When Your Baby’s Vomiting Necessitates an ER Visit

Information to know about Baby’s Vomiting and when to visit the Emergency Room

It is common for babies and toddlers to vomit at one point or another – especially when their stomachs are full, when they have failed to burp or after persistent coughing. There is usually no cause for alarm among parents.

However, there are many cases when vomiting can signal a serious underlying health problem that requires emergency medical care. Below highlights few examples of these cases for concerned parents and caregivers of babies.

Call 911 Immediately

When your baby (infant or toddler) has the following signs, then you must call 911 immediately. Your child requires expert first-aid from healthcare professionals, like paramedics, as soon as possible to avert any serious complications:

• Difficulty in breathing
• Severe dehydration with signs like cold and splotchy hands, sunken eyes, excessive sleepiness, uncharacteristic fussiness, and delirium.

Dehydration in itself is a serious medical condition that must be addressed by a healthcare professional. Dehydration will most likely lead to hospitalization.

Call the Pediatrician

One benefit of having a regular pediatrician on your childcare program is the convenient management of health records. In other words, your pediatrician has stored knowledge of your child’s medical history including previous illnesses, present medical condition (i.e., GERD), and his allergies, among other information. You will then be able to discuss the following symptoms in light of said information about your child:

• Vomiting for more than 24 hours
• Decreased urination (i.e., more than 6-8 hours without wetting his diaper) with the urine expelled being dark yellow in color, crying without tears, dry lips and mouth, and lethargy
• Vomit with blood especially when it persists, increases in amount or if the blood resembles dark coffee grounds
• Jaundice (i.e., yellowing of the skin and/or the whites of the eyes) and fatigue

With this in mind, you will either be required to visit a clinic, rush to an emergency room, or to adopt home treatments, whichever is the best option for your child’s welfare.

Go to the Emergency Room

If your child’s pediatrician is unavailable for any reason, then an emergency room visit is a must. The following cases, nonetheless, require swift action in terms of getting to the emergency room immediately: (These symptoms may or may not be accompanied by vomiting)

• Severe abdominal pain. You should be able to tell whether your child is suffering from severe abdominal pain such as his complaints of pain while pointing to his stomach area or in his preference for the fetal position. Your child could be having a bowel blockage, among other health conditions, which require immediate medical attention.
• Vomit with bile or blood resembling dark coffee grounds. Green bile can be an indication of intestinal blockage, too.
• Swollen and tender abdomen. This can be a sign of fluid or gas buildup, or a hernia, or a blocked intestine, among other issues in the digestive tract.
• Vomits after a head injury, a sign of a concussion, or after taking in a substance, which is a possible sign for poisoning.

Indeed, you should never take chances when your baby suffers from one too many vomiting episodes or when he/she has one or several of the aforementioned signs.

For any questions regarding Healthpointe’s services please call 888-719-8448 or walk in to any of our offices such as, Long Beach by Signal Hill, Carson, Seal Beach, Lakewood, Bellflower, Compton, Hawaiian Gardens, and Los Alamitos.

About Healthpointe:

Healthpointe is a leading multidisciplinary healthcare organization offering a full range of medical services in practice locations throughout Southern California (Los Angeles county, Orange county, San Bernardino county and Riverside county). Healthpointe has locations situated in over 10 cities in Southern California including Los Angeles, which is conveniently located near Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Huntington Park, South Gate, Lynwood, Montebello, Monterey Park and Alhambra. As a highly regarded musculoskeletal group, we have a personal investment in the highest level of service, and we are proud of our record of excellence over the last four decades with private patients, injured workers, urgent care, personal injuries, and professional and non-professional athletes. Leading our organization is a dynamic team of healthcare professionals who continually strive to be at the forefront of medical innovation and healthcare service delivery. For more information, a complete list of services, and Healthpointe locations, visit healthpointe.net