The baby can get pneumonia in belly in mom, during childbirth and in the postpartum period. This severe infectious lung disease affects 2 out of 1,000 babies and can be fatal. However, the diagnosis itself is not a sentence.
With timely diagnosis and treatment, the child can recover with minimal health consequences.
What are the symptoms of pneumonia in newborns?
During childbirth: the child is lethargic, weak, the skin is bluish.
2-3 days:
- Shortness of breath, wheezing difficulty breathing
- Apnea attacks
- Frequent cough
- High or vice versa too low temperature
- Vomiting
- Foamy discharge from the mouth
- Bluish skin
- The child does not breastfeed well, hardly eats, gets tired quickly.
There may also be swelling, rash, and abnormal heart rhythms.
Causes of pneumonia in newborns
If a child became infected in the womb, then this could happen in two ways: either through the infected amniotic fluid, or through the vessels of the placenta.What diseases of mothers cause pneumonia in the fetus
- Torch infections: toxoplasma, cytomegalovirus, herpes, rubella, chlamydia.
- Infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system.
- Acute viral and bacterial infections, including SARS and influenza.
What other causes of pneumonia in a newborn can be:
- Oxygen starvation in the womb
- Prematurity
- Genetic abnormalities
- Mother taking steroids
What can be the consequences of pneumonia in newborns
With timely diagnosis and treatment, unpleasant consequences can be avoided. Nevertheless, the risk remains. Adhesions and scars on the lungs may occur, chronic lung disease or heart failure, hearing and vision impairments may develop.
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