth 1:

Newborns should have their legs bound to prevent bow legs;

Expert: Not necessary

Mr. Chen, who had just become a father, heard from the older generation that newborn babies should have their legs bound, otherwise the baby's legs would not be straight and look ugly in the future. So he tied the baby's legs tightly and wrapped them like a "candle bag". As a result, the baby cried more often. Confused, Mr. Chen went to the pediatric department of Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital for treatment. Doctor Chen Xiaoqing told him that the so-called bow legs are mostly caused by rickets or premature weight bearing after birth, and have little to do with leg binding. In addition, the child's posture in the maternal environment (uterus) is flexed, which is the most comfortable and natural state. In the neonatal ward of the hospital, the nurse will give the newborn a physiological position. The baby can lie on his back, side, or prone, surrounded by a "bird's nest" blanket, and the baby's hands and feet are flexed, with the little hands placed to the mouth. However, the prone position is inappropriate in the home as it can easily cause accidental suffocation of newborns. Doctor Chen Xiaoqing emphasized that tying up the legs of a newborn not only restricts the child's movement, but also causes mood swings in the baby due to the uncomfortable body position, which is not conducive to the development of the child's nervous system. Therefore, the idea of ​​"tying up the legs" is extremely unscientific and has no benefit.

When a newborn has "horse teeth", they must be picked;

Expert: Absolutely not

Baby Zheng, who was just three days old, suddenly had a persistent fever and refused to eat. When he was taken to the hospital, he was irritable and restless. Since newborn babies are not prone to fever, let alone high fever, the doctor asked carefully and found out that it was because his grandmother had picked the baby's "milk teeth" the day before, which caused the baby to get infected and have a fever. Doctor Chen Xiaoqing said that the baby with the surname Zheng is not a special case. This is caused by the parents' lack of understanding of "milk teeth". She introduced that when most newborns are born, there will be some yellow-white needle-sized dots on both sides of the midline of the upper palate and the edge of the gums. They feel hard to the touch and look like growing teeth, commonly known as "horse teeth". This is medically called epithelial beads, which are caused by the accumulation of epithelial cells or retention of mucous gland secretions. They will disappear on their own in a few weeks or 2 to 3 months. It is a special physiological state of the neonatal period and does not require any treatment at all. However, some parents do not know the origin of "milk teeth" and think it is a disease. They use needles to pick them or wipe them with cloth. This is very dangerous because the baby's oral mucosa is very thin and tender, with rich blood vessels under the mucosa, and the baby's own resistance is very weak. Picking with needles and wiping with cloth will damage the oral mucosa, which can easily cause bacterial infection and even sepsis. In severe cases, it can cause "tetanus" and endanger the baby's life. Chen Xiaoqing solemnly reminds parents that they must not pick the "milk teeth" growing in their newborns' mouths, otherwise the consequences may be disastrous.

There is no need to worry if a newborn has jaundice;

Expert: Should we distinguish between physiological and pathological

Baby Li, who was just two weeks old, still had a little yellow skin more than a week after being discharged from the hospital. Her mother didn’t take it seriously at first, thinking it was normal for newborns to have yellow skin. She ignored it when the color faded a little, but after so many days, the yellowing of the child’s skin still hadn’t completely faded. The mother became anxious and ran to the Pediatric Department of the Provincial People’s Hospital for treatment. When the jaundice was tested, it was 29mg/dl. After arriving at the hospital, she underwent an emergency blood transfusion, which reduced the jaundice! Dr. Chen Xiaoqing told reporters that more than half of babies will have jaundice. If the skin has returned to normal when they are discharged, there is no need to worry. If there is still mild jaundice, you have to go to the hospital regularly for follow-up about 3 days after discharge. For most babies, the jaundice will subside in about two weeks.

Parents do not need to worry too much if the jaundice is steadily subsiding. However, if it gradually worsens or then rises again, or if a full-term baby has jaundice after 2 weeks, parents must be vigilant and go to the hospital in time to prevent pathological jaundice and bilirubin encephalopathy caused by excessive jaundice. Bilirubin encephalopathy can leave sequelae such as eye movement disorders, hearing impairment, enamel hypoplasia and abnormal movements of hands and feet. Therefore, Dr. Chen Xiaoqing recommends that parents should test their children for jaundice 2-3 days after they are discharged from the hospital, and monitor them regularly afterwards as appropriate. Children who are premature or have high jaundice when they are discharged from the hospital should be monitored more closely and treated in a timely manner to avoid future problems.

If you have a fever, give yourself a fever-reducing injection or hot water;

Experts: If the temperature is ≥ 38.5℃, you should take antipyretics first

Mr. Hou, who lives in Jiangning, found that his child suddenly had a high fever of 40℃ in the middle of the night. So he drove through a red light and came to the pediatric department of the Provincial People's Hospital without thinking twice. As soon as he entered the door, he asked the nurse to give him a fever-reducing injection and hang up hot water to cool him down. The doctors and nurses who received him were all worried about the child and him. They explained to him that he didn't need a fever-reducing injection or hot water, and that he should take antipyretic medicine orally. In less than half an hour, the child's temperature came down. Dr. Chen Xiaoqing told the father that his treatment method was very dangerous. Not to mention that running red lights all the way may cause traffic accidents, the most important thing is that 40℃ is close to the crisis edge of hyperthermia (41℃), which can easily damage our brains. High fever can often put your child at risk of convulsions. Dr. Chen Xiaoqing said that if a child has a fever of ≥38.5℃, physical cooling measures should be taken, oral antipyretic drugs should be used, and the child should be given plenty of water to minimize the side effects of the drugs on the child. However, for newborns and babies under 3 months old, physical cooling should be used as much as possible and antipyretic drugs should be avoided. Therefore, Mr. Hou should first give his child antipyretics and physical cooling methods before going to the hospital for treatment, which is the safest option.

Finally, Dr. Chen Xiaoqing reminded that one should never trust the so-called "folk sayings" because the consequences of spreading rumors may cause irreparable harm to the child's body and mind. When parents are faced with difficult health care issues, they must go to the hospital for timely consultation and seek help from relevant professionals.