Newborn question

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jul 3, 2008

A lot of pediatricians will say if the baby is well enough to leave the hospital they are well enough. But their immune system is very immature and the heat alone would make them miserable. Why risk it?

Penguin67 · Jul 3, 2008

I'd keep a newborn home until they have their 2 week checkup, complete with the first set of immunizations. Better safe than sorry. There are alot of nasty germs out there.

:twocents:

Jolie, BSN · Jul 3, 2008

This is a good question that requires common sense thinking by parents, which unfortunately rarely happens.

During cold and flu season, an infant under the age of 6 months has absolutely no business being in a crowd of people (church, shopping, school functions, etc.) Cold and flu viruses are highly transmissible with casual contact, and infants under 6 months of age have immature immune systems that can't be expected to respond to illness in the same manner as an older child or adult. Any former preemie who is less than 1 year old must be kept away from crowds, as the morbidity and mortality from RSV is high for this population. Unfortunately, few pediatricians have the nerve to be this firm in instructing their parents, and few parents will follow these guidelines, so many infants become needlessly ill.

Breastfeeding, careful handwashing, immunizations, and preventing multiple people from touching and handling the baby will help to reduce the likelihood of illness.

As for babies born during summer and fall months, the same rules still apply, but perhaps less stringently, since there are fewer "germs going around". But parents still need to keep their baby protected from the touch of every little old lady and snot-nosed kid who wants to get their hands on the new baby.

Personally, I like to see families and friends offer to run errands and help with shopping and driving older children so that mom and newborn can be at home, regardless of the season.

Penguin,

I am not aware of any vaccines that are routinely given at the 2 week check-up. It is important to rely on breastfeeding for immunity, since even the vaccines that babies receive early on will not offer full protection for many months, and some of the "biggies" such as chicken pox and MMR aren't given until after 1 year of age.

labcat01, BSN, RN · Jul 4, 2008

I took both my children out everywhere when they were 2-3 days old. Both were winter babies and were breastfed. It just isn't practical to stay home with your young babies. How will you eat if there is no one to go and buy food? I would go CRAZY if I had to stay home and it is worse when you have older kids that want to go out.

You just have to be smart about it- don't let strangers touch your baby, use handwashing, and breastfeeding is a big help. It was never a problem for me or my kids.

EDIT- I wanted to add that this is just my opinion. My pediatrician never said anything to me about keeping my kids indoors so I don't know if there is a medical standard for new moms.

RXtech · Jul 4, 2008

I also took my kids out very soon after birth. They were healthy, full-term babies and it really didn't worry me. I'm talking about places like the grocery store, not someplace where people are packed in like sardines and breathing and coughing all over each other. I carried them in a baby sling and I think that was safer. People seem to feel free to coochie-coo little babies who are sitting in strollers or car seats, but are a lot less likely to get too close when they are snuggled up against mom.

I have to add that I think it's kind of funny that some people worry about taking a newborn out in public, but don't think twice about taking them to the pediatrician's office, which is usually filled with all kinds of pestilence. :chuckle

Jolie, BSN · Jul 4, 2008

I have to add that I think it's kind of funny that some people worry about taking a newborn out in public, but don't think twice about taking them to the pediatrician's office, which is usually filled with all kinds of pestilence. :chuckle

The pediatrician's office is a necessity. The church pot-luck is not. And most pediatricians have separate waiting rooms for well and sick children, and make an effort to place infants in rooms ASAP.

Jolie, BSN · Jul 4, 2008

EDIT- I wanted to add that this is just my opinion. My pediatrician never said anything to me about keeping my kids indoors so I don't know if there is a medical standard for new moms.

It is not so much a matter of keeping kids indoors, as it is a matter of avoiding situations where exposure to infectious disease is likely to occur. A nice walk outdoors in the stroller is good for everyone. A long evening inside for a school function is probably not.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Jul 4, 2008

The pediatrician's office is a necessity. The church pot-luck is not. And most pediatricians have separate waiting rooms for well and sick children, and make an effort to place infants in rooms ASAP.

And Lord knows, those nasty germs on the "sick children" side know to stay on their side and not cross over to the "well child" side :chuckle (all the pedi offices I've had my kids in have that sick/well child area but they are seperated by nothing but one wall.

Kind of like when there was the smoking and no-smoking areas of resturants etc. As if the smoke stayed only in the smoking side.

I get the concept, trying to keep the kids seperate but in my opinion it really doesn't do a whole lot. The germs are everywhere in the waiting area and in the hall leading to the room and in the room that the "well" child is in.

A friend of mine recently had a baby, perfectly healthy. Peditrician told her not to bring him out for 6 months!!! :eek:

iteachob, MSN, RN · Jul 4, 2008

You could keep your child home for 6 months or 6 years.......as soon as they are in social situation with other kids (daycare or kindergarten) they are going to get sick! Diarrhea, vomiting, you name it. Sooner or later it's going to happen.

Both of mine (breastfed) where out with me within a week/ one born in November, one in March. No crowds, just things like grocery store or other errands. It's really not practical to quarantine them for 6 months or 6 weeks. Neither of mine even got sick until they were over 6 months old, by the way.

The same pediatricians saying to keep them in for 6 months are probably the same ones that give little if any support for breastfeeding. :twocents:

Jolie, BSN · Jul 4, 2008

The same pediatricians saying to keep them in for 6 months are probably the same ones that give little if any support for breastfeeding.

I really don't think that anyone advocates placing a baby in a bubble or under quarantine for 6 months. The advice to avoid crowds for the first 6 months is sound and is based on knowledge of the immaturity of the newborn's immune system and the very real risk of life-threatening diseases such as RSV. Ever spent the winter months working in peds or PICU?

I don't get your point about pediatrician's advice on protecting a baby from infection and not supporting breastfeeding.

Jolie, BSN · Jul 4, 2008

You could keep your child home for 6 months or 6 years.......as soon as they are in social situation with other kids (daycare or kindergarten) they are going to get sick! Diarrhea, vomiting, you name it. Sooner or later it's going to happen.

So true, but after the age of 6 months or so, the infant's immune system is much better prepared to effectively fight minor illnesses, reducing the risk of serious complications.