Patient's question:
My baby is just 20 days old. In the past two days, he hasn't been eating well. The hospital said it's pneumonia. What are the symptoms of pneumonia in a 50-day-old newborn?Doctor's answer:
Symptoms of neonatal pneumonia within 50 days include bluish or milk-rejection reactions around the mouth, milk choking, nasal flaring, retractions, and low responsiveness. Due to underdeveloped lungs in newborns, coughing symptoms may not appear when they have pneumonia. Some children may initially show symptoms of upper respiratory infections, such as nasal congestion and runny nose. When parents notice a newborn spitting foam, refusing to eat or cry, they should pay attention. If the infant shows poor responsiveness, bluish or grayish complexion, groaning and shortness of breath like adults, and continuous stimulation of the small head with the nose moving slightly to breathe (medically known as "nodding breathing"), with soft tissue between the sternum and ribs retracting during inhalation, the situation is already quite serious and should be sent to the hospital immediately for treatment.