newborn emergency signs
Newborn Danger Signs — When to Seek Medical Help Now
Feeding difficulty, reduced activity, difficult or fast breathing, abnormal temperature, seizures, blue colour or a baby who is getting worse can signal serious illness.
Reviewed and updated:
Urgent warning signs
- Breathing difficulty, grunting or pauses
- Blue, grey, very pale or mottled colour
- Hard to wake, unusually floppy or much less active
- Refusing feeds or repeatedly unable to feed
- Fever or abnormally low temperature
- Seizure or abnormal repeated movements
- Significantly fewer wet nappies
- Rapid worsening or caregiver instinct that something is very wrong
What to do
Use the emergency or urgent-care pathway in your country. Do not wait for a routine appointment or rely on online reassurance when a newborn has a danger sign.
Trust the change you see
Parents often notice a change from their baby’s usual feeding, colour, breathing or alertness before they can name it. Tell the clinician exactly what changed and when.
Common questions
Is any fever serious in a newborn?
Temperature thresholds and pathways vary by age and country, but fever in a very young baby needs prompt professional assessment.