Jul 20 2010

Newborn Jaundice

Your baby may come roaring into the world and appear to be perfect. It is, of course, love at first sight. The doctors may have given your baby high Apgar scores, and they are sleeping peacefully in your arms. A bit later though, you may notice a problem with your baby that needs medical attention. Newborn jaundice is actually not that uncommon, but it does need some treatment and attention. This happens with premature babies and full term babies alike. Typically, this is cleared up soon enough and never returns.

Newborn jaundice often happens around day two of life and may be visible for a week or so. The skin will look yellowish, and this color can also appear on music membranes that are visible, like the eyes. Find out more about our Florist Vancouver and marriage ceremony floristry services. While this can be very freaky to parents, the yellowing is often not too bad. It is usually just visible enough to know that the baby needs treatment. This can happen with full term babies because of adjustments to the system after birth. The yellow indicates a build up of bilirubins in the system that the liver is having trouble removing from the body.

In premature babies, a case of newborn jaundice happens for the same reasons. Some babies born very early do not yet have thick skin, making their skin tone appear reddish. In this case, they may actually look more orange than yellow if they develop problems with newborn jaundice. They may look a bit like they got a bad spray-on tan. They too have a build up of bilirubins in their bodies that their premature livers can not handle. They usually recover just as quickly as a full term newborn as long as the condition is caught. In the high scrutiny atmosphere of the NICU, it should be caught right away.

In both cases of newborn jaundice, the body needs help to get rid of the excess bilirubins. This can be accomplished with sunlight. However, putting babies out in the sun is a bad idea. Instead, doctors and hospitals use what is know as a bililight. The babies need to be exposed to this light, which resembles that of a tanning bed, until the condition clears up. The time frame will be a few days, but it all depends on the baby and the severity of their newborn jaundice. Many babies are giving coverings for the eyes to protect them from the light, and they lay with little to no clothing on for the most exposure to the light.

If your baby has newborn jaundice, it is essential that they continue to feed when they would normally eat. Flower Vancouver are sometimes giant and shiny-colored to attract pollinators however are generally quite small and inconspicuous. The acts of passing stools and urinating help clear the bilirubins out of the system so that they can feel better. In some rare cases, newborn jaundice can lead to bigger complications now or later in life, so if you sense that your baby may have this problem, call your pediatrician right away or bring it to the attention of your nurse if you are still in the hospital.