Knowing your baby is well

If you are concerned about your baby’s health at any time, please contact NHS 111 service for advice, call 999 or take your newborn to your local A&E or urgent care centre as soon as possible. Abnormal symptoms can be:

• your baby is pale, floppy or unresponsive
• your baby is grunting and/or breathing fast and the breathing appears laboured, with the chest sucked in or nostrils flaring
• bulging soft spot (fontanelle)
• stiff neck
• seizures (convulsions)
• projectile vomiting
• non-blanching rash (a rash which does not disappear with pressure)
• jaundice (yellow colour of skin or whites of eyes) in the first 24 hours after birth. See:

• your baby’s jaundice appears to be worsening in combination with any of the following: severe lethargy, reluctance to feed, minimal wet/dry nappies or pale/white stools. See:

• your baby is not feeding as well as before
• your baby has a continued high pitched or weak cry which cannot be settled with normal measures such as feeding, cuddling, nappy change etc.
• your baby feels hot or cold (if you have a thermometer your baby’s temperature should be between 36.5°C and 37.5°C).
• your baby has a rash or blisters on the skin.
• green-coloured vomit

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

RSV is one of the common viruses that cause coughs and colds in winter. Babies born prematurely and young children may be at greater risk of becoming unwell. RSV infection causes symptoms similar to a cold, including runny nose, sneezing or nasal congestion, cough, and fever. Ear infections and croup (a barking cough caused by inflammation of the upper airways) can also occur in children. RSV is the leading cause of bronchiolitis, an infection of the small airways in the lung, which makes breathing harder and causes difficulty feeding. You should seek medical help whenever you are concerned about your baby’s wellbeing. Download The Lullaby Trust Baby check app to support you in identifying if your baby is unwell.