Here - Health Promotion Agency

Illness and accidents
88
SICK BABIES –
ALWAYS CONTACT
YOUR DOCTOR IF:
• you think your baby’s ill,
even if you can’t make
out what’s wrong;
•
your baby has one or more
of the problems listed in the
box below.
‘My doctor gives me advice.
He’s also a Moslem, you see,
so he can give me advice about
any questions I want to ask.
He said if I had any
worries, I could always
go and talk to him.’
USING YOUR GP
Most practices are very supportive
towards parents of small children.
Many will fit babies into surgeries
without an appointment, or see them
at the beginning of surgery hours.
Many doctors will also give advice
over the phone. Some GPs are less
helpful and it’s not always easy to
phone or to get to the surgery. Even
so, if you’re worried about a
particular problem that won’t go
away, it’s right to persist. (See page
133 for how to change your GP.)
Your health visitor, practice nurse,
nurse practicioner, local clinic doctor
and GP can give you advice and help
you decide whether your child is
unwell. Your GP (family doctor) can
treat your child and prescribe
medicines. Increasingly, health visitors
and nurses are able to diagnose and
prescribe certain medicines for your
child. If you think your child is ill, it’s
best in the first instance to contact
your GP’s surgery or out-of-hours
GP service. If you’re unsure whether
to go to the surgery or ask for a
home visit, phone and talk to the
receptionist or to your GP. Explain
how your child is and what’s
worrying you. Often it doesn’t do a
child (or anyone else) any harm to be
taken to the surgery, and you’re likely
to get attention more quickly this
way. But explain if it’s difficult for
you to get there. Wrapping a sick
child up and going by car is one
thing; going on the bus might be
impossible.
SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS THAT ARE ALWAYS URGENT:
• a fit (convulsion), or if your baby turns blue or very pale (in a darkskinned
baby check the palms of the hands) or seems floppy;
a very high temperature (over 39ºC), especially if there’s a rash;
difficulty breathing, breathing fast or grunting breathing;
unusually drowsy or hard to wake or doesn’t seem to know you;
a temperature, but the skin of the hands and feet feels cold and clammy;
• a purple-red rash anywhere on the body – this could be a sign of
meningitis (see photo of the glass test on page 100);
• yellow skin and eyes – this is a sign of jaundice.
USING MEDICINES
Medicine isn’t always necessary
when your child is ill. Some
illnesses simply get better by
themselves and make your child
stronger and better able to resist
similar illness in the future. If you’re
offered a prescription, talk with your
GP about why it’s needed, how it
will help, and whether there are
any alternatives.
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When a medicine is prescribed,
ask about any possible side-effects.
Could it, for example, make your
child sleepy or irritable?
Make sure you know how much
and how often to give a medicine.
Write it down if need be. If in doubt,
check with your pharmacist or GP.
Always finish a prescribed course
of medicine. A course of antibiotics,
for example, usually lasts at least
five days. This is to make sure all
the bacteria are killed off. Your
child may seem better after two or
three days, but the illness is more
likely to return if you don’t finish
all the medicine.
If you think your child is reacting
badly to a medicine, for example
with a rash or diarrhoea, stop
giving it and tell your GP.
Keep a note of the name of the
medicine so you can tell your
GP in the future.
If you buy medicines at the
pharmacist, always say it’s for a
young child. Give your child’s age.
Some medicines are for adults
only. Always follow the
instructions on the label or ask the
pharmacist if you’re unsure.
Ask for sugar-free medicines if
they are available.
Look for the date stamp. Don’t use