One of the commonest disease that we come across in children other than diarrhea and vomiting is pneumonia. Pneumonia basically means there is infection in the lungs. Clinically, we see pneumonia as a child who is a bit sick, have cough and cold, in addition the mother will complain that the child is breathing fast. Whenever the child is breathing fast, we call it as pneumonia. In addition if the pneumonia is severe the child can have in drawings in the chest with a rapid respiratory rate, fever and cough. Sometimes these pneumonias can be even more severe whereby the child stops eating properly, becomes little irritable, becomes semi-comatose or turns blue or throws a fit. These are al the red flag signs that the parents should look for. If a child is having cough and cold and the child is breathing fast, it is the time that you should see a healthcare worker. Majority of the causes are viral, in addition, some of the causes can be bacterial infections and to detect them it’s always that as your child starts having fever with breathing very fast you should see that you should reach the healthcare facility as early as possible. If you are able to check the oxygen saturations at home, that will be an early indication that your child is going to turn blue. If the oxygen concentration is less than 92, you should immediately report to a healthcare facility. Since we have a good set poof vaccines that we use prevention of the pneumonia to some extent can be possible with proper vaccination or a complete vaccination. If these problems increase, the best way is to reach a healthcare worker. Majority of these infections are taken care at home if the child is not turning blue by giving simple medicines for fever, cold and cough. Sometimes these children may require antibiotics if the lungs are really infected badly. If the child is not taking orally and is sicker he may require admission to the hospital.

The right way to burp a baby is to hold the baby on your shoulder and gently pat or rub the back and keep the baby upright position for 10 to 15 minutes and help the baby burp or you can make the baby sit on your lap, hold the neck of the baby and the head of the baby. With the free hand just gently pat the back of the baby. That will also help the baby burp. So we recommend to try burping the babies for atleast 10 minutes because it I not necessary that the babies will burp immediately. There are times where the baby will not burp at all. So keep the baby upright for atleast 10 to 15 minutes. After that the baby will not burp you can keep the baby down.

Fourth trimester actually looks like a very fascinating term which is a quite new term. It actually means post delivery for any mother. Actually in pregnancy she will have only three trimesters first, second and third trimester. Fourth trimester means post delivery till 12 weeks of the baby, from the delivery to 12 weeks of the baby's birth. So that fourth trimester is specifically coined to understand or to make everybody aware of the significance of it. Because once the baby is born the pregnancy is already terminated but neither the baby is completely ready nor the mother is completely ready to take the full care of both of theirs, each others or both of theirs. So mother also needs special supports because she is just started lactating, she is having wounds, she needs physical, emotional, mental supports and lot of encouragement, lot of practice to feed. There's so many things going on in her body nine months whatever has changed in her has to come back. So there's so many things which are happening in her. The other aspect being a pediatrician I would like to discuss about the baby. The other aspect from the baby side this first 12 weeks or at least first six weeks a very very crucial in baby's life because baby was all these days enjoying inside the mother's womb in the amniotic fluid or the liquor of the mother safely and it comes out first it has to cry, breathe by itself though the feed is given it has to digest the feed, it has to pass the motions out, pass the urine out that so many things baby has to do independently, maintain its temperature you know and cry for anything which it needs like the diaper to be changed or the feed to be given there's so many things baby need to do independently like baby has cried after birth, baby has to cry for feeds, for changing of diapers, for changing of positions and baby also has to adjust to the external environment, external noises, external lights and so many other things. Okay? The temperature changes the you know humidity changes and so many things that's in the early parts. Also then baby has to learn to feed so a baby has to suckle feed adjust with the breasts so many things and after that baby has to grow with the milestones also. Baby has to start looking around, focusing, smiling you know reacting to the sounds, reacting to the light, reacting to the people, react you know looking at the people so development also will be going ahead. So these are the challenges in first 6-12 weeks when the baby is facing and the mother is also facing lot of you know issues with that and they both need certain kind of bonding, certain kind of support from the environment that is why this fourth trimester is specifically coined because they need emotional support, they need physical support, they need other than that mental support also especially for the mother and baby needs lot lot lot of physical support and the feeding and nourishment and the warmth.

What is Spinal Muscular Atrophy? What is the life expectancy of someone with SMA and what is the cure? - Dr. Seema Gaonkar

Tummy time for the baby means you are putting the baby on tummy. So what does it mean? Your baby is most of the time sleeping on the back when the baby is born and that is a natural position for most of the babies. When you put the baby on the tummy with supervision which kind of exercise for the baby what you're going to do and it is advised by the doctors also. When is it advised? It is advised usually after the neonatal period that is around 20 to 30 days of life. In fact a newborn also can be done but since they are very tender, vulnerable we don't advise it. After two to three weeks of time usually we advise the mothers to do some tummy timing for the baby till they want the baby to be done. Some babies are happy to do it after four to six months, some babies don't do they start doing other activities, they don't sit for it. So what is Tummy Time done? Tummy time means you put the baby on the tummy with face or chin should be lifted up so that the baby should not be hitting on the floor and the mother should be or anybody attender should be supervising the baby so that baby doesn't get you know any discomfort with that. Ideally it should be done not on full tummy. It should be done at least after baby is fed for 40-45 minutes so that the vomiting hazards also or choking hazards also are prevented. Why is it Tummy Time done? Tummy time is mainly done one is because it helps for the baby to get into the next developmental milestones like rolling or turning to one side or the both the sides. It helps the neck muscles to grow because as they grow around two months, three months their neck muscles will be developing more so their head control will be starting. So this position will help them to get the tone of these muscles of the neck, face and the back and also it helps them to get away from the colic. Colic is something which happens in babies over second to third week of time that is when they produce lot of gas in their tummy. So when you put them for tummy time that also helps them to relieve the gas. It acts like a burping method for them to be happy on that. There are babies who are very happy on tummy time there are babies who don't like tummy time. How much time you can do? It is like two to three times in a day also you can do start with once a day for initially begin with three minutes or two minutes and slowly increase the time and the number of times you do it as your baby enjoys. It should be done on a firm surface but important thing is somebody should be supervising the baby when the baby is doing the tummy time but it is really beneficial for their neck muscle

Bulging and Sunken fontanelle in newborn. What does it mean? Causes, Diagnosis, and when to see the doctor? - Dr. Seema Gaonkar