Infant Jaundice

Jaundice in newborn babies and how to treat it.

When the baby is born, the first thing that the doctor and the staff notice is the color of the skin because the color of the skin signifies that all the organs of the body are functioning properly and oxygen is properly supplied to all the organs.
Jaundice is becoming very common in new born babies. It refers to the yellow color of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by excess bilirubin in the blood. A yellow cast to the skin starting on the baby’s head and moving down to the toes. Bilirubin is produced by the normal breakdown of red blood cells. New born babies produce more bilirubin as they have a better turnover of red blood cells. The liver of the new born baby is not fully developed and is still developing and it is not able to remove the adequate bilirubin from the blood. Also. large amount of bilirubin is reabsorbed from the intestines before the baby gets rid of it in the stool.

Generally babies develop jaundice after two to four days of birth. Jaundice can also occur as a result of rhesus incompatibility for example when a mother with rhesus negative blood gives birth to rhesus positive blood.

- Breastfeed your child regularly: Due to the lack of breast milk, many infants develop jaundice. Breastfeed your child after every 2-3 hrs. Feed your child atleast 8-10 times a day whether breast feed or bottle feed.
- Expose baby to sunlight as much as possible but be careful about the sunburns.
- Phototherapy is another way to treat jaundice. In phototherapy, a child is given light with several light lamps.

Types of Jaundice in children

- Physiological (normal) jaundice: It generally appears at 2 to 4 days of age and disappears by 1 to 2 weeks of age. It is due to the immaturity of the baby’s liver, which leads to a slow processing of bilirubin.
- Jaundice of prematurity: occurs frequently in premature babies since they are even less ready to excrete bilirubin effectively.
- Breastfeeding jaundice: Jaundice can occur when a breastfeeding baby is not getting enough breast milk.
The jaundice in newborn babies sometimes can become serious and dangerous. If not treated well, it may cause seizures and brain damage.

| More

If you found this post informative, why not sign up to receive new posts ?
It's simple, and free, and you can even opt to receive by email:
Subscribe in a reader
Subscribe to Good Health Tips by Email

Infant Jaundice – Natural Home Remedy

Many babies develop a mild form of jaundice two to four days after birth. The skin has a golden, sun-tanned appearance and the eye whites have a yellowish tinge. Newborn jaundice is due to the build-up of a yellow pigment in the blood (bilirubin) normally broken down by the liver. It occurs because the liver is not yet fully matured. Jaundice is more common in premature babies and in babies bruised during birth.

A bilirubin level of 12 or more which continues to increase after the third day and a baby that is dehydrated and lethargic is an indication of pathological jaundice. This is a condition could be related to blood group incompatibility or a damaged liver and the help of an experienced professional healer is very likely necessary for effective infant jaundice treatments in this case. If untreated this type of infant jaundice can lead to brain damage. The two other types of infant jaundice, physiologic jaundice and breast milk jaundice require little to no treatment and will disappear within a few weeks on their own.

Treatments to lower the level of bilirubin in your baby’s blood may include:
- Light therapy (phototherapy). Your baby may be placed under special lighting that emits light in the blue-green spectrum. The light changes the shape and structure of bilirubin molecules in such a way that they can be excreted in the urine and stool. The light isn’t an ultraviolet light, and a protective plastic shield filters out any ultraviolet light that may be emitted. During the treatment, your baby will wear only a diaper and protective eye patches.

- Sunlight will also help break down the bilirubin. So another effective infant jaundice treatment is to undress your baby and, while shading her eyes, give her a sun bath in the early morning or late afternoon sun for five minutes.

- Breastfeed your baby frequently. Plenty of fluids are needed to flush away the bilirubin.

- Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). Jaundice may be related to blood type differences between mother and baby. This condition results in the baby carrying antibodies from the mother that contribute to the breakdown of blood cells in the baby. Intravenous transfusion of immunoglobulin, a blood protein that can reduce levels of antibodies, may decrease jaundice and lessen the need for exchange blood transfusion.

- Exchange blood transfusion. Rarely, when severe jaundice doesn’t respond to other treatments, a baby may need an exchange transfusion of blood. This involves repeatedly withdrawing small amounts of blood, diluting out the bilirubin and maternal antibodies, and then transferring blood back into the baby — a procedure that’s performed in a newborn intensive care unit.

If you suspect breast milk jaundice you can stop breastfeeding for a short period of time (no longer than 48 hours) to see if the bilirubin level drops without breast milk.