Signs to call your baby's health care provider

Call your baby's health care provider right away if your baby has any of these signs:

• breathing difficulties, like breathing too fast or too slow, grunting, or whistling (A newborn normally breathes about 40 to 60 times a minute.)
• blue color around the lips and tongue
• yellow or pale skin that is different from what you've seen before
• a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
• a temperature of 97.6 degrees Fahrenheit or lower
• continuous crying that cannot be comforted
• a change in activity level: becoming unusually listless, tired, restless, or fussy
• refusing to eat for more than 2 feedings
• frequent or forceful vomiting
• more than 5 liquid stools per day if bottlefed, more than 8 if breastfed
• fewer than 4 to 6 wet diapers in a day (once your baby is older than 3 days)
• unusual skin rashes, especially blisters
• reddened skin or smelly drainage around the umbilical cord
• bleeding, swelling, or foul-smelling drainage from the penis after circumcision
• reddened skin on the shaft of the penis

Non-emergency signs

Call your baby's health care provider for information or to make an office appointment if your baby has any of these non-emergency signs:

• very hard, pellet-like stools
• a cough or cold that is constant or getting much worse -- especially if your baby is less than 3 months old
• yellow or green drainage from the nose
• drainage from the eyes (other than tears)

Questions for you to answer

Call your baby's health care provider whenever you have a concern about your baby's health and well-being.

When you talk to the health care provider, be prepared to answer these questions:

• What is your baby's age and approximate weight?
• Does your baby have a fever? How did you take the temperature?
• How long has your baby been ill?
• What are the signs and symptoms?
• Is there any other important health history?
• Is your baby allergic to anything?
• What is your pharmacy's phone number?

What to know when you call your clinic

When you call the clinic, please have the following information handy:

• your clinic chart number (if you know it)
• the name of the health care provider you usually see
• your child's age and weight
• your child's temperature (if he or she has a fever), the kind of thermometer you used, and the way you took his or her temperature
• the medicines your child is taking (if any)
• your child's allergies or medical problems (if any)
• the name of your pharmacy and the phone number (if the health care provider needs to call in a prescription).

Related Links

Your newborn, baby

Pediatric specialists

Family medicine specialists

First published: 10/04/2002
Last updated: 11/30/2006

Reviewed by: Allina Patient Education experts