Babies &
Children
Babies and toddlers
One of the first things you may have faced as the parent or carer of a baby with haemophilia is the bruising that can occur simply from being held and handled. A simple technique to help alleviate some of the bruising involves lifting your baby by gently placing your hands and arms under his torso and 'scooping' him up.
However, babies rarely have problems with bleeds before they reach the crawling or walking stage, usually around the age of nine months.
When your child does learn to crawl and walk it can be a worrying time as he will inevitably fall and sustain bumps and bruises. If you have any specific worries speak to your team at the Haemophilia Centre.
Some parents and carers will know in advance of their first bleed that their child has haemophilia. If this is you, then it is quite likely that you will be anxious about the idea of the first bleed. The best way to be prepared is to know in advance what the signs and symptoms of bleeds are in babies.
In addition, some parents can find that if they are giving a young child frequent injections they might have difficulties finding or accessing their small veins. If this happens your child may be offered a Port-a-Cath® (a catheter that is implanted under the skin). The Port-a-Cath® has a valve under the surface of the skin into which factor can be administered. Port-a-Caths® are particularly useful when the veins are not easily visible, or in children, where the veins have not yet developed. It is important to keep the Port-a-Cath® scrupulously clean as this will greatly reduce the likelihood of infection. Infection should be avoided as this can increase the body's immune system response, which can increase the risk of antibodies to factor VIII being created leading to an inhibitor (click here for more information).
