Almost60%ofthenewbornbabiessufferfromJaundiceaftersecondorthirddayoftheirbirth.Jaundiceinnewbornisnotagreatmatterofconcernbutnewparentsshouldtakerightcareofbabyduringthisperiod.ReadontoknowmoreaboutJaundiceinnewbornsandwhattreatmentsaresuggestedforJaundiceinnewborn.JaundiceininfantsisdifferentfromJaundiceinadults.IncaseofadultsthecauseofJaundiceisrelatedtotheliver.AsagainstthisthemainreasonofJaundiceinnewbornbabiesisbilirubinwhichisachemicalreleasedduringthebreakdownofredbloodcells.Jaundiceinnewbornsisnotreallyserious.InthisarticleJaundiceStatisticsSymptomsofJaundiceinInfantsPhototherapyExposuretoSunlightBloodTransfusionJaundiceStatisticsInfantssufferfromJaundiceimmediatelyafterbirthwhichmakestheirskinturnyellow.StatisticallyfulltermbabiesarelesssusceptibletotheJaundiceascomparedtoprematurebabies.60percentoffulltermnewbornsgetaffectedbyJaundiceduringsecondorthirdoftheirbirth.Ascomparedtothisalmost80percentprematurebabiessufferfromJaundiceintheinitialdaysoftheirlife.CertainstudieshavealsosuggestedthatmotherswithgestationaldiabetesareatagreaterriskofgivingbirthtobabieswithJaundice.SymptomsofJaundiceinInfantsHerearesomeofthecommonsymptomsofJaundiceininfants.YellowdiscolorationofthefaceandwhitesoftheeyearetheearlysymptomsofJaundiceininfants.Thesesymptomscanbeeasilyidentifiedbyanadultlookingatthebabyundernaturaldaylightorinaroomwhichhasfluorescentlights.MajorityofinfantssufferingfromJaundiceareabsolutelynormal.Justlikeanyotherhealthyinfantsuchbabiestooarealertandsleepandeatnormally.ImmediatemedicalattentionmusthoweverbesoughtincaseababywithJaundiceLooksveryyellowinappearanceIshardtowakeupNursesorsuckspoorlyAppearsstifforfloppyHasunusualeyemovementsDevelopsahigh-pitchedcryorfeverTheabovearesomeoftheearlywarningsignsofseriouslyhighlevelsofbilirubinwhichmayrequireimmediatetreatmenttopreventbraindamageinaninfant.TreatmentforJaundiceinInfantsHerearethecommontreatmentssuggestedforJaundiceininfants.YoushouldconsultyourdoctorbeforefollowinganytreatmentforJaundiceinyourbaby.1)Phototherapy-SincethemainfactorresponsibleforJaundiceininfantsisexcessoflevelsofbilirubin,exposingthebabytofluorescentlightisveryusefultoreducebilirubin.Thisprocedureisreferredtoasphototherapyduringwhichtheinfantisexposednakedinsidethelightforoneortwodays.Theinfant’seyesarekeptcoveredwiththehelpofaprotectiveeyemask.Mostdoctorsdonotrecommendphototherapyiftheinfantwasbornattermandisotherwisehealthy.Onlyincaseswherethebilirubinlevelinaninfantismorethan20milligramsperdecilitreofblooddoctorsstartthetreatmentforJaundice.2)ExposuretoSunlight-IncasephototherapydoesnotworktotreatJaundiceinaninfantsunlightcanbeused.Howeverinfantsmustneverbeexposedtosunlightforlonghourssinceitcancauseseriousharmtothedelicatebabyskin.3)BloodTransfusion-Incertainextremecaseswherethebilirubinlevelcannotbecontrolledwiththehelpofphototherapyorsunlightdoctors,mayrecommendbloodtransfusion.Thisisnormallyrequiredininfantswithblood-typeincompatibilitywherethebilirubinlevelcanrisetodangerouslyhighlevels.Rhbloodtestdoneduringpregnancyishelpfultopreparetheparentstobeinadvanceaboutincompatibilitywiththebaby.Basedontheresultsofthistestanti-Dinjectionsareprescribedbydoctorsevenbeforebirthofthebabytotreattheproblem.Jaundiceisquitecommoninnewbornbabies.MostJaundicedoesnotcauseanyseriousharmtoababy.BabiesnormallygetJaundiceduringthefirst3to5daysoftheirlife.Inmanycasesitgetscuredonitsownasthebaby’sbodylearnstodealwithbilirubin.Howeverincertaincaseswherethebilirubininababy’sbloodisextremelyhighitcanbedangerousandevenharmababy’sbraincells.HenceuponnoticingthefirstsignsofJaundiceinaninfantmedicaladvicemustbesought.
Almost 60 % of the newborn babies suffer from Jaundice after second or third day of their birth. Jaundice in newborn is not a great matter of concern but new parents should take right care of baby during this period. Read on to know more about Jaundice in newborns and what treatments are suggested for Jaundice in newborn. Jaundice in infants is different from Jaundice in adults. In case of adults the cause of Jaundice is related to the liver. As against this the main reason of Jaundice in newborn babies is bilirubin which is a chemical released during the breakdown of red blood cells.
Jaundice in newborns is not really serious.
Jaundice Statistics
Infants suffer from Jaundice immediately after birth which makes their skin turn yellow. Statistically full term babies are less susceptible to the Jaundice as compared to premature babies. 60 percent of full term newborns get affected by Jaundice during second or third of their birth. As compared to this almost 80 percent premature babies suffer from Jaundice in the initial days of their life. Certain studies have also suggested that mothers with gestational diabetes are at a greater risk of giving birth to babies with Jaundice.
Symptoms of Jaundice in Infants
Here are some of the common symptoms of Jaundice in infants.
Yellow discoloration of the face and whites of the eye are the early symptoms of Jaundice in infants. These symptoms can be easily identified by an adult looking at the baby under natural daylight or in a room which has fluorescent lights.
Majority of infants suffering from Jaundice are absolutely normal. Just like any other healthy infant such babies too are alert and sleep and eat normally. Immediate medical attention must however be sought in case a baby with Jaundice
- Looks very yellow in appearance
- Is hard to wake up
- Nurses or sucks poorly
- Appears stiff or floppy
- Has unusual eye movements
- Develops a high-pitched cry or fever
The above are some of the early warning signs of seriously high levels of bilirubin which may require immediate treatment to prevent brain damage in an infant.
Treatment for Jaundice in Infants
Here are the common treatments suggested for Jaundice in infants. You should consult your doctor before following any treatment for Jaundice in your baby.
1) Phototherapy -
Since the main factor responsible for Jaundice in infants is excess of levels of bilirubin, exposing the baby to fluorescent light is very useful to reduce bilirubin. This procedure is referred to as phototherapy during which the infant is exposed naked inside the light for one or two days. The infant’s eyes are kept covered with the help of a protective eye mask. Most doctors do not recommend phototherapy if the infant was born at term and is otherwise healthy. Only in cases where the bilirubin level in an infant is more than 20 milligrams per decilitre of blood doctors start the treatment for Jaundice.
2) Exposure to Sunlight -
In case phototherapy does not work to treat Jaundice in an infant sun light can be used. However infants must never be exposed to sunlight for long hours since it can cause serious harm to the delicate baby skin.
3) Blood Transfusion -
In certain extreme cases where the bilirubin level cannot be controlled with the help of phototherapy or sunlight doctors, may recommend blood transfusion. This is normally required in infants with blood-type incompatibility where the bilirubin level can rise to dangerously high levels.
Rh blood test done during pregnancy is helpful to prepare the parents to be in advance about incompatibility with the baby. Based on the results of this test anti-D injections are prescribed by doctors even before birth of the baby to treat the problem.
Jaundice is quite common in newborn babies. Most Jaundice does not cause any serious harm to a baby. Babies normally get Jaundice during the first 3 to 5 days of their life. In many cases it gets cured on its own as the baby’s body learns to deal with bilirubin. However in certain cases where the bilirubin in a baby’s blood is extremely high it can be dangerous and even harm a baby’s brain cells. Hence upon noticing the first signs of Jaundice in an infant medical advice must be sought.
