Jaundice is a common illness that affects newborns especially in the first few days of a baby’s life. The obvious symptoms or signs of jaundice are the yellow color of the baby’s skin, eyes and mouth. The whites of the baby’s eyes and the skin inside his mouth will also appear yellow.
The seriousness will vary in every baby. Your doctor may do a blood test to check how severe the jaundice is in your baby.
What causes jaundice?
The human body makes bilirubin when the old red blood cells are broken down. This is processed by the liver but in babies, the blood cells have a shorter life. Hence, more bilirubin goes through the baby’s liver. If the baby’s liver is not mature enough to handle the bilirubin, it causes jaundice.
How long does it last?
The jaundice will slowly disappear as the baby’s liver matures. It may take longer for the signs to disappear in breastfed babies compared to bottle-fed babies.
The treatment
The treatment will depend on the severity of the jaundice. If the bilirubin level is not too high, there is no treatment necessary. The normal treatment for serious cases is by using phototherapy which uses a special light to break down the bilirubin in the baby’s skin.
photo credit: treehouse1977
Your baby will experience some side effects like loose stools, a raised body temperature or even dehydration. In a most severe case, the baby may need a blood exchange transfusion where new blood is transfused to replace the old blood which is removed.