For reference: Picture cards to stimulate discussion - Neonatal problems

NEONATAL PROBLEMS

1.    Neonatal problem: Infection - including tetanus

Sign & symptoms can include that the baby is:

·         Limp

·         Refusing to feed

·         Having difficulty breathing

·         Yellow

·         Very hot … or very cold

The umbilical cord might:

·         Be red around the base

·         Be swollen

·         Have a foul-smelling discharge

2.    Neonatal problem: Pre-term birth – when the baby is before at 8 months or before

Sign & symptoms can include that the baby is:

·         Very small

·         Red in colour

·         Covered in fine hair

·         Floppy and cannot feed well

·         Breathing too fast, and cannot breathe well

·         Getting cold easily

3.    Neonatal problem: Neonatal asphyxia

Sign & symptoms can include that the baby is:

·         Pale, floppy and not properly conscious

·         Gasping irregularly

·         Having convulsions

·         Unable to suck

4.    Neonatal problem: Diarrhoea

Sign & symptoms can include that the baby:

·         Is passing stool frequently

·         Is passing stools that are very yellow or watery

·         Is passing stools with blood in them

·         Is initially crying, later drowsy

·         Later still has a dry mouth, dry skin and a sunken fontanelle

5.    Neonatal problem: Pneumonia

Sign & symptoms can include that the baby:

·         Is short of breath, and making a lot of effort to breathe

·         Is coughing

·         Has a high fever

·         Gets cold sweats accompanied by shaking

·         Cannot feed well

  

6.    Neonatal problem: Hypothermia

Sign & symptoms can include that the baby is:

·         Cold and limp

·         Unable to feed properly

·         Drowsy, crying quietly or not at all, or even unconscious

NEONATAL & MATERNAL PROBLEMS

1.    Neonatal and/or maternal problem: HIV AIDS

Sign & symptoms can include:

·         Losing weight, generally unwell

·         Susceptible to infections

·         Suffering from an infection that does not respond to treatment

Note that for months or even years, there may be no symptoms, and that the only way to know for sure is to have the HIV test

2.    Maternal and neonatal problem: Malnutrition

Sign symptoms can include:

·         Being thin

·         But sometimes children ae swollen, with swollen hands, feet, and tummy

·         Especially in children, the skin may have depigmentation, and the hair may turn reddish

3.    Maternal and neonatal problem: Malaria

Sign symptoms can include that the affected person:

·         Has a high fever and shaking

·         Sometimes goes cold and sweaty and feels very cold

·         Unlike uterine infection, has headache and pains in the joints or whole body

·         Feels weak and ill

·         Vomits

·         Maybe has convulsions – very similar to meningitis

If the only sign is fever, especially with headache, treat as malaria … but in neonates you might also want to treat for meningitis.