Where There Is No Doctor 2011 275
If the baby’s eyes roll back or flutter when he makes sudden or violent
movements, he probably does not have tetanus. Such seizures may be caused
by meningitis, but dehydration and high fever are more common causes. Can you
put the baby’s head between his knees? If the baby is too stiff for this or cries out in
pain, it is probably meningitis (see p. 185).
• Look for signs of a bacterial infection in the blood.
Bacterial Infection in the Blood (Septicemia)
Newborn babies cannot fight infections well. Therefore, bacteria that enter the
baby’s skin or cord at the time of birth often get into the blood and spread through
his whole body. Since this takes a day or two, septicemia is most common after the
second day of life.
Signs:
Signs of infection in newborn babies are different from those in older children.
In the baby, almost any sign could be caused by a serious infection in the blood.
Possible signs are:
• does not suck well
• seems very sleepy
• very pale (anemic)
• vomiting or diarrhea
• fever or low temperature (below 35° C)
• swollen belly
• yellow skin (jaundice)
• seizures (convulsions)
• times when the baby turns blue
Each of these signs may be caused by something other than septicemia, but if
the baby has several of these signs at once, septicemia is likely.
Newborn babies do not always have a fever when they have a serious infection.
The temperature may be high, low, or normal.
Treatment when you suspect septicemia in the newborn:
♦ Inject 50 mg. of ampicillin (p. 352) for each kilogram the baby weighs, 2 times
a day for a baby less than 1 week old or 3 times a day if the baby is older
than 1 week. If you cannot calculate the dosage, inject the average dose of
150 mg. of ampicillin.
♦ Also inject 5 mg. of gentamicin for each kilogram the baby weighs. Only give
gentamicin once a day. If you cannot calculate the dosage, inject the average
dose of 15 mg. of gentamicin for a baby less than 1 week old, or 20 mg. if the
baby is older than 1 week.
♦ Be sure the baby has enough liquids. Spoon feed breast milk and Rehydration
Drink, if necessary (see p. 152).
♦ Try to get medical help.
Infections in newborn babies are sometimes hard to recognize.
Often there is no fever. If possible, get medical help. If not,
treat with ampicillin and gentamicin as described above.
Ampicillin is one of the safest and most useful antibiotics
for babies.