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Jaundice

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Jaundice of the Newborn
Your newborn pupils’ appear pale yellow, a colour dominating its presence in his other body parts as well including chest, abdomen, arms & legs. Besides being fussy, she is also not taking nursing well. Don’t fret! But keep a vigil!

Yes, it’s true that your baby is jaundiced. But that’s quite apparent in a newborn whose liver is still immature to process and excrete the chemical bilirubin, a yellow coloured by product of red blood Cells that builds up in the infant’s bloodstream, something which was earlier eliminated by your liver when the baby was being nurtured in your womb.

This is termed as physiological jaundice that appears in a full term infant somewhere around second to fourth day from the day of birth in comparison to a pathologic jaundice that is commonly visible at birth or within the first twenty four hours.

Usually a full term infant will have total serum bilirubin values in the range 6-8mg/dl by around three days of age, which then goes down. However if the values have already surpassed 5mg/dl on the first day itself progressing to10mg/dl on the second and if it’s still increasing then it needs detailed medical intervention.





Mild jaundice doesn’t seem to prove harmful for the baby and may subside on its own. But if the bilirubin levels seem to exceed way beyond the normal levels as mentioned above then it can be detrimental to your baby’s health. Certain complications of which include neurological impairment of the central nervous system and brain damage.

Knowing Jaundice More Closely
  • Faulty breastfeeding practices would be increasing the occurrence of jaundice in infants as compared to when they are put on formula supplementation. This certainly does not mean that formula food is better for your infant. But it implies that as a mother you need to see that, you nurse your baby as many as ten to twelve times a day. This will not only increase your milk supply but also keep the bilirubin levels of your baby in moderation.
  • If your baby is discharged before age 72 hours from the hospital, then it becomes imperative to have fixed a second meet with her health personnel as early as within two to five days of discharge. This is because; it is usually at this time of the period that baby’s bilirubin levels peaks up.
  • In some cases, you need to be extra cautious and see for your babies to be checked even sooner. Arrange an early follow up visit to your doctor if she already had higher bilirubin levels at the first time of discharge from hospital or if she had suffered any kind of injury during delivery procedure or if there has been a history of either of the parent or sibling being treated for jaundice.

Jaundice and Prevention
  • By examining the baby, her paediatrician will be able to decide for the necessary diagnostic tests required to confirm jaundice in case she suspects it to be present. When treatment becomes mandatory, babies are placed under special lights or what is known as phototherapy is adopted to alleviate the symptoms of jaundice. During this procedure, babies are kept completely undressed with their eyes being covered to offer protection. It helps in lowering the bilirubin levels.
  • You may also think that a similar effect could be imitated, if the baby is placed in sunlight for some time. True, it would work to some extent but not without the little one being sunburned. Thus it is not considered a safe way of treating your baby with jaundice and certainly not recommended.
  • A formula fed infant would be heaving sigh of relief from jaundice by about two weeks.Wherelse in breastfeed babies, it may persist for more than two weeks. However, if jaundice has still not managed a successful escape from your baby’s body for more than three weeks then there could be a serious underlying medical condition that is aggravating the symptoms and requires more detailed investigation.
Staying well informed, establishing a good doctor- parent rapport and keeping up to healthy nursing practices will serve a long way in promoting your baby’s health.



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