Frail, delicate babies may have convulsions each time that a tooth is cut and if a baby is having digestive trouble it is likely to grow worse while he is teething. But dentition is a normal physiological process and the healthy, properly fed baby suffers little or no inconvenience at this time.
Fig. 148.—Diagram of first or deciduous teeth and ages at which they usually appear.
The care of the baby’s teeth should begin when the first tooth appears. It should be wiped, front and back, with a piece of gauze or cotton dipped in a solution of boracic acid, or sodium bicarbonate or some other weak alkaline wash, to neutralize the acid secretions of the mouth which start decay. After the baby has five or six teeth, the use of a very soft brush, with tooth paste, is often advised, the teeth being brushed with a circular motion or from the gums toward their edges. The teeth should be wiped, or brushed, morning and evening and after feedings. The reason for such close care of the temporary teeth is that they serve as a mould or brace to hold the jaws in proper shape for the permanent teeth which appear later. If the “milk” or deciduous teeth decay or crumble away before the jaws are developed to the point when the permanent teeth appear, these second teeth are likely to be crooked and uneven.
Stools and Urine. During the first two or three days, the stools are of dark green, tarry material called meconium. Meconium consists of cast-off cells from the skin and intestines, fat, mucus, hairs and bile pigment. In the course of two or three days, the stools begin to grow lighter and shortly the normal, milk-feces appear, being bright yellow, of a smooth pasty consistency and having a characteristic odor. During the first month or six weeks the baby’s bowels may move three or four times daily, but after this they usually move but once or twice in the course of twenty-four hours. As the diet is increased, the stools grow somewhat darker and firmer and finally become formed.
Fig. 149.—Appearance of umbilical cord immediately after birth.
The new-born baby’s bladder usually contains urine which may be voided immediately after birth or not until several hours later. After the first voiding the bladder may be emptied five or six times a day, or oftener. The nurse should watch for the first evacuation of the bowels and bladder, and if they do not occur during the first few hours, the fact should be reported to the doctor, as the omission may be due to an imperforate anus or meatus.
Fig. 150.—Appearance of umbilical cord, four days after birth.