Sign of Problem With Your Baby
BLEEDING: IN THE FIRST 24 HOURS (early onset);
Usually this involves a intracranial bleed and the usual cause if maternal medications during pregnancy. It can also be from a birth injury
CLASSICAL (1-8 days old)
This occurs 1 in 200 to 1 in 4,000 depending on the study you look at. The causes are pre-maturity, delayed onset of feeding, inadequate feeding, low Vit. K in the breast milk. The following are the sites of bleeding in order of their frequency: Gastro-intestinal, cord, ear, nose, throat, needle prick, circumcision, or intracranial.
LATE (8 days to 6 months)
This occurs 1 in 5000 or more. The causes are low vit K in breast milk from a maternal problem. Sometimes the babies liver needs to be checked. Warning signs are: prolonged jaundice, poor feeding, failure to thrive, and any unusual bleeding.
The common sites are intracranial and uro-genital and intrathoracic (chest). This is what you as a parent need to watch for:
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Any bleeding from anywhere on your baby. From the nose, ears, mouth, umbilical cord, urinary tract, rectum
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Does your baby bruise really easy? Especially without any trauma?
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vomiting blood after 24 ours old
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black tarry stools after meconium has cleared
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bleeding longer than 6 minutes from any puncture sites
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pale, jaundices, glassy-eyed, high pitched crying, vomiting, irritable, feverish baby with a low appetite.
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failure to thrive
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prolonged or pronounced jaundice, especially with dark urine