Common Infant Emergencies Every Parent Should Know
The most nerve-wracking kind of emergency would probably be one that involves your infant. It’s very tempting to bring your baby to the emergency room at the first sign of distress, but it’s important to be able to tell the difference between a scare and an actual emergency. Not only will this save you a lot of time and money, but unduly bringing your infant to the emergency room can cause unwarranted stress to your baby.
There are three types of infant emergencies that commonly occur. In the presence of such emergencies, it is highly advisable for the infant to be brought to the emergency room to be provided immediate attention and care.
Head Bumps
If your infant child has fallen and develops a bump on his or her head, it is important that you allow your child to be given immediate medical care. Head injuries can be serious especially if it is accompanied by neurological symptoms like vomiting, sleepiness, and seizures. Head injuries need to be checked by a doctor immediately because there are instances wherein it is initially asymptomatic, meaning the severity of its symptoms may not immediately be evident.
The general rule of thumb is this: a physician should always check out head bumps among infants who are less than a year old. If your child is a toddler however, a head bump may not be as serious. However, do check for vomiting, sleepiness, or signs of favoring one leg over the other. If these symptoms are present, take your child the ER as soon as possible. Otherwise, he or she is likely to be fine, especially if your child is moving about as he or she normally does.
A Broken Bone
Infants usually acquire cuts and grazes because of falls or untoward accidents. It is important to note that cuts and grazes usually heal on their own. However, if there is a cut that seems to be a major one, and you suspect a broken bone because of apparent skin discoloration and excessive crying due to pain, do not hesitate to bring your infant to the emergency room.
There are instances too when unexplained fractures occur during infancy, owing to the presence of an undiagnosed bone disease. In either case, it is important to immobilize the part where you suspect a broken bone, and bring your child to the ER immediately.
Burns
This typically happens if a child is just starting to learn how to walk. Infants are hyper-explorers. They want to explore the world around them and are very curious about their surroundings. This is why they can easily find the hot iron, or even the very hot water that you are pouring into a cup to be fascinating. If your child has a burn, apply some first aid by running the affected part under cold water. If the burn is severe, take your infant to the emergency room as soon as possible. When it comes to infant emergencies like chest pain, Physicians Premier can cater to your infant’s emergency needs.
Physicians Premier is a Corpus Christi ER, offering 24-hour emergency care. As an independent emergency facility, this Corpus Christi immediate care center can provide your infant with urgent care without the high costs and long lines of typical hospital-based emergency rooms.
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