Depressed Fontanelle in DD 12wks - dehydrated?

[gingerkirsty]

Hello, I am hoping someone will be able to advise me. We all have a cold this week and because DD is blocked up she is struggling with feeding. She is feeding for shorter periods but more often, still has dirty/wet nappies but has a depressed fontanelle so I am wondering if she is dehydrated. I feed her for as long as she can manage (she gets very upset and frustrated), give her a rest and try again, offer her boob if she gets upset at any point in case she is hungry etc so I am not sure how I could get any more fluids into her. She is exclusively BF btw. Is a depressed fontanelle def a sign of dehydration? If so, can anyone suggest what I can do?
I am off for a bath now but will be back shortly.
Thank you [slightly worried emoticon]

is it very sunken? ie, does it look obviously sunken or is it ust when you feel it? it's normal for it to curve inwards slightly

it can be a sign of dehydration, but there would be other signs too i think, like dry nappies, no tears and stuff like that

i thoink it can just be general illness that can cause it too, so might just be cos she has been under the weather

Hi. I am pretty sure that although a depressed fontanelle can be a sign of dehydration while she is still passing lots of urine then this isn't something to worry about. A lot depends on how much you think this has changed from usual. If you are worried you could always give NHS direct a call for some reassurance but as long as she is feeding frequently and producing wet nappies she should be fine. My DD was had gastroenteritis at 17 months and NHS direct said as long as she was taking sips of water and producing a wet nappy every 6 hours she was ok. It could help to buy some saline drops if you haven't got any. You drop a couple into the nostrils and they will clear her nose for a while to make feeding easier. HTH.x

Oh thank you that's really reassuring. I am giving her saline drops and karvol, plus suctioning her (mmm lovely) so am doing everything I know of to unblock her! Fontanelle is not visibly sunken so perhaps it is just because she's a bit poorly. She seems generally happy in herself apart from the cold so on that basis and from what you have both said I will cease to fret!

PS I wasn't in the bath all that time I promise!