When you think about how difficult it is to manage diabetes in an adult, consider how much harder it is to do so for an infant. Considering the damage that can quickly be inflicted on a baby from the disease, it is important to know how to detect it. Simply relying on genetics isn't enough, since an infant can contract the disease even if there is no family history.
Since infants are unable to communicate their condition, it is important to keep an eye out for subtle changes. One of the first things that you may notice is excessive urination, just like with adults. This might be difficult to discern since babies have a tendency to go through a lot of diapers. Your doctor should be able to consult you on how many are too many.
A ravenous thirst will also accompany the urination. It is common for parents to consider the thirst a by-product of the urination, and vice-versa. But there is such a thing as too much of each.
An infant may also seem to be eating in excess. Again, parents may chalk it up to growing spurts, but the child is actually trying to get nutrients from their food that is being mismanaged by the diabetes. Even with their overwhelming appetite, the child might still be losing weight. Irritability of any, or all, of these symptoms should be a red flag for parents.
Diabetic babies usually won't have cuts that are slow to heal, but they can have a persistent diaper rash. This can seem to last forever or even transform into a wicked yeast infection. Either condition can go on for quite some time. Combining diaper rash with constant urination is like adding gas to a fire.
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