Partnering with your baby's doctor: Your intuition

Your intuition provides a powerful ally in keeping your child healthy. As you get to know your baby, you will develop a keen sense of what's normal for him or her.

Trust your intuition. If your baby deviates from what has been normal behavior for him or her, seek information from reliable sources.

Urgent questions and answers

Before calling your baby's physician or nurse practitioner with a concern, make a list of all your questions. You should also be able to answer questions you probably will be asked. For example, if your child has a fever, the doctor or nurse will almost surely ask the following:

How high is the temperature and how did you take it?
How long has the fever been present?
What have you done to treat the fever?
Are vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, excessive sleepiness or other symptoms present?

By preparing the answers to these questions, you will save time for your doctor or nurse and get better information from them.

Some questions can wait

Keep a list of issues that concern you and bring it to your next routine visit to your baby's health care provider. For example, you might have a question about your baby's birthmark, growth rate or cradle cap. These questions can usually wait until a routine visit.

When to contact the doctor

Call your baby's clinic if your infant...

has a worsening or persistent cough (lasts more than about 10 days)
refuses to eat
vomits blood, yellow or green material
has a fever (rectal temperature of more than 101 degrees Fahrenheit)
is irritable or inconsolable, especially if a fever is present
seems unusually sleepy and hard to awaken
has difficulty breathing
passes several diarrheal stools, especially if there is blood in them
has any other conditions that worry you