Paramedic mum reveals ‘red flags’ parents need to know – especially in sick babies

A former paramedic has revealed five warning signs every parent should be on the lookout for – especially in babies who are unwell.

While welcoming your first baby is an exciting time, it can also be hard to know what to do when they are unwell.

That’s prompted Nikki Jurcutz, a mother-of-two and former paramedic, to share the “red flags” that parents can’t ignore in babies under the age of three months.

Ms Jurcutz is the CEO of Tiny Hearts Education, a Melbourne-based organisation that aims to empower and educate parents by sharing children’s first-aid and medical information.

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Former paramedic and mum-of-two Nikki Jurcutz has shared the illness warning signs in babies that were “red flags”. Picture: Instagram/@tinyheartseducation.

In a video posted to Tiny Hearts Education’s Instagram page Ms Jurcutz said that parents should be on the lookout for five signs in particular when babies were unwell.

They included a temperature of 38C or more in infants aged three months or younger, and a non blanching rash, aka a rash that does not fade when pressure is applied to it.

Other red flags were if your baby had difficulty breathing, if their nappies were less wet than usual or if they seemed drowsy or “hard to wake”.

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One warning sign was if your baby’s nappy was ‘less wet’ than normal which can be a sign of dehydration. Picture: Instagram/@tinyheartseducation

But most important, Ms Jurcutz said, was to “trust yourself” and seek help if something doesn’t seem right.

Ms Jurcutz’s video has since attracted dozens of comments from other mums thanking her for sharing the important advice.

“These are the things you need to learn before leaving a hospital as a first time mum,” one woman wrote.

“When we left the hospital after having our son three years ago, we knew nothing! They give you a quiz before you leave but nothing that is actually relevant.”

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While it looks just like a scratch, this ‘red line’ is actually an early sign of blood poisoning. Picture: Instagram/@tinyheartseducation

MUM ISSUES WARNING AFTER FINDING ‘RED LINE’ ON SON

Last year Tiny Hearts Education shared the story of a mum who noticed a small ‘red line’ on her son’s arm, discovering that the tiny mark was actually an early sign of blood poisoning.

In a post on Instagram, the anonymous mum revealed how her son had fallen over while at the zoo a week earlier.

In the days that followed she said that while the wounds didn’t appear infected or “gunky” they had grown.

“Yesterday on our way to the beach he showed me his hand,” the mum wrote. “I wasn’t happy as I noticed red tracking down his vein. I then checked his elbow – the same.”

She then took her son to an after hours GP “feeling a bit silly” but when the doctor saw the wound he “commended me on recognising it and getting down ASAP”.

It turned out her son’s wound had lymphangitis, developing into a case of blood poisoning, but “thankfully the antibiotics are working and he is well in himself”.