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T
Thrush
The fungus candida albicans is a normal inhabitant of the mouth, intestines and vagina. Usually harmless, it can set up the infection called thrush. If you have a candida infection of the vagina, the fungus can reach your baby’s mouth during birth or later on via ill-washed hands or inadequately sterilized bottles and nipples. It produces white patches on the inside of a baby’s cheeks and sometimes on her tongue and the roof of his mouth. The patches look like milk but if you try to wipe them off they either stick or come away leaving raw patches underneath. The mouth is usually extremely sore so that the baby cannot suck comfortably. Treatment for thrush may be:
- Dropping a special antibiotic solution on to the patches
- Change her diapers very frequently
- Antifungal agent
- Applications of gentian violet
Acidophilus, the active live culture found in yogurt, has also been effective in treating thrush. You can get this in capsules or just try and consume some plain yogurt every day for preventative measures.
Teething
Teething can start in babies as young as four months old. You will begin to notice a small bump under the gum of your baby for days before it breaks through the skin. Normally, the baby will get her teeth in a particular order and at different ages so don’t be alarmed if your baby gets teeth very early on or not until her first birthday. Signs to watch that your baby may be teething are:
- Baby puts objects in her mouth all of the time
- Crying
- Thumb sucking or excessive nursing
- Slight fever
- Red cheeks
- Irritability
If your baby seems sick, consult your pediatrician before assuming that she is just cutting teeth. If upon examination the doctor finds that your baby is indeed getting teeth, you can take measures to make your baby comfortable:
- Rub her gums
- Give her a teething toy
- put a wet washcloth in the refrigerator and offer it to her to chew on
Try to avoid giving her teething gel as they contain powerful drugs.
Threadworms
Though threadworms are a common problem, infections are not usually serious. Threadworms lay their eggs in their victims’ stomachs and around the anus. This may cause an uncomfortable itch. There are medications to kill the worms, but their eggs can survive for up to two weeks. It is imperative that a thorough cleaning be done and that no members of the family are exposed to the eggs during this two week period. Otherwise, reinfection will occur.
Tetanus (lockjaw)
Tetanus is also known by the name of lockjaw. It is caused by clostridium tetani. This is a bacteria that is exuded by toxins. The symptoms of tetanus are:
- Muscle spasms
- Convulsions
- Respiratory failure
- Hypertension
- Cardiac arrhythmia
Tetanus cannot be transmitted from person to person. It comes from wounds containing foreign bodies, or infectious wounds. Any wound, however small they might seem, may contain the bacteria that causes tetanus. Fortunately, there is a tetanus vaccine. Your doctor will alert you to when it is time for your child’s tetanus vaccination.
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is carried by some cats and can infect the pregnant woman. It can be transmitted through the placenta, and infect the developing baby. Fetal damage from toxoplasmosis is very rare in humans. Most humans are exposed to this germ at some point in their lives and are therefore immune, and most cats don’t transmit the germ they carry to humans anyway. However, if you have a cat and you are the anxious type, ask your health-care provider to order a blood test to see if you are immune to toxoplasmosis. If you are, you do not need to worry. As a second precaution, you can have your veterinarian test your cat for active toxoplasmosis infection. If possible, have someone else take over care of the litter box, since toxoplasmosis is transmitted via cat feces. If you must do the honors, wear disposable gloves when changing and cleaning the litter box.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis or TB is caused by a bacterium. This bacteria is called mycobacterium tuberculosis. It attacks the lungs of humans and can cause death if gone untreated. It is an airborne disease which means that an infected person can give it to someone else if they sneeze or cough. Most of the time, if TB bacteria is breathed into the lungs of a healthy person, they can be infected and not have any symptoms. The body is normally able to fight off the bacteria. If the bacteria remain alive in the body, they can become active at a later date. If you have the TB infection, you may:
- Have no symptoms
- Don’t feel sick
- Can’t spread TB to others
- Usually have a positive skin test reaction
- Can develop TB disease later in life if they do not receive preventive therapy
If your immune system is compromised or you are very young or very old, you may not be able to fight off the bacteria and it may become TB disease. Symptoms of TB disease are:
- A bad cough that lasts longer than two weeks
- Pain in the chest
- Coughing up blood or phlegm
- Weakness or fatigue
- Weight loss
- No appetite
- Chills
- Fever
- Night sweats
There are drugs to treat TB. If you suspect that you have TB, consult your physician immediately.
Twins and multiple Births
You may notice these days that there seem to be multiple births and twins births on the rise. This may be due to the fertility drugs that are available to women trying to conceive. This may also be due to the fact that women who are becoming mothers are getting older. Your risk for having twins or supertwins goes up after the age of 35 because you tend to drop more eggs per ovulation cycle. Identical twins are a mystery to the medical community. This occurs when there is only one sperm and one egg and it splits into two separate fetuses.
If you are carrying twins or supertwins, you must eat much more than the average pregnant woman. You need to up your intake of essential vitamins and your protein consumption. Also, because your body is making two skeletons, (or more) you need to eat lots of dairy products and dark green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach and broccoli.
Your doctor will know that you are having two or more babies if you have an ultrasound or if you are measuring larger than a woman carrying a singleton. Another not-so-nice factor about carrying twins or supertwins is that you will feel double the nausea. Morning sickness can last as long as 19 weeks with twins or supertwins.
Tonsillitis
There are areas on the lymphoid tissue on both sides of the throat. Tonsillitis occurs when these areas become infected. Mostly five to fifteen year old children get tonsillitis. The tonsils fight infection by releasing antibodies into the throat. Some children may suffer from a condition that is called acute tonsillitis. This is when the tonsils become infected for a short time and then get better. Chronic tonsillitis is more common in children. This is when the tonsils become so infected that they develop abscesses on them and are inflamed.
The symptoms of tonsillitis are:
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stomachache
- Swollen glands
If you think your child does have tonsillitis, your doctor will perform a test to determine what it is by taking a swab. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics or penicillin to treat it if it is a bacterial infection but tonsillectomy, surgical removal of the tonsils, may be recommended if the tonsils are chronically infected. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent tonsillitis from occurring in your child. The good news is that most treatments are 100% effective.
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