6 Signs You Need a Pediatrician
Parents, guardians, or caretakers of children often are unsure when to call for a pediatrician to see their children. None of them would like to take pains to visit a doctor when there is no need for it and the child can recover at home. But sometimes avoiding doctor visits can lead to major repercussions. If you want to know when it is important to give kids medical attention to a child health specialist, you have come to the right post.
Dr. Promila Butani, the Best Pediatrician Doctor in Delhi has shared crucial information that has helped make this post. We have compiled a list of 6 signs that indicate you need to contact a pediatric doctor at a child healthcare facility. Keep reading to get answers to frequently asked questions regarding the signs a child needs to see a pediatrician.
Signs To Get Your Child Consulted by a Pediatrician
1. High Body Temperature
Having a fever is a good indication that the child’s immune system is responding well to protect the child’s body from infections or any serious illnesses. Many parents or guardians are very quick to conclude that having a fever means a visit to a doctor. That’s not always true. Fever is not always a serious symptom or an emergency indicating the need to visit a doctor, except when the child is under 2 months old.
Although fever can be alarming, a low-grade fever that lasts for a day may not necessitate medical attention by a pediatrician. Pediatricians recommend that a child must be attended by a pediatric doctor if he/she is younger than 12 weeks and has a temperature of 100.4°F or a child of any age has a persistent fever going higher than 104°F.
2. Breathing Issues
A child must be soon shown to a pediatrician if wheezing, having unexplained cough and cold, or any other non-serious breathing issues. Prompt medical attention from a pediatrician is necessary if the child is experiencing shortness of breath, labored breathing, persistent cough, coughing up blood, or other serious breathing issues.
3. Intense Abdominal Pain
Most pediatric patients that are seen in a child healthcare center suffer from digestive issues. This does not mean that visiting a pediatrician is necessary for every stomach problem.
Children commonly complain of stomach aches because of poor eating habits, stomach worms, anxiety or stress, and/or not going to the washroom as and when required. It is not always easy for parents to identify which stomach ache of their children warrants a visit to a pediatrician and which does not or which needs immediate medical attention. Having severe pain in the abdomen may be a sign of a serious underlying illness, especially if the pain or discomfort is localized. The child’s complaint of experiencing an overall achy feeling in the tummy is nothing much to worry about than having intense pain in a specific abdominal site.
4. Severe Diarrhea or Vomiting
If a child is feeling unwell, the last thing to look out for is the child’s bathroom habits. It is important to keep a check on whether the child is constipated or having diarrhea. Vomiting is an indicator of an upset stomach. Mild diarrhea and vomiting are usually nothing to be worried about as extra care at home and putting on food restrictions or not giving food to a child for a few hours can help. But, if the child’s diarrhea and vomiting get severe, there must be no delay in seeing a pediatrician.
Severe diarrhea and vomiting that persists for hours may make a child very weak and dehydrated and at a higher health risk of experiencing shutting down of body systems. In such cases, getting the child hospitalized becomes necessary to restore the required fluids in the body of the child. A child must be immediately brought to a pediatrician if his/her body is not able to hold onto fluids or he/she is showing signs of extreme dehydration such as passing on dark-yellow or strong-smelling urine, lack of tears when crying, dry mouth, or urinating less than 4 times in a day.
5. Change in Appetite
Each child has their own eating choices and habits. If they have a good appetite, they generally maintain it. However, if they suddenly show changes in appetite such as suddenly eating more often or in large portions or else not eating at all or not feeling like eating much, then visiting a pediatrician is a must. If a child is eating a lot, he/she may gain weight quickly and become unhealthy. However, if a child is having appetite loss, then there is a fear that the child may become weak, malnourished, and dehydrated. If that happens, hospitalization of the child would be necessary.
A pediatrician is a child health specialist who has knowledge of all potential stomach issues and can identify the cause of appetite change and provide the best-suited, appropriate treatment to the child. Therefore, taking advice from a pediatrician is a must when the child is showing sudden changes in appetite.
6. Rashes
A child may develop different kinds of rashes due to various reasons, so identifying a form of rash and its cause could be tough. If a child is not bothered by a skin rash, then it is nothing to worry about, but keeping a check on it is important. In case, a skin rash does not resolve in a few days, consulting a pediatrician is a must. Immediate medical attention from a pediatrician is required if a rash is accompanied by a fever, as it could be an indication of an underlying infection. It is important to tell a pediatrician details of a child’s rash such as whether it is blistering or bubbling, oozing or weeping, or if it appears like a bullseye or target. Such details can help pediatricians best diagnose and treat the child, says the best pediatrician doctor in South Delhi, Dr. Promilla Butani.
Some children have a rash as an allergic reaction to a medicine. In such cases, a pediatrician may be kept informed about any prescriptions or over-the-counter medications the child may be taking.
Scheduling an appointment with a skilled pediatrician doctor ensures healthy living. Although your child must be taken to a pediatrician at least once a year for health checkups, you must not hesitate to see the pediatrician, if noticing any of the above-listed signs. One can consult the best Pediatrician Specialist in South Delhi, Dr. Promila Butani as in some cases it is a must as a child’s health condition can only be best addressed by a pediatrician.
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