What should I do if I have a cough and phlegm during confinement? This care is key

During the confinement period, the newborn cannot adapt well to the current environment, and it is normal for the newborn to have physical abnormalities, the most common of which are cough and sputum. At this time, the baby is still young and cannot cough up the phlegm by himself. Parents must do a good job of care, such as clapping up the phlegm, taking cough and expectorant medicines, ventilating the room, and replenishing enough water.

1. Sputum removal care

Parents can clasp their hands and pat the child's back from bottom to top and from outside to inside, because this is the direction of the child's lung lobes and bronchi, which can help the child to clear up phlegm. Mothers can let their children lie on their forearms and use their other hands to pat them. When patting the back, you need to use more force. Too light a force will not have much effect. You must be extra careful when caring for a coughing baby at night to prevent sputum from blocking the respiratory tract and affecting the baby's normal breathing.

2. Take cough and expectorant medicine

When your baby coughs and has phlegm, you should take cough suppressants and expectorants or undergo nebulization treatment to moisten the respiratory tract and dilute the phlegm. However, you cannot use cough suppressants because cough suppression and expectoration are two different things. Cough suppressants will affect the discharge of phlegm and make the condition worse. Parents should never let their babies rush to seek medical treatment when they are sick!

3. Pay attention to ventilation in the room

Pay attention to indoor ventilation to keep the air fresh, control the temperature at 20℃-24℃, and the humidity between 50%-60%. Family members try to avoid smoking at home. Even a little bit of smoke can make the baby's respiratory tract uncomfortable, and phlegm will be more difficult to cough up smoothly, so for the baby's health, the home should be a smoke-free place.

4. Dress appropriately

Dress your baby appropriately. Don’t rush to add more clothes to your baby just because you think he is sick, to prevent him from catching a cold. In fact, when the baby is sick, the clothes should not be too many or too few, and should be loose. Pants with elastic bands should not be too tight or worn to the chest to avoid affecting the baby's breathing.

5. Drink enough water

When the baby coughs and has phlegm, parents should give the baby more warm boiled water. Adequate water can effectively help the baby dilute the phlegm and facilitate coughing up the phlegm. The diet should also be as light as possible. Breastfeeding mothers should also pay attention to their diet, drink plenty of water, and eat less irritating foods, because these will be passed to the baby through breast milk.