Quick reference: when to get help · The First Year, Day by Day

This list gathers the warning signs from the daily entries. It is not complete, and it does not replace your own sense that something is wrong. If you are worried, call. If you think it is an emergency, call your local emergency number.

Your baby: get help right away (call your
local emergency number or go to the nearest
emergency department)

Struggling to breathe: working hard, grunting, sucking in at the ribs or the base of the throat, pauses in breathing of 20 seconds or more, or breathing very fast and not feeding

Blue, grey or very pale lips, tongue or face

Floppy, very hard to wake, or not responding to you normally A seizure (fit), or stiffening or jerking that does not stop when you hold the limb

A high-pitched, weak or constant cry that is not like their usual cry A rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it Signs of dehydration with a very sleepy baby: no wet diaper for 8 hours or more (12 hours in an older baby), a sunken soft spot, no tears, dry mouth

Green (bile-coloured) vomit, or vomiting with a swollen, hard belly Blood in vomit, or a large amount of blood in the stool After a fall or knock to the head: loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, unusual sleepiness, unequal pupils, fluid from the nose or ears Swallowed a button battery, magnets, medicine or a household chemical (also call your poison centre)

Swelling of the lips, tongue or face, wheezing or sudden hoarseness after a new food (possible anaphylaxis)

Choking that does not clear with back blows and chest thrusts Your baby: call the doctor today

A temperature of 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) or higher in a baby under 3 months (this needs to be seen right away, the same day)

A temperature of 39 °C (102.2 °F) or higher in a baby 3 to 6 months old, or any fever lasting more than 2 to 3 days, or a fever with a baby who seems unwell

Yellow skin or eyes in the first day, yellow spreading to the belly, arms or legs, or jaundice with a very sleepy baby or one feeding poorly Fewer wet diapers than expected (by day 5, about 6 or more heavy wet diapers a day), or pale chalky stools

Feeding poorly, or refusing feeds for several hours

Redness, swelling, pus or a bad smell around the umbilical cord stump Repeated forceful vomiting after feeds, or not gaining weight Diarrhea or vomiting lasting more than a day in a young baby A cough with fast breathing, or ear pulling with fever and irritability A baby who has stopped doing things they could do before You, after birth: get help right away

Soaking a pad in an hour or less, or passing clots bigger than a golf ball Feeling faint, dizzy, with a racing heart

Chest pain, sudden shortness of breath, or coughing up blood A painful, red, swollen leg, especially the calf

A severe headache that does not go away, changes in your vision, or sudden swelling of face or hands (pre-eclampsia can happen after birth) A seizure

Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, hearing or seeing things others do not, or feeling confused and not yourself

You, after birth: call your care provider today

A temperature of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher

Bleeding that gets heavier instead of lighter, or a bad-smelling discharge A wound (caesarean or perineal) that is red, hot, swelling, opening or leaking

A hard, red, painful area on the breast with fever or flu-like feelings Pain or burning when you pee, or not being able to pee Low mood, anxiety, panic or not sleeping even when the baby sleeps, lasting more than two weeks or getting worse