Question
My baby is ten months old and has mild dehydration. How long will it take for the baby to receive intravenous fluids? The baby’s mood is low, vomits after breastfeeding, has diarrhea about 10 times, weighs 8 kilograms, the stool is like egg white in appearance, urination is reduced, appetite is poor, no high fever, and the illness has lasted for 4 to 5 days. Initially, the baby had a high fever, which subsided after taking medication, but then got sick again due to overeating and catching a cold.
Answer
Based on the description of the baby’s stool being like egg white, and with reduced urination and poor appetite, these are typical symptoms of mild pediatric enteritis. This could be caused by an infectious enteritis from bacteria, virus, or protozoa, or it could be due to dysbiosis of the intestinal flora caused by non-infectious vomiting. Enteritis is mainly transmitted through feces and the colon by oral-fecal route, with viruses capable of growing in the human small intestine, damaging the intestinal mucosa, and affecting digestion and absorption functions. Since a newborn’s gastrointestinal function is not yet mature, dehydration and acidosis may occur. I personally suggest that due to the baby being only ten months old, medication use should be very cautious. It is recommended to provide adequate fluids and adopt traditional Chinese medicine treatment. You can use the Huang Gen Huang Lian Decoction or 20 grams of Qinghao, one dose per day, taken twice in divided doses, and give the child an adequate amount of sodium bicarbonate, refined salt glucose water. In severe cases, it may be necessary to fast for 6 to 12 hours, and as the condition improves, bowel movements will also return to normal. I hope the baby grows up healthy. These suggestions may help with the question “How Long Should a Newborn Be on Intravenous Fluids for Mild Dehydration?” Wishing you and your baby good health!