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Frequently Asked Questions
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My baby was blue at birth but he turned to
pink soon after. Is it normal?
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My baby was born at full term. Why did the doctor put my baby
in incubator? I thought that only prematurity baby needs incubator?
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I was told that my baby is normal
during neonatal screening. Does this mean that my baby will be perfectly well?
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I was told that my baby has
a healthy heart at
birth. Now my baby is 3 months old and the doctor said that there is a
hole in his heart. Why didn't the doctor detect it
during neonatal screening?
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My baby's eyes and skin are yellow
in colour. Is it
due to jaundice?
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My friends tell me
that breastfeeding can cause jaundice in
the baby. Is it true?
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My newborn has jaundice. What should I do?
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I was told that my baby
has G6PD deficiency. What is G6PD deficiency?
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Can G6PD
deficiency
be cured?
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I
have 2 boys and 2 girls. One of my boy has G6PD deficiency
while the others are normal. I have friends whose family are like
me, and only their boys have G6PD deficiency. Why only the boys are
affected?
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When should my baby
start weaning off milk and start solid foods?
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My baby is now 10-month-old and has not started teething. Is there something wrong with his development?
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When should I start to clean my baby's teeth?
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Does
every baby develops nappy rash? How
do I prevent this?
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Why is my baby always crying? Is he ill?
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I
wonder if my baby put on enough weight after birth, because he looks
so small.
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My baby was blue at birth but he turned to
pink soon after. Is it normal?
It is normal. Most of the newborns are blue at the moment of
birth, but they will turn pink after 5 minutes when they start
breathing normally.
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My baby was born at full term.
Why did the doctor put my baby in incubator? I thought that
only prematurity baby needs incubator.
There are other reasons to put a baby in incubator apart from
prematurity baby. The baby could be small-to-date or having
breathing difficulties.
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I was told that my baby is normal
during neonatal screening. Does this mean that my baby will be perfectly well?
Neonatal screening only tells that your baby is normal and
healthy at the point of screening. Your baby continues to grow and
develop and certain illnesses will appear after a few
months. E.g.: Certain congenital heart disease will only be
apparent after a few months of life.
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I was told that my baby has a healthy heart at
birth. Now my baby is 3 months old and the doctor said there is a
hole in his heart. Why didn't the doctor detect it
during neonatal screening?
Certain 'hole' in the heart is not detected at birth because
as the baby grows and develops, the heart has to work harder for
the growing body. The blood flow will increase and heart
murmur or reversal of blood flow will occur.
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My baby's eyes and skin are yellow
in colour. Is it
due to jaundice?
The most common cause of yellowness of the newborn's eyes and skin is
jaundice.
Most jaundice in newborns are harmless and physiological and will
occur within 1 week after birth. This happens in more than half of
the newborns. You will need to consult the paediatrician on
whether there is need for phototherapy
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My friends tell me that breastfeeding can cause
jaundice in
the baby. Is it true?
There are 2 types of jaundice that are related to
breastfeeding, namely breast-feeding jaundice and breast milk
jaundice. Breast feeding jaundice occurs in 13% of the
newborns during the first week after birth. This is due to
insufficient of milk intake of the breast-fed babies and the
incident can be reduced by increasing the frequency of
breastfeeding. Breast milk jaundice occurs in 0.5% and it
appears during the first week and it continues for several weeks
after birth. This is due to certain substances in
mother's breast milk that causing the increase of bilirubin level
(yellow pigment that causes jaundice) in baby's blood. You
can stop breastfeeding for 1 or 2 days and then resume
breastfeeding after your baby's bilirubin level drops. Normally
the level of bilirubin will not increase after breastfeeding is
resumed.
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My newborn has jaundice. What
should I do?
Neonatal (newborn) jaundice usually
does not require treatment when the level of bilirubin is low. The
jaundice will disappear spontaneously after a few weeks. But if the baby's bilirubin
level is high, he will need phototherapy
(exposure of the baby to ultraviolet light).
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I was told that my baby
has G6PD deficiency. What is G6PD deficiency?
G6PD stands for
Glucose-6-Phosphate-Dehydrogenase. G6PD deficiency is a hereditary disease
which will cause haemolytic anemia (anaemia that is
caused by increase breakdown of red blood cells).
This occurs after the child is exposed to certain foods and drugs.
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Can G6PD
deficiency
be cured?
G6PD deficiency
is a hereditary disease and so it is
lifelong. There
is no definite cure. But with certain precautions,
patients with the disease will live a normal life. The
affected patient should avoid the followings:
1. Chinese herbal medicines such as Rhizoma
Coptidis (huang lien), Calculus Bovis (neu huang), Flos
Chimonanthi Praecocis (lei mei hua), Flos Lonicerea (kam ngan fa)
and Margarita.
2. Drugs such as certain Antipyretics and
Antibiotics (Nitrofurantoin, Nalidixic Acid, Sulfamethoxazole,
Trimethoprim), Antimalarials (Primaquine) and Antispamodic (Phenazopyridine).
Consult a registered doctor and alert the medical staff before
being prescribed any medicine.
3. Fava or broad beans (kacang parang) and
their products.
4. Close contact with mothballs (Naphthalene)
and Naphthalene-containing products.
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I have 2 boys and 2 girls. One of my boy has G6PD
deficiency while the others are normal. I have friends whose family
are like me, and only their boys have G6PD deficiency. Why only the
boys are affected?
Because you have a
normal X-chromosome and an abnormal X-chromosome, the disease does
not surface in you. You are a carrier and you will pass either a
normal X-chromosome or an abnormal X-chromosome to each of your
kids. Your girls will receive a normal X-chromosome from your
husband. So, your girls are either a carrier for G6PD deficiency or
chromosomally normal. 50% of your boys will receive normal
X-chromosome and 50% of them will receive abnormal X-chromosome from
you. So, 50% of your boys will have the disease.
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When
should my baby start weaning off milk and start solid foods?
Your baby can start on
solid foods when he is 4 months old. It is not good to wean too
early because the baby's digestive system cannot cope with solid foods
yet. It is advisable to seek advice from paediatrician before
introducing solid foods.
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My baby is now 10-month-old and
has not started teething. Is there something wrong with his development?
Baby's first teeth will appear some time between 14 weeks and 14
months of age. Do not worry if your baby starts teething late, it is
normal and would not prevent him to have normal diet.
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When should I start to clean my baby's teeth?
It is a good idea to have your baby's teeth cleaned as soon as they
appear. Cleaning once a day is sufficient. You can start with
rubbing the teeth gently with a cloth wrapped around your finger and
move on to a soft toothbrush later.
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Does
every baby develops nappy rash? How do I prevent this?
As your baby's bottom is constantly exposed to urine and stools,
nappy rash is common. Give him a gentle wash to his bottom and pat
it dry whenever you do nappy changing. Moisturizer can be applied to
keep his skin supple and protect his bottom from urine and stools.
Give him some nappy-free time whenever possible.
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Why is my baby always crying?
Babies usually cry because of the following reasons: hungry, soiled
nappy, wind, or they need attention. After some time, you will learn how to distinguish all
these. Never let your baby cries for a long period unattended,
because most of the time, baby cry with a reason.
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I wonder if my baby has put on
enough weight after birth, because he looks so small.
During the first few days after birth, he will lose some weight due
to water loss. But he will gain weight after the 5th days at a rate
of about 150g to 225g per week.
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