Question
My daughter is just three days old and I haven’t paid much attention to her jaundice. Today, when I went to the hospital, her bilirubin index was 21 and 24. It’s all my fault for not taking good care of her. I don’t know what to do. Please, doctors, help me figure out how to reduce the jaundice index.
Answer
Firstly, consider it as physiological jaundice. As long as it’s not severe, it can usually disappear completely within two weeks. If the jaundice is more severe or persists, it may be pathological jaundice, which would require hospitalization unless there are complications from other diseases. The symptoms you described should be physiological jaundice. Pay attention to the newborn’s warmth. Feed them appropriately early on. Provide sufficient water and calories. Early excretion of meconium can reduce the enterohepatic circulation of bilirubin, thereby alleviating the severity of physiological jaundice. Wishing you health!