Mother's infection with colds and influenza:
The incidence of colds and influenza increases every year with the advent of October until March, which means that many mothers are vulnerable to infection during that period, and thus the ease of transmission to their infants because they still have a weak immune system and depend entirely on the mother.
Precautions you take when you have a cold to protect your baby:
1- Do not come into direct contact with your infant:
A mother with a cold should limit her direct contact with her infant and avoid sleeping with him in the same room, especially in the first four days of the infection, and ask her husband or mother to help her take care of the infant, and during this period she can use a breast pump to ensure that her child on his daily meal of milk.
It should be noted here that if the mother is infected with the flu, breast milk cannot transmit the infection to the infant, and it is also considered safe even if the mother takes antiviral drugs.
2- Use gloves and masks:
If it is difficult for the mother to seek help from someone close to her to help her take care of the infant, she must use gloves and masks every time she is in contact with the newborn, to prevent the spread of germs, especially in the event of repeated coughing and sneezing.
In order for gloves and masks to contribute to preventing the transmission of infection to your infant, they must be used properly, for example, the mask must be changed every 4 hours or when it is very wet.
3- Do not delay in taking treatment:
The mother should start taking the appropriate treatment for the common cold as soon as she feels the initial symptoms, because this step will allow her to limit the disease and recover from it quickly, and will reduce the chances of it being transmitted to the infant.
4- Ventilate the house daily:
It is very important for the mother to be keen to ventilate all the rooms of the house twice a day at sunrise and before going to sleep for 15 minutes, because this process will renew the air in the house and prevent viruses from remaining in it and reduce the chances of their development, which will reduce the possibility of transmission to the newborn.
5- Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently:
Colds spread easily through direct contact with the patient or through the use of his personal tools, so one of the most important ways to limit the spread of infection is to wash hands well with soap and water on a regular basis, and if they are not available, you can use antibacterial gel. Care should also be taken to purify some toys and tools that the infant may touch or put in his mouth.
6- Change the sheets and pillow covers:
When the mother has the flu, the mother should make sure to change the sheets and pillow covers daily while exposing the pillows to sunlight, in order to purify them from viruses, which will speed up your recovery and reduce the chances of your infant catching the flu.
In the end, every mother should be aware that these preventive measures are necessary and important, because children under the age of two are at risk of developing serious complications if they contract the flu, so attention should be paid to them and not to be complacent in their application.
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