The birth of a baby thrusts new responsibilities on mother. Doubts, worries and anxiety never end. Infancy the period from birth till the age of one requires regular paediatric checkups for milestones of development and physical growth to ensure the development of child . The immunization schedule should also be strictly followed.
There are some commonly encountered complaints during infancy especially by new parents. The commonest questions are is my child crying excessively, why is he/she not sleeping, why does he/she had frequent running nose, is feeding sufficient etc. here are some common problems with solutions:
1. Vomiting or spitting
Bringing up the feed is very common in neonate’s esp. babies between birth and one month of life. This is not actual vomiting but regurgitation. Sometimes actual vomiting also occurs.
Best solution is burping i.e. Bringing up gas between feeds and after feeds by patting on the back. Ensure that breast milk flow is not over generous or nipple holes (feeding bottles) are not too big. For burp , keep baby after feed in a head high and right lateral position. If there is still repeated vomiting despite measures or the baby vomits large quantities or there is blood in vomit, take professional help. Some indicated homoeopathic remedies are-
Ip, chamo, ruta (bbcr)
Children – VOMITING, infants, blood, of (murphy)
Acon. Arn. ars. Ip. nux-v.
Children – VOMITING, infants, milk, of
Aeth. bry. Calc. cina iod. ip. lyc. nux-v. ph-ac. Podo. sil. sulph.
2. Colic
Usually occurs between one and three months of age, but can occur any time. If the baby tenses his stomach or draws up his legs and cries at a regular time each day, it is definitely colic. On examination the abdomen is tender and baby cries loudly is confirmative. The crying can be frustrating to the parents because no amounts of counseling comfort the child. Usually it is not a serious problem and usually disappears. Reassurance is very important.
Make the child lie down on his abdomen or Hold the baby upright and exert pressure on stomach.
Walk with him, carry him, stroke or rock him.
Home remedies are often very helpful. Apply asafetida paint on abdomen.
Mix half tsf honey and half tsf mint juice and give one tsf once or twice. Make aniseed water and give once or twice.
Some commonly indicated remedies are-
Children – COLIC, infants
aeth. bell. Calc-p. Carb-ac. carb-v. CHAM. chin. Cina Coloc. dios. ign. kali-br. lyc. Mag-c. MAG-P. NUX-V. staph.
3. JAUNDICE
Yellowish discoloration of skin and eyes in the newborn is considered as physiological jaundice. This is temporary and usually harmless. It occurs on second or third day of life and disappears by tenth day and occurs due to hemolysis. Physician should check the intensity of yellowness and give treatment if necessary.
Children – JAUNDICE, newborn infants, in
ACON. Bov. bry. cham. CHEL. CHIN. chion. coll. elat. Merc. merc-d. myric. Nat-s. Nux-v. phos. podo. sep. sulph.
4. RUNNING NOSE / BLOCKED NOSE
Common cold is common in infancy. It begins with running nose, sneezing or nose block. Blocked nose may interfere with feeding.
Gently clean the nose with ear buds in sterile water or put saline drops in nose two to three times a day.
Common homoeopathic medicines are-
Aconite, Ars. Alb., Sambucus, Allium cepa, Ammonium carb, Heper sulph, Nux vomica
5. Diarrhoea
Loose, watery stools are commonly encountered. Mother should be told that there are as many stools as the number of times the baby is fed either breast or top milk. Breast milk stools are golden yellow and semisolid. Usually harmless ,but consult is required if-
- Greenish stools with mucous or blood with fever
- Watery, and runny stools with redness around anus
- Any sign of dehydration- excessive thirst, less or no passage of urine for 6-8 hours etc.
Continue breast milk anyway. Oral rehydration solution should be given in all cases of diarrhea and vomiting. Homoeopathic remedies mentioned in different repertories are-
CHAM, RHEUM, bell, ip, ars, bry, cv, dulc, merc, nux v, sulph
Children – DIARRHEA, children – diarrhea, infants
aloe ant-c. Ars. cham. chin. Jal. Mag-c. PODO. Rheum Stann.
6. CONSTIPATION
Common in under fed or formula fed infants. Passing stools once in 2-3 days can be considerd as normal. This can be readily corrected by switching over to cows milk or giving additional boiled and cooled water to the baby between feeds. This can be improved by adding fiber food like boiled and mashed vegetables, fruit juices, figs, plums or papaya to diet.
Excessive straining, passage blood streaked stool or not passing stool for days together needs intervention. Remedies are
Constipation infants in (BBCR, sensations and complaints in general)- NV,bry,op,sulph, alum, lyc, verat. Alb
Children – CONSTIPATION, children – constipation, infants
aesc. ALUM. BRY. CALC. caust. coll. Lyc. mag-m. NAT-M. Nux-v. OP. plb. psor. sel. sep. Sulph. Verat. Zinc.
7. NAPPY RASH
It occurs in the area covered by the nappy and is due to dampness caused by urine or stools rubbing against the tender skin. Fungal or bacterial infection can worsen the situation. This can be prevented by frequently changing the nappies. Wash them properly and dry them in sun. keep the area of rash open to air and as dry as possible. Some indicated remedies are-
Children – DIAPER, rash, buttocks
Bapt. Borx. bry. Kali-chl. Merc. Merc-c. Mur-ac. Nit-ac. SUL-AC. Sulph.
Children – DIAPER, rash, buttocks – excoriation, between buttocks
arg-met. arum-t. Berb. bufo calc. calen. carb-v. Carbn-s. GRAPH. Kreos. nat-m. Nit-ac. puls. Sep. Sulph.
8. STICKY EYES
Many children have watering of the eyes. This is due to blockage of the duct near the nose on the inside of the eye (naso-lacrymal duct) which drains the tears. The stagnation of tears may lead to infection and stickyness.
ACO, MERC, cham, dulc, puls, bell, calc, sulph
9. TEETHING
The gums become painful and inflamed as the teeth begin to appear and penetrate the gums. it happen before teeth actually emerge but subsides spontaneously after the tooth is out. Baby becomes irritable and put objects in mouth to massage the gums and relieve the discomfort. Mother should be cautious about the things baby is putting in mouth. Honey can be applied on gums. Give hard toasts or carrot slices to chew to baby. Some symptoms with indicated medicines are- Children – DENTITION, difficult, teething
ACON. Aeth. am-c. Ant-c. Ant-t. Apis Arn. ARS. arund. BELL. Bism. BORX. Bry. CALC. calc-f. CALC-P. Canth. Caust. CHAM. cheir. chlor. cic. cimic. Cina Coff. Colch. Coloc. cupr. cypr. Dol. Dulc. Ferr. Ferr-p. Gels. Graph. Hecla Hell. hep. hyos. Ign. Ip. Kali-br. Kreos. Lyc. Mag-c. MERC. Merc-c. mill. nat-m. nit-ac. op. passi. Phyt. plat. Podo. puls. Rheum scut. sec. sep. SIL. sol-ni. stann. STAPH. SULPH. syph. Ter. tub. tub-k. zinc. zinc-br.
Dentition difficult (bbcr)- C ALC. CARB, CHAM, SULPH, aco, bell, bor, coff, ign, merc, cina, nv
In addition to above, some symptoms are frequently encountered during period of dentition. Some of them with their homeopathic remedies are as follows-
Diarrhea, dentition during- MERC, ars, chamo, sulph,
Cough , dentition with- CINA, NUX VOM, chamo
Fever with dentition- aco, bell, cham, nux v, coff, sil
Nervous, excitability- ACO, COF, bell, bor, cham
Sleeplessness with- COF, aco, cham, bor
10. SEBORRHOEIC DERMATITIS/ SCURF, (skin rashes and infections)
Seborrhoiec dermatitis comes in form of tiny flakes, like dandruff, on the head. It can be removed by shampooing the hairs on alternate days .
During new born period, following changes are normal and common-
- Milia; whitesh, tiny spots on nose. Reddish spots over eyelids.
- White spots over mouth.
- Erythema toxicam- reddish rashes over body in the first week of life.
- Sucking blisters over the lips.
- Mongoloid spots- bluish spots on back and buttocks which disappears as child grows.
Children – ERUPTIONS, crusts on head, infants
CALC. calc-s. Graph. mez. Psor. Sulph. zinc.
11. THRUSH
This is white coating that may cover the tongue at any time during infancy due to milk coating the tongue with fungal growth. This leads to difficulty in sucking or refusal of feeds.
Children – THRUSH
arum-t. BORX. iod. Kali-chl. lac-c. MERC. merc-cy. mur-ac. NAT-M. nit-ac. sang. SUL-AC. sulph. syph. thuj.
Aphthae- MERC, SULPH, SUL-AC, bor, nux v
