Symptoms of intrauterine infection in the baby

Intrauterine infection in the baby in many cases causes symptoms in the baby during delivery or in the first hours afterwards, such as difficulty in breathing, apathy and fever, for example.

These infections, known as congenital infections, such as rubella, hepatitis or toxoplasmosis, can seriously affect the baby and cause developmental delay and, therefore, should be detected early in most cases with the use of antibiotics.

Main symptoms of infection in the baby

A newborn or baby up to 1 month old who has developed intrauterine infection has symptoms such as:

• Difficulty breathing; Purplish skin and lips and in some cases yellowish skin; Little suction; Apathy and slow movements; Fever; Low temperature; Vomiting and diarrhea.

In many cases the disease does not cause symptoms and later the baby has developmental delay, the main causes of which include infections of the pregnant woman such as rubella, HIV virus, hepatitis B or toxoplasmosis, for example.

Consequences of intrauterine infection in the baby

These infections can cause serious problems such as miscarriage, baby dead at birth, developmental abnormalities, prematurity or even the development of severe sequelae during growth.

Causes of intrauterine infection

Generally, the intrauterine infection that affects the baby is caused due to prolonged labor, because the bacteria present in the vaginal canal rise to the uterus and reach the baby whose immune system is still underdeveloped, being easily contaminated.

In addition, intrauterine infection can also occur through the placenta, as occurs, for example, when the non-immune woman consumes contaminated foods such as toxoplasmosis, for example.

Treatment for intrauterine infection

To treat the infection in most cases, delivery is by cesarean section, diagnostic tests are performed on the baby as a blood test and medications are applied directly to the vein as antibiotics.