Question
The newborn has developed jaundice shortly after birth, and medication has not shown significant effects. The baby also exhibits loss of appetite and vomiting, and there has been no weight gain. How should home care be conducted?
Answer
Firstly, consider whether the newborn’s jaundice is physiological. If the level of jaundice is not severe, it usually resolves naturally within two weeks. If the jaundice is severe or persists, it may indicate pathological jaundice, which requires medical treatment. For physiological jaundice, attention should be paid to keeping the newborn warm, initiating appropriate feeding early on, ensuring adequate water and energy intake, and promoting the timely excretion of meconium to reduce the enterohepatic circulation of bilirubin, thereby alleviating the severity of physiological jaundice.