Here are three major concerns which could arise from being neglectful / careless following the first few months of a newborn’s life.

1. Risk of spontaneous internal bleeding in newborn a.k.a Hemorrhagic Disease of newborn

Newborn babies have very low storage of Vitamin K which are quickly used up over the first few days of life. This leaves the baby vulnerable to severe bleeding as they are less able to form blood clots. They may develop a condition called hemorrhagic disease of newborn whereby babies could have internal bleeding such as spontaneous bleed in the brain which could be fatal.

2. Risk of contracting vaccine-preventable disease in vaccine refusal

The unprecedented propagation of the anti-vaxxer movement ran parallel with the rise of vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria and epiglottitis. Many unfortunate vulnerable children had been victimised as a cause of this misleading propaganda.

3. Delay in diagnosis of serious illnesses

Failure to thrive, or simply poor weight gain is a common problem among children in our community. Majority of them are secondary to nutritional inadequacy. However, failure to thrive could be the first presenting symptoms of more serious conditions, such as congenital heart disease and congenital abnormal lung malformation. Any delay in diagnosis could be detrimental to a patient’s health.

This article was contributed by Dr Goh Chun Hwee, Consultant Paediatrician at Pantai Hospital Ampang. To know more about where and when to see Dr Goh Chun Hwee at his clinic, click here.