Question
My baby is 55 days old and frequently experiences symptoms of coughing with phlegm, which has been going on for a month now. After 10 days of hospital treatment and injections, the symptoms improved. But after returning home and taking some medication, the coughing and phlegm still persist. I want to know if this could be neonatal pneumonia?
Answer
The main symptoms of neonatal pneumonia include fever, cough, and wheezing. The onset of pneumonia can be acute or chronic. It usually appears a few days after an upper respiratory infection. The earliest symptoms may be fever or cough, with body temperature generally ranging from 38 to 39 degrees Celsius. Adenovirus pneumonia may cause persistent high fever for 1 to 2 weeks. For weak infants, there may be no fever or even a body temperature below normal levels. In the early stages of neonatal pneumonia, affected children may only show a decrease in milk intake or inability to eat, crying restlessly, or no increase in body temperature. Later on, more typical symptoms may appear, such as shortness of breath, vomiting white foam, and purple gums. If your baby has these symptoms, you should seek immediate medical treatment at the hospital.