Have you already read the “Babies Sob Stories” that is featured in our Baby Tips  section? If yes, you would probably have the ideas why our babies cry most of the time,  the reasons behind it, and how to best soothe them. Truly, something could mean  whenever our babies tear up! And whatever it is, we could say that tearing up is a sign  of life; whereby our babies could actually feel something and able to communicate it too!

However, cases like ​blocked tear ducts happen most often in babies, though they may  occur at any age. They affect about 6 out of 100 newborns. A blockage along any point  of this tear duct system is known as a blocked tear duct or dacryostenosis.Tears  normally drain from the ​eye​ through small tubes called ​tear ducts​, which stretch from  the ​eye​ into the nose. If a tear duct becomes blocked or fails to open, tears cannot drain  from the ​eye​ properly. The duct may fill with fluid and become swollen, inflamed, and  sometimes infected.

These are the following symptoms of a blocked tear duct that your baby might b  experiencing:

•  watering eye
• tears running down the face
• discharge of pus
• crusted mucus along the eyelashes
• increased susceptibility to eye infections. 

The  most common cause.of blocked tear ducts is failure of the thin tissue at the end of  the tear duct to open normally. Some other causes are infections, abnormal growth of  the nasal bone that puts pressure on a tear duct and closes it off and closed or  undeveloped openings in the corners of the eyes where tears drain into the tear ducts. 

Most of the time, blocked tear ducts in babies clear up on their own during the baby's  first year. They usually have no effect on the baby's vision or cause any lasting ​eye  problems​. In time, the tear duct usually finishes developing and the problem goes. This  typically happens within a few weeks after birth. In some babies it can take several  months. So, you will normally be advised just to wait and see if the problem goes. If the  tear duct is still blocked by about 12 months of age, your doctor may refer your baby to  an eye specialist. An option is for a specialist to perform a procedure where a very thin  instrument is passed into the tear duct to open up the duct. The procedure is usually  undertaken as a day case and it is normally very successful.

For home remedies, you may  massage the tear duct of your baby. To do this, use  gentle pressure with your finger on the outside of your baby's nose and then stroke  downwards towards the corner of the nose. This should be repeated ten times a day.  This can help to clear pooled tears in the blocked duct. It may also help the tear duct to  develop.

If gluey or sticky material develops then you should wipe it away with some moistened  cotton wool. Ideally, moisten the cotton wool with sterile water (cool water that has  previously been boiled).

Most babies will respond to this massaging and then will not need any further treatment.

Please let us know your thoughts and experiences about newborn blocked tear ducts by  commenting below. We would be happy to hear from you, parents! 

Sources:
  Tear Duct Blockage in Babies.

http://patient.info/health/tear­duct­blockage­in­babies

Blocked Tear Ducts.
  http://www.webmd.com/eye­health/tc/blocked­tear­ducts­topic­overview

Blocked Tear Ducts in Babies.
  http://www.babycenter.com/0_blocked­tear­ducts­in­babies_10403185.bc

We have seen babies in television commercials who reflect luminous and flawless skin  ­­ making us imagine how our babies would probably have the same fair skin too!  However, these things are not always true to life. ​Many normal, healthy newborns have  a yellowish tinge to their skin or sometimes on the white of the eyes. This is known as  newborn jaundice.

Jaundice is one of the most common conditions that can affect newborn babies. It's  estimated 6 out of every 10 babies develop jaundice, including 8 out of 10 babies ​born  prematurely​ (babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy). However, only around 1  in 20 babies has a blood bilirubin level high enough to need treatment.

The symptoms of newborn jaundice usually develop two to three days after the birth and  tend to get better without treatment by the time the baby is about two weeks old.

Other symptoms of newborn jaundice can include:

• yellowing of the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
• dark, yellow urine – a newborn baby's urine should be colourless
• pale­coloured poo – it should be yellow or orange

Jaundice are caused by buildup of a chemical called​ bilirubin in the child’s blood.  Bilirubin is formed from the body’s normal breakdown of red blood cells. This occurs  most often when the immature liver has not yet begun to efficiently do its job of  removing bilirubin from the bloodstream.

