When To Call Your Pediatrician
You know your baby best, so trust your instincts. If he has symptoms that worry you, call the doctor.
We recommend calling your pediatrician in any of the following cases:
- Leaking from the umbilical cord or circumcision
- Yellow, bluish or pale color of your baby’s skin
- Yellow color in the area of the eyes that are usually white
- Temperature less than 97° or over 99.6° F axillary (taken under arm)
- Irritability, crying or fussing more than usual
- Becoming floppy or limp
- Not eating as well as usual
- Vomiting after more than two feedings in a row
- Fewer than six to eight wet diapers per day (after milk comes in for breastfed babies)
- Watery stools or diarrhea
- Convulsions or seizures
- Difficulty breathing
- Problems waking up
- Concerns about the circumcision
Call your pediatrician before changing your baby’s formula or stopping breastfeeding.
If you have any other questions or concerns about your baby’s health, do not hesitate to call your doctor.
When To Go To the Emergency Department
Woman’s Hospital does not have an emergency room.
Contact your baby's pediatrician for emergencies. Be sure to ask which hospital you should go to if it becomes necessary. Call your pediatrician if your baby looks sick or starts to act differently. When you call, the doctor or nurse will ask questions to determine what might be wrong with your baby.
Be prepared to give the following information:
- Description of your baby’s symptoms, for example: what your baby is doing, not doing or other signs you are concerned about.
- Baby’s temperature, including if you took the temperature under the arm, with an ear thermometer or rectal thermometer.
- Name and phone number of your pharmacy.
Keep paper and a pen near you when you call the doctor so you can write down important information, especially anything the doctor tells you to do.