Question

My baby is 23 days old and is breastfed. The bilirubin index on the forehead reached 12.7, and he often vomits. At what level of jaundice index in newborns does treatment or medication become necessary?

Answer

Physiological jaundice refers to a temporary jaundice caused by the characteristics of bilirubin metabolism, usually appearing 2 to 3 days after birth, reaching its peak between 4 to 6 days, and naturally subsiding between 7 to 10 days. Premature infants may experience it for a longer duration but without other clinical symptoms. If the newborn shows jaundice within 24 hours after birth and the serum bilirubin level increases by more than 5mg/dl per day or >0.5mg/dl per hour; or if the jaundice persists for an extended period, with full-term infants exceeding 2 weeks and premature infants exceeding 4 weeks without subsiding, even worsening or recurring after regression, or if jaundice appears one week to several weeks after birth