Newborn jaundice isn't usually a cause for concern and often resolves within two weeks  without treatment. Mild infant jaundice often disappears on its own within two or three  weeks. For moderate or severe jaundice, your baby may need to stay longer in the  newborn nursery or be readmitted to the hospital. For reasons that are unclear,  breastfeeding a baby increases the risk of them developing jaundice, which can often  persist for a month or longer. In most cases, the ​benefits of breastfeeding​ far outweigh  any risks associated with jaundice.

Your baby will be examined for signs of jaundice within 72 hours of being born, during  the newborn physical examination.

If your baby develops signs of jaundice after this time, speak to your midwife, health  visitor or GP as soon as possible for advice. While jaundice isn't usually a cause for  concern, it's important to determine whether your baby needs treatment.  If your baby is being monitored for jaundice at home, it's also important to contact your  midwife urgently if their symptoms quickly get worse or  they become very reluctant to  feed.

There are two main treatments that can be carried out in hospital to quickly reduce your  baby's bilirubin levels. These are: 

•  phototherapy – a special type of light shines on the skin, which alters the  bilirubin into a form that can be more easily broken down by the liver
• an exchange transfusion – a type of blood transfusion where small  amounts of your baby's blood are removed and replaced with blood from a  matching donor

According to experts, most babies respond well to treatment and can leave hospital  after a few days so no need to worry so much!

Please let us know your thoughts and experiences about newborn jaundice by  commenting below. We would be happy to hear from you!

Sources:
Common Newborn Ailments by Kristen Finello:
      ​http://goo.gl/CTAYfk  Common Conditions in Newborn by heathychilodre.org:
      ​https://goo.gl/HIH9XP  Newborn Jaundice by NHS Choices:
      http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Jaundice­newborn/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Just like the other viruses such as measles (rubeola), German measles (rubella), fifth disease (parvovirus B19), mumps virus, and roseola (human herpesvirus 6), another virus infection called varicella, commonly known as chickenpox, is a virus that often affects children.

Common symptoms of chickenpox is having an itchy rash spots all over the body. But, before these rashes appears, your child will experience other symptoms first. It often starts with a fever up to 101-102℉ or 38.3-38.8℃, headache, sore throat, or stomach ache. After having all these symptoms, the rash begins todevelop.Chickenpox causes an itchy skin rash that usually appears on the abdomen or face and back,and then spreads everywhere in the body including scalp, mouth, arms, legs and genitals

The rash will go through three different phases before recovering from the virus:

• Your child will develop rashes that appears as small red bumps that looks like pimples or insect bites that appears in crops over 2 to 4 days
• The rashes will develop into thin-walled blisters that is filled with fluid that leak
• The blister wall breaks, leaving open sores which will finally become dry, brown scabs.

Patients who are infected with varicella virus or chickenpox is highly contagious up to five days (most often, one to two days) before and five days after the rash appears. When all the open sores have cruste dover, be comedry, and scabbed over, the yareno longer considered contagious

Causes
Varicella-zoster virus causes the chickenpox infection in which occurs through having contact with an infected person. It is spread out through the air by coughing and sneezing, and by direct contact with mucus, saliva (spit), or fluid from the blisters. It’s very contagious that’s why if your child has chickenpox, they should be kept out of school until the blisters have dried off. Most kids with sibling who’s been infected could also get it if they haven’t already had the disease or vaccine.

Prevention
Viral illness like chickenpox can be prevented through having immunization. The chickenpox vaccine requires only two shots and is very safe and effective which goes together with the ​measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine. The first vaccination is given when they are 12 to 15 months old and the second a booster, is given when they are 4 to 6 years old. Keeping your child out of school can also prevent the virus from spreading.

Treatment
Antihistamine medications or ointments may help to relieve the severe itching cause by chickenpox. There are also ways to control severe itching of the skin which includes:

• Taking lukewarm baths
• Applying unscented lotions or moisturizers such as calamine lotion or any other similar over-the-counter preparation that can be applied to the rash
• Wearing soft clothing

A non-aspirin analgesic like acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be used to decrease the fever and aches. But, always remember to discuss all these treatment options with your doctor before taking any action.

Beaware, get protected and be sure to watch for any symptoms that your child might be having. Choosing and knowing the right medicine and treatment for your child always helps to ease possible risks. Do not worry so much because it’s actually a common virus -- considered to be a childhood rite passage and it is very rare to have it more than once.