Jaundice can happen to a lot of babies when they are born, but it can easily be treated. "Jaundice is when bilirubin, which is a chemical that red blood cells release during their normal breakdown process, builds up in the blood" (Mayoclinic.org, 2014). When a baby is born with too much bilirubin their skin and sometimes eyes have a yellow/orange tint to them. According to livestrong.com, "the baby’s face is usually the first thing to have the yellow/orange tint to it then it usually spreads to the chest, arms, belly, legs, and then finally the sclera (the white part) of their eyes."
Most babies born with jaundice do not need treatment and the tint will go away within a few weeks, but sometimes the jaundice can get severe. One question people ask is, “can my baby become jaundice?” According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), “About 60% of all babies have jaundice. Some babies are more likely to have severe jaundice and higher bilirubin levels than others.” One incident that I can think of is when a woman who was born with severe jaundice, and then she had a daughter who was born with mild jaundice. When the women was born she had severe jaundice and had to be brought back to the hospital every day for a week to be put under a bilirubin light for 2 hours each day. Later in life when she decided to have a baby, her daughter was born with only mild jaundice and had to be placed under the bilirubin light, but her daughter was only under it for a few hours before they went home. Genetics do have a play in jaundice, but in most cases jaundice can happen to anyone.
How to Treat Jaundice
If your baby is born with only mild bilirubin, and does not need to be placed under the bilirubin light there are ways to treat it. Some of the different ways are listed below according to Maycoclinic.org(2014).
- More Frequent Feedings: Feeding your baby will increase the baby’s bowel production which will increase the amount of bilirubin released in your baby’s stool.
- Supplemental Feeding: If you, as a parent are breastfeeding, your doctor might suggest supplementing with formula every so often. The doctor might also suggest just using formula for a few days and then switch back to breastfeeding.
- Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg): Sometimes jaundice may be a result of your baby having a different blood type than their mother. Mayoclinic.org says that, “Intravenous transfusion of an immunoglobulin — a blood protein that can reduce levels of antibodies — may decrease jaundice and lessen the need for an exchange blood transfusion.”
Can Jaundice be Prevented?
Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to prevent jaundice during pregnancy. There are some small steps that livestrong.com, lays out that a mother can take to reduce the risk of their baby being born with jaundice though.
Step 1
A mother should make sure to stay healthy during their pregnancy. Livestrong.com says, “A healthy mother during pregnancy can help prevent problems with the baby. Eat right and take prenatal vitamins throughout your term.” The expecting mother should always make sure to get a lot of rest and talk to their doctor about risk factors.
Step 2
If any contractions are felt before full-term the mother should make sure to contact doctor to try and prevent jaundice associated with premature births.
Step 3
The expecting mother should have her blood and the baby’s father’s blood tested for the Rh factor. If the mother is Rh positive and the father is negative then the mother’s body creates antibodies to fight the Rh factor in the baby. If this happens the mother will need treatment to prevent serious complications from happening including jaundice.
References:
How
to Prevent Newborn Jaundice | Livestrong. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2017,
from http://www.livestrong.com/article/225066-jaundice-levels-in-a-newborn/
Infant
Jaundice | MayoClinic. (2014, April 03). Retrieved October 7, 2017, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infant-jaundice/basics/treatment/con-20019637