When is it okay to take a newborn baby out into the germy world?
This
is one of those questions that gets a lot of strong and differing
opinions from anyone you ask. The only opinion that counts in the end is
that of you and your partner. All the well meaning friends, family and
healthcare professionals can only advise. It is up to you to pick a path
that feels right for you.
The
discussion with new parents about when it is safe to take the baby out
and about and risk exposure to crowds comes up quite a bit. It is an
especially popular question this time of year with holiday celebrations
and gatherings. I don't always have the same answer each time.
It
is often not a black and white case and we end up trying to identify
all the considerations specific to your situation. There is a vast
difference between a single parent taking the baby with them to get some
food, and the choice to take a newborn out to a crowded concert. Sadly,
I recently had to tell the parents of a 3 day old that I thought taking
them to one of the World Series games was a VERY bad idea (they heeded
my advice, and no I didn't get the tickets.)
Travel
questions come up a lot. I would rather avoid having a super young baby
on a full airplane flight but some travel is worth the risk. I would
likely say "go for it" to a baby going to see aging great-grandparents,
or to a once in a lifetime family event like a wedding. I would say
"are you absolutely nuts???" to a family taking an infant to a beach
vacation in Mexico.
These of course are my opinions. Parents get to make their own choices.
What time of year is it? Are
there any active viruses circulating? We are just coming into the
winter cold and flu season. I am going to be stricter in my
recommendations this month. RSV is actively going around. I want my
newborns safe.
Here are some factors to consider.
Babies
are the most vulnerable the first 6-8 weeks of life. If one of these
young babies gets a fever, it is going to be taken very seriously by any
doctor that they encounter. In an emergency room, a fever in a young
baby will most likely trigger diagnostic testing such as blood work,
urine catheter, x-ray and even a spinal tap.
If in fact that baby has a serious infection, early intervention can be life saving, so the doctors aren't kidding around. No one wants to put their baby through that.
I
have a very different standard when dispensing advice about the under
two month crowd. Any fever gets my attention. That two month old check
up and first set of vaccines is a significant milestone.
I
know that many new parents get cabin fever, but whenever possible, keep
your newborn away from any circumstance that may expose them to anyone
who is sick. In general crowds should be avoided. If someone is coming
to the house to visit make sure they are healthy before they come in. If
they feel like they may be coming down with something, they are not
doing you any favors. If you have family staying with you, ideally they
have gotten the TDaP and Flu vaccines already. Unfortunately the Flu
vaccine this year may have missed the mark and an early look at the Flu
cases so far indicates that even if you have had the shot you may not be
as protected as we would hope.
In
any case, it does take a week or so for immunity to take effect. Better
late than never. I prefer that anyone who is planning on spending time
with your baby to be vaccinated. Send them over to Walgreen's for the
shots as soon as possible if they haven't gotten around to it. As long
as visitors appear healthy and are more help than hindrance, don't
hesitate to take advantage of your support network even if they haven't
gotten the shots yet. Good hand washing is essential.
First
time parents have the luxury of protecting and isolating the baby and
should take advantage. That being said, in my opinion, a walk outside on
a lovely day is usually perfectly fine for even the most conservative
family
Second
kids are a different story by necessity. They are often born into the
situation where they have a loving, snotty nosed older sibling that
wants to kiss and handle them from the start. These babies generally get
exposed to things much earlier. Anyone who has multiple kids can tell
you that it is really sad watching the young babies struggling with
their first illness.
When
making these types of decisions what are your actual options? Sometimes
they are limited, in which case you simply do the best you can.
Use your best judgement!