As soon as the baby is born, parents overcome anxiety for almost any reason. Sometimes such excitement is justified, and sometimes it only confirms that it is better to attend courses for young mothers before birth, or at least get acquainted with the relevant literature. First of all, it is important to establish the baby’s nutrition so that the necessary amount of trace elements and vitamins accumulate in his body. It is necessary to devote time to the child and note any changes in his behavior.
Important is the hygiene of the newborn. In addition to taking a bath, it is important to examine the baby’s body every day. Particular attention should be paid to the genitals. However, having noticed something is amiss, for example, white discharge in newborn girls, one should not give in to panic ahead of time. At an older age, such manifestations are not considered normal. However, if we are talking about newborn children, this may indicate a sexual crisis or some other reasons. Let's consider them in more detail.
Causes of discharge from the genitals of newborn girls
First of all, you should decide on a shade of liquid. Allocations may not always be pure white. Sometimes they are greenish, brownish or even bloody. Depending on this, you can roughly determine the cause of their appearance. Usually, the appearance of such a liquid greatly scares the baby's parents, some even begin to believe that the girl began menstruating. But this is not typical for newborns. Therefore, it is worth considering the real causes of unpleasant symptoms, depending on the age of the child.
In the first month of life
It may seem surprising, but discharge in newborns in the early days is considered normal. In this case, we are talking about a liquid that resembles leucorrhoea. They are a whitish liquid plaque that forms between the folds of the labia. Almost all women face this. Of course, this should not happen in children. An exception is only for newborn girls under the age of 1 month. As a rule, after 4-6 weeks, the symptoms disappear on their own. It is enough to adhere to hygiene measures at this time, and everything will be fine.
In the second month
During this period, any discharge should stop. But if the baby still has a curd coating, it is best to consult a doctor. Perhaps this is a more serious problem.
If the child is 3 months or more
If parents noticed white discharge in a newborn girl, this is normal, but in the third month of life, this may be the first sign of an inflammatory process in the baby’s body. Therefore, do not postpone the visit to the pediatric gynecologist. Most often, at this age, unpleasant symptoms appear on the background:
- Bacterial vulvovaginitis. However, in this case, there will be not white discharge in the girl, but yellow. In the inguinal region, redness can be noticed.
- Enterobiosis vulvovaginitis. In this case, we are talking about worms that transferred pathogenic microorganisms from the intestines of the child into the vagina.
- Ingestion of a foreign body into the vagina. It can be pieces of toilet paper, thread and much more. This may well cause damage to the baby's vagina and lead to serious inflammation.
- Exudative diathesis. This pathology is chronic. A similar condition can lead to hyperemia of the vulva. This provokes dryness of the mucous membranes of the vagina ..
- Candidiasis Such manifestations can be against the background of herpes. It may well provoke the appearance of white discharge in newborn girls and older babies.
- Trichomonas. A newborn baby can become infected through the birth canal, and an older girl can become infected through the household. In this case, the discharge will be more foamy.
It is also worth considering one of the most common causes of the appearance of white mucous secretions in a newborn girl.
Hormonal crisis
Unpleasant symptoms often appear against the background of the fact that the baby, developing in the womb, goes through all stages of the hormonal restructuring of the body with it. In this case, the fetus receives a rather large dose of hormones. Their concentration is especially great before the birth itself. For some time after the birth of the baby, the symptoms of the hormonal crisis can still be observed, but gradually they pass by themselves.
If we talk about additional symptoms, then in addition to the discharge in a newborn child (girl or boy), acne can be observed. In babies, the mammary glands can begin to swell. Colostrum may even begin to stand out from the chest. The genitals themselves can swell. As a rule, all these phenomena should not cause serious concern. Increased vaginal secretion can be observed in the first days after birth and lasts up to 1-1.5 months. But gradually the discharge should become less and less. As a rule, by the fifth week, the discharge completely disappears. Therefore, do not panic.
Is it worth it to get rid of secretions
Of course, the first thing that comes to the mind of frightened parents is to rather rinse the genitals of the child. But before you remove the white discharge from the newborn girl, it is worth listening to several important recommendations.
First of all, of course, it is important to monitor the maintenance of baby's hygiene. Therefore, after urination, it is worth rinsing the inguinal zone with warm water. You can add a little decoction of chamomile to it. However, do not be too zealous. If you try to remove the discharge with soap, you can seriously damage the delicate mucous membrane of the genitals of the newborn. It is also worth sticking to more accurate recommendations for caring for a newborn girl in the first month and subsequent. Let's consider them in more detail.
Hygiene rules
In the courses of young parents there is always a topic that is dedicated to the care of newborns. Since the baby’s body is defenseless in the first days of life, important recommendations must be adhered to.
- When washing a child, you need to use exclusively boiled water, with a temperature of about 36 degrees. Some doctors recommend adding a weak decoction of chamomile. However, one must remember that this herb can dry out the mucous membrane and often causes a rather serious allergic reaction. It is better to give preference to natural and proven cosmetics that were created specifically for newborns. After a few weeks, boiled water can be replaced by running water. But in this case it is necessary to think over a filtration system. Everyone knows that the pipeline contains a huge number of microbes.
- The hygiene of girls must be correct. First of all, it is necessary to rinse the perineum and only after that go to the anus. Otherwise, you can accidentally insert particles of feces of the baby into the vagina. Such pathogens can trigger a serious inflammatory process or even infection. Therefore, it is important to perform the wash in the correct sequence.
- Do not rub the skin of the child, as well as the mucous membranes too much.
- You need to monitor the condition of your hands. It is necessary to abandon manicure and long, especially extended nails. They can easily damage thin integuments. In addition, under long nails it is much more difficult to clean the dirt.
- To avoid merging of the labia in a child, you need to periodically gently push them apart.
- When using powders, it is important to ensure that the product does not fall into the perineum.
- In the warm season, after washing, you can arrange a baby air baths. To do this, it is enough to give the baby the opportunity to be without a diaper for some time.
- During washing, you need to properly keep the newborn girl. The child is laid back down on the arm of the parent who is performing the procedure. Thus, you need to hold the girl with one hand, holding it a little to you, and perform the washings with the other. It is necessary to ensure that the child was comfortable and it could not slip to the floor.
- The child must have his own towel, which no one else uses. It is also worth washing it with things of the baby, and not with the general dirty linen of other family members.
- Do not overuse all kinds of wet cleaning wipes. They are convenient to use, but often lead to an allergic reaction. You can only use such products if there is no access to clean water. This means that you can use such napkins only as a camping option.
Hygiene of girls is extremely important. When unpleasant discharge appears, it is worth evaluating their color and features. If a very unpleasant odor appears, you should consult a doctor.
If the newborn has mucous white discharge
If the baby has such problems, then there are several explanations for this. It is possible that this is just residual original lubrication. It resembles a slimy coating. However, this is only possible in the first days of the baby's life. Experts do not recommend removing such a plaque. After a few days, the substances themselves will disappear naturally. Thanks to this plaque, the skin of the newborn begins to adapt to a completely new environment.
Sometimes in a newborn child (girl), the mucus is secreted by the vagina itself, more precisely, by its glands. In this case, we are also talking about hormonal changes.
It is worth noting that such secretions rarely cause discomfort to babies. As a rule, they do not cause itching or severe anxiety. But if the baby has become tearful and it becomes obvious that she is suffering from an unpleasant symptom, it is best to visit a doctor.
Why does a newborn girl have blood discharge
In this case, we are talking about a grayish-white or yellow liquid with bloody impurities. As a rule, this happens in 5-8% of babies in the first 7 days of life. Usually, such symptoms do not last more than two days. Among the additional symptoms, it is worth noting the swelling of the uterus and the mucous membrane of the vagina itself.
The appearance of bloody discharge is explained by the fact that suddenly the female hormone called estrogen ceases to enter the baby's body. During pregnancy, it is transmitted from the baby's mother, but after childbirth, the child ceases to receive it. This leads to a similar reaction, which should not cause concern. No treatment is needed, the symptomatology will go away on its own. It is enough to wash the baby with warm water. This will help avoid potential infections.
Opinion of specialists and mothers
Some young mothers in their reviews note the appearance of pinkish discharge in newborn girls. At first, many are scared, but if you wait a little, you can see that the unpleasant symptoms go away.
Doctors also talk about the naturalness of such a process and do not see any need for a visit to a specialist.
In addition, pediatricians are in a hurry to reassure mothers who fear that newborns have thrush. With babies of a very young age, this can not happen. However, you should not be too careless about the problem. If the symptoms appear for a long time, then this indicates possible problems.
When you must visit a pediatric gynecologist
Anxiety should cause the fact that the vaginal secretion continues to be liberated liberally several months after the baby's birth. Also, the reason for contacting a specialist will be that the discharge has a purulent smell and looks appropriate. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the behavior of the child. If a newborn girl constantly cries during urination, then this means that she experiences severe discomfort or pain, which, of course, can not be called the norm.
As soon as possible, you need to visit a doctor even if the discharge is not bloody, but rather accompanied by serious bleeding. In this case, we are talking about a dangerous situation when you can not hesitate. In addition, there is a big difference between the vaginal discharge of a white-pink color and the color of urine. If red blotches are present in it, then this is a cause for serious concern. In this case, the symptom indicates problems with internal organs. The same applies to situations when, in addition to secreting a secret, the baby begins to bleed from her nose.
For any anatomical abnormalities in the development of the genital organs, you need to consult a pediatric gynecologist. Deformation may be caused by nutrient deficiencies or more serious pathologies.
Basic rules for preventive measures
In addition to standard hygiene rules, it is important to remember the other important rules. For example, the room where the child is located must be aired. Some use UV lamps to disinfect a room. It is important to protect the skin of the child from diaper rash. If the skin is constantly wet, this can cause serious infections not only in the vagina, but also in other parts of the body.
We must not forget about the proper nutrition of the child. When breastfeeding, it is important to remember that the baby receives all those beneficial substances that are found in mother's milk. Therefore, a woman should monitor her diet and abandon bad habits until the baby is transferred to the mixture.
A healthy child must be active. If he constantly sleeps and does not show any interest, or, conversely, cries without interruption, then perhaps something is bothering him. Of course, it’s not worth it too often, and especially without reason to go to the doctor. However, a routine examination by a pediatrician should be carried out regularly. Do not refuse to attend courses for young mothers. In the classroom, experts talk about the main problems that young mothers face after childbirth. In addition, in this case, it becomes possible to listen to more experienced mothers who give birth more than once. They can tell you what to do in a given situation or cope with a slight malaise.