In rare cases, a baby’s anus is sealed at birth, either because there is a thin membrane of skin over the opening or because the anal canal, which links the rectum with the anus, has not developed. The rectal pouch may be connected to the vagina, urethra, pr bladder, and surgery must be performed at once. This condition is routinely checked for at every birth, and is treated immediately if present.
In this condition, the pylorus, the passage that leads from the stomach into the small intestine, is narrow because of a thickening of the muscle. The cause is unknown, and it is more common in boys than in girls.
This is by far the most common of a range of conditions called trisomies, in which one pair of chromosomes has an extra chromosome, making three. In Down syndrome, there are three number 21 chromosomes. Affected infants characteristically have small features, a tongue that protrudes, and slanting eyes with folds of skin at their inner corners. They tend to be rather floppy infants and have short, wide hands. They may also suffer from congenital heart disease.
A cleft is a split or separation of parts. During the early part of pregnancy, separate areas of the baby’s face and head develop individually, than join together. When joining does not take place or is incomplete, the baby can be born with a cleft lip on one or both sides, with or without a cleft palate. Breastfeeding is sometimes possible, perhaps using a nipple shield; if not, special bottles and nipples are readily available. Some milk may return down the nose but this doesn’t matter.
The most common form of heart disease in newborns is a hole in the ventricular septum – the thin dividing wall between the right and left ventricles (pumping chambers). About four weeks after birth, blood will “shunt” from left to right through the hole and the oxygenated blood will flow to the lungs instead of to the body. Symptoms include breathlessness, particularly during feeding. In some cases, the hole seals spontaneously, but if it doesn’t, an operation will be necessary.
© 2010 Baby Care